Mahindra Off Road

Learn How to Off-Road : The Mahindra Adventure Off Road Training Academy

Mahindra’s Adventure division has wisely set up a training academy in Nasik sprawling over 28 acres of hillocks forming the perfect terrain for off road lovers. The Academy was started back in 2013. We were invited to sample the Trail Survivor (Intermediate level) course in Mahindra`s off road fleet. The course was conducted by Mr Manish Sarser – Head of Off road training academy. Manish himself is a motorbuff with vast practical knowledge and experience. There is no restriction on participation as we saw a father son duo and even a travel fleet business couple join the course with their own Thars apart from a mix of enthusiastic participants.

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The Mahindra fleet has a couple of Scorpios in the VLX 4×4 trim ofcourse, a Legend and a Major apart from 1st gen and 2nd gen Thar CRDes – the most preferred and loved vehicles by everyone over the course. The entire adventure fleet is shod with Maxxis M/T Bighorn 764 radials which were simply brilliant in the dirt terrain. Reportedly these were almost 3 years old and still showed hardly any signs of wear despite the merciless pounding they are put through over and over again.

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The brief was started by Manish right from explaining the differences and applications of a full time 4wd vs part time 4wd vs AWD, providing relevant examples for quick understanding. Further delving in to the meaning and function of 2H, 4H and 4L. Hub locks are something that have always intrigued me and I really never had an opportunity or reason to understand them practically. The hub locks are essentially the weakest (and cheapest) link in the drive train that are assigned with the duty of locking the wheel to the axle and prevent free/allow wheeling on demand. While Flange type are the cheapest, manual hub locks are a bit cumbersome to use and automatic the most convenient and expensive too. Of course if not used judiciously, the hub locks are first in line to fail before it causes any costlier damage the the axles or more expensive parts. Manish covered all the related aspects of vehicle dynamics be it suspension, axles, differentials, torque delivery etc which easily helps participants relate to during the course.

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Right then, as we were raring to go into the 1st obstacle, the “Home run”, it was almost dusk and light was fading out to make the setup even more exciting. The home run is a very very narrow passage barely a car width and deep enough to swallow the Thar.

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The exercise was simple and straighforwad – select the 4 low range, shift into the 1st cog and let the crawl and engine brake take you into the pit, navigating through it. The obstacle was so narrow that most of us ended brushing either fenders or the bumpers of the Thar. This was the first hand experience of the Thar`s engine braking in the low range, and it made light work of the obstacle on decline. Coming out of the same pit on return was the next challenge. The Thar CRDes are equipped with auto locking rear differentials and it takes just some slip between the 2 axles before the diff locks up ploughing the car out. Manish gave a quick demo in the Thars specifically explaning about the locking of the rear diffs that bails one out of tricky terrains. The idea was to maintain the throttle position in the torque band until the diff locked up within a second or two and the Thar surged ahead. None of us could really believe the ease with which the Thar drove out of the obstacle, rather Trench! More surprises ahead.

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The Waxing gibbous was shining bright upon us as we moved to the next obstacle strangely called “Zig Zag”. Its a short climb on the hillock with deep etched ruts before turning back down, essentially hill ascent and descent which underlines the crawling ability of the Thar in 1st cog with 4L deployed. We tried this obstacle again the next morning, this time only in 2 wheel drive to see how far we could climb before switching to 4L and breezing up and down. Surprisingly one of the Thars with auto locking rear diff did reach the top highlighting the importance of good tyres as well.

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We also gave a shot to the dried “Pond Rush” before calling it a day, the obstacle which looked more like make your own road with no clear paved ruts. This obstacle is about snaking amidst small bushes, and executing super tight maneruvers – a nightmare for 4x4s and it puts the drivetrain under immense strain specially with the hub locks engaged and steering at full lock. Some good spotting saw all the participants through this course without much fuss.

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“Short cut” is one obstacle which calls for judgement while traversing over tight turns going uphill, obviously the 4L coupled with crawl ability makes it a very easy task. Choosing the correct lines and placing the vehicle for the next obstacle and beyond is easily accomplished with the help of a spotter, Manish in this case.

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“Sarpanch” became my favourite obstacle in the entire course as it had a hairpin like banked uphill turn and a very tight crawl down over loose gravel and a rocky step. This obstacle was named after the challenge of towing a Mahindra Sarpanch tractor through this very tricky and technical section. While going up in the understeer friendly Major and its open rear diff coupled with a DI engine meant further caution with throttle. The DIs need a dab more on the throttle than the Thars, however its rigid axles and lighter kerb weight lend it better articulation and agility overall. Some thoughtful throttle modulation is all it took to keep the Major in its torque band and following the spotter`s instructions to the T made this course enjoyable. Going down on the gravel topped rocky terrain with a step down into a tight turn wasnt going to be easy specially with the weak brakes something which the fantastic Maxxis shoes compensated for perfectly in the case. Such tight techincal and banked terrains exhort the need of planning the correct lines before hand to execute the obstacles with minimal back and forth.

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“Slush pit” which is usually filled upto 4 feet of water during monsoons was bone dry this time but required to practically enter a pit while carefully balancing the dangerously tilted vehicle on the exit. The images can only convey half of the hair raising experience as you tip one wheel into the step pit. Of course, we had nothing to worry about being under the guidance of a pro trainer, but we also had helping crew as a back up, just in case – aspect of safety has been paramount throughout the course. The obstacle is a textbook example of a spotter’s abilities, literally the difference between an exciting maneuver or rolling the car over, period.

A spotter essentially is a person who walks the trail and guides the driver for safe and best possible direction. So yeah, he can be called as the co-driver, just out of the car most of the times. Easy to learn, logical hand gesture and signals for the driver to follow become second nature within minutes as we found out. This is pure old school off roading, unadulterated by any “shift on the fly” electronic driver aids that modern SUVs boast of.

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The Trail Survivor also gave us a glimpse of Winching a vehicle for recovery in the safest and most effective way. The Warn winch equipped Thar Di was put pressed into service for towing a Thar CRDe up on a small mound. Ideally a Winch rating should be twice, infact make it thrice (if your wallet allows) of your vehicle weight. Think of it, in most situations you will have to recover yourself in a situation when your rig is stranded at the bottom of a mound or in slush etc which could double the effort called from the winch – as rightly pointed out by Manish.

Loads, angles, math aside, I would just feel confident winching with a winch rated at 3 tonnes as opposed to, say a 2 tonne winch, simple. So much is the potential energy in the cable that a wrong move or snap could leave one grievously injured, regular inspection of the winch and adding a damping weight/carpeting roll near the hook/eye end of the cable is a standard safety practice which could immensely reduce the lash back from an unruly snapped cable. Ever experienced the snap of rubber band breaking between fingers? Ok just imagine 3 tonnes of tension and replace the rubber band with a steel cable. One should just stay clear of the winching area.

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The last course of the day was a small stretch of alternating mounds and ditches, lets call it the Axle twister – what these kinds of obstacles are known as. The trick lied in feeding the throttle keeping in mind the loading on the axles and the grip levels. The nature of the course is such that 2 diagonally opposite wheels are suspended in the air with no traction. It was the only course where the Scorpio with Open diffs struggled if not handled deftly. The Thars with their locking rear diffs had not problems, but it was the Major which made a mockery of most of the obstacles.

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The back to back sessions offered in the Adventure academy were super fun, not to mention very informative along with a few hairy moments. The highlight of the program was participants willing to try their hand at off roading in their own vehicles, experiencing the capabilities of their rigs in a safe controlled environment under expert supervision. The confidence inspiring experience encouraged the father-son duo of Rajan and Samay Singh to drive all the obstacles in their own souped up Thar CRDe. Vinesh Ved, a long time owner of the Thar DI came along with his wife and put his rig through the mounds and ditches for the first time in its natural habitat! Happy and relieved to report that both Thars performed on par and went back scratchless, just a bit dirty – looking the part.

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Mahindra`s DNA has always been Jeeps, as we know ever since they started off the legendary Willys CJ13B. Although with the advent of widening Thar owner base, sadly a considerable number of these capable machines are strangulated by restricting them to daily driver duties and weekend mall visits. One visit and experience with the Adventure training is all it will take, to make them feel proud of their prized posession and make them yearn for more!

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If you are one of those 4×4 owners who has limited your car to mundane runs, you already have some liking for these macho machines. If you have always worried about that scratched fender, scraped running board by venturing into the “habitat naturel”, then take our advice, unshackle your off roader from the urban jungle. A visit to the Mahindra Adventure Training Academy is likely to change your perception and multiply your love for off roading for good. The experience makes one feel that the modern SUVs are charlatan in a way, how the hell will they deliver Adventure if you dont step out and stop worrying about soiling those oh-so-lovely “beige interiors”??

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A few pointers:

  • Safety is the basic and single most important parameter to enjoy off roading in the best possible way. Do not venture out alone for exploring, even on established routes. A group of 2-3 vehicles is an ideal minimum, it also serves as a back up and recovery support.
  • Walk the course on feet if possible along with your spotter. Agree to commonly used gestures to be used while providing directions.
  • Give the vehicle a once over before heading out, keep the winch in a well serviced condition.
  • Air down the tyres for better traction, the actual figure will vary depending on the vehicle and the up-size in tyre. However, remember to have more pressure in the front tyre to cope up with steering duties and avoid a potential bead break/slip.
  • Get off the “low range” or “4L” when not required, its a definite no no on paved roads/highways which do not call for a 4 wheel drive engaged. Throttle mastery is a must, burying the throttle pedal into the footwell wont get you out, you are more likely to dig yourself into a ditch. It also helps to know know the torque tech specs of the engine to make best possible use of the low range.
  • Judicious modulation of the throttle on a vehicle with 2WD and locking diffs can get you to places you may not imagine!
  • Drive for minimum possible duration at full steering lock and ensure that the terrain underneath allows for atleast some wheel slip which eases the stress on the drivetrain.

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Commonly used Jargons:

  • 4×4 High: All-purpose four wheel drive mode used in most cases. As opposed to 2 wheel drive, all four wheels are engaged and powered by the powertrain. “High” refers to the gear ratio, meaning that the gear ratio is unchanged from the ratio used in 2 wheel drive.
  • 4×4 Low: Four wheel drive mode where a lower gear ratio is engaged, thus delivering higher torque to the wheels and lowering maximum speed. Useful in slower off road situations, rock crawling, and for getting unstuck when things go south.
  • 4×2 High : Two wheel drive where either the front or the rear axles are free wheeling and power is transmitted to only 2 driving wheels, mostly the rear wheels in case of a longitudinal engine layout.
  • Locking Differential: Also known as “diff lock,” this refers to the speed at which the wheels turn. In most standard 4×4 modes, the wheels spin at different speeds to compensate for loose or uneven terrain. When the differential is locked, wheels all move at the same speed. A tool used in advanced off-roading and for getting unstuck.
  • Hub locks : Locking hubs, also known as free wheeling hubs are an accessory fitted to many four-wheel drive vehicles, allowing the front wheels to be manually disconnected from the front half shafts or the axles.

Happy Off-roading!!

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