Unsealed Roads

[NavaraD22]

My brand new D22 Navara is great on the road, great off-road, but shockingly bad on unsealed roads.

The corrugations and pot holes make me feel like my Nav is going to fall apart.

Do other D22 Nav drivers suffer the same? or is it just mine?

What recommendations do people have to make the unsealed road handling better?

Obviously I use the 4 wheel drive and front lockers, but my 25 year old Landcruiser had much better handling....

 

[terryc]

Buy a humungous box for the tub and load it up with stuff. try for 250kg first, then increase.

 

[Dave]

Yeah they do it.

Better suspension helps though.

Dave.

 

[tweak'e]

get better shocks.

Obviously I use the 4 wheel drive and front lockers, but my 25 year old Landcruiser had much better handling....

do you mean that you drive on unsealed roads in 4x4 mode ??

 

[scottybobcat]

What tweak said.

 

[justAL]

I've driven on unsealed roads in Commodores, Volvos, a Roller and an Audi.

They all sound like they're gonna fall apart....with various levels of acoustic isolation.

 

[user 4231]

Driving across unsealed corrugated roads is fun with an empty tray!

 

[Leprechaun]

A unloaded ute is never going to handle like a rally car, as Tweaks & Scotty said better shocks will help, but don't expect too much.

 

[NavaraD22]

I'll get some better shocks and put some weight in the back. I have a big toolbox which i've been meaning to fit. I'll fill it full of my junk from around the house and the wife will be pleased

@tweak'e: yeah i drive unsealed roads in 4x4 mode. Seems to give better control. got any tips?

 

[Dotcom]

Get some good shocks and drive to conditions

 

[scottybobcat]

I wouldn't drive in 4x4 on unsealed roads.It puts to much pressure on your transfer case.

 

[Old.Tony]

Agreed. 4WD mode is exclusively for when you DON'T have traction and NEED it. Not when you might slide out if you tramp it - the solution there is don't tramp it!

Unsealed roads are fantastic. They're blissfully smooth compared to Dungog NSW's main street, where the local dentist sends you if he has to pop a tooth out.

They're useful for making flour too. Whack a few loads of wheat between your molars and hit the gas. Mix a martini by leaving it on the floor of the cabin. Better still, pour the ingredients into a 44-gallon drum and tell your mates to meet you on the other side. Just don't do it on a full bladder.

 

[Dave]

I have driven mine of heaps of gravel roads in 4H and the transfer is perfect.

Extra grip helps.

Dave.

 

[d40 abuser]

trade it for a d40. easy

 

[nathan96]

you could also drop tyre pressures if you going on a long enough stretch of dirt.

other than that

good shocks that can dissipate heat quickly - i.e. big bore shocks for more oil capacity or mono tube shocks like bilsteins

and a load in the back

 

[Nevyn]

It's all about tyre pressure! If your doing extended driving on an unsealed road then lower your tyre pressure accordingly and use the 4psi rule.
4psi Rule

Edit: I always use 4H on dirt roads except for the hard shiny ones, as recommended by certain experts on dvd's etc.

Cheers Brad

 

[WoodyD40]

Edit: I always use 4H on dirt roads except for the hard shiny ones, as recommended by certain experts on dvd's etc.

Cheers Brad

CONFESSION TIME: so do i

 

[Red Dog]

I had the same problem with the D40. Just drop the tyre pressure 5-6psi and you'll notice a big difference.

 

[KraftyPg]

As someone who spends a lot of time on corrugated dirt roads the biggest problem most people have is the way the drive now what they drive. As someone else said, drive to the conditions. Just because a road has no speed sign or even a 60K sign it doesn't mean the road conditions always allow for 60kph. If you shaking the crap out of yourself slow down!

There are some corrugated roads where a slightly higher speed does mean you skip over the majority of the bumps and it feels smoother at the higher speed but throw pot holes and lumps into the mix and then slowing down is the only answer. You could drop tyre pressures but for those of us who spend 20 mins on unsealed roads, 10 mins on bitumen, 20 mins or unsealed it becomes a pain in the arse and that driving to the conditions works much better.

Like others have also said I wouldn't be too worried about 4wd on dirt especially slippery dirt when it's raining or been raining, even the APM tracks around here with the great hunks of rocks to allow the trucks to drive better benefit a little from 4wd at times. But it still comes down to reading the conditions and driving to them not just driving at any speed to get where you want to be,

 

[tweak'e]

as KraftyPg said.

never drive at speed in 4x4. i've had times where i've had to ie towing trailer up steep hills but thats going slow and out of 4x4 the rest of the way. otherwise its just extra wear and fuel useage for no point whatsoever.
besides you miss out on the fun of hanging it out round the corners

makes me think your driving to hard. navara is like a hilux, they are not heavy duty like a patrol/landcruiser.