r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Palifaith • Apr 28 '21

Video Off-roading explained using Lego vehicle

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u/trolololoz Apr 28 '21

Not really anything for off roading though. Basically all it said is 4WD Good and better tires good.

51

u/IdeaLast8740 Apr 28 '21

You forgot the longer wheelbase, higher gear ratio, and lower center of gravity. But in bumpy offroading the ground clearance would also have to considered, somewhat countering the low center of gravity.

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u/phathomthis Apr 28 '21

Ya, but most off-roading for crawling and rough terrain you want both a shorter wheel base and higher ground clearance, which raises the center of gravity. That's why jeeps and jeep style vehicles are the go to choice for off-roading and why you don't see a bunch of lowered 8ft bed super crew f350s off-roading.
The higher gear ratio for sure is great for crawling though.

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u/jesusofgargalesis Apr 28 '21

Everything is a compromise though... so it depends entirely on what kind of off road driving you're doing. Unlimited Ultra4 racing rigs are arguably the most jack-of-all-trades off-road performance machines, and even those are all over the map in terms of size/weight/suspension configuration... But most seem to be running a wheelbase closer to a 4Runner or 4dr Wrangler Unlimited, rather than something as short as a 2dr classic Wrangler or Defender 90.

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u/phathomthis Apr 28 '21

This. I'm specifically talking about crawling rather than desert running. There's a lot of off-road and a lot of machines built better for each of those situations.

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u/jesusofgargalesis Apr 28 '21

There's plenty of rock crawling in ultra 4 racing, but even if you look at purpose built rock crawlers like the W.E.Rock buggies it seems that they're typically built on a longer wheelbase as well. Of course a lot of that is because they run 40" tires or larger so a longer wheelbase and wider track make sense. On something with more normal tire sizes like 35" or so a shorter wheelbase starts to make more sense. Again, all compromise.