How to get your car out of the mud
Have you got your car stuck in the mud, or are you expecting to travel to a location where it could happen?
If you’re used to spending the weekend away at a festival, going off-roading, taking a winter road trip, or going to other rural events, it’s possible that you get caught out unexpectedly.
This guide will walk you through the main tips and tricks to help you free your vehicle from the mud.
Contents
- Review the Situation
- Try to drive the car out
- Accelerate Gently
- Add traction with rough material
- Release air from the tyres
- Get help to push the car
- As a last resort: tow the Car
- After your car is free
- FAQs
Review the Situation
Firstly, see how deeply the car is submerged. It should be possible to extricate the car from shallow mud with a few clever tricks. But if the car is “beached” where the body of the car is resting on the ground and the wheels are deeply sunk, you may well need to get it towed.
If necessary, ask the passengers to jump out to reduce some weight. This will also help as they can get behind and push if the situation permits.
Try to drive the car out
Turn the wheels gently from side to side to make space around the wheel so they aren’t trapped in deep channels. Once this is complete, you can try to accelerate very slowly to get traction in the mud.
In manual cars, try setting off in second gear. Some automatics may also have a special mode for this, sometimes called winter mode. You may also want to turn off traction control systems, since they'll detect a lack of traction and therefore cut the power.
Keep the front wheels as straight as possible to set off, and start turning the steering wheel side to side if you get traction. You can also try rocking back and forth by gently accelerating and then reversing, so the car rocks back, then using the momentum to push forward again. If you succeed – great, no need for further tips. If, however, the car digs deeper, you’ll need to stop the car.
Accelerate Gently
Hitting the accelerator abruptly will cause the wheels to spin, digging the car further into the mud. Apply light pressure to the accelerator to see if you're able to move the car without the wheels spinning.
If you start to move successfully continue with gentle pressure on the accelerator, however if you begin to lose control and drift, stop at that point.
Add traction with rough material
If possible, add some rough material to the mud just in front of the wheels to increase their traction. Try leaves or small twigs, or even straw if you can find it. Alternatively, an unwanted blanket, rough cardboard or even a wooden plank can help. Place them just in front of the sunken wheel, and dig out some mud for a less steep incline if needed.
In situations where there's nothing else to hand, consider sacrificing the car floor mats. Place one just in front of each front wheel and attempt to drive out as instructed above. Note that this may ruin the car mats completely.
Release air from the tyres
You could release a small amount of air from the tyres to increase the surface area and therefore improve traction. Dig out some mud around the tyres and try adding rough material as instructed above. Move as slowly as possible when accelerating to give the tyres a chance to gain traction.
Get help to push the car
Ask friends or passers-by to give you a push. Get them behind the car to help push as you start accelerating, helping to lift you out of the deepest dip.
Don’t accelerate too hard, or you’ll start the wheels spinning and splatter them with mud. Also, don’t forget some basic safety precautions: make sure no one is in front of the car or to the sides, in case it lurches forward or sideways.
As a last resort: tow the Car
If all else fails and the car is still stuck in the mud, call a tow company or local farmer to help pull you out. Try to steer the tyres out of the ruts and back up onto firmer ground as you get pulled out. Make sure the towing vehicle keeps up the momentum until you are fully clear of the mud.
After your car is free
Drive slowly at first to remove mud from the tyres and get full traction back. Make sure to check the car over as soon as possible to look for any damage. If you deflated the tyres, you must pump these up as soon as possible, otherwise they could endure more damage, resulting in you needing to change your tyre. It’s also worth testing the brakes before driving anywhere, to ensure they're working efficiently.
If you’re concerned about damage and want to put your mind at ease, it’s worthwhile having a vehicle health check.
Drive safely with Evans Halshaw
Getting stuck on a muddy road isn't fun and even though it may require you to get your clothes dirty, there are ways of getting your vehicle's wheels unstuck with steps that don't require extravagant pieces of equipment.
If you'd like to read more driving advice, head to Evans Halshaw blog, where you'll be able to find tips and guides that will help you drive safer.
FAQs
Most of the tips to get a car unstuck from a muddy road can also be applied with vans. Digging around the wheels, accelerating gently and using a rough material, such as a piece of cardboard, to add traction could help you remove your vehicle from this situation. You also have to take into consideration that vans are heavier than cars, so unloading people and cargo to alleviate the pressure is going to help the process.
Most tips found in this article could be performed when you’re driving by yourself and get stuck in mud. Gently accelerating, digging around your car’s wheels, releasing some air from the tires and adding tracking with a rough material, such as cardboard, could all be performed when you’re by yourself.
