A guide to off-roading terms

Whether you’re a regular at taking things off the pavement or just dipping your toe into the off-roading pool, it’s helpful to have some basic knowledge of off-roading terms. Check out this Orlando Toyota guide to off-roading terms so you’re ready for whatever adventure brings your way.

The most common off-roading terms to know before you go

Here are some of the most basic off-roading terms you should know.

• Air down: When you’re getting off the pavement, it’s smart to “air down” your tires. This means letting out a bit of air so your tire pressure is below the recommended PSI. Why? Aired-down tires have more surface area, which means they have better traction and control on off-road surfaces. Don’t forget to air up before you go back on paved roads!
• CB (CB radio): CB, or citizens band, radio is commonly used by off-roaders. It’s basically a two-way radio system that allows trucks traveling together to stay in touch, even when there’s limited phone service.
• Low gear: Off-roading Toyotas will often have both high and low gears – specifically, 4H and 4L. Low gears are best utilized for slow speeds and situations that need a lot of power – think rock crawling. This ensures you have incredible control and precision. In low gear, the axle spins at a low rpm, but provides a huge amount of torque.
• High gear: Conversely, high gears spin at a higher rpm with less torque. This results in better handling in slick situations like ice, snow, and mud.
• Bottom out: When your Toyota bottoms out, its suspension is fully compressed and the bumpstops won’t allow further travel. In simpler terms, it means your car can’t go any lower than it has. Bottoming out is no good – you can damage the underside of your car if you’re not careful.

Now let’s get into some of the more technical off-roading terms and features that you should be aware of before you take things into the woods. First up, angles.

• Approach angle: Approach angle is the steepest angle that an Orlando Toyota can climb. Think about it this way – if you drive your Tacoma up to a hill and the hill is too steep, your front bumper will hit the hill and you won’t be able to climb it. Having a higher approach angle benefits you in off-road situations.
• Departure angle: Departure angle is similar to approach angle… except backward. If the hill is too steep and you try to descend it, your rear bumper will smack into it as you go down. That’s why it’s also beneficial to have a high departure angle when you take things off the pavement.
• Breakover angle: Breakover angle ties into departure and approach angle. Picture your Orlando Toyota going over the top of the hill. If the hill is too “pointed” on the top, your Toyota will not be over to make it over. For the best performance, you want a high breakover angle, which is further enhanced by a shorter wheelbase.

Finally, let’s run through some off-roading features you’ll want at your fingertips.

• Active traction control: This off-roading feature detects when one or more wheels have lost traction. It then automatically applies the brakes to the wheel with no traction, allowing it to send power to the wheel with traction. This is especially helpful when you’re on off-road terrain or in slippery situations.
• Locking differential: Locking differentials – also referred to as “lockers” – can lock your Orlando Toyota’s axles together. This means you can provide 100% of the available torque to the wheels that have traction. Again, perfect for uneven terrain and slick surfaces.
• Downhill assist control: Downhill assist control works with your brakes and your traction control to help your vehicle slowly but surely navigate downhill terrain. It monitors the terrain and adjusts your Toyota accordingly, ensuring that the right amounts of power are sent to the brakes and wheels to get you down the hill safely and without damage.
• Hill-start Assist Control: Hill-start assist control is the other side of the coin. It basically helps to reduce backward roll when you take your foot off the brake to press on the gas and ascend a hill in your Orlando Toyota. For a more technical explanation, HAC slows down the reduction in brake pressure to prevent your car from rolling back too much and to let you accelerate smoothly up the hill.
• Four-wheel drive: This particular feature allows you to send power to all four wheels (again, perfect for off-road terrain). Four-wheel drive locks the front and rear driveshafts together. It keeps the front and rear axles turning at the same speed so torque is sent to at least one front wheel and at least one rear wheel (but not all four unless it’s necessary). It’s preferred for off-roading over all-wheel drive.

• All-wheel drive: All-wheel drive is becoming more and more common on vehicles that you wouldn’t necessarily take off the pavement (like the Prius and the Camry). It’s similar to four-wheel drive in that it sends power to all four wheels to help maintain traction. It’s different in that power is sent to all four wheels simultaneously. All-wheel drive is optimized for driving on pavement.
• Multi-Terrain Select: This Orlando Toyota feature is a system that adjusts throttle, brakes, and traction control to regulate wheelspin on different types of terrain. This gives you more control and handling capabilities. This feature has four modes on your new Toyota and is great for driving in sand.
• CRAWL Control: This feature – often found on off-roading Toyotas – is designed to basically be a cruise control for off-roading. It’s a system that automatically adjusts throttle and brakes for you, controlling your speed on uneven surfaces (like rocks) so you can focus on steering.
• Limited slip differential: Limited slip differential reduces individual wheelspin and improves traction on a car. When a wheel has lost traction, the limited-slip differential senses this and sends power to the wheel with the most grip to help you move your Toyota along.

Test drive an off-roading rig at Toyota of Orlando

Think you’re ready to find adventures off the pavement? Come down to Toyota of Orlando and get behind the wheel. You can see all of our trucks here – schedule a test drive online! You can also call us at 407.298.0001, or stop by and see us at 3575 Vineland Rd, just off I-4 across from the Mall at Millenia!