Determine Which Type of Off-Roading You Want to do
When you are daydreaming about heading off-road and kicking up dirt while pushing your truck's abilities to the limit, the urge to run right out the door quickly may overtake you! While it would be fantastic if off-roading was a very “turn-key” and minimal prep activity, that is not the case. Having a firm knowledge of what type of terrain is close to your region can steer you in the right direction of which type of vehicle to acquire.
Light Trails are an excellent entry-point to learn handling and angling minus the solid presence of concrete, and fire roads are one example. Some of the recently released crossover family SUVs claim to have the capability for these locations, but a well-equipped off-road number is most ideal in case there happens to be washed-out sections and other obstacles in the way. Many campsites and far-off hiking locations have these roads, and their general lack of maintenance can still offer an all-out adventure.
Overlanding and Camping: This is a category of off-road action that is gaining much popularity, and its eager participants are much more welcoming than in some other areas of honed-in expertise. Some of the driving is not much more challenging than what you would find on a light trail, and can range from beginner to expert level navigation skills that are needed. If the journey happens to span over a few days, the supplies you bring with you and repair knowledge could render you adequately prepared.
Mudding sees you and the vehicle slopping through the stuff that's wet and messy, as well as thick. When you first begin visiting off-road parks, you'll notice their trail rating system: green, blue, or black is the lineup in terms of difficulty. Being equipped with proper tires is essential, as well as being prepared to encounter patches of standing water.
Rock Crawling is not at all for any off-road enthusiast in a hurry. Monstrous gaps and varying heights in your way will force you to slow down to what could feel at first like a snail's pace. It's important to have a vehicle that can really lean in and sway to the left and right, on top of gear such as skid plates to protect the vehicle's valuables on the underside.
Sand and Desert Racing are locations where adventure-ready brands such as Jeep gained quite a bit of prowess and recognition. You may not have too many obstacles in your way besides last night's fire logs, but it can prove to be more difficult to get out of the sand than mud if you really become immersed. During a desert race you can reach breakneck speeds and test the upper threshold of your trucks limitations.
Make Sure you Have a Capable Off-road Vehicle
There are a vast assortment of accessories and extra equipment that can provide you the ultimate “go-anywhere” machine, but here are two of our most essential recommendations:
Locking Differentials: When the terrain immediately gets rough, the demand for traction rises in a heartbeat, even if one wheel is dangling precariously in the air! The locking differential completes the task of sending torque to the right and left wheels of the axle in perfectly-balanced amounts.
4WD or AWD: These two systems that are important for the off-road aficionado bear much similarity to each other. The 4WD system allows the driver to manually select the four wheels to lock in unison, via the transfer case. The AWD variant uses a sophisticated computer to calculate an optimal amount of power to send to each individual wheel. We consider 4WD as an off-roading necessity, due to the demands that obstacles such as boulders toss at the feet of your vehicle.
Modifying Your Vehicle For Off-Roading
When a truck initially rolls off of the factory lot, it's always a beautiful thing. We still recommend checking out the many different ways to add layers of protection and versatility that we have available here at Toytec Lifts, as they prepare you for the ultimate off-road trek.
Off-Road Tires offer up a much deeper tread for the challenges ahead of you, being able to take on ground contact heftily even when they aren't completely inflated. Our NTRAILGRAP – Nitto Trail Grappler Mud Terrain Truck Light Truck Tire has undergone precise engineering with 3D drafting to produce a tire that is 34% quieter at street speeds, and the balanced void ratio removes mud and dirt from the tread to provide the best traction out there.
Lift Kits are your best available means of gaining more ground clearance, and pave the way to navigate successfully over obstacles that are jutted and unpredictable. Our Toytec Boss Aluma Series 2.5 Performance Suspension System gives you shock bodies made from hard-anodized aluminum, making for rapid cooling and protection from everything you encounter away from the pavement.
Winch Kits are one of most important tools out there, because they can use tree-saver straps to help you rescue any fellow travelers who got stuck along the way. Without one, you won't be going much further forward, and our Comeup Seal Slim 12V Winch provides superior torque output along with lightening-quick line speed. The motor comes equipped with a thermal protection switch and this unit boasts a 12,500-lb rated line pull.
Off-Road Lighting is essential not only during Baja-styled long hauls but during campsite excursions as well. It is not always just sundown that dampens your light source: sometimes huge trees in the woods make 4 pm seem like 6 pm! Our Baja Designs OnX6 20-inch Single Straight Driving/ Combo Pattern LED Light Bar beams out 24,920 lumens per 10-inch section, and uses the team's trademarked High-Speed Spot reflector to provide for your off-road enjoyment the furthest projecting LED light bar in existence.
Skid Plates are the protective barrier in place to prevent excessive and immediate damage to vital components such as your transmission or differential while offensive items scrape away at them relentlessly! The Icon Front LCA Skids for the 03-09 4Runner/Tacoma offer the industry's best in lower control arm protection for off-road use.
Basic Off-Road Safety
Basic off-road safety is a must before you pack up and hit your desired destination. Knowing a few things before you rev up your engine and buckle in for the ride will assure your safety during the fun.
Never go Off-Roading Alone: The places that you want to go are sometimes so far off the map that a large pack and spotter is necessary to help you along the way. It is important to have someone watching from a distance to avoid problems with obstacles that naturally come up fast.
Know How to Use a Winch: Even if everything seems to be going just perfect, suddenly becoming stuck can sneak up on the most experienced off-roader. If you don't have this useful skill under your belt, you may be soon checking to see just how much water and rationed food you brought along!
Bring Safety Gear and Personal Items: Hours of experience and a precision foot on the throttle are just as important as knowing exactly what to bring. The stakes during off-roading happen to be just a bit higher than with the average vehicle, and sunscreen, GPS, extra clothing, spare tires, spark plugs, and a utility knife are just a few things that will begin to come in handy if you realize you have temporarily lost your bearings.
