Last column, we looked at negotiating sand with momentum and gravity on our side - now a note on the technical aspect of how your 4x4 vehicle behaves in soft sand. Far from wanting to get bogged down in mechanical engineering, understanding the basics of how a four wheel-drive works will complement your ability to read the terrain. As an overview, the turning power of the engine (torque) goes through a series of gears before reaching the wheel: they are the transmission, the transfer case (central differential and gear reducer) and the spider gears at the centre of the axles (in the differentials).
The main concern in off-roading lies within the transfer case and axle differentials. A normal differential, or what off-roaders call an open diff, is responsible for transferring power between left and right wheels along the same axle while at the same time allowing each wheel to spin independently. They are made specifically for driving on a hard surface. Imagine your car driving around a roundabout. The outside wheel takes a circular path with a larger circumference than the inner wheel, so the transfer of power to the wheels must allow for the outside wheel to turn at a faster rate than the inner wheel. The spider gears must transfer the torque from the engine to both wheels equally, but allow for the wheels to spin independently of each other.
What happens on soft sand, however, is a dramatic negative effect. Imagine your car with the wheel on the passenger's side of the front axle hanging off a dune with no contact to the ground. In contrast, your left side front wheel is bearing the car's weight and has full traction. What happens with an open diff is that the torque leaves the left wheel and transfers to the uselessly-spinning right one.
When the vehicle is moving, with momentum on your side, the effect of torque transferring left-right along the axle is negligible, but when you are stopped it is disastrous and will result in you revving and one wheel spinning and digging in deeper, and the other wheel just sitting there doing nothing. So how do you defeat this? The moment you stop moving forward, get off the throttle. Get out and find out which wheel is spinning - that is where all the power is going. Now, dig under the opposite wheel. Sometimes, just a few handfuls is sufficient, and then gently apply throttle, hoping to re-establish the 50-50 split of power across both wheels - and you will come free in most cases.
A real 4x4 is one that has locking differentials - which force both wheels on an axle to turn in unison. Nowadays, with so many soft SUVs designed for on-road use, there are few cars that come with lockers. Some vehicles have what are called limited slip differentials, which help this problem but are still not as good as fully locking diffs. A real 4x4 also has a locking transfer case. If you have an all-wheel-drive vehicle, where the transfer case also shifts torque front-to-rear, then stay off the sand.
motoring@thenational.ae
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
INDIA'S%20TOP%20INFLUENCERS
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MATCH INFO
South Africa 66 (Tries: De Allende, Nkosi, Reinach (3), Gelant, Steyn, Brits, Willemse; Cons: Jantjies 8)
Canada 7 (Tries: Heaton; Cons: Nelson)
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
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WWE Super ShowDown results
Seth Rollins beat Baron Corbin to retain his WWE Universal title
Finn Balor defeated Andrade to stay WWE Intercontinental Championship
Shane McMahon defeated Roman Reigns
Lars Sullivan won by disqualification against Lucha House Party
Randy Orton beats Triple H
Braun Strowman beats Bobby Lashley
Kofi Kingston wins against Dolph Zigggler to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Mansoor Al Shehail won the 50-man Battle Royal
The Undertaker beat Goldberg
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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The specs: 2017 Maserati Quattroporte
Price, base / as tested Dh389,000 / Dh559,000
Engine 3.0L twin-turbo V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 530hp @ 6,800rpm
Torque 650Nm @ 2,000 rpm
Fuel economy, combined 10.7L / 100km