Sand is a pretty reliable driving medium year-round.
Winter means rain, mud, and a substantial drop in temperature. 4WDing in the middle of the pouring rain, or afterwards, is often a lot of fun – but there are a few things you should know before taking off. The difference between 4WDing in the dry and doing so in the wet is significant, and it’s easier to end up in strife than one might realise.
If you are lucky enough to have access to a 4WD, you’ll know that winter is also a fantastic time to get out and explore some of Australia’s best 4WD tracks. However, it’s important to do so with some common sense and caution…
The difference between 4WDing in the dry and doing so in the wet is significant.
Are you Allowed to be There?
The first and most important consideration is whether you are actually allowed to be on the 4WD track, or even the gravel road you’re hoping to reach. There are many tracks in Australia that close after rain to both ensure drivers’ safety and preserve the tracks.
If you are caught driving along closed tracks, you could face a fine of up to $1000 a wheel – which becomes very expensive in a 4WD. Do the right thing and stick to the tracks you are allowed to be on. If you’re unsure, phone the relevant authorities before heading off.
Driving on tracks or roads that are supposedly off-limits can also cause extensive damage, and could see you stuck there for days!
Expect to get Bogged!
Tracks become a LOT more difficult.
If you haven’t driven too much through mud or on slippery surfaces, it’s hard to explain just how much harder 4WD tracks become after rain. Tracks can change completely even after a little rain. It doesn’t take much to turn a mild 4WD track into a slippery, muddy slop-fest – which will provide zero traction! In muddy conditions, I’ve seen people get bogged in a 4WD even on a flat surface, purely because their tyres were unable to gain traction. You might laugh, but even twin-locked vehicles with mud terrain tyres become stuck on fairly level tracks with lots of clay; it’s simply too slippery. Add in a slight gradient and some holes, and the difficulty level of the track goes through the roof.
Even if you’ve been out plenty of times in wet conditions, except that there’s a much higher chance of getting bogged! As long as you are prepared though, it’s not the end of the world. It’s all part of the adventure!
Driving on tracks that are supposedly off-limits can cause extensive damage, and could see you stuck there for days!
Likewise, you might approach a rocky hill climb that you’ve conquered a million times before – but with enough rain and mud around the track, it can be significantly harder to traverse.
Knowing how much harder a particular track is after rain becomes critical for making educated decisions. You need to know when it’s safe to give it a try, and when it’s better to turn around. In the southwest of WA, we have many 4WD tracks that get so muddy and slippery after a lot of rain that they’re unsafe to drive along. The wheels can slip, and the vehicle starts to pick up speed all the way to the bottom… which can end very badly.
Some tracks don’t change too much, especially if they mainly consist of sand. On the other hand, if there’s rocks, mud, or potential for water pools to form, you should be very cautious!
With enough rain and mud around, a rocky hill climb can be significantly harder to traverse.
Snatch Straps are NOT Suitable for Badly Bogged 4WDs!
If you’ve ever been stuck in the mud, you’re likely aware of the level of suction it applies to your 4WD. A snatch strap is fine if the vehicle is only a little bogged – but once we start talking mud over the height of your axles, you need to reconsider.
Snatch straps work by releasing kinetic energy to pull a bogged 4WD free. The problem is that a badly bogged car in mud will often apply more force than what your snatch strap will handle, and you will end up with a snatch strap smashing through your window. Not fun, nor safe – so stick to recovery boards and/or a winch!
Proceed with Caution
If you do get stuck, take your time, think about the recovery, and do it safely. Too many people have been killed or badly hurt from 4WD recoveries gone wrong. The last thing you want is to ruin a good day out! Check out my piece on 4WDing Australia that covers 20 things you should never do in a 4WD recovery.
Hill climbs in the dry that you’ve conquered a million times before aren’t so easy in the wet!
Essential Gear
You wouldn’t risk a bad night’s sleep by purchasing low-quality camping gear – so don’t put your 4WD and your own safety at risk by using poor-quality recovery gear. If you’re going to head out 4WDing in the wet, you should have:
- A tyre gauge
- A compressor
- A shovel
- Traction boards
- A snatch strap
- Rated recovery points
- Suitable tyres
- And, preferably, a second vehicle!
A traction board can help in those boggy situations!
Travel with a Mate
You should try to head out with a second 4WDer. If something goes wrong, at the very least you have a ride home. However, having two or more 4WDs means you can help each other out if one of you becomes stuck. Plus, the company is always nice!
How Suitable are Your Tyres for the Terrain?
Tyres for 4WDing are critical. They are the only thing that touches the ground and provides you with the traction needed to brake, corner, and accelerate. So yeah… kind of important!
As it’s a totally different ball game, 4WDing in the wet requires tyres with maximum grip. The standard road terrain tyres that many vehicles begin with are fine for sand work, but completely and utterly useless on wet and slippery off-road surfaces. They simply don’t bite into the ground enough to keep you moving. All-terrain tyres are a big step up, with much better puncture resistance, more traction, and suitability across everything from sand to gravel and mud. Mud terrain tyres are the most preferred – ideal when the going gets really tough, but not always what everyone wants to run.
If you never (or very rarely) head through muddy conditions, it probably isn’t worth upgrading to mud terrain tyres; they actually perform worse on others surfaces that you might traverse more often. There are several tracks in WA that I wouldn’t take a 4WD to in the wet without good all-terrain or mud terrain tyres. The difference between a suitable and unsuitable set of tyres is night and day – and probably the most effective change you can make to your 4WD.
Standard road terrain tyres are useless on wet and slippery surfaces, off road.
Mud
…is fun, but you have to clean it off!
There’s arguably nothing more fun than driving your 4WD through the mud! It’s slippery, requires a heap of attention, and will push your vehicle to its limit. When my 4WDing journey began, we loved nothing more than heading to the muddiest 4WD tracks around. We’d have an absolute ball, all day. However, what I soon realised is that the fun we had came at a big cost, which is often misunderstood or forgotten in the moment.
We had to clean the vehicle afterwards!
If you haven’t had the privilege of detailing a filthy 4WD covered in mud, count your lucky stars. Mud is terribly hard to clean away. Sometimes you get lucky, and it hoses off – but if it contains any clay, you are going to need to wet it first before physically removing it. A sprinkler can work wonders – but you’ll inevitably end up with mud still tucked away, which is less than ideal.
I’ve returned from trips in the south-west of WA and physically removed several wheelbarrows of mud from my car. It takes a lot of time, leaves a lot of mess, and is not the most enjoyable job! Reaching the mud underneath the vehicle is even more difficult, and often has you getting soaked… always fun in the middle of winter!
Ten minutes in the mud can mean hours of properly cleaning it away afterward.
…is also one of the worst things for your 4WD
Muddy tracks are up there with the worst terrains when it comes to looking after your vehicle. Mud generally has a high salt content – not ideal for keeping any steel work in good condition, as it promotes rusting. It’s also so fine and fluid that it works its way into everywhere: seals, bearings, differentials, brakes, radiators, and pretty much anywhere you wouldn’t want mud.
The most common reason for alternators failing off-road is mud ingress. It also blocks your breathers, and generally just doesn’t do your 4WD any good.
I mentioned above that we used to love getting the 4WD’s muddy – but over the years, we have actually learned to avoid it where possible. The financial and cleaning cost can often mean it isn’t worth doing! If you regularly drive through mud too, the cost of maintaining your 4WD will increase significantly.
So yes, mud is a lot of fun… but it’s also what keeps your mechanic in business!
4WDing on the muddiest tracks comes at a cost: cleaning the vehicle afterwards!
Water and Electrical Gremlins
Water is the number one cause of engine bay electrical issues from off-road work. It simply doesn’t play well with electrics, especially in petrol vehicles. If you have issues with your alternator after driving through water or mud, you can guarantee water has made its way in and is playing havoc!
Sometimes you can fix them quickly, and other times they need either repairing or replacing. Ask anyone who drives a V8 LandCruiser how many times they’ve had to replace, repair, or clean out alternators. If they 4WD in winter regularly, I bet it’s more than a couple!
Engine Braking is a Must
As mentioned, rain often results in a huge lack of traction when 4WDing. Whilst it’s instinctive to use your brakes in your 4WD, learn to resist the temptation or at least apply them very carefully on hill descents. Downhill descents are downright dangerous when traction is limited and brakes are applied. The concept is pretty simple – when you are rolling down a hill, the 4WD begins to pick up speed. Instinctively, you brake to slow down, but even the slightest touch on the brake pedal locks up your wheels up – then you’re in real trouble.
With your wheels locked up, you will continue to gain speed. This is seriously dangerous in a limited traction scenario. The correct technique is to approach slippery descents as slow as possible and keep your 4WD in low range, first gear. This forces the 4WD’s wheels to turn at a set rate which will control your speed. Try not to accelerate or decelerate too quickly, or you will lose traction.
If by chance you do lose traction, and your wheels are turning slower than you are moving – you need to accelerate to speed up the wheels until they meet the speed at which you are moving. Then, gradually decelerate. You can use your brakes – but do so extremely cautiously!
Mud can make its way into your seals, bearings, and breathers – and generally doesn’t do your 4WD any good.
Check the Weather, and Be Wary of Flooding
Recent years have shown us just how severe flooding can be when the rain arrives. If you are heading out, first check the weather. Beyond that, be acutely aware that when you are in a valley, creek, or riverbed, large volumes of water can come rushing through from rain that has fallen elsewhere. This can ultimately have you in a lot of trouble, very quickly.
This is particularly the case when you are camping – although, I have seen people head out for the day to drive a loop, and by the time they’ve returned the water has risen to a level that is unsafe to cross. This has basically rendered them stuck until the water recedes, which can be days.
Ensure too that there isn’t a chance of snow (if that is relevant to where you are), or that you have the right gear if there is. Every year, plenty of people become stuck on the side of mountains due to being ill-prepared for snow driving.
Check the weather before heading out.
Water Crossings
Approach with Extreme Caution
One of the easiest ways to write off your vehicle is to drive into a big bog hole or puddle, without first walking through it. Best case: you’ll become stuck in the middle with wet carpets, before being pulled free again. Then you’ll spend weeks washing carpets and attempting to return everything back to a good condition. Worst case, though: your 4WD sucks only water into the air intake, and your motor seizes. Some 4WDs motors are $25,000 to replace after only a teaspoon of water damage.
Yep – despite what you may think, it’s not always the wide, fast-flowing rivers that cause the damage.
Snorkels
A snorkel raises the air intake of your 4WD from under the bonnet level to almost roof height. All that’s needed is a teaspoon of water to seep into your engine, and your vehicle will require major mechanical work. For many vehicles, that’s enough to write it off – so snorkels are great insurance when it comes to water crossings.
If you don’t have a snorkel, find out where your air intake is (usually in the inner guard), and pay attention to it – usually, anything over 30-50cm deep is pushing your luck.
In Perth, we have a well-known 4WD track in the hills that becomes incredibly popular over winter. There’s a section with more mud runs than you know what to do with, and they’ve caught out a huge number of drivers (often those new to the game – and without snorkels)! From the surface, it just looks like a basic mud run – but some of them are well over a metre and a half deep, with vertical entries and exits.
If you have a snorkel, check that it is watertight before relying on it!
This is why 4WDs get fitted with snorkels before doing serious off-roading. This water would have swallowed a lesser vehicle.
Depth, Solidity, and Flow
Before you drive your 4WD through water, you should always check its depth and how firm the bottom is. The easiest way to do that is either by walking it, or using a stick – just poke it into the ruts, and see how far it sinks. You have a much better chance if the bottom is hard than if the stick continues to go down! Any water over 70cm deep, be extremely careful in. The only time you may not be able to check the depth is when there are crocs around – like in the northern parts of Australia. If that’s the case, you need to take serious caution entering any water! A general rule of thumb: if you can’t walk through the crossing, you shouldn’t drive it either.
Depth is one thing… but if the water is flowing, you need to be even more careful. The deeper the water, the less flow required to pick up your car and force it down the river! Drop a piece of bark into the water and watch it float downstream. If it moves faster than walking pace, give this crossing a miss!
Do You Need to Drive Through It?
More often than not, 4WDs in strife didn’t truly need to drive through the water crossing in the first place. If there’s a solid track around the water crossing, it’s the safest bet.
As a general rule – if you can’t walk through the crossing, you shouldn’t drive it either!
Install Breathers on Your 4WD
If you are driving through water any deeper than about 25cm, you must have breathers installed. The two differentials are most important, but for deeper crossings your gearbox and transfer case are vital too. As your differentials are dunked in cold water, without breathers the metal shrinks and sucks some of the water in.
Water and oil also don’t go well together, resulting in expensive rebuild costs down the track if not tended to early on. Installing some aftermarket breathers is a relatively simple DIY job, and costs under $100 – well worth doing for some peace of mind!
Don’t Hit it With Speed!
Water crossings should be entered gently, with enough speed to create a small wave of water in front of the vehicle that remains the whole way across. If you enter with a big splash, you risk letting water go where it shouldn’t. Gently does it, and aim for a perfect bow wave.
Flooding can be severe after a lot of rain.
Looking After the Tracks
One of the reasons why a lot of 4WD tracks are closed after rain is to preserve it. The Captain Fawcett Track in Dwellingup and the Lennard 4WD track in Collie are both good examples of this. Cue a decent amount of rain: the gates close, and people are expected to stay out.
The reasoning is simple; when they don’t close the track, there are ultimately hundreds of 4WDs travelling through when the track is wet, slippery, and at its highest risk of becoming damaged. Ruts get bigger, mud holes get deeper – and before you know it, the track is undrivable (by all but the biggest and most decked out 4WDs). This subsequently requires heavy, earth-moving machinery to clean it up again… which costs a lot of money.
On a recent trip up north, we saw a photo showing $40,000 worth of damage caused by people who had driven along a gravel road they shouldn’t have. Now, someone has to pay for the repairs to take place.
Ruts get bigger, mud holes get deeper – and before you know it, the track is undrivable!
4WDing in Wet, Wintery Conditions
It’s a lot of fun to head out in the 4WD after the rain – but do it with respect for mother nature. The outdoors can change awfully quickly, and being stuck on the side of a slippery slope for hours on end can soon have you regretting your earlier decisions!
There’s no need to lock away your 4WD and wait for the colder months to pass. After all, winter is the perfect time of year to set up camp around a campfire and prepare hearty stews! Get it out, get it ready, and take it out for an adventure! Some of our best 4WD trips have been in the middle of winter. When it’s been raining, we’ve been bogged and had a laugh in the process.
(Of course though, it’s ideal to avoid the getting-bogged part!)
Australia is home to some truly epic places to explore. Why not get out there this winter?
Even vehicles with mud terrain tyres become stuck on fairly level tracks with lots of clay; it’s simply too slippery.
Have you ever been bogged while 4WDing?
If it involves four-wheel driving, Aaron loves it. When he isn’t writing for his blog, 4WDing Australia or the Snowys Blog, you’ll find him camping and driving around Western Australia.