4x4 on oodnadatta track or not

Better off....Yes!!
Need to.....No!!

This question has come up before......although I'm not sure why you've referred only to the Oodna' track?

My opinion is that we have paid a lot of money to enjoy the benefits of owning a 4x4. Why then, would anybody want to drive on a loose gravel surface without the added safety of using the 4x4 feature? Sure, you could do it in 4x2, but the safety aspects of being in 4x4 cannot be overstated. If you need to swerve unexpectedly, or if the road surface changes (like you hit a bulldust hole etc), you will have a far better chance of maintaining control if all 4 wheels are "working". Another benefit that many people do not think about is "braking". In a part-time 4x4, if you're actually "in" 4x4, then the wheels are just that much harder to lock-up under heavy braking.....once again this means maintaining a better level of control.

Just my opinion of course. The downside is that there is some extra wear on moving parts (of an inconsequential nature as far as I'm concerned) and some say that fuel economy suffers too (to which I say, "So What"???)......the amount of extra fuel used would be about a teaspoon every 20 klicks (just guessing; but it wouldn't be very much).

If there's bulldust, it's wet or you're driving at high speed their would be some handling improvement otherwise is of little advantage. Drive in 4x4 or slip it in as required it really doesn't matter.
Cheers Craig...............

I didnt find it necessary (or desirable) to engage 4WD on the Oddnadatta Track,
Tanami track or GRR. That was a few years back & I dont believe that general conditions would have changed much since then. Probably change more within a season. However I would be concerned over possible effects of running in 4wd
when conditions suit travel over 80 kph. I refer to engageable 4wd not "Full time
4WD," which only comes into play when wheelslip is detected & the type on most late model vehicles today. I would have thought that using 4wd under such good conditions the same as using it in blacktop, that is not a good idea. Being
miserable ,I also consider it a waste of fuel & an unnecessary stress on drivelines.
Feel free to shoot holes in that if you wish, but I doubt you will change my mind,
or wht is left of it..cheers..oldbaz.

here we go with the old question what tyre pressures new goodyear mtrs 235\75\15 ive had advice any were from 20 -40 psi

Depends on when you are going. As one earlier reply hinted at, various sections of the road are on occasions restricted to 4WD only, or completely restricted to all vehicles. Depends on if you have the time and patience to wait if you get caught.
I remember one occasion about 4 years ago when we were rained in at Innamincka waiting for permission to proceed down the Strezlecki Track and on the HF radio we heard of a group of assorted tourists on the Oodnadatta Track who were stationary for 3 days between 2 swollen creeks. Some had no food (or inadequate) and they had to arrange a food drop. We only needed more grog (and never got it - bugger). On another occasion 2 years ago (in June) we were at Alice Springs having just come down the Tanami and every road in the Outback that was not bitumised was closed to all traffic for several days. On other occasions you could drive the track in a Barina and get away with it.
'Course our transport is permanent 4WD so we don't have a choice of 2WD.
For current road conditions check out www.transport.sa.gov.au and follow the link "Road Reports".

Ditto to Roachie - our vehicles earn so little of their "keep" in true 4x4 work mode that we should employ that hadware to any good effect - I mostly run my transmision in 4x4 mode on any gravel roads. Lots of other things will wear out before the front drive system on my chariot. Re the Oodnadatta track ? Last September I came down from Oodnadatta - smooth as a baby's bot - must have been graded recently and had a lovely top on it - we met some desert rally type bikers from Sydney who were going up the track and had been hitting 140k at times - mad to me, but they seem unfazed by it all. The BV track, even when graded can have some quite stony sections that never benefit from grading - same as the Strzelecki - the Oodna is often lovely from end to end (rain being it's main problem, it seems).

Gday Wazab
Last year my brother did the Oodnadatta track in an almost new Holden Caprice ( i think that is the model,,top of the range ) and had no trouble ,,other than driving on the top of the windrows.. Some chap in a hotel asked Pete if the car was stolen because he said no one would drive their own car there.....

Anyway, he made it home and all is ok.
Enjoy your trip.
Muzbry

You may take a new car on most of Australia's tracks...but you'll bring an old one home !

Simple really,

drive to the conditions.
If loose rock, wet etc then 4wd.
If hard packed clay then why bother.
I have driven that track several times and it will vary.
As Crackles said just slip in in and out (the 4wd i mean) when necessary.

Theres a fair bit of opinion suggesting that engaging 4wd would prevent some of the many rollovers that happen on these well maintained wide gravel roads, such as the Oodnadatta track.