I have been driving on corrugated dirt roads since before I even got my license to drive at age 17, I am now over 55 years old.
In all this time I have followed the advice that I got from those who lived/drove every day on corrugated dirt roads.
You need to remember that it has only been a few years that the road to Cooktown has been black topped, there was no black top between Mt Molloy and Weipa , Bugger all black top between the Atherton Tablelands and Normanton / Cloncurry, if fact there was bugger all blacktop any where you went, so you had to be competent at driving on dirt/ corrugated roads if you wanted to go anywhere.
Now back to that advice that i got nearly 40 years ago.
Firstly , when driving on dirt/ corrugated roads in a four wheel drive , have your hubs engaged and reach down and engage High Four,
( YOU WILL NOT DAMAGE YOUR DRIVE LINE ), when driving on dirt in 4 wheel drive you have better control over corrugates and in corners as your front wheels are helping with the added grip , you will get better tyre life /. wear out of your tyres as a bonus.
Secondly, find a speed that put your vehicle on top of the corrugates, this could be anywhere between 80 to 100 kph,( I do tend to sit around 90 to 100 kph ) by doing this you will get a smoother ride, your suspension works better, and you will do less damage to your vehicle.
I very seldom run my Tyre pressures above 32 pounds, I run 33 x 12.5 x 15 M/T tyres and I get even tyre wear across the face of my tyres. I maintain this tyre pressure either on dirt roads or black top, I have not bothered to check tyre temps, but I have rarely had tyre problems on dirt roads.
My two bobs worth, and it works for me. If anyone has doubts,you could try keeping up with me on dirt roads.
cheers duggie
