Chennai's Finest 4x4 Community

Rules & Gear

Read this before you apply

None of this is here to gatekeep. It is here because trails go wrong quickly and a prepared convoy handles it while an unprepared one calls for help at midnight.

On the Trail

Ten rules we run by

  1. The Marshals are in charge.On a run, the Marshals' call is final - on route, timing, bypasses and turning back. Disagree afterwards, over food, not on the radio.
  2. Never break the convoy.Keep the vehicle behind you in your mirror. If you lose sight of them, stop. The whole convoy stops at every junction until the sweep confirms everyone is through.
  3. Attend the briefing.Every run starts with a briefing covering the route, the hazards, radio channels and hand signals. Miss it and you do not start.
  4. Stay on the track.No cutting new lines, no widening ruts to avoid a puddle, no driving around an obstacle through vegetation. If the track is too damaged to pass, we turn around.
  5. No alcohol. At all.Not on the trail, not at the lunch stop, not "just one" at camp if there is any driving left. Anybody drinking is done driving for the day.
  6. Spotters over bravado.Use a spotter on anything blind, off-camber or steep. Taking a bypass is a legitimate choice and nobody in this club will give you grief for it.
  7. Recover safely or not at all.Rated points only, never a tow ball, never a tow hook that is not rated. Dampen every winch line. Everyone not involved stands well clear, uphill and to the side.
  8. Respect people who live there.Slow to walking pace through villages, no revving, no horns, ask before you photograph anyone, and never block a road or a water source.
  9. Carry out everything.All litter comes home with us, including cigarette butts and tyre-plug wrappers. We pick up what we find as well.
  10. Look after the new driver.Every experienced member is expected to help a newer one - with line choice, tyre pressures or a hand under a jacked-up vehicle. That is the entire point of a club.

Your Rig

Vehicle requirements

You do not need a built vehicle to run with us. You do need a mechanically sound one that can be recovered safely. These apply to every trail, including the gentlest ones.

  • Genuine 4x4 with low range. AWD crossovers and soft-roaders are not suitable for our terrain.
  • Rated recovery points, front and rear. Bolted through the chassis. A tow ball is not a recovery point.
  • Tyres with real tread. All-terrains minimum on Level 03 and above. Five usable tyres including the spare.
  • Working brakes, steering and lights. Checked, not assumed.
  • Full tank and a jerry can on any run marked over 40 km.
  • Valid insurance, licence and registration carried on the day.

Level 04 and Level 05 trails additionally require a winch or a confirmed winch buddy, underbody protection, and a vehicle inspection the week before the run.

Recovery gear including straps, shackles and a winch laid out on the ground

Mandatory Kit

Recovery gear checklist

Every vehicle carries its own. "Someone else will have one" is how a two-hour recovery becomes a six-hour one.

  • Snatch strap, 8 tonne minimumRated, in date, and not the one that has already been shock-loaded twice.
  • Two rated bow shackles or soft shacklesMatched to the strap rating. No hardware-store D-rings.
  • Tree trunk protectorSo an anchor point survives the recovery too.
  • Winch line damperA heavy blanket or a purpose-made damper. A jacket is not enough.
  • Tyre deflator and pressure gaugeAiring down correctly prevents most of the recoveries we do.
  • 12V compressorTo air back up before the tar road, every time.
  • High-lift or bottle jack plus a base plateA stock scissor jack is useless in mud.
  • Tyre puncture repair kitPlugs, reamer and a working knowledge of how to use them.
  • First-aid kitStocked and within expiry. Trauma dressings, not just plasters.
  • Fire extinguisherMounted where the driver can reach it while belted in.
  • Basic tool roll and sparesSpanners, sockets, cable ties, fuses, duct tape, wire, spare belts and hoses.
  • Drinking water, minimum 5 litres per personSeparate from what you plan to drink at lunch.

Safety

How a run is marshalled

Every trail runs with a designated lead vehicle that sets the route and pace, and a sweep vehicle that stays behind the last participant and does not pass them. Both carry the full recovery kit, a first-aid kit and a charged phone with offline maps of the area.

The pre-run briefing covers the route and its known hazards, radio channels and the hand signals we use when radios fail, the position of each vehicle in the convoy, the bail-out points, and the nearest hospital with its drive time.

If something goes wrong

Stop the convoy and switch on hazards. Do not crowd the vehicle. The Marshal team runs the scene and one person - nobody else - calls emergency services on 108 and stays on the line. The sweep vehicle blocks the track behind so nothing arrives into the middle of it. If anyone is injured, the run ends there for everyone, regardless of how close we are to the finish.

The bit we ask you to actually mean

Offroading carries real risk of vehicle damage and injury. Every member drives at their own risk, is responsible for their own vehicle and passengers, and is expected to say so out loud when they are not comfortable with an obstacle. The club is not an insurer and no marshal can make an obstacle safe. Judgement is still yours.

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