DirtyTalk

WELCOME TO THE NEXT INSTALMENT OF 4X4 AUSTRALIA’S HOW-TO OFF-ROAD DRIVING SERIES: DIRT ROADS

- DEAN MELLOR

DIRT roads are part and parcel of four-wheel driving. After all, more than 60 per cent of all gazetted roads in Australia are still unsealed. That means there are hundreds of thousands of kilometres of unsealed roads and tracks on which you can drive, ranging from well-formed gravel roads through to rough bush tracks and everything in-between.

Driving on dirt roads is very different to driving on sealed roads and, when doing so, you need to take in to account all sorts of variables including differing levels of grip, obstacles, uneven surfaces, dust and, when it starts to rain, mud. Not only is it important to adapt your driving style to suit the different conditions you’re likely to encounter when driving on dirt, but also to tailor your vehicle to suit the conditions. Oh, and you’ll also need some special equipment ...

GETTING READY

IF you’re going to be regularly driving on dirt or you have a big outback trip planned, you’ll want to flick those standard Passenger (P) construction tyres fitted to your vehicle in favour of some Light Truck (LT) tyres. Dirt roads can be hell on tyres, with sharp stones being flicked up from the front tyres and fired into the tread faces of the rear tyres like a shotgun blast; while surface irregularities such as corrugations, cattle grids and sharp-edged causeways are all potential problems for tyre sidewalls.