{"id":32206,"date":"2025-03-22T10:01:31","date_gmt":"2025-03-22T17:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.4x4training.com\/w\/?p=32206"},"modified":"2025-03-22T10:16:50","modified_gmt":"2025-03-22T17:16:50","slug":"wheel-cheat-what-it-is-and-how-to-avoid-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.4x4training.com\/w\/wheel-cheat-what-it-is-and-how-to-avoid-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Wheel Cheat: What It Is and How to Avoid It"},"content":{"rendered":"

How often has this happened to you? As you turn out of a drive way, you hear thump-thump as a rear wheel jumps the curb. Intuitively, you know what happened. But do you fully understand the chain of events?<\/p>\n

Now you\u2019re in a parking lot. You spot an open stall up ahead. You begin your turn but then\u2026scrunch! One side of your vehicle made contact with the back end of the vehicle in the next stall.<\/p>\n

These types of incidents are urban examples of the phenomenon we call wheel cheat. It\u2019s not a sophisticated matter, but a refresher course can be useful to understand how it applies when driving off-road.<\/p>\n

What is wheel cheat?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Picture what\u2019s happening with the wheels as a vehicle turns. Every wheel takes a different line. The back wheels do not follow the same path as the front wheels. In fact, the rear wheels move right if turning right and left when turning left.<\/p>\n

I address this in my Rule 3 of four-wheeling:
\nDrive to your back wheel when you have to make a turn.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keep in mind that the issue is magnified the longer the vehicle footprint is. Pay particular attention when pulling an off-road trailer.<\/p>\n

Dealing with obstacles while four-wheeling<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now let\u2019s go off-road. Up ahead is a big, jagged boulder. Your goal is to pick a line that will take you cleanly around that boulder. Turn too soon, and wheel cheat will cause you to scrape the rock.<\/p>\n

Whether turning left or right, always account for the rear inside wheel. If you don\u2019t, wheel cheat will pull your vehicle into the boulder.<\/p>\n

Even smaller rocks deserve consideration. Turn too soon, and the rear wheel jumps the rock. That\u2019s the equivalent of jumping a curb in the urban environment.<\/p>\n

How to handle wheel cheat on a shelf road<\/strong><\/p>\n

Navigating a curve on a narrow shelf road can be tricky. Proceeding into the turn, it\u2019s instinctual to hug the side of the hill to avoid the steep edge. Doing so will cause the inside rear wheel to climb up the bank. That\u2019s the wheel cheat effect.<\/p>\n

If you find yourself on an exceptionally narrow shelf road, use a spotter. It is the safest options.<\/p>\n

The solution is to keep the inside front wheel six to 12 inches from the hillside with the plan for the back wheel to just skim the side of the hill. Wheel cheat still occurs, but the rear wheel won\u2019t climb, and the vehicle is unlikely to tip toward the edge you\u2019re trying to avoid. Don\u2019t worry about driving closer to the edge to avoid wheel cheat. The view could be scary \u2013 you might not see the edge for a period \u2013 but most shelf roads are wide enough to accommodate the turn.<\/p>\n

How to drive around a ditch<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"WheelUp ahead is a big ditch you\u2019d like to drive around. You didn\u2019t plan for wheel cheat, so as you make the turn, the inside rear wheel drops into the ditch. This could even raise a front wheel into the air. Impatience could play a part. Some drivers are in a hurry and simply don\u2019t visualize the path of the rear wheel.<\/p>\n

The solution is to drive to the back wheel while going around the ditch. Give that inside wheel \u2013 whether left or right \u2013 enough room to clear the edge of the ditch.<\/p>\n

How to handle wind up in the drivetrain<\/strong><\/p>\n

One potential consequence of wheel cheat is a wound-up drivetrain. Wind up is when there is too much tension built up in the components of the drivetrain. If not addressed properly, severe damage can result.<\/p>\n

First, it\u2019s important to review how the wheels operate during a turn. In a normal situation, the differential allows the wheels to turn independently. This is necessary because the outside wheels must go faster than the inside wheels, and the front wheels must spin faster than the rear wheels to cover the same distance.<\/p>\n

When you engage 4WD in a part time drive train, the driveshafts are mechanically connected together via the transfer case, with the rear differential controlling the front differential.<\/p>\n

If you start a turn, the solid connection to the rear differentials prevent the front wheels from spinning as fast as they would like to. Their speed is limited by the back wheels. On mud, dirt, sand, snow, gravel, etc. the affected wheel just slips incrementally. In most cases you don\u2019t even notice the small slips. But on pavement there is no ability to slide. This causes wind up in the drivetrain.<\/p>\n

Initially it feels like the steering wheel is fighting you and will not allow you to turn. Once you get the front wheels to start turning, the front outside wheel starts jumping to keep up with the turn \u2013 it\u2019s being pushed ahead. If you keep going, the front outside wheel stops jumping and will roll up the axle, taking up any slack in the differential and the transfer case.<\/p>\n

Very quickly the drivetrain runs out of slack and everything comes to a screeching stop. If you still have the throttle on, you\u2019ll snap parts.<\/p>\n

Even if you didn\u2019t break anything, you won\u2019t be able to get out of it by shifting the transfer case or by shifting the transmission. The drivetrain is wound up so bad.<\/p>\n

The solution is to jack up the front axle \u2013preferably the outside axle \u2013 and let it unwind. If nothing\u2019s broken, you\u2019ll be OK.<\/p>\n

Full-time and all-wheel-drive vehicles solve the wind up problem by allowing the front and rear drive shafts some ability to turn at different speeds relative to each other. This causes other issues off road.<\/p>\n

This is why you should not use part time 4WD while on pavement. Windup can result. However, if you just need to cross a paved road to the other side without making any turns, you will not experience wind up.<\/p>\n

Wheel cheat is possible anytime a vehicle makes a turn. The rear wheels don\u2019t track perfectly to the front ones. Going a little wide into a turn will keep your vehicle from encountering another object, whether on the trail or in the city. Always be mindful of wheel cheat when making a turn.<\/p>\n

# # #<\/p>\n

\n

Did you miss the previous articles?
\n2025
\n\u2022 2025-02-09 How to Quickly Escape a Natural Disaster
\n\u2022 2025-01-14 Be A Hit At Camp With A Dutch Oven Chicken Pot Pie<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Some Upcoming Events (click on the link for details)<\/strong><\/p>\n

March 2025<\/strong>
\nMarch 22, 2025 Getting Started Off-Road Driving \u2013 SD Area
\nMarch 23, 2025 Day 2 Getting Started Off-Road Driving \u2013 SD Area
\nMarch 23-24, 2025 Getting Started Two Day Package \u2013 SD Area<\/p>\n

April 2025<\/strong>
\nApril 2, 2025 Death Valley Experience \u2013 Signup through Cal4Wheel<\/p>\n

April 5, 2025 Getting Started Off-Road Driving \u2013 LA Area
\nApril 6, 2025 Day 2 Getting Started Off-Road Driving \u2013 LA Area
\nApril 5-6, 2025 Getting Started Two Day Package \u2013 LA Area<\/p>\n

April 12, 2025 Getting Started Off-Road Driving \u2013 SD Area
\nApril 13, 2025 Day 2 Getting Started Off-Road Driving \u2013 SD Area
\nApril 12-13, 2025 Getting Started Two Day Package \u2013 SD Area<\/p>\n

April 19, 2025 Tire Repair and Hi Lift Mini Clinic \u2013 LA Area<\/p>\n

April 26, 2025 Winching Clinic \u2013 LA Area<\/p>\n

May 2025<\/strong>
\nMay 3, 2025 Getting Started Off-Road Driving \u2013 LA Area
\nMay 4, 2025 Day 2 Getting Started Off-Road Driving \u2013 LA Area
\nMay 3-4, 2025 Getting Started Two Day Package \u2013 LA Area<\/p>\n

May 6, 2025 Utah Adventure<\/p>\n

May 25, 2025 Memorial Day Club Run<\/p>\n

June 2025<\/strong>
\nJune 14, 2025 Synthetic Rope Repair Mini Clinic \u2013 NEW!<\/p>\n

June 21, 2025 Starting Rock Crawling<\/p>\n

June 28, 2025 Dutch Oven Mini Clinic<\/p>\n

\n

Trailhead Automatic Tire Deflator Set<\/p>\n

$68.95<\/p>\n

Trailhead Automatic Tire Deflator Set<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n