Max Grip slide control from Maxxis Bighorns
Yesterday morning a friend I were out having a short navigation/communication training session for the upcoming Nevada Trophy. There will be plenty of faster dirt road driving during the NV Trophy so ultra low tire PSI will be avoided. The 4Runner was not loaded, just regular wet-weight and us two, about 5,900-lbs gross. I set the tires to 23.0-psi, my thinking is that somewhere around 25-psi should work well for faster dirt driving.
We were on our way home on a good dirt road with some mild turns, slight downhill going about 40-mph, center diff locked (normal 4WD). I was driving slightly fast (not race fast), and we were discussing the upcoming competition.
I let the car get too close to the right edge of the road while straightening out the turns and drove slightly into the ditch (too much talking and not enough driving). I felt the right-front tire pulling us into this 'edge trap'. I was able to add steering correction to the left and drive the car back to the center of the road. The car drifted a bit left, I steering into the slide and powered through the drift as we slid a few feet left, and then forward out of the drift. There was only a slight rear fishtail (rear anti-roll bar was off at the time).
After the first steering correction I continued talking to my friend because I had control of the car, and I talked him/myself through the maneuvers. He and I have driven/ridden together enough that he's confident in my abilities; not that I don't make mistakes!
Surely the set-up of the car, about 50/50 weight split, makes it handle very well, and I did my part. But an extra ten MPH on the same road would have made the correction/recovery less likely
All that said the Bighorns were there for me, gripping and pulling forward through the slide as I tipped into the throttle. I was impressed and have another positive experience to add to the Bighorn file. :smiley_drive: