Driving Techniques on Corrugations

[Bickies Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bickies]

Hi Everyone,

Can anyone offer any advice on driving on corrugated tracks? Are there any hard and fast techniques in doing so?
Size of corrugations,distance between,and speed all probably have different methods of driving but what real outcomes are most sort after? How do you know when to speed up and/or slow down?

Cheers Paul

[LiveFreeAndRoam Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LiveFreeAndRoam]

Hi Paul,

First thing to do is lower tyre pressures. As a guide, I put my Mickey T's down to around 24psi.

You will find a lower speed where it is as rough as guts and shakes the sh!t out of everything. Then as you go a little faster it will become a much smoother ride. If you squeeze the pedal much more, you may find your steering becomes light and the car starts moving around sideways, at which time you immediately back off the accelerator and go back to smooth sailing.

There's no universal speed you must do for corrugations. Though, experience tells me that 80km/h is around the speed I end up doing.

Be careful in the corners, as your car will be much more likely to go where centrifugal force wants to take it.

Be careful with braking; use only a light squeeze and this means much more distance to slow down. Naturally, read the road as far ahead as you can.

Be aware of bull dust traps and drive accordingly.

Make sure everything is tied down. Any loose object in the cabin will find its way to your plastic and scuff it 'till it looks someone took a steelo pad to it.

If the corrugations are hours long, be sure to take regular breaks. I'd recommend no more than about 90 minutes in the saddle. I say minutes, because you will feel every single minute tick by. At each break, check your roof-racks, check your tie-downs, check the load in the interior cargo space.

Enjoy the scenery - but do not take your eyes off the road too long .

LFaR.

[D4D Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close D4D]

x2 what LFaR said, trial and error, it varies depending on the size of the corrugations, how much weight you have on, tyre pressure, whether the sun is shining etc.

[Boomslang Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Boomslang]

LFaR said it all. Around 80km works for me as well.

[Hpycmpr Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hpycmpr]

Id say the same, re 80k. I also find that when safe, dont be afraid to use the whole track, sometimes the smoothest lines are not just on the LHS.

[Davros Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Davros]

That is a really well thought out response to the OP's question LFaR.

My eldest son has recently started driving. I think I will print out your words and give to him for reference and reflection, as I don't think I could explain it as well as you have.

Well done.

Steve

[craigm Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close craigm]

LFAR, Nicely said and to the point... I will keep this well written advice in the back of my mind for my next jaunt across long corrugated tracks.
The only useful suggestion I can add to your excellent advice is to ensure all passengers are well strapped in!

[Bickies Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bickies]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the feedback on this question - very informative. Ill be driving on some dirt roads down in the south west shortly and will put these techniques into affect when doing so. Thanks again.

Paul

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

I am not sure about 80km/hr being the Goldilocks speed, every road and every situation is different. Corrugations vary greatly in size and depth, and where there are corrugations there are often other nasties such as washouts, or bulldust holes that can cause major issues at 80k, so assess each track on its merits.

Having recently installed a tyre pressure monitoring system (tpms) it was quite educational to see just how much tyre pressures can vary from what you let them down to on a cool morning to the heat of the afternoon after driving for some distance, I noticed as much as an 8psi increase on my recent trip, so don't be afraid to check the pressures if temperatures have changed significantly and let a bit more air out.

Cheers Andrew

[Fletcher120 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Fletcher120]

80 to 100 works for me and how did craigm get hold of that picture of my girlfreind ???

[Davros Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Davros]

80 to 100 works for me and how did craigm get hold of that picture of my girlfreind ???

That picture has been posted before (over twelve maonths ago I think) and I already claimed her as my girlfriend back then.

[yowie Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close yowie]

As said earlier, it takes a bit longer to slow down, so if in cattle country such as the Territory, be wary of cattle being spooked and running in front of your vehicle, a Brahman bull a few feet in front of your bull bar at 80k/h will cause a few screams within the vehicle (not me, the others).

[Fletcher120 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Fletcher120]

Sorry Davros but she told me that she was"nt seeing anybody ..... oops .

[Guest Close Guest]

Nah! That's Lea. MLC's girlfriend.
She told me that she likes travelling around the country, especially on corrugated roads.

[croozza Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close croozza]

LFAR, Nicely said and to the point... I will keep this well written advice in the back of my mind for my next jaunt across long corrugated tracks.
The only useful suggestion I can add to your excellent advice is to ensure all passengers are well strapped in!

I think 20kph would be perfect for this senario