Any outdoor enthusiast will definitely have had the pleasure of travelling off-road in a 4×4 vehicle. The main difference between a 4×4 and a normal vehicle is the fact that all 4 the wheels are used to propel the vehicle, meaning that you have more power to get over nasty obstacles. 4×4 bakkies come in various forms, some looking like a 4×4 and others looking like a normal car. When travelling on normal tar roads, the use of a 4×4 is not really required but it does make the handling of the car better if it is a permanent 4×4. When a car is 4×4, it is better known as having quattro drive, quattro meaning 4.
Driving a 4×4 is not much different from driving a normal vehicle, when it is on a normal road. When you drive off the road or in bushes, it becomes a much different driving skill that is required. Having a 4×4 does not mean that you always will get over any obstacle, as the skill of the driver is also very important. Driving in mud versus loose sand is also worlds apart and if you do not know your vehicle, there is a good chance that you will get stuck.
When buying a 4×4, it would be very wise to do a proper 4×4 driving course, which most of the vehicle resellers can arrange or even offer themselves. This will ensure that you know the ins and outs of your 4×4, how to engage the 4×4 mode on the vehicle and also when to use the diff locks, which causes all the wheels to turn exactly the same speed. This is important when crossing very difficult objects because when the vehicle’s wheels get stuck, they tend to stop turning and power is moved to different wheels and you may end up with only 2 wheels actually trying to move the vehicle. When your diff locks are on, all 4 wheels are interlocked and they all turn, making those difficult obstacles much less problematic.
4×4‘s also have a low range and a high range in the gears. When you attempt to cross a very bad obstacle, you would usually use the low range which means the engine will run faster but the gear ratio is different so that much more power is given to the wheels and not speed. This then means that the engine will give a higher torque to the wheels and will not battle when climbing a hill or crossing a river etc.
If you plan to use your 4×4 in deep water, a snorkel would be recommended. This piece of equipment usually sticks out high above the bonnet, sometimes higher than the vehicle’s roof and ensures that when you do drive into very deep water, that the engine air intake does not get flooded with water, which will cause the vehicle to die in the water, possibly leaving you in a very dangerous situation with currents in the water or even crocodiles etc.
A 4×4 is definitely the vehicle for the serious outdoors person.