Good Motoring
Take an SUV anywhere
H. Kishie Singh 

THE Indian owners of SUVs are finally figuring out what the SUV is all about. It is a go-anywhere vehicle, but a lot of people simply do not appreciate that capability. Possibly for two reasons. One, they do not know what a four-wheel drive vehicle is all about. For the average SUV owner, it is a people-mover car, up to a seven seater, that can carry a lot of luggage, and make a macho statement on the road.

Its real value is as a cocktail conversation piece.

The second reason would be that it takes a lot of guts to take the current love of your life, worth about Rs 20 lakh, and go off-roading, to throw it into mud, slush and rivers.

This second reason is a worldwide phenomenon and not confined to Indian owners. It is great to drop children to school, shop for bread, butter and eggs and come home. Some manufacturers cater to this segment.

The Ford Endeavour is a good example. It comes in with 2x4 and automatic gearbox. It is a superb people mover, and that is what some people want.

While off-roading, you will learn how to drive on loose gravel, mud, slush and sand. Sand demands skills much removed from other surfaces. It is soft, moves easily and sucks your car down. If you step on the accelerator, spin your wheels, you will dig yourself down. Same applies to slush. It will hold your vehicle in an embrace. Towing it out is the only remedy. Driving on snow and ice is even more exacting.

One of the most demanding and difficult obstacles you will encounter is fording a river or a large water body. First problem, you don’t know how deep it is. Is the floor gravel or sand? Gravel will give you good traction. Wet sand will be compacted; it will give you traction but not as good as gravel. There is an ever present but unseen danger present with sand. If the sand mafia has been at work, there could be a great big hole for you to fall into.

Before entering the river, mentally draw out your line in the water flowing, estimating the depth. Judge the speed of the water. Your exit point must be down river from your entry point. Two reasons for this. Water flows downhill. You will get a little push from the water; plus, going downhill is easier. Going in the opposite direction means going uphill; more power will be required; plus, the water will be pushing you backwards. This is also very hard on the clutch.

The most serious problem encountered while crossing a body of water is that the vehicle, pushing against the water, creates a wave. It will cover your bumper, throw water up into the radiator grill. It may even flow over the bonnet. Danger!

Even if there are sprays of water on the radiator grill, the fan in the engine, which is designed to pull in air, will suck in the water and spray it all over the hot engine. The electricals are in danger. The new breed of cars is all electrical, and a short-circuit could cost you a considerable amount. However, not as much as if water entered the air cleaner. This could result in a hydro-static lock, which is an engine killer.

It is fairly easy to prevent all this. All you need is a black plastic sheet, just a couple of metres of it. Before entering the water, open the bonnet, drape the sheet across the front and close the bonnet. That will hold the plastic sheet in place. Most important, the fan won’t suck in any water; the engine will stay dry.

The picture above shows the wave created by the SUV as it fords the river. It is at grill level. The lower picture shows a plastic curtain across the front. This will prevent water from being sucked into the engine bay. A dry engine is a happy engine!

One final word. Never ever go off-roading alone. A second car with a tow rope or a winch is a must.

Happy motoring.