The hot Aussie summer and holiday season is here! You can look forward to long days, swimming, barmy nights and barbecues with friends. Of course, with a 4WD you\u2019ll get to see a whole lot more of our white sandy beaches and iconic bushland, but before you \u2018hit the dirt\u2019, there are some things you need to know about your 4WD and the summer season.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t be one of those 4WD enthusiasts who go off road and get stuck somewhere and then realise their recovery gear is inadequate. Check your recovery gear and invest in quality equipment if you need to add to what you have. Ensure your tarp, ropes, winches, shovels, axe and torches are all in good condition. You\u2019ll need safety glasses, heavy duty gloves, a couple of lighters and plenty of spare batteries, matches and fire-starters. Also check that your flares and fire extinguishers are within their use-by date. You can never be too sure when your recovery gear might come in handy so it\u2019s best to be well prepared.<\/p>\n
The underbody of your 4WD is where vital components responsible for the vehicle\u2019s steering, suspension, braking and other functions are housed. Sand, mud and dirt can trap moisture in the underbody which can speed up the oxidisation process, promoting rust and shortening the lifespan of your vehicle. Always give your 4WD a good underbody wash after driving in these areas to ensure salt, sand and debris are removed. Your vehicle will repay you by providing a good driving experience the next time you want to go off-road.<\/p>\n
Water crossings are common when driving off-road. When doing water crossings, it\u2019s important to check the differentials for any water contamination after exiting the water, before driving further. Differential breathers will help keep unwanted water out but it\u2019s not guaranteed. If you\u2019re unlucky enough to have water present in your gear oil, the differential oil should be drained and replaced, as driving your vehicle for any distance with water mixed with the gear oil can cause damage.<\/p>\n
Tyres are one of the most important components of a 4WD. As you go off-road, a good understanding of tyre pressure is crucial as it affects your safety, traction, track preservation, risk of punctures and wear and tear on your tyres. Different terrains will require you to adapt your tyre pressure to suit so the vehicle will drive comfortably and get you where you want to go. You may need to check your tyres more often in summer as hot surfaces can also impact tyre pressure.<\/p>\n
If you drive faster than conditions allow, you\u2019re far more likely to flip and roll due to your higher centre of gravity. A 4WD doesn\u2019t always help you brake better or give you more stability when turning and braking, so slow down when you\u2019re turning and brake sooner. And instead of bouncing over a rock or ledge, try first gear in low range and idle over them. This will minimise wheel spin and ensure you and your 4WD will get where you need to be.<\/p>\n
Engaging 4WD and driving in extreme heat can add additional load on the drive train. This in turn can increase all the vehicle\u2019s fluid temperatures. Make sure you keep a close eye on the temperatures. Obviously, the less work you make your 4WD do, the cooler it will be.<\/p>\n
With longer daylight hours and warmer days, you\u2019ve got a lot of 4WDing to look forward to. At Bus 4×4 Group, we want you to enjoy your 4WD experience to the fullest so make sure you take on these extra precautions and tips for 4WDing in summer – they\u2019ll go a long way in ensuring you will.<\/p>\n
Bus 4×4 Group<\/a> specialise in building comfortable, safe, cost-effective and reliable 4×4 conversion kits to suit Toyota HiAce<\/a> and Toyota Coaster<\/a> for our clients in mining, tourism and remote terrains as well as private users.<\/p>\n Visit for more information or talk to one of our specialists today at 1300 287 494.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The hot Aussie summer and holiday season is here! You […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":16608,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[72,41,80,73,42,28,29,45,74,75,55,57,78,46,63,30,47,66,48,34,67,49,76,77,52,59,54],"class_list":["post-13857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-4wd","tag-4wd-motorhomes","tag-4wdcare","tag-4x4","tag-4x4-australia","tag-4x4-buses","tag-4x4-conversions","tag-4x4-motorhomes-australia","tag-australia-tourism","tag-australian-outback","tag-australian-road-trips","tag-australian-tourism","tag-beach-driving","tag-bus-4x4-motorhomes","tag-bus-4x4-tour-buses","tag-bus-4x4","tag-bus-4x4-coaster-conversions","tag-bus-4x4-conversions","tag-bus-4x4-hiace-conversions","tag-bus-4x4-mine-buses","tag-bus-4x4-offroad-blog","tag-explore","tag-off-road-drives","tag-off-road-tracks","tag-offroading","tag-outback","tag-outback-driving"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13857"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13857\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}