Are you interested in pushing your powerful pickup truck to the limit? Learn these four helpful tips for rock crawling in your Jeep Gladiator to ensure a safer and more enjoyable experience for yourself and your passengers.
Reinforce Your Jeep Gladiator
Despite your best driving efforts, there’s a good chance your Jeep will sustain a bump during a rock-crawling excursion. As such, investing in aftermarket armor pieces for your 4×4 truck is highly recommended to reinforce the undercarriage and exterior elements. You can easily find an aftermarket armor set. Your Jeep Gladiator is already an ideal work truck, but this can turn it into the ultimate rock-crawling beast! Alternatively, consider purchasing more expensive Jeep Gladiator configurations, such as the Mojave or Rubicon, which already feature reinforced components and trims.
Air Down for Extra Grip
Airing down is a common overlanding technique that people use in a multitude of all-terrain activities, including trail off-roading, traversing sand dunes, and rock crawling. Basically, this method involves reducing the air pressure of your vehicle’s tires to allow enhanced traction and grip. You must have a functional air pump handy when doing this to ensure proper air pressure for the return trip home. Additionally, you should avoid releasing excessive amounts of air and risking damage to your tires, suspension system, and chassis.
Enlist a Trusted Spotter
Certain obstacles require an additional set of eyes to traverse properly. In fact, it’s quite common for rock crawlers to enlist one of their passengers as a spotter for the day to help navigate challenging encounters. Before attempting to crawl a difficult area, place your spotter outside the vehicle with adequate visibility of your blind spots and ground clearance. From there, your spotter can give you helpful directions that save time and potential repair expenses!
Keep a Slow and Steady Pace
Rock crawling isn’t called rock racing for a reason. A slow and steady pace is actually the preferred speed for traversing large boulders and rocky surfaces. All-terrain tires spin more at high speeds, especially on rocks, increasing the risk of slipping, flipping, or worse. Instead, maintain a steady pace with low RPMs and low gearing when rock crawling to ensure a safe and successful experience.
Follow these four tips for rock crawling in your Jeep Gladiator, and ensure a more productive and enjoyable experience overall. Remember only to attempt rocky obstacles that are within your skill level. If you’re unsure about navigating a specific area, consult a more experienced rock crawler within the community for proper guidance.
