Below is 4x4 Dictionary of common Off-Road terms. Most of this
list is from Four Wheeler Magazine.
A
ABS: Antilock Braking System.
AIR DOWN: To lower the air pressure in the
tires to improve traction off-road.
AIR LOCKER: A brand of locking differential
from ARB. It acts like an open differential until it’s actuated by compressed
air. Then it completely locks, causing both tires to rotate at the same speed
regardless of traction.
APPROACH ANGLE: The maximum incline angle
that a vehicle can climb without encountering front bumper or undercarriage
damage.
ARMOR-CLAD: Slang for a vehicle that is
equipped with heavy-duty skidplates for the undercarriage or body protection.
B
BASKET CASE: An engine or vehicle that is in
pieces.
BEATER: A thrashed and very ugly truck
that’s usually mechanically sound. In some circles, this is used as a
derogatory term, but in four-wheeling it can be a term of respect.
BEEFING: A general term used to describe
modifying a stock part or vehicle to be stronger. An upgraded part or truck can
also be referred to as beefed-up.
BOG: (1) The large pit of mud at a mud-bog
race. (2) Running an engine below its intended rpm range by being in a gear
that’s too high for the speed or load.
BOMBER:Another word for a beater, although
this usually refers to a poorly running beater.
BISCUIT: Slang for body bushings used to
lift the body of the vehicle from the frame to gain ground clearance. They are
also referred to as donuts.
BULLETPROOF: When a truck or part is
upgraded or modified so that it is extremely strong.
C
CRAWL RATIO: The lowest gear ratio in
a truck, found by multiplying the First-gear ratio times the low-range ratio
times the axle ratio.
D
DOUBLE-LINE: To route the winch cable from
the vehicle to a snatch block, then back to the vehicle. This doubles the
pulling power of the winch but cuts its speed in half.
DROOP: Downward suspension travel.
DROPPED PITMAN ARM: An aftermarket part that
extends farther to the steering linkage than the stock arm. It corrects steering
geometry by reducing the drag-link angle in relation to the tie rods on lifted
4x4s. A pitman arm connects the steering box to the truck’s steering linkage.
E
F
FLAT-TOP: A piston without a dish or dome,
although it usually has valve reliefs machined into the top.
FULL-FLOATER: A rearend design in which the
axles don’t carry the weight of the vehicle. This is the preferred setup for
’wheeling because if the axle breaks, the vehicle can still roll freely.
FULLSIZE: Usually the largest pickup truck a
manufacturer makes for the public. The term has been used rather loosely in
recent years as vehicles have become smaller.
G
GNARLY: (1) A trail that is extremely
difficult. (2) Both a positive and a negative description (depending on the
context) used by younger generations.
GO-JUICE: Gasoline.
GRANNY LOW: An ultralow First gear in a
manual transmission, typically between 4.3:1 and 7.0:1. If Granny can pass you
in her walker while you are in First gear, you have a granny-low First gear.
GRENADE: To blow up a part on your truck.
Trannies, rearends, transfer cases, and engines can grenade. This is definitely
a bad thing.
H
HEAVY METAL: Slang for a fullsize truck.
HIGH-CENTERED: When a vehicle is caught on
an obstacle near the center, usually on the frame, and is unable to move. This
is more common with stock-height vehicles traveling over rough terrain.
HUMMER: A vehicle made by AM General. It was
originally produced for the military but is now available to civilians. The
military uses the designation HMMWV (pronounced Hum-Vee), which stands for High
Mobility Multiple Wheeled Vehicle.
HYDRAULIC’D: A nasty occurrence in which
the engine sucks water into the cylinders through the intake. Unfortunately,
water doesn’t compress well, and the result is usually bent connecting rods
and valves, which make the engine unable to turn.
I
J
K
KISS: When a truck lightly hits an object
such as a rock, but neither sustains damage, as in, “Did you hit that rock?”
“No, I just kissed it.”
L
LIFT BLOCK: A block placed between the rear
axle and leaf springs to gain lift. Lift blocks should never be used on front
axles, and such use is illegal in most states.
LIFTED: A truck that is raised by either a
suspension or a body lift or both.
LINE: The positioning and maneuvering of a
truck over an obstacle. The line a driver takes can be the difference between
success and stuck.
LOCKED IN: Manual locking hubs set in the
lock position are said to be locked in.
LOCKED UP: (1) A 4x4 that has locking
differentials at both ends is locked up. (2) A hydraulic’d motor is usually
locked up.
LOCKER: A differential that allows engine
power to be delivered to both wheels, giving maximum traction. This is helpful
during situations when one wheel is off the ground.
LOW GEARS: Gears with a numerically higher
ratio; 4.56 gears are lower than 3.73 gears.
M
MASSAGED: (1) Modifications usually to an
engine or body. (2) Sheetmetal damage that occurs from hitting rocks or other
obstacles during four-wheeling.
MEATS: Tires. Also referred to as donuts,
treads, or rubber. Generally used when referring to oversized tires.
MONDO: Large, huge, or massive.
N
O
OFF CAMBER: When the trail is on a sideways
incline, usually very steep. Off-camber trails increase the likelihood of a
rollover.
OFF-ROAD: A misnomer for driving on
established dirt trails. Unfortunately, in recent years this term has become
politically incorrect because it implies leaving the trail and bounding through
the countryside. The correct term is “off-highway,” but most people
(including us) still use off-road to refer to driving on dirt roads.
OPEN DIFFERENTIAL: A differential that
usually comes stock on 4x4s. It directs power to the wheel with the least
resistance to spinning. One-leggers and peg-leggers are slang terms for open
diffs.
P
PAPERWEIGHT: A part that is broken beyond
repair.
PLUMBING: Any hose on a vehicle, such as the
brake lines.
PTO: Power Take-Off. An output shaft on
the transfer case or transmission that sends engine power to accessories like a
PTO winch. A PTO-driven accessory is not very common on noncommercial vehicles.
PUMP GAS: 85- to 93-octane gas available at
filling stations.
PUMPKIN: The centersection of a front or
rear differential housing. This can also refer to a removable centersection such
as the kind used in a Ford 9-inch.
Q
U
R
ROCKCRAWLER: A 4x4 built specifically for
maneuvering through rocky terrain.
S
SHOW TRUCK: A customized truck that is built
specifically for competing in shows and for looks. These trucks rarely see use.
SNATCH BLOCK: A winching device used to
double-line or to change the winch’s direction of pull. It usually consists of
a hook, or some other method of attaching the device to an anchor, and a pulley
for the winch cable.
SUCKING SAND: If you are following a vehicle
on a dry dirt road with the windows open, you are sucking sand.
SWAMPED: (1) When a vehicle becomes stuck
while submarining and fills with water. (2) An engine that has either stalled or
hydraulic’d during a water crossing.
T
TACO’D: A frame or other part such as an
axle that has been severely bent, usually when the truck has been jumped too
high.
TAG: To hit an obstacle with some part of
the truck, as in “I tagged my bumper on that ledge.”
TAIL GUNNER: The last vehicle in a
trail-ride caravan. The tail gunner is usually responsible for making sure
everyone finishes the trail.
TALL GEARS: Gears with a numerically lower
ratio; 3.73:1 gears are taller than 4.56:1 gears.
T-CASE: Short for transfer case. A device
usually attached directly to the transmission. The transfer case is a gearbox
that splits engine power to the front and rear axles. You can select
two-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive high or low range with most transfer cases.
THRASHED: When something has been used far
beyond its limit. For example, when a truck has been beaten with wreckless
abandon on a trail it had no business being on in the first place, it is said to
have been thrashed.
THREE-WHEELING: A term used to describe when
one tire has left the ground while ’wheeling. For example, if the driver-side
front tire drops into a large enough hole, the passenger-side rear tire will
lift off the ground.
TRAIL BOSS: The trail leader on a trail
ride.
TRAILER QUEEN: It’s a 4x4 that
pretends to be trail-ready, but it’s really just a show truck carted around on
a trailer.
TRANNY: Short for transmission.
TREE-HUGGER: Derogatory term for an extreme
environmentalist; not to be confused with Tree-Saver (see below).
TWEAK: (1) Modifying something to enhance
performance, usually called tweaking. (2) To incur body or component damage, as
in “I tweaked my bumper when I hit that rock.”
TREE-SAVER: A nylon strap designed to go
around a tree to protect it while it’s being used as an anchor point for
winching. This is much better than wrapping the cable around the tree, which
ruins the cable and the tree.
U
V
W
WHEEL TRAVEL: The total distance a wheel can
travel up and down. As a general rule, the more wheel travel, the better.
X
Y
YANK STRAP: A large nylon strap used for
pulling out stuck vehicles. Also referred to as a tow strap.4x4
Z
This list is defiantly not complete. If
you would like to add to it please E-Mail the web-master at the link below.
E-mail
the webmaster
The
Ocala Jeep Club of Florida 
