While some people talk about hitting the “open” road, you want to break free from the constraints of smooth streets and instead hit unpaved terrain. Whether you’re driving over sand, gravel, riverbeds, snow, or rocks, your Jeep off-road adventure will take you where most vehicles can’t even dream of treading.
You want the most enjoyable trip, and you want to be smart and safe. Therefore, you need to prepare. Read on to discover what to expect when off-roading with a Jeep.
Know Your Vehicle
Familiarize yourself with your Jeep’s manuals and learn its manufactured capabilities. The Jeep website can tell you what your model can do in different road types.
Give yourself more of an active understanding of your Jeep by testing how it functions on dirt and gravel roads. You can also test your vehicle on narrow roads, inclines, and creeks to learn how it performs. With this fundamental understanding of your Jeep and how it operates, you can proceed to choose your path.
Choose Your Location
When it comes to off-roading, you can choose between various conditions and levels of difficulty. What you pick will influence what you should expect when off-roading with a Jeep.
Here are four types of off-roading:
- Overlanding: This is driving through an isolated area for an extended period. The driving isn’t very technical or difficult. Some people choose to drive cross-country or cross-continent.
- Mudding: This is driving through large amounts of mud. Mud tires will help you avoid getting stuck. You’ll need to move at a high enough speed to avoid getting trapped but not so high that you lose control.
- Rock Crawling: This is driving over rough and uneven rocks. Start with lower-level trails before progressing to more difficult ones, and know your vehicle’s ground clearance. Don’t roll the dice on driving over a large rock you aren’t sure you can clear. Instead, just go around it. Take things slowly, and let your Jeep crawl.
- Sand or Desert Racing: This is driving on coasts or desert terrain. Desert racing calls for the highest speeds of off-roading. It also involves jumps over hills and dunes, so check your shocks and suspension.
Have the Right Equipment
After learning your Jeep’s specifications, the kind of off-roading you’ll do, and the weather conditions to expect, you need to prepare yourself and your vehicle for the journey. Make sure that the battery is secure, all hoses are in good condition, the gas tank is full, and your oil and fluid levels are high.
Pack a spare tire and a tire repair kit, a toolkit, and spare spark plugs and fuses. Bring a tire pressure gauge, flashlight, navigation device, first aid kit, snacks, water, and two-way radios. This basic list doesn’t cover everything, so consider the specific needs of the conditions you’ll drive in.
Have fun modifying your Jeep! Visit our Jeep off-road store. We offer high-quality body armor, grills, light covers, bumpers, and other Jeep off-road body parts and accessories for TJ, JK, and JL models. Our large selection helps you customize your vehicle and prepare for your journey in style.