How to save money on fuel when off-roading

There is a fork in the planning road every off-roader faces when deciding how to approach a trip: do you throw your wallet at the whole thing – spending most of your hard-earned on everything anyone could ever possibly think of to do, even remotely, with having fun in the outdoors?

Or do you apply the minimalist method of thinking and go into the great unknown with next to nothing? There exists a happy medium – which lies somewhere between the two – and that is the safest and best way to go. But there is an easy way to save cash when you head off – you can slash fuel costs by applying a few simple principles to your vehicle, your packing and your driving style. Read on.

Learn how to drive

Becoming a better, more informed, driver means the notion of going on- or off-road will be a stress-free proposition, rather than one fraught with doubt.

Whether it’s defensive driving, how to tow a caravan or how to use your 4WD – all of those and others can save you cash, time and stress by honing your skills, reining in your driving style and reducing your impact on the world. Think about it: gentler acceleration, braking and more conservative all-round driving – all hallmarks of off-roading – will ultimately result in lower fuel bills and less wear and tear on your vehicle. A bloody great win-win for you!

Adjust your tyre pressures

This is something we repeatedly encourage on CarsGuide Adventure and there’s very solid reasoning behind why we keep pushing it. If you get tyre pressures right – to suit the conditions, the vehicle, the terrain – everything else will flow on from there. Correct pressures will also be better for vehicle ride and handling, will improve safety and you’ll save cash on tyre wear and tear. Not to mention you’ll reduce your fuel bills because you’ll be driving on correctly pressured tyres, not ones that are set too high or too low for the terrain you’re on.

When you drop tyre pressures, it lengthens the tyre’s ‘footprint’– its surface area from front to back – increasing the vehicle’s contact with the ground, thus aiding traction. Great traction is what you need when driving off-road. On bitumen, recommended tyre pressures on an AWD or 4WD will generally be from around 30 psi (pounds per square inch). On sand, you will need to drop that to between 15 and 18 psi. 

To accurately measure tyre pressures, use a good-quality tyre-pressure gauge; don’t just guess – guessing gets you into strife: bogged or worse.

To drop tyre pressures accurately, use a deflator from a reputable company, such as ARB or Ironman 4x4. In layman’s terms, a deflator, via removal of the tyre’s valve stem, lets air out at a faster rate and with more precise control, then you would be able to otherwise. 
Now, after you’ve had your fun on the sandy stuff – and before you head back too far along firmer ground (gravel roads, bitumen) – you need to re-inflate your tyres. Driving on hard surfaces with low-pressure tyres is unsafe and may damage, among other things, your rims. To inflate your tyres, you’ll need an air compressor. These are simple to use; attach the unit’s alligator clips onto your battery’s positive and negative points, and pump up each tyre back to the required levels. Again, opt for a solid product from a reputable company.
When tyres are at their optimal pressure for the surface you’re driving on, your vehicle’s fuel consumption will be improved.

Drive to suit the terrain

With tyre pressures dropped, you have to alter your driving style. You must drive conservatively, because your vehicle’s handling has been compromised. Fast, sharp turns may roll a tyre off its rim or, worse, the vehicle itself may roll. Your braking distances are also affected, so take that into account if you’re travelling in a convoy or nearing a populated area in the bush or on the beach.

Slow steady driving is generally a pretty sound approach when applied to all types of off-roading: on sand, in the bush, in mud, snow … anything.

Soft sand is designed to slow you down so a driver’s natural reaction is to up the revs, to help maintain momentum, but really steady constant throttle – not pedal-to-the-metal speed – is the key to maintaining steady forward progress.
Stick to road rules and speed limits and if there aren’t any signposted, then err on the side of caution. Driving between 30km/h and 40km/h is a fair clip on a beach.

All of these changes in driving habits – basically just driving slower and more with more care – will result in a reduction in fuel usage and therefore a reduction in fuel costs.

Pack with purpose

If you pack fewer things, then your vehicle has less of a weighty burden to cope with, and so, combined with changes in your driving habits and with your tyres set at optimal pressures, fuel consumption will be reduced.
It’s pure logic, really. There’s no need to pack your vehicle to the gunwales, as if you’re heading for a month-long Simpson Desert trip, if you’re only going away for the weekend. There’s a temptation to pack over and above what you and your family needs for every trip – you are only human after all – but ignore those urges.

Pack your essentials first – tent, sleeping bags, cooking utensils etc – then add in more gear, piece by piece, as needed.

Always use lightweight alternatives, if available, for camping gear, camp furniture (chairs, awnings etc), cookware, utensils and anything else – sporting equipment etc – you can possibly think of. The more lighter options you use, the more kegs you shave off your total vehicle weight; less weight, less fuel used.

If you pack to meet your needs for each particular trip, you won’t be carting so much gear around all the time and, as a result, you’ll use less fuel.

The gear you need

If you haven’t already realised, part of being prepared for any off-roading adventure is having the skills and having the gear.

There is a mind-boggling variety of vehicle-recovery gear available – ranging in quality and price – but stick to the basics for starters, make sure you have good-quality equipment onboard, then you’re heading in the right direction.

Get a tyre-pressure gauge, tyre deflator, vehicle-recovery tracks, an air compressor, a long-handled shovel, rated bow shackles and snatch strap (for vehicles with rated recovery points, generally 4WDs).

Do you have any extra tips for saving fuel while off-roading? Tell us about them in the comments below.