Is my SUV suitable for Offroading in the Dunes?

[Frederic]

On a regular basis, we get requests from the more "modern" SUV owners if their car is suitable for offroading in the desert dunes. There have been many new vehicles introduced in the market that are sold as All Wheel Drive vehicles, and the showroom will be filled with banners showing this car drifting through the Arabian deserts, enticing the potential owners and making them believe they can take on any terrain. 

Within Carnity, we are openminded about accepting SUV's as long as they have sufficient ground clearance, and have proper tow hooks so we can recover the vehicle safely.

But after a few drives, some owners might come to realize that this vehicle is not the right match for offroading, and that those banners in the showroom didn't tell the complete story.

Below i will highlight a few main factors that might help in new potential offroad vehicle owners make the right decision based on their wishes of type of terrain they'd like to concquer.

Ground clearance

Ground clearance describes the distance from the ground to the lowest point of the car. In offroading this is important, as a vehicle with ground clearance below 8inch (200mm) might get stuck on boulders, or bushes, or other things you might come across once you go offroad. Less ground clearance also means that as soon as you sink in the sand it will be much harder to recover yourself as your vehicle's underbody will be immediately resting on the sand.

Approach and Departure Angles

For dune driving/bashing, the approach and departure angles are essential to know and understand. If you approach a dune, you might hit the front bumper if you have insufficient approach angles, and when descending, a too low departure angle will scoop up the sand and might break your rear bumper. 

Most stock offroad vehicles will have an approach angle of 30-40° and a departure angle of 25-35°

- Toyota Landcruiser Prado LWB: Approach angle 30.4°, Departure angle 23.5°

- Mitsubishi Pajero LWB: Approach angle 36.6°, Departure angle 25°

- Jeep Wrangler SWB: Approach angle 44°, Departure angle 37°

- Jeep Wrangler Unlimited:  Approach angle 42.2°, Departure angle 32°

- Landrover Discovery Sport:  Approach angle 25.°, Departure angle 31°

- Nissan Xtrail:  Approach angle 17.2.°, Departure angle 25°

- Nissan Pathfinder R52:  Approach angle 14.7.°, Departure angle 22.3°

As you can see in above specs, certain SUV's will have issues with low approach and departure angles, with the resulting risk of damaging or breaking the bumpers. Fitting bigger wheels or a lift kit / suspension kit will improve the ground clearance and also the approach and departure angles.

Overall Performance

The Hp/Ton ratio will help to understand how the vehicle will be able to get through the terrain. For light offroading, most vehicles should be fine as long as your expectations are realistic. Anything below 80hp/Ton will most likely struggle on soft sand, crosstracks, but again it will also depend on the skills of the driver. 

Types of Offroading in the UAE

Hard gravel, desert farm tracks (LIGHT OFFROADING)

Any vehicle with AWD or 4x4 should be able to deal with this terrain. You can deflate to 25psi on desert tracks to increase flotation, but be careful with low proflle tyres and the fact that deflation will decrease your ground clearance.

Wadi driving, Rocky Roads, Mountains (MEDIUM OFFROADING)

In this type of offroading, your ground clearance definitely comes into play, and the approach and departure angles will also make the difference between succesfully crawling over a boulder, or hitting it with your bumper. Low profile tyres are definitely to be avoid in this terrain, as it might puncture or damage the sidewalls and/or rims.

Dune driving, Dune Bashing (EXTREME OFFROADING)

The most thrilling of the three types , where all above factors such as ground clearance, angles, and performance all play important roles. This is where SUV's will just manage on Newbie levels, but from Fewbie level onwards one or more of the mentioned factors will become a major hurdle (power, angles, or clearance). 

So whenever you look at changing your vehicle, or when someone asks you "Is my vehicle suitable for offroading ?" you might want to look at above factors and clearly ask him if he wants to drive on farm tracks, or wants to go dunebashing.

 

[Wrangeld]

Great article @Frederic which covers all the 'hard' issues of which vehicle. Someone looking to start driving also should think a little but about the 'soft' side as well. What do I mean by that? For many, their street car is their pride and joy and suitability probably also needs a few more filters: 

1. Risk of damage: Off roading is inherently risky. While at Carnity we always try to make sure that the drive is as safe as possible, if you are going to get frantic because of the risk of your bumper or some other part of the car being ripped off - your car is probably not suitable. 
2. Cost of damage: Tied to the above is that the sort of damage cars will receive off road is normally (but not always) cosmetic. If you would think about immediate repair and the parts of your SUV are very expensive [think here a new front of back bumper] - your car is probably not suitable.
3. Dirt, dust and sand: Your vehicle is going to get dirty out in the wilderness, inside and out. If you are worried that the napa lamb leather will be ruined by sand or dust and it's going to frustrate you that you can never really get all the sand out after a drive - your car is probably not suitable. 
4. Know your car: You will need to know how to over ride a few systems in the vehicle that are there on tarmac for your safety. You'll be disabling air bags, traction control, ABS. If the idea of that horrifies you or you don't want to spend the time looking through the manual understanding how to do that - your car is probably not suitable. 

I don't want to turn anyone off the idea of coming for a drive (quite the opposite) but you'll simply not be relaxed and enjoy your experience if you are worried that something might happen to the car [and that's before we even start to talk about the different strains on the mechanics of the car to which it will be introduced in the desert]. 

If you do decide it's for you, we can promise fun and a really amazing new experience for both you and your vehicle. 

[desertdude]

There should be a law that mandates all 4x4s have the same approach and departure angle.

What good is a high departure angle when you are are going to drag you bottom. 

[M.Seidam]

On 7/13/2020 at 2:56 PM, Frederic said:

Thank you Fredrick very useful article and info 

[Hatim Patharia]

Thank you @Frederic. Great article. I come to realize now that my Jeep Wrangler SPORT is lifted a bit too much. But is there a way of identifying the right amount of lift needed for the respective vehicle now that we know the approach and departure angles for them, the OEM has just the minimum ground clearance.?

Or if their is a threshold for lift that shouldn't be crossed for advanced desert drive, for eg not more than 12 inches of ground clearance?

Thanks.