Feel the sand beneath the tyres with beach 4WD

IS THE means to your next holiday adventure sitting quietly in the garage?

SAND HIGHWAY: A four-wheel-driving adventure on Fraser Island is high on many drivers’ lists as an ideal getaway. Picture: Kristy Muir

IS THE means to your next holiday adventure sitting quietly in the garage?

The four-wheel-drive has gone from being a work or farm vehicle to a family car but many never realise their potential.

If you want to put it to the test, but have never been four-wheel-driving, working out how to get started can be daunting.

Sunshine Coast 4WD Club president Rohan Woodhouse recommended joining one of the region's four-wheel-drive clubs to learn from more experienced drivers.

One of the first lessons newcomers to four-wheel-driving needed to get down pat was how to use a snatch strap to do a recovery properly, Mr Woodhouse said.

He said a snatch strap needed to be secured to a vehicle at a point which could take the weight.

"Some people put the strap over a tow ball but that's not strong enough. You need to attach it to a D-shackle or recovery point on your vehicle," he said.

He said there was a knack to driving with a snatch strap as well. A vehicle that was bogged could be heavier to pull because of the grip or suction action of the sand.

"The strap will stretch and then snap back like a rubber band. The driver of the vehicle towing and the driver of the vehicle being towed need to be ready for it," he said.

Mr Woodhouse said newcomers to four-wheel-driving also needed to understand the importance of letting their tyres down during four-wheel-driving.

Deflating the tyres increases their surface area and the vehicle's footprint which is helpful on a soft surface such as sand.

He recommended deflating a tyre that was normally driven at 40psi down to 25psi.

But Mr Woodhouse said care needed to be taken when driving with deflated tyres as a sharp turn could cause the vehicle to roll.

He recommended the beach as the best place for newcomers to four-wheel-driving to start because it was flat, straight and more forgiving than forest tracks.

"If you get stuck on a track, you can damage your vehicle and damage the track," he said.

Mr Woodhouse said all the normal road rules applied to driving on the beach. The speed limit along the beach was generally 80kmh but reduced to 50 or sometimes 40kmh through camping areas, where it was essential to keep an eye out for people, particularly children.

Wash-outs - eroded patches caused by streams - were another obstacle to be wary of, he said.

But he rated beach driving as superb: "Sometimes it's like a highway. Sometimes it's better than a highway because it's so smooth.

"I love it with the air-conditioning off, the radio off, the windows down, just cruising up the beach."

JUST DO IT: BEACH DRIVING

Four-wheel-drive clubs:

• Sunshine Coast 4WD Club: www.sunshinecoastfourwdclub.com.au
• North Coast 4x4 Club: www.northcoast4x4club.org.au
• Caloundra City 4WD Club: http://www.cc4wdclub.org.au
• Caboolture 4WD Club: www.caboolture4wdclub.org.au