Washboard Roads

A Road with Wash-Boarding in Death Valley

April 29, 2023 - We have been driving washboard trails, almost everyday, for 1.5 months. I finally got around to investigating their cause and solutions to driving on them. 

We figured they were caused by people braking and accelerating in certain locations and anti-lock brakes. That’s only part of the problem. It turns out “dry” conditions contribute as well as poor gravel quality and lack of a crown on a trail. Since these road are marked as “unmaintained,” the gravel is typically whatever was around when the road was made. Actually, I think on many of these, they just removed the surface vegetation and call it a trail! The last time they had a crown on them was when the local beauty queen drove by. 

Since wash-boarding is everywhere, it’s good to know how to deal with it. First, slow down. If you are going too fast, lack of contact with the trail surface and bouncing can make you loose control of your vehicle. If we are going to be on a dirt road for awhile, we can air-down. This gives better contact between the tires and the trail and smooths out the ride. It takes about 15 minutes for us to air down from 38 psi to 15 psi. At the other end of the trail we have to air back up. That takes about 30 minutes. If we’re only on the road for a short distance it’s not worth the effort. But most people don’t have a compressor, air hose and gauges installed in their vehicle.

Without the equipment to air up and down, there are still things that can be done. If you have anti-lock breaks turn them off while on the trail . The second thing you can do is put your vehicle in 4WD-high. If you don’t have 4-wheel drive, consider why you are driving on these rough roads.  Just remember to turn the braking system back on and place your vehicle in 2WD once you’re back on pavement.

But most importantly, just slow down. Pick a sensible speed that won’t require a lot of accelerating and braking. If you want to know more check out the link above.

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