1993 CHEVROLET TRACKER Owners Manual

Getting Familiar with Off-Road
Driving
It’s a good idea to practice in an area
that’s safe and close
to home before you
go into the wilderness. Off-road driving
does require some new and different
driving skills. Here’s what we mean.
Tune your senses to different kinds of
signals. Your eyes, for example, need to
constantly sweep the terrain for
unexpected obstacles. Your ears need
to
listen for unusual tire or engine sounds.
With your arms, hands, feet, and body
you’ll need to respond to vibrations and
vehicle bounce.
I.
best ways to control your vehicle is to
control your speed. Here are some
things to keep in mind. At higher
speeds:
You approach things faster and you
have less time
to scan the terrain for
obstacles.
You have less time to react.
You have more vehicle bounce when
you drive over obstacles.
You’ll need more distance for
braking, especially since you’re on an
unpaved surface.
CAUTION Controlling your vehicle is the key to
successful off-road driving. One of the When you’re driving
off road,
c L bouncing and quick changes
in direction can easily throw you
out
of position. This could cause
you to lose control and crash.
So,
whether you’re driving on or off
the road, you and your passengers
should wear safety belts.
r
143- -
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Your Driving and the Road
... 144
Scanning the Terrain
Off-road driving can take you over
many different kinds of terrain. You
need to be familiar with the terrain and
its many different features. Here
are
some things to consider.
Surface Conditions. Off-roading can
take you over hard-packed dirt; gravel,
rocks, grass, sand, mud, snow or ice.
Each
of these surfaces affects the
steering, acceleration, and braking of
your vehicle in different ways.
Depending upon the kind of surface you
are
on, you may experience slipping,
sliding,
wheel spinning, delayed
acceleration, poor traction. and longer
braking distanc
Surface Obstacles. Unseen or hidden
obstacles can be hazardous.
A rock, log,
hole, rut, or bump can startle
you if
you’re not prepared for them. Often
these obstacles
are hidden by grass,
bushes, snow or even the rise and fall of
the terrain itself. Here are some things
to consider:
Is the path ahead clear?
Will the surface texture change
Does the travel take you uphill or
abruptly up ahead?
downhill? (There’s
more discussion of
these subjects later.)
change direction quickly?
Will you have to stop suddenly or When you
drive over obstacles or rough
terrain, keep
a firm grip on the steering
wheel. Ruts, troughs, or other surface
features can jerk the wheel out of your
hands if you’re not prepared.
When you drive over bumps, rocks, or
other obstacles,
your wheels can leave
the ground.
If this happens, even with
one or two wheels, you can’t control the
vehicle as well or at
all.
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Because you will be on an unpaved
I
surface, it’s especially important to
avoid sudden acceleration, sudden turns,
or sudden braking.
In a way, off-road driving requires a
different kind
of alertness from driving
on paved roads and highways. There are
no road signs, posted speed limits or
signal lights. You have to use your own
good judgment about what is safe and
what isn’t.
I CAUTION
’ Drinking and driving can be
- very dangerous on any road.
And this is certainly true for
off-road driving. At the very time
you need special alertness and
driving skills, your reflexes,
perceptions and judgment can be
affected by even a small amount
of
alcohol. You could have a serious
- or even fatal - accident if you
drink and drive or ride with a
driver who has been drinking. (See
“Drunken Driving” in the Index.)
Driving on Off-Road Hills
Off-road driving often takes you up,
down, or across a hill. Driving safely on
hills requires good judgment and an
understanding of what your vehicle can
and can’t do. There are some hills that
simply can’t be driven, no matter how
well built the vehicle.
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Your Driving and the load
1 CAUTION
1 Many hills are simply too I
- steep for any vehicle. If you
drive up them,
you will stall. If
you drive down them, you can’t
control your speed. If you drive
across them, you will
roll over.
You could be seriously injured or
killed. If you have any doubt about
the steepness, don’t drive the hill.
Approaching a Hill
When you approach a hill, you need to
decide if it’s one of those hills that’s just
too steep to climb, descend,
or cross.
Steepness can be hard
to judge. On a
very small hill,
for example, there may
be a smooth, constant incline with only
a small change in elevation where you
can easily see all the way to the top. On
a large hill, the incline may get steeper
as
you near the top, but you may not see
this because the crest of the hill is
hidden by bushes,
grass, or shrubs.
Here are some other things to consider
as you approch a hill.
Is there a constant incline, or does the
hill get sharply steeper
in places?
Is there good traction on the hillside,
or will the surface cause tire slipping?
Is there a straight path up or down the
hill
so you won’t have to make
turning maneuvers?
Are there obstructions on the hill that
can block your path (boulders, trees,
logs
or ruts)?
What’s beyond the hill? Is there a
cliff, an embankment, a drop-off, a
fence? Get out and walk the hill if
you don’t know. It’s the smart way to
find out.
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Is the hill simply too rough? Steep
hills often have ruts, gullies, troughs
and exposed rocks because they are
more susceptible to
the effects of
erosion.
Driving Uphill
Once you decide you can safely drive up
the hill, you need to take some special
steps.
Use a low gear and get a firm grip on
the steering wheel.
Get a smooth start up the hill and try
to maintain your speed. Don’t use
more power than you need, because
you don’t want your wheels to start
spinning or sliding.
Try to drive straight up the hill if at
all possible. If the path twists and
turns, you might want to find another
route.
CAUTION
A
Turning or driving across
steep hills can be dangerous.
You could lose traction, slide
sideways, and possibly roll over.
You could be seriously injured or
killed. When driving
up hills,
always
try to go straight up.
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Your Driving and the Road
Ease up on your speed as you
approach the top
of the hill.
Attach a flag to the vehicle to make
you more visible to approaching
traffic on trails or hills.
Sound the horn as you approach the
top of the hill to let opposing traffic
know you’re there.
Use your headlights even during the
day. They make you more visible to
oncoming traffic.
CAUTION
A Driving to the top (crest) of a
hill at full speed can cause an
accident. There could be a
drop-off, embankment, cliff, or
even another vehicle. You could
be seriously injured or killed. As
you near the top of a hill, slow
down and stay alert.
I
Q: What should I do if my vehicle
stalls,
or is about to stall, and I
can’t make it up the hill?
A: If this happens, there are some
things you-should do, and there are
some things you must not do. First,
here’s what you
should do:
Push the brake pedal to stop
the
vehicle and keep it from rolling
backwards. Also, apply the parking
brake.
If your engine is still running, shift
the transmission into reverse, release
the parking brake, and slowly back
down the hill in reverse.
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If your engine has stopped running,
you’ll need to restart
it. With the
brake pedal depressed and the
parking brake still applied, shift the
transmission
to P (Park) (or, shift to
Neutral if your vehicle has a
manual transmission) and restart the
engine. Then, shift to reverse,
release the parking brake, and
slowly back down the hill in
reverse.
As you are backing down the hill,
put your
left hand on the steering
wheel at the
12 o’clock position.
This way, you’ll be able
to tell if
your wheels are straight or turned to
the left or right as you back down. Here
are some things you
must not do
if you stall, or are about to stall, when
going up
a hill.
Never attempt to prevent a stall by
shifting into
N (Neutral) (or
depressing the clutch, if you have a
manual transmission)
to “rev-up” the
engine and regain forward
momentum. This won’t work. Your
vehicle will roll backwards very
quickly and you could go out of
control.
Instead, apply the regular brake to stop
the vehicle. Then apply the parking
brake. Shift into reverse, release the
parking brake, and slowly back down.
Never attempt to turn around if you
are about to stall when going up a
hill.
If the hill is steep enough to
stall your vehicle, it’s steep enough
to cause you to roll over if you turn
around. If you can’t make it up the
hill, you must back down the hill.
Q: Suppose, after stalling, I try to
back down the hill and decide
I
just can’t do it. What should I do?
A: Set the parking brake, put your
transmission
in P (Park) (or the
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Your Driving and the Road
manual transmission in first gear),
and turn off the engine. Leave the
vehicle and
go get some help. Exit
on the uphill side and stay clear of
the path the vehicle would take if it
rolled downhill.
Do not shift the
transfer case to
N (Neutral) when
you leave the vehicle. Leave it in
some gear.
A
Shifting the transfer case to
N (Neutral) can cause your
vehicle to roll even if the
transmission is in
P (Park) (or, if
you have the manual transmission,
even if you’re in gear). This is
because the
N (Neutral) position
on the transfer case overrides the
transmission.
If you are going to
leave your vehicle, set the parking
brake and shift the transmission to
P (Park) (or, put your manual
transmission in first gear). But
do I
not shift the transfer case to the N
(Neutral) position. Leave the
transfer case
in the 2H, 4H, or 4L I position.
Driving Downhill
When off-roading takes you downhill,
you’ll want to consider
a number of
things:
How steep is the downhill? Will I b
able to maintain vehicle control?
What’s the surface like? Smooth?
Rough? Slippery? Hard-packed dirt?
Gravel?
Are there hidden surface obstacles?
Ruts? Logs? Boulders?
What’s at the bottom of the hill? Is
there a hidden creek bank or even a
river bottom with large rocks?
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