Driving corrugated dirt roads

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Man many years ago done the Gunbarrel from Docker river to Carnegie Station there was plenty out there. Kalumburu Road was pretty good for them to. The let the tires down and as much as you dare and go like buggery is the way to go for comfort but not for safety. There could be a decent wash out awaiting for you after the next blind bend.
 
You also need to consider sticks, the further you let the tires down the more you expose the sidewalls to puncture. On my last trip I kept them at 32 psi then dropped to 28psi on the third day as the corrugations got worse
 
we ran 25psi on the cape development road and stuck to 80 most of the time made for a nice and smooth ride. just had to keep an eye out for those dust holes.
 
I'm sure I've missed a few, but here are what I can remember of our trips in the last 5-6 yrs; Gibb River Road – Bungle Bungles – Parry’s Lagoons – Lake Argyle – Derby – Wyndham - Old Jim Jim Road – Kakadu – Litchfield - Rainbow Valley – Oodnadatta Track – Peake ruins – Mereenie Loop (x2) – Palm Valley – King’s Canyon - Chambers Pillar – Dalhousie – Eringa Water Hole (x2) - Old Ghan Heritage Track – Charlotte Waters (x2) – Alice Springs (x12) - The Painted Desert – Lambert’s Centre – Finke – Cameron Corner – Innamincka via Epsilon – Dig Tree – Milparinka (x2) – Silver City Hwy (x2 when it was a dirt road) - Tibooburra (x2) - Warri Gate(x2) – Noccundra (x2) – Hungerford – Toompine - Betoota – Windorah – Birdsville – Big Red – Mt. Dare – Birdsville Track – Strzlecki Track - Marree (x4) – Darwin (x3) – Timber Creek (x2) – Turkey Creek – Old Hall’s Creek – Fitzroy Crossing - Roper Bar – Nathan River Road - Tomato Island - Lorella Springs – Borroloola – Savannah Way - Hells Gate – Doomadgee – Burketown – North Gregory – Cloncurry – Winton – Longreach – Tambo – Charleville – Eromanga – Thargominda – Eulo – Quilpie – Cunnamulla – Bourke – Cobar – Wilcannia – Broken Hill (x many) – Silverton – Wentworth - Gawler Ranges – Pildappa Rock – Brachina (x many) – Bunyeroo (x many) – Aroona (x2) – Warraweena – Glass Gorge – Parachilna Gorge 9x many) – Moralana (x4) – Holowiliena – N’dala Gorge, Arltunga, Binns Track, Gemtree, Plenty Hwy, Sandover Hwy -Camooweal, Eastern MacDonnell Ranges (x3) , Western MacDonnell Ranges (x4), Ernest Giles Road, Pine Valley, the Wool Wash – Wilkawillina - Kangaroo Island (x2). Flinders ranges (x19) - Whyalla to Iron Baron………………….

There are clearly a lot of places we haven't been yet, but hey, I'm working on it :)

99% of he dirt road we've traveled on was very, very easy. The exceptions were the access road into the Peake ruins off the Oodnadatta Track, the road from Mt Dare to Dalhousie (this is our benchmark of 10 out of 10 for an awful road), the Nathan River road (about 8 out of 10) & the old Silver City Hwy before they sealed it (about 6-7 out of 10)

We don't modify our 4x4's at all, other than a tow-bar & window tinting.

We run our tyres at 20PSI on the front & 26PSI on the rear on ALL dirt roads. If we're towing, the trailer is on 20PSI too.

Easy runs like the Gibb, the Birdsville/Strzlecki/Oodndatta tracks, Mereenie Loop, Ernest Giles Rd, Savannah way etc, we travel at around 90 kmh where practical.

We don't run into the problems often seen on the net. Make of that what you will!

Currently planning this spring's trip! Probably end up being up to Arkaroola, Mt. Hopeless, Cameron Cnr, the Wanaaring, White Cliffs - home!
 
Old T, I understand what you're saying about the shocks. But what about the torsion bars?
And why would you use so much fuel?

The shocks feel it the most, but yes, the torsion bars will also feel it but with a relatively new ute it is usually not something you need to worry about on one trip over a corrugated road. As for fuel economy, even though you think you are floating across the corrugations at speed you actually aren’t, the tyre is always “slamming” (for want of a better word) into the top side of the next rise causing resistance. Similar to when pushing through sand or even heavy rain on the road, you are fighting against resistance with the tyre. The faster you go the more you are fighting against that resistance to keep your speed up. A good test is lift your foot completely off on a corrugated road and see how quickly you slow down. You will also notice your tyres get very hot on corrugated road from the constant sidewall flex, so I would not be using cheap Chinese tyres on 20” rims to do it. I always carry a laser thermometer with me on long trips in the heat so I can monitor tyre and bearing heat etc. Better to be forewarned than sitting on the side of the road with a blown tyre or caravan wheel bearing failure.
 
I think that fuel usage on dirt roads is an individual thing. There are too many variables to compare apples with apples - manual vs auto, petrol vs diesel, modded vs unmodded etc. Driving style also makes a huge difference in both economy & reliability.

We have both a stock 2.5 D22 (diesel, manual) & a stock auto, petrol full size 4WD wagon. Both go bush.

The D22 uses pretty much the same fuel no matter what its doing, unless driving in sand, or the speed goes over about 115kh, then the fuel usage goes through the roof. Towing doesn't change it.

The petrol is the opposite! Put a camper, or caravan behind it & fuel usage goes up dramatically.

Neither car shows any significant increase in fuel on corrugations over bitumen. The D22 uses marginally more, the petrol uses less, believe or not (because of reduced engine speed?)

Both came fitted with Bridgestone tyres. I tow heavy loads daily with the D22 & am not good at rotating tyres. The rears lasted about 32K. I had previously owned a D22 & in the same situation back then, I had replaced the tyres with different name brand tyres that wore just as quickly. So this time I took a punt & fitted cheap Chinese AT LT's. I sold the fronts that came off on GumTree.

The Chinese tyres have been GREAT! They have about 30K on them & are showing less wear than the Bridgestones at similar K's. They have been Adelaide To Mataranka - Roper Bar - Lorella Springs - Borroloola - Hell's Gate - North Gregory - Cloncurry - Winton & surrounds - Longreach - Tambo - Bourke - home. No increase in fuel usage & no issues. We were towing a Chinese camper, which also had Chinese tyres on it (those tyres gave me the confidence to put Chinese tyres on the Ute!). That camper went to 95% of the places listed in my previous post on those tyres. No issues with tyres, nor camper. Sold the camper after 5 yrs & LOTS of travel & the spare still hadn't been used.

Have since put the same Chinese tyres on the other 4WD!

Driver style makes a huge difference! Coming out of the Bungles about 6yrs ago, we were overtaken while crossing water by a guy driving a blue D22 with silver flares. He was towing a camper that was bouncing from wheel to wheel as he exited the water because he was driving too hard. Passed him on the side of the road a while later, it looked like the axle on the trailer was busted! Just one example of many!

Tyre pressure also makes a HUGE difference on dirt roads IMO. Years ago I read something by the late Adam Plate, where he stated that if tyre pressure was too high, the passenger rear tyre was likely the 1st to blow. I started asking people with blown tyres out there which one had blown? Yup, it is almost always the rear passenger tyre.
 
corrigations

Took the road out to Pennyfather a few years back in a flatbed hilux,after 20 min my missus begged me to stop because corrigations were so bad,stopped and was going to turn around[she was going to walk back]when I got on roof of the truck there were tracks off in scrub that the locals use to stay off the road,hence we made it to the mouth.
 
Just traveled the Arkaroola - Yunta Rd - Corrugations all the way from the Blinman turn off, all the way to the ruins just out of Yunta! I'm guessing about 220km's of them! There was a motor bike trailer abandoned about 40km north of the Martin's Well intersection, with a flat tyre & a snapped leaf spring. Then a very new looking road train trailer with a broken chassis about 1km further on. The caravan handled the road very well. We ran 26PSI all round. Fuel was about 10-11L per 100km. It took around 6hrs 40mins including break stops. I've driven the Birdsville Track quicker than that!

Drove in via Nepabunna, that road was MUCH better.

Still had a ball though! :)
 
Just traveled the Arkaroola - Yunta Rd - Corrugations all the way from the Blinman turn off, all the way to the ruins just out of Yunta! I'm guessing about 220km's of them! There was a motor bike trailer abandoned about 40km north of the Martin's Well intersection, with a flat tyre & a snapped leaf spring. Then a very new looking road train trailer with a broken chassis about 1km further on. The caravan handled the road very well. We ran 26PSI all round. Fuel was about 10-11L per 100km. It took around 6hrs 40mins including break stops. I've driven the Birdsville Track quicker than that!

Drove in via Nepabunna, that road was MUCH better.

Still had a ball though! :)

Are you still heading to the corner and around?
 
Sorry, no, we're home in Adelaide now.

We've driven up to the corner via Tibooburra in the past. Thinking of taking my wife's Pajero out next time, maybe up the roads from Broken Hill along the NSW/SA border. Probably come home via Mt Hopeless. Maybe before xmas.

Mate............. that Arkaroola/Yunta road WAS corrugated!
 
The road shook all 6 of the nuts that hold the locking hubs all the way out on the passenger side. The only thing keeping them in was the centre cap on the wheel. The driver's side were loose, but not all the way out. This happened on the Savannah way a couple of years ago too.

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