There’s an art to getting grip off-road. But there’s plenty of science as well.

Four wheel driving is all about minimising wheelspin and maintaining traction over rough terrain. It is the job of the suspension to keep the tyres in contact with the ground and we improve the suspension to get increased travel to help us in this cause.

There are, however,  limitations.  Over undulating terrain a wheel may lift off the ground and because of the differential will take all the power to that wheel, leaving the opposite one without any drive.

To overcome this there are a number of ways to limit that wheelspin and provide equal drive to both wheels on an axle. 

A popular way of overcoming an open differential is to have a locking differential and these come in several different forms, usually from the aftermarket industry although vehicle manufacturers are also fitting lockable diffs to new vehicles. 

To read the full story in the April 2015 issue of NZ4WD go to Zinio.com (on sale March 23) or purchase your own hard copy at the Adrenalin store.