Environmental Concerns
Off-road driving can provide wholesome and satisfying
recreation. However, it also raises environmental
concerns. We recognize these concerns and urge every
off-roader to follow these basic rules for protecting
the environment:
Always use established trails, roads and areas that
have been specially set aside for public off-road
recreational driving; obey all posted regulations.
Avoid any driving practice that could damage the
environment — shrubs, owers, trees, grasses —
or disturb wildlife (this includes wheel-spinning,
breaking down trees or unnecessary driving through
streams or over soft ground).
Always carry a liter bag — make sure all refuse is
removed from any campsite before leaving.
Take extreme care with open res (where
permitted), camp stoves and lanterns.
Never park your vehicle over dry grass or other
combustible materials that could catch re form
the heat of the vehicle’s exhaust system.
Traveling to Remote Areas
It makes sense to plan your trip, especially when going
to a remote area. Know the terrain and plan your
route. You are much less likely to get bad surprises.
Get accurate maps of trails and terrain. Try to learn of
any blocked or closed roads.
It is also a good idea to travel with at least one other
vehicle. If something happens to one of them, the other
can help quickly.
Getting Familiar with Off-Road Driving
It is a good idea to practice in an area that is safe
and close to home before you go into the wilderness.
Off- road driving does require some new and different
driving skills. Here is 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 will need to respond to
vibrations and vehicle bounce.
4-19
Approaching a Hill
When you approach a hill, you need to decide if it is
one of those hills that is 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
approach 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
will not have to make turning maneuvers?
Are there obstructions on the hill that can block
your path (boulders, trees, logs or ruts)?
What is beyond the hill? Is there a cliff,
an embankment, a drop-off, a fence? Get out
and walk the hill if you do not know. It is the
smart way to nd out.
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.
4-22
Q:What should I do if my vehicle stalls, or is about
to stall, and I can not 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 is what youshoulddo:
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 to
REVERSE (R), release the parking brake, and slowly
back down the hill in REVERSE (R).
If your engine has stopped running, you will need to
restart it. With the brake pedal pressed and the
parking brake still applied, shift the transmission to
PARK (P) and restart the engine. Then shift to
REVERSE (R), release the parking brake, and
slowly back down the hill as straight as possible in
REVERSE (R).
As you are backing down the hill, put your left hand
on the steering wheel at the 12 o’clock position.
This way you will be able to tell if your wheels are
straight and maneuver as you back down. It is best
that you back down the hill with your wheels straight
rather than in the left or right direction. Turning the
wheel too far to the left or right will increase the
possibility of a rollover.Here are some things youmust notdo if you stall, or
are about to stall, when going up a hill.
Never attempt to prevent a stall by shifting into
NEUTRAL (N) to “rev-up” the engine and regain
forward momentum. This will not 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 to
REVERSE (R), release the parking brake,
and slowly back straight 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 is steep enough to
cause you to roll over if you turn around. If you can
not make it up the hill you must back straight down
the hill.
Q:Suppose, after stalling, I try to back down the
hill and decide I just can not do it. What should
I do?
A:Set the parking brake, put your transmission in
PARK (P) 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.
4-24
What is the worst time for this? “Wet ice.” Very cold
snow or ice can be slick and hard to drive on. But wet
ice can be even more trouble because it may offer
the least traction of all. You can get wet ice when it is
about freezing (32°F; 0°C) and freezing rain begins
to fall. Try to avoid driving on wet ice until salt and sand
crews can get there.
Whatever the condition — smooth ice, packed, blowing
or loose snow — drive with caution.Accelerate gently. Try not to break the fragile traction.
If you accelerate too fast, the drive wheels will spin and
polish the surface under the tires even more. See
Stabilitrak
®System on page 4-11and “Rocking Your
Vehicle” underIf You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice
or Snow on page 4-44. Also see “Winter Tires” under
Tires on page 5-61.
Your anti-lock brakes improve your vehicle’s stability
when you make a hard stop on a slippery road.
Even though you have an anti-lock braking system,
you will want to begin stopping sooner than you would
on dry pavement. SeeBraking on page 4-6.
Allow greater following distance on any slippery road.
Watch for slippery spots. The road might be ne until
you hit a spot that is covered with ice. On an
otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear in
shaded areas where the sun can not reach: around
clumps of trees, behind buildings or under bridges.
Sometimes the surface of a curve or an overpass
may remain icy when the surrounding roads are
clear. If you see a patch of ice ahead of you, brake
before you are on it. Try not to brake while you are
actually on the ice, and avoid sudden steering
maneuvers.
4-41
{CAUTION:
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your
vehicle. This can cause deadly CO (carbon
monoxide) gas to get inside. CO could
overcome you and kill you. You can not see it
or smell it, so you might not know it is in your
vehicle. Clear away snow from around the
base of your vehicle, especially any that is
blocking your exhaust pipe. And check around
again from time to time to be sure snow does
not collect there.
Open a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle that is away from the wind. This will
help keep CO out.Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a little
faster than just idle. That is, push the accelerator
slightly. This uses less fuel for the heat that you get
and it keeps the battery charged. You will need a
well-charged battery to restart the vehicle, and possibly
for signaling later on with your headlamps. Let the
heater run for a while.
Then, shut the engine off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine
again and repeat this only when you feel really
uncomfortable from the cold. But do it as little as
possible. Preserve the fuel as long as you can.
To help keep warm, you can get out of the vehicle and
do some fairly vigorous exercises every half hour or
so until help comes.
4-43