2011 Ram 1500 Owner's Manual

downstream out of control if the water is deep enough
to push on the large surface area of the vehicle’s body.
Before you proceed determine the speed of the current,
the water’s depth, approach angle, bottom condition
and if there are any obstacles, then cross at an angle
heading slightly upstream using the low and slow
technique.
WARNING!
Never drive through fast moving deep water. It can
push your vehicle downstream, sweeping it out of
control. This could put you and your passengers at
risk of injury or drowning.
Airing Down For Off-Road Driving
Running lower tire pressure off-road can improve your
ride comfort and vehicle traction. Reducing the tire air
pressure allows the tire to bulge slightly, improving its
surface area for better flotation and ability to mold orform to the ground contour. Different terrain, tires, and
vehicles require different tire pressure. Hard surfaces like
rock and heavier vehicles require higher pressures than
softer surfaces such as sand and lighter vehicles. You will
need to experiment to determine what is right for your
situation. It is easier and faster to let air out than it is to
replace it so, start high and lower it as required. Remem-
ber you must return the tires to normal air pressure
before driving on road or at highway conditions. Be sure
you have a way to return the tires to their normal on road
air pressure.
CAUTION!
Reduced tire pressure increases the risk of tire dam-
age and may cause tire unseating with total loss of air
pressure. To reduce the risk of tire unseating, while at
a reduced tire pressure, drive at slower speeds and
avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneuvers.
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Vehicle Recovery
If you drive off-road, you may encounter a situation
where you will need to recover your vehicle. Vehicle
recovery should always be given consideration before
attempting a questionable obstacle. You should never go
off-road driving without the ability to recover your
vehicle from a situation. Having another vehicle with
you usually works best for most situations. The first
thing to do is assess the situation. Why are you stuck?
Are you hung up on something? Would it be easier to go
forward or to go backward? Can you still move the
vehicle? Is there an anchor point to winch to? Are you
alone or do you have another vehicle to help? Is there
high risk of vehicle damage during the recovery process?
Answering these questions will help you determine the
best method of recovery. If you can still move the vehicle
slightly and the only issue is slick ground, then rock
cycling your vehicle would be the first choice. If you have
ample room, an additional vehicle and there is low risk ofvehicle impingement on the surroundings, then using a
tow strap to the vehicle tow hooks would be fast and
easy. If the vehicle is severely hung up or in a situation
where great care needs to be taken during the recovery,
then nothing can do the job better than a winch. If you are
severely hung up on something you should jack the
vehicle up and stack something under the wheels to
allow the vehicle to roll off the object without causing
further damage. This should be tried before attempting
any recovery method.
CAUTION!
Pulling the vehicle off an obstacle, without first
clearing the object, may result in additional under-
body damage.
•Rock Cycling Your Vehicle
– Rock cycling your ve-
hicle is one of the easiest, fastest and most commonly
used methods. This simply involves shifting your
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vehicle from DRIVE to REVERSE, while applying
throttle after each shift. During this process, for addi-
tional traction, try turning your steering wheel quickly
back and forth no more than a
14turn. If you are stuck
in mud, sand, or snow try spinning your tires during
this process to clean the debris from the tread and
improve the traction. You want to create a rocking
motion with the vehicle. This helps build vehicle
momentum, which hopefully gets you out. Remember
to ease off and on the accelerator before and after the
shift. If after a few rock cycles your vehicle is not free,
stop and try another method of recovery. Continuous
rock cycling will only cause unnecessary damage to
your vehicle and the environment.
CAUTION!
Damage can occur when spinning your tires at an
excessive high speed. Do not spin your tires faster
than an indicated 35 mph (56 km/h).
•Using The Tow Hooks With A Tow Strap –Tow
straps are a quick and easy way to recover your
vehicle from minor situations if you have a secondary
vehicle which is not stuck. The tow hooks on your
vehicle are designed to take the abusive force gener-
ated during vehicle recovery. Do not use the bumper
or any other vehicle component as an attachment
point. Using tow straps requires coordination between
the two drivers. Good communication and line of sight
are required for a safe recovery. First connect the tow
strap to the correct attachment points on both vehicles.
There should be a least 20 to 30 feet between the
vehicles to allow for a safe recovery. If necessary join
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two tow straps together using a 112inch hard wood
dowel. This will keep the straps from becoming knot-
ted and is safer than using a clevis pin if the strap
breaks. Next have the tow vehicle backup, leaving two
to three feet worth of slack in the strap. Then the tow
vehicle, using light throttle, should accelerate tighten-
ing the strap providing the pulling force needed to free
the vehicle. The vehicle being recovered should assist
in the recovery, at the time of the snap, by slowly
spinning the tires in the same direction as the pulling
vehicle. After the vehicle becomes free, the driver of
the previously stuck vehicle should signal they are free
and should hit their brakes stopping both vehicles.
The driver of the pulling vehicle should let off the
throttle without using the brakes, once signaled by the
other driver. This sequence is important to avoid
having the recovered vehicle hit the pulling vehicle.WARNING!
Never use tow straps with end hooks or link two
straps with a clevis pin. These heavy metal objects
could become projectiles if a strap breaks, which
could cause severe injury. Never leave more than two
or three feet of slack in the strap. More slack than this
greatly increases the risk of injury and vehicle dam-
age. Always keep everyone at least 30 feet away from
a strapping or winching situation.
•Winching (Refer To “Winch Operation” For Addi-
tional Information) – Winching is most commonly
used in the following situations: there is no support
vehicle available, a high controlled force is required to
recover the vehicle, there is a high risk of environmen-
tal or vehicle damage, or where nothing else seems to
work. A winch can deliver a high pulling force with a
great deal of control. It allows you to walk the vehicle
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out of the situation in a slow controlled manner. This
control works well for avoiding further vehicle dam-
age. Once you decide it is time to use the winch look
for a good anchor point. It needs to be strong enough
to hold more than the vehicle’s weight and provide a
direction of pull as straight as possible. Use block and
tackle if necessary to improve the angle of pull or
increase the winch’s pulling force. If the anchor point
is a tree use a strap around its base and hook the cable
to the strap. If it is another vehicle, then place that
vehicle in PARK and block the front tires. If you cannot
find an anchor point within reach try using your spare
tire by burying it. Once you have determined an
anchor point hook up the cable, ensuring there are a
least five wraps of cable left on the drum, and place a
floor mat or something else over the strung out cable.
Placing something over the strung out cable helps
keep the cable on the ground if it breaks. Next, place
the vehicle in first gear and apply a very light throttleas you power the winch in. Be careful not to allow
slack in the cable as you recover the vehicle. Do not try
to guide the cable into the drum. If it starts to bunch
up on one end, let it. You can re-spool the cable
afterwards. Never use a winch cable as a tow strap and
always stand back while winching.
WARNING!
Winch cables are under high tension when in use and
can become a projectile if they fail. Never stand over
or straddle the winch cable. Never jerk or overload
the winch cable. Never stand in front of the vehicle
while winching. Failure to follow these instructions
can result in serious or fatal injury.
After Driving Off-Road
Off-road operation puts more stress on your vehicle than
does most on-road driving. After going off-road, it is
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always a good idea to check for damage. That way you
can get any problems taken care of right away and have
your vehicle ready when you need it.
•Completely inspect the underbody of your vehicle.
Check tires, body structure, steering, suspension, and
exhaust system for damage.
•Inspect the radiator for mud and debris and clean as
required.
•Check threaded fasteners for looseness, particularly on
the chassis, drivetrain components, steering, and sus-
pension. Retighten them, if required, and torque to the
values specified in the Service Manual.
•Check for accumulations of plants or brush. These
things could be a fire hazard. They might hide damage
to fuel lines, brake hoses, axle pinion seals, and
propeller shafts.
•After extended operation in mud, sand, water, or
similar dirty conditions, have the radiator, fan, brake
rotors, wheels, brake linings, and axle yokes inspected
and cleaned as soon as possible.
WARNING!
Abrasive material in any part of the brakes may cause
excessive wear or unpredictable braking. You might
not have full braking power when you need it to
prevent a collision. If you have been operating your
vehicle in dirty conditions, get your brakes checked
and cleaned as necessary.
•If you experience unusual vibration after driving in
mud, slush or similar conditions, check the wheels for
impacted material. Impacted material can cause a
wheel imbalance and freeing the wheels of it will
correct the situation.
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LIMITED-SLIP DIFFERENTIAL
The limited-slip differential provides additional traction
on snow, ice, mud, sand and gravel, particularly when
there is a difference between the traction characteristics
of the surface under the right and left rear wheels. During
normal driving and cornering, the limited-slip unit per-
forms similarly to a conventional differential. On slip-
pery surfaces, however, the differential delivers more of
the driving effort to the rear wheel having the better
traction.
The limited-slip differential is especially helpful during
slippery driving conditions. With both rear wheels on a
slippery surface, a slight application of the accelerator
will supply maximum traction. When starting with only
one rear wheel on an excessively slippery surface, slight
momentary application of the parking brake may be
necessary to gain maximum traction.WARNING!
On vehicles equipped with a limited-slip differential
never run the engine with one rear wheel off the
ground since the vehicle may drive through the rear
wheel remaining on the ground. You could lose
control of the vehicle.
Care should be taken to avoid sudden accelerations when
both rear wheels are on a slippery surface. This could
cause both rear wheels to spin, and allow the vehicle to
slide sideways on the crowned surface of a road or in a
turn.
DRIVING ON SLIPPERY SURFACES
Acceleration
Rapid acceleration on snow covered, wet, or other slip-
pery surfaces may cause the driving wheels to pull
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erratically to the right or left. This phenomenon occurs
when there is a difference in the surface traction under
the rear (driving) wheels.
WARNING!
Rapid acceleration on slippery surfaces is dangerous.
Unequal traction can cause sudden pulling of the rear
wheels. You could lose control of the vehicle and
possibly have a collision. Accelerate slowly and
carefully whenever there is likely to be poor traction
(ice, snow, wet mud, loose sand, etc.).
Traction
When driving on wet or slushy roads, it is possible for a
wedge of water to build up between the tire and road
surface. This is known as hydroplaning and may cause
partial or complete loss of vehicle control and stopping
ability. To reduce this possibility, the following precau-
tions should be observed:1. Slow down during rainstorms or when the roads are
slushy.
2. Slow down if the road has standing water or puddles.
3. Replace tires when tread wear indicators first become
visible.
4. Keep tires properly inflated.
5. Maintain sufficient distance between your vehicle and
the vehicle in front of you to avoid a collision in a sudden
stop.
DRIVING THROUGH WATER
Driving through water more than a few inches/
centimeters deep will require extra caution to ensure
safety and prevent damage to your vehicle.
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