Stock 4x4 Off-Road 

Fire extinguisher!! Wheeling my stock height 4Runner, got a stick jammed up between my catalytic converter and the stock heat shield - I smelled smoke and bailed out - fire extinguisher in hand! Everyone in the convoy behind me freaked, but the fire was put out and my family was safe. Recommend having one reachable from the driver's seat, and a biggun' mounted somewhere in the back. Thanks RD as always for a great video, you are a fantastic ambassador and educator for all of us!!

Exactly the type of content I want, I’m sick of the other channels telling you have to modify beyond recognition

Really enjoyed this video, would love more beginner 4wd suggested videos as many of us novices can relate.

Great vid, Ronny. I would recommended a fire extinguisher. A lower vehicle could be more prone to collecting grass around the exhaust in the dry, Australian outback. I'd hate to watch a new Hilux burn.

What a legend for creating this content. Setting a great example for all the beginners out there getting into 4x4 and camping. So stoked.

I'm really glad you talked about track damage being a reason to air down your tires. I've argued with people in my area over that. I have a lot of easy trails around me and a lot of people drive those with their tires at freeway pressure because they can, and some of the trails I've been on are terrible as a result.

*"Man's gotta know his limitations..." Harry Callahan* 👍

Great advice for us novices. Love the channel. Keep up the great content!

You’re a great ambassador to 4wheeling Ronny. Many, including myself have learned a lot from you over the years. Cheers from the states!

The first mod must always be removing the dealer advertising around the number plate

Where’s the love button? This is so informative! I will definitely apply this to my bone stock Tacoma. Love your advice as always Ronny, keep it coming mate.

I'm from the states where we lift 4x4 vehicles to go through obstacles yall laugh at on stock vehicles

Great video for us newbies. I have a stock vehicle with AT tyres and it takes me everywhere I WANT to go i.e. fire tracks and dirt roads to my favourite camp sites. Keep up the good work and share some more beginner vids please. 👍🏻😉

Hi Ronny watching from South Africa!! love the show !!

Thank you Ronny! I'm just getting into all this and videos like this help me separate what my truck is capable of vs. the weekend warrior channel's 6" lifted Rubicons on 37's with 2 winches etc. ... I'm exaggerating a bit but appreciate you keeping it real. 🙂👍

Hello from Serbia, and thank you for overland guidelines.

Hi Ronny. Thank you for another interesting content. Would be great to see a video of how and when to use 2H - 4H - 4L and which gear for every situation. Cheers from Portugal.

Great content! I've been slowly working my stock silverado 2500 into my overlanding rig. Good tips/pointers here👍-Josh

Lowering tire pressure also makes the ride a lot more enjoyable. All of those little holes and rocks on the road can make for a very bumpy ride with regular tire pressure.

I have recently introduced some newbies to the lifestyle. they are thriving, but I will make sure they watch this to understand it wasn't just my ideas and opinions!

Perfect timing Ronny, Just waiting for delivery of my new Pajero, sitting in quarantine. These were the tips I have been looking for. Thanks

I would still like to see a video on what you recommend for the weekend (often 1 day) warrior setup. The guy that is not going to overland but wants to do 4x4 trails in his area weekends or as part of a trip where he doesn't have to be self-sufficient. Here in RSA (probably like in Australia) we have many 4x4 routes close to urban centres or at popular holiday destination. Yet a lot of people kit their vehicles like the overland stuff they see (it is big in RSA) but don't actually need it for the Saturday with buddies, the 4x4 club Sundays or the two routes they do at the coast / game park / country side when on holiday... * So this is the market that 4x4 when they can but not overland...not just the 1-2 times a year market...

I am SO glad that this video only has 124,000 views. I'm relying on armchair preppers and their off road war wagons (stock suv's) in case of emergencies. I consider these vehicles as something akin to supply drops in video games. Drive down the back road and see a stuck war wagon. Whoo Hoo! Supplies!

My first 4wd is my 07 Nissan Navara got 2 inch lift mud tyres max trax & kings awning love it goes awesome off road still learning tho

Love to listen to you. Im from Poland, ive been to Aussie once 20yrs ago. Now I've benn listening to Aussie Hilux tips for some time, because Im about to buy one in a while. I love to listen to you , lots of good advices, especially for the beginners.

Not so sure about HTs not being able to do rougher stuff. From a prado point forum: Pete S recently went North up the Gibb river road on his Grandtreks, looked after the pressures impecably and didn't destroy a tyre.

Most people get will stuck first in the mud then think about getting unstuck and then they realize oooooh....should have watched this video first. Very good 4x4 advice.

Most important equipment, ALWAYS bring COMMON SENSE!

Changing tires is a MUST! I have an old 4x4 Hyundai Santa Fe with all terrains, and my dad has a LandCruiser 120 with high-way terrains... Guess which one behaves better in tougher conditions! (We don’t do much off-road, but some “gravel” roads get pretty tricky in Spain during winter)

@Ronny Dahl Hi! How is it that after all this time talking about lowering tire pressures you haven't done a video about pumping them up? Like the absolute cheapest to the most practical?

Hey Ronnie an excellent video from Newbys very sensible and sound advice without going crazy and upgrading your vehicle unnecessarily thank you again well done

Wouldve been funny if ronny kept struggling to pop the covered balloon lol

Between yourself,T.T. and J.C., the most informative advice given.

Looking to throw some KO2s on my stock 2005 Jeep WK Grand Cherokee 5.7 V8 HEMI. Should take me most places I need to go!

Omg. Way to many buttons and electronics.

👍🏻🤣 No1. advice should sound like: “Browse the RU-vid/net for reliable information!” 😂 80% of my off-road current knowledge comes from you, Ronny, and from ASPW (4xoverland) Thanks!

What about rim width? 265/70/16 with 7” rims compared to 8” rims. Any differences with either off road on A/T’s?

Thanks Ronny! Just getting into overlanding here in The New Jersey Pines. Thanks for all the great tips!

Great video as always! Tires is always a good place to start for any off road driving, no question.

Just on the tire pressure. I was up in Lancelin with with a group in my previous 4wd (Ford Courier) with highway tires. At the time I was new to 4wding and never really let my tires down because I didn't have a good air compressor and it was always a hassle to pump them back up. Up in Lancelin there are a lot of sharp limestone rocks. Everyone else either had Muddies or highway tires but they all let their tires down. I didn't. I was the only one who got a puncture that day.

Wow, new to this 4wd activity and just learned that the lowering of tyres is about length not width.... never knew that and just thought it would be width. Nice work thx

Howdy from Florida! FYI, your steering wheel is on the wrong side. 1st mod, move it!

4wd in sudan is fkn dope so many unexplored territories

My biggest concern is older autos with no hill descent control. Really scary coming down the hill or a slope even in 1. Regarding tyre pressure- 26-28 psi will do wonders in most places but 20psi would be recommended for novices so they don't pop their tyre off the bead. I used a small stick to lower my tyres when I took it for a spin in a quarry and was surprised at the efficiency- dropped 20psi from 41.5 in less than a minute! I was so impressed I have stored that in my car for future use....

Very helpful video! Beginner here. Just bought myself a stock FJ cruiser! Cant wait to try it out on some trails in Nevada.

I think what would really make a great video would be you instructing what situations dictate 4Hi vs 4Lo.

Awesome video Ronny, I bought a new Hilux last week planning on enjoying it for some overlanding camping trips. Any advice on the max tire size without a lift and the stock 18 inch rims?

I just bought a 2011 Rav4 XV 3rd Gen 5 speed manual , also just in mint condition! 139000km on the clock! Excited for adventures in this little machine! I just wonder if they are still 50/50 split or has this changed for this generation? I do have a Centre diff lock.

Planning a trip for early next year and haven't been off-roading where I've driven before, so I'm just getting prepared. Originally from NQ so any recommendations on spots to go around South-East QLD or NSW? I was looking into Wolgan Valley/Newnes but wasn't sure how that area is for newcomers. Great video mate, cheers.

I wish you had more detail on how to figure out tire pressures on a new vehicle or new tire model/size.

My tip is to get a good quality snatch strap. I can’t believe some people try to recover a vehicle with laundry rope 😂

Hi Ronnie, another really importannt one is for new timers (and even some more experienced offroad drivers) Don't loose your head as soon as you get off a sealed road. All too often you see people who think just because they are on dirt the road rules no longer exist, if anything it an even better reason to slow down and don't do dumb shit such as burnouts ect. If you wouldn't do it on the road on the way to work then don't do it out bush. Period!

My Rodeo from 06 (model started in 03) has its breathers all up high in the engine bay, the bar was set almost 2 decades ago if not longer, new 4wds are just cutting stuff and as a result the uneducated people who are getting into 4wding are damaging their vehicles

Clearly, the first thing to do to your new vehicle is.............get a "4 Wheeling Australia" sticker!

I absolutely will not buy newer cars with all these computer gizmo ha..ha..

Thousands of dollars on a winch? I bought mine for $480 with a 20% off coupon. You don't need to get the best brand of everything. Actually if you do your research and get what's good enough for you and not more than you need you'll be able to afford way more recovery gear.

The back of most tyre caps will press the valve stem in enough to let air out.

I can’t believe you stole your girls balloons 🎈

You only missed one thing. Look under the vehicle and memorise the location of the low hanging components and their approximate height so that they can drive appropriately around something firmly attached to Australia and better gauge diffing out on a rut where 35s have chopped it out.

If I saw this vedio 2 months earlier, I would save my Hilux which was now being written off from drowning while crossing creeks 🙃

First trip followed my son Montezuma track got there did the tyres ect did the track a bit of whinchen but I got there had to suck it up and return plenty of damage to the Ranger Goog learning curb hence watching this video.

Hi Ronny, great video as always. I have a question regarding insurance, I have seen most insurance say no the moment you tell them the 4wd is modified. Are there insurance for 4wd specially?

I love your channel. Liked and subscribed. What tyre inflator do you use?

I think I am right in thinking when you order your new truck from new you van ask the dealer for a tire change to a more off-road biased tire

How about a permanent 4x4? I can not choose high gear or low gear. Just automatic

hi Ronny ! helo from Latvia.... you are best.......

Do you guys ever use Ham radio (vhf/uhf) down there, or is it mostly the uhf cb band?

Engagement Boosting Comment for the Lord of 4WD

Gday Ronny, Love the channel. I would say that you have done a bit of beach driving in your time. What do you use or what would you recommend if if somebody was to beach drive on a regular basis ( once a month or more) for rust protection/prevention under the car. Cheers.

I say you should carry a snatch strap. Even if you don’t know how to use it. So when you cry for help because you are bogged somewhere in the metro area, yes, it seems to happen regularly. The experienced rescuer can use your strap instead of getting mud on theirs.

A deflator 😂 A $2 valve core remover & $5 pressure gauge is better & more compact. If you're flash like me, spend $12 on a digital pressure gauge.

For tire pressure, remember that if you've driven to the spot where you are going to air down your pressure is probably showing a lot higher than it would be if 'cold'. So let's say you started off at 35psi cold, then drive to your 'air down' location...now your tires are reading 38psi having warmed up. So you air down to 30psi. In actuality you've aired down closer to 27psi (35 cold psi - 8 that you removed = 27psi). So just be aware of whether you are airing down warm or cold tires. For our vehicle we typically start a 35psi for highway driving, and air down to a reading of 30psi when they are already warm (our warm tire reading is usually around 38psi), which is likely closer to 25psi cold. Of course how warm it is outside can change the psi reading as well. Hotter days means your tires will heat up quicker and higher when driving compared to colder days, where your psi range will not be as great after they 'warm up'. Every tire size/type is going to be slightly different. It took me several different times of airing down/up to find a decent 'sweet spot' for our tires. We are typically driving on gravel/rocky terrain. If we drove on soft sand I'd probably drop down to a lower psi. Lastly, you don't need anything fancy to air up/down your tires. We use a $2 tire pressure gauge that has a nub that lets you let air out of the tire, then just take a new reading every couple of seconds. To fill up we use a compact battery powered air pump (can also be plugged into the car itself), which I found far more convenient than using an air compress with a long hose attached.

Last summer I got a new "BAIC BJ40 Rainforest Edition". That model comes stock with "285/70R17 BFG A/T KO2" tires. I took the car to my preferred tyre shop and after only 30 km the car got some new M/T tires. The second and third serious modification have been some front and rear E-lockers, although this car has a stock automatic rear locker, and the shorter axle gear ration (4,45 to 4,88). Any other modifications, that will follow soon, are just cosmetics, except the tow bar and probably a winch. The other changes, that I have made are purely some equipment for car camping. So, the only technical modifications for my car, so far, are the lockers, the gear ratio and the M/T tires. If that is not enough, I have to start walking. I will surely not risk my daily driver on some insane trails, that are made for some special offroaders.

Hello From landcruiser owner indonesia 🤙🏻

Hey dude, watching from northern Arizona. Love the tips. I live 25 miles from town and drive a 15 year old 4Runner with 255,000 miles. Pretty stock except for BFG KO all terrains and Bilstien 5100 shocks and struts. Demello bull bar because we are free range for cattle up here. If you hit a cow out here it will cost you thousands of dollars and ruin your vehicle. I tell you bro, Americans are very jealous of the Aussies Hilux and Diesel engines.

Hey Ronny, I’m looking at getting a new uhf for my Ute, my two options art the moment are a GME TX4500 or a GME XRS370, I know you’ve had both for a while now in your cruiser, can you let me know how the audio quality and reception are? Cheers mate, I enjoy your videos

very surprised to see the demo where an incorrect snatch strap use not only will injure or kill you, but it can also take your pants off (as seen in the dummy) LOLLZZZ I am very new to actually serious 4wd - and bought a used Patrol to do it up and hopefully do some. There is nothing nearby other than the beach and there is an old quarry where I was trying the Chinese a/t tyres which are OK if pressure reduced but I am not so sure if they will handle anything tough so they have to go. There are some gnarly climbs which I did not attempt without a locker but most of them have been littered with smashed glass from beer bottles and I was worried about puncturing my tyre. My 11 yo and I cleaned up as much as we could to drive on one.

Thanks for the info! Some I knew, some I needed reminding, some were ' Oh yeah, that makes sense' I'm in a stock Ram 2500 Cummins. Took some trails in Big Bend National Park in West Texas, nothing too technical. Yeah, I have the torque, , decent clearance, good AT tires, but it's still 19' long, weighs in at 8500 lbs loaded and has a huge rear diff. I had enough sense to turn around before I did something stupid 100 miles from help, in the Chihuahuan desert 100 miles from help. There's an off road park north of San Antonio i might go to to get more practice and better learn my truck's characteristics and limitations without being so far from help. . Don't want a lift, wife sez the stock climb up is already high enough. Mostly I use it to go places with more confidence than I would with 2wd . Once again, glad found your channel. Oh, and we Spurs basketball fans love Patty Mills!

Should install tracks on your ride. No flats.

The humans we are, we will be tempted, particularly if we are novice, to go through obstacles beyond stock capability. My suggestions, protect your rockers and diffs first. Once they are damaged it is too late. OE steps just make it worse. Protect the engine with a snorkle. Once you've blown your engine going through a puddle or water crossing it's too late. A flat tire is reversable but I know good tires should follow quickly as well as a tire plugging kit and air compressor. You need to be self sufficient with your tires, and be able to air up / air down on demand as well as fix punctures and re-bead your tires on your own. Self recovery equipment is right there too. Suspension and tire size changes should come later.

I go 20 PSI always. Unless it's soft sand. I'll go to 10. Been wheeling for better part of 40 years and see so many people who don't think of this and just end up spinning wheels or digging in. It's such an easy step. And, can make the ride over corregations so much smoother

Haha Ronny you're a GC. Would you do all terrains even at the same size as the standard HTs? I have a new Ranger coming but unfortunately I probably couldn't do a lift and bigger tyres and still fit the ute under my carport roof 😂😂😂

Great video Ronny! One thing you may know, but wanted to clarify. Tires don’t actually have 7 or even 10 ply anymore! It’s an old measurement rating carried from the days they used to have that many plys. Now most tires are 2 or 3 ply. Freaking confusing.

So surprising what one of these modern utes can do stock, I only have a set of a/ts on my d23 navi and have just finished touring right over the top end starting in karatha WA to nsw and then back up to qld with a lot of detours nearly 30000km in the end with a camper trailer and being that my last 4x4 was a very heavily modified tb48 patrol I have ended up taking her through and over some very serious terrain on the way (most of it against my better judgement but she hasn't disappointed, if I had tried most of what I put the stock np through in my old troll when she was stock she wouldn't have done most of what the navi has. Modern tech in 4x4s is nuts

My suggestion is learning to clean yiur 4x4 after a session, especially after the beach where salt and iron sand can get up into the chassis.

I have a 2002 4WD Toyota Tacoma ( Hilux). I plan to add a rear locker. What brand of locker do you recommend?

I smoked a roo while in Australia while driving a HMMWV. Does that count towards citizenship?

Mooi man, Lekka Lekka.... 👌😎

Yes, the family and l. Did have the pleasure, to feel the road tyres. Have no grip, while off roading near Collie hills. It is not funny. Thank Q. For an excellent instructional video.

The wading depth on the hilux is 700mm. Isn't that above the diff and if so, where did Toyota place the breathers?

Hello from Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo) 🇲🇾. Your video very helpful.

waiting for my 2024 ranger. afew months to go

If you choose the right vehicle most "beginners" bottle will go long before the vehicles capabilities have been exceeded, especially if it has decent tyres fitted! The worst thing you can do is listen to someone who doesn't really know what he's doing telling you to "go for it"

every turn down south of Perth today, muddy 4WD's by the hundreds, literally every man and his dog was on the roads and tracks in their 4WD it seemed.

Hi Ronny, when you’re talking tyre pressures out on the road, your talking hot tyre pressures? I know that there’s usually a few psi difference between hot and cold. How do you factor this in when you’re on the road? Love your channel mate!

Hey Ronny. Loving your work from the UK. Just bought a Hilux. ARB winch bumper and snorkel on the way. A/T tyres fitted. OME suspension lift ready to fit too. Living the dream.

Best advice I've ever received is " when in doubt get out " this I going to save you a lot of headaches buy just taking a little walk and checking where your going.

The cut letter temporally suit because satin quickly hover unto a sweltering punishment. open, strange syria

Great video mate, my only point to add would be popular tracks are gouged up not by tyre pressure but show offs just flooring it to impress their mates, local tracks here are destroyed, half metre trenches are the norm.

Great clip Ronny, awesome for those just starting out. I agree with a lot of what you’re saying mate, we’ve had a stock Suzuki Grand Vitara and this #littlemountaingoat is awesome for getting us out and into the bush. We camp with it, four wheel drive with it and have done a couple of decent creek crossings with it too including Marrangaroo NP. As long as you know your ability, your cars capability and you are careful, you don’t need a huge lifted heavily modified vehicle to get out and into it ! Great stuff mate 👍👍🇦🇺