User Guide
Off-Road Driving with Your
Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicle
This off-road guide
is
for vehicles that have
four-wheel drive.
Also, see “Anti-Lock Brakes”
in
the Index.
If
your vehicle doesn‘t have four-wheel drive,
you
shouldn‘t drive off-road unless you‘re on a level,
solid surface.
Off-road driving can be great
fun.
But
it
does have some
definite hazards. The greatest
of
these is
the
terrain itself.
“Off-roading” means
you’ve left the great North
American road
system
behind. Traffic lanes aren‘t
marked. Curves aren’t banked. There are
no
road signs.
Surfaces can be slippery. rough, uphill
or
downhill.
In
short. you’ve gone right back
to
nature.
Off-road driving involves some new skills. And that’s
why
it’s very important that
you
read this guide.
You’ll
find many driving tips and suggestions. These will help
make your off-road driving safer and more enjoyable.
Before You
Go
Off-Roading
There
are
sutfre
things to do before
you
go
out.
For
example, be sure
to
have all necessary maintenance and
service work done. Check
to
make sure all underbody
shields
(if
so
equipped) are properly attached. Be sure
you
read all
the
information about your
four-wheel-drive vehicle
in
this manual.
Is
there enough
fuel?
Is
the spare tire
fully
inflated? Are the fluid levels
up where they should be? What are
the
local laws that
apply to off-roading where you’ll be driving? If
you
don’t know, you should check with law enforcement
people
in
the area. Will you be
on
someone’s private
land?
If
so,
be sure
to
get
the
necessary permission.
Loading
Your
Vehicle for Off-Road Driving
There are some important things
to
remember about
how
to
load your vehicle.
The heaviest things should be
on
the
load floor and
forward of your rear axle. Put heavier items as far
forward
as
you can.
Be
sure the load
is
secured properly,
so
driving on
the off-road terrain doesn’t toss things around.
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