The desert is an enjoyable place to drive but the risk of getting stuck is omnipresent. It happens, and it happens to even the most experienced drivers from time to time. Your turn will come, and having a decent grasp of a few basic techniques will have you back underway before you know it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the sixth and final episode of Ford\u2019s Desert Driving Tips series, Ford\u2019s in-house experts cover a few driving tips that will help drivers to \u2018self-recover\u2019 their vehicle should they get stuck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe first thing you really need to do is get out of the car and assess how badly you\u2019re stuck, the angle your vehicle is sitting at, and how deep the sand is. That way, you\u2019ll know what you need to do,\u201d said series co-host Mike Chavez, Product Development Lead Technologist for Ford Middle East and Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fellow series co-host Christoph Baur, the Powertrain engineering Supervisor for Ford MEA, added, \u201cIf you think you can make it out by yourself, you will need some techniques to get unstuck.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That may include removing some of the sand from under the vehicle; adding traction under the wheels (sand ladders, mats, branches) to help drive out of trouble, or attempting to drive out by using the rocking, wriggling, or lift and fill techniques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rocking technique happens in 4L mode. Using first and reverse gears, you gently move the car back and forth to help smooth a path that will help you to generate the momentum you need to pull out of the sand.
Wriggling also happens in 4L, and you\u2019ll need first or reverse gear (remembering to use gravity to your advantage).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Holding constant RPM (between 1000-1500rpm), turn from lock to lock without spinning your wheels. The idea is that the sand will build beneath your tires and help lift the car out of the sand. You need to be patient with this technique because progress can be quite slow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You may find that you need to jack or use an airbag to lift the frame of the car off the sand before filling the space under the tires with sand, stones, or anything else that will give you a bit of traction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve all been stuck in the desert, and it\u2019s just a matter of time and help from some friends, a little experience and you\u2019re going to get out,\u201d said Chavez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI see a lot of people try to get themselves out of trouble by using the throttle. They think that because they have tons of power they can get out of trouble. The reality is, they\u2019re not going forward, they\u2019re just going deeper into the sand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou never stop learning how to drive in the desert, you just gather more information. No-one gets stuck in the sand forever \u2013 it\u2019s a temporary situation and something we can easily overcome,\u201d Chavez concluded.
You can watch Episode Six in Ford\u2019s Desert Driving Tips series here, and the entire series by clicking this link.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The desert is an enjoyable place to drive but the risk of getting stuck is omnipresent. It happens, and it happens to even the most experienced drivers from time to time. Your turn will come, and having a decent grasp of a few basic techniques will have you back underway before you know it. In […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":9287,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_pr_autopilot_social_copy":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_image_id":0,"_yoast_wpseo_twitter_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter_description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter_image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter_image_id":0,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":26,"_extra_hide_author_box":"","_extra_featured_post":"","_partner_post_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[168],"class_list":["post-9288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-automotive","tag-ford","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n