At what angle will a 4wd roll?

It all depends on suspension how you are driving it and COG.

Have only come close once in a Discovery, I was not driving and was not my car, it’s a long story, but the 2 second or so the 4WD was balancing on the 2 passenger side tyre’s before dropping back onto the other 2 felt like about 15 and me and the other bloke had that holly Shi* expression stamped on owe faces.

Jimbo, I reckon Footloose has got it well covered. About the only use for an inclinometer is when you have stopped on what you think is a steepish incline, (so the thing has stopped jiggling around) and you can say " Oh, that's only a 25 degree incline with a 15 degree slide slope". It's generally never actually as steep as it feels. If you're really getting close to a roll-over, the last thing you are likely to be doing, or even want to be doing, is looking at the thing. Because the next thing you'll see it doing is acting like the artificial horizon in a stunt plane doing a barrel roll.

And as has been alluded to, the relevant factor is the centre of gravity, and the forces acting on the vehicle so the critical angle would change between different vehicle, how a vehicle is loaded, how fast it is turning, the nature of the ground beneath the tyres etc. Don't people roll Explorers in the States just going round highway corners? Highish centre of gravity + slight off-cambered road shoulder + excessive speed = rollover. Put a Ferrari stationary on a 70 degree side-slope and it probably still wouldn't tip. Low profile tyres, stiff suspension, very low centre of gravity, especially with 120kg driver with butt scraping the ground, no sideways forces= no rollover.

Too many variables to make the angles mean anything. There are much more useful toys to buy.

Stay upright
MikeyS

I reckon they are some value, but lacking in the way most people use them- mainly because they dont take into account the momentum of your 3 tonne bus. I have seen them off the 40-degree scale (so I cant say their actual value, but more than 40), and I have been in a 4by rolled on flat ground, but hit an embankment side on at 80km/h.

They are valuable only if you have no concept of balance. Maybe if you had no ears you'd have a use for it. I have been in cars I could literally reach out the passenger window and just touch the ground (SWB patrol and sierra) but try the same in different vehicle and you'll roll.

Just keep building your experience in yours, and if you dont write it off you'll learn its limits. Failing that, ply a bloke with the same car with caffeine and sugar and egg him on.

It's about getting the centre of gravity outside your wheel track. On some cars, that might be 36 degrees.

Smocky.

Go the Patrols!!!

Good one Bob, I use a similar method. I drive with my elbow out the window. When I feel the ground hit my elbow I know I am going over.

They tell me with the new laws though I will get a bigger fine and lose more points putting my elbow out the window than sitting on the roof while going down the highway.

Perhaps I could mount a new driving position, even easier to tell when i am about to roll over from the bonnet.

Skinny