2017 Ram 2500 tires

•Crossing Ditches, Streams, Shallow Rivers Or Other
Flowing Water – Flowing water can be extremely dan-
gerous. Never attempt to cross a fast running stream or
river even in shallow water. Fast moving water can
easily push your vehicle downstream sweeping it out of
control. Even in very shallow water, a high current can
still wash the dirt out from around your tires putting
you and your vehicle in jeopardy. There is still a high
risk of personal injury and vehicle damage with slower
water currents in depths greater than the vehicle’s
running ground clearance. You should never attempt to
cross flowing water which is deeper than the vehicle’s
running ground clearance. Even the slowest current can
push the heaviest vehicle 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 or form
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 sur-
faces 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. Remember 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.
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CAUTION!
Reduced tire pressure increases the risk of tire damage
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.
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 driv-
ing 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 vehiclewould be the first choice. If you have ample room, an
additional vehicle and there is low risk of vehicle impinge-
ment 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 clear-
ing the object, may result in additional underbody
damage.
• Rock Cycling Your Vehicle – Rock cycling your vehicle
is one of the easiest, fastest and most commonly used
methods. This simply involves shifting your vehicle
from DRIVE to REVERSE, while applying throttle after
each shift. During this process, for additional traction,
try turning your steering wheel quickly left and right no
more than a ¼ turn. If you are stuck in mud, sand, or
snow try spinning your tires during this process to clean
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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 un-
necessary 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 30 mph (48 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 generated 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 at least 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 meters) between the vehicles to
allow for a safe recovery. If necessary join two tow straps
together usinga1½inch hard wood dowel. This will
keep the straps from becoming knotted 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 tightening 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 be-
comes 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.
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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 2 to 3 feet (.6 to 1 meter) of
slack in the strap. More slack than this greatly increases
the risk of injury and vehicle damage. Always keep
everyone at least 30 feet (9 meters) away from a strapping
or winching situation.
•Winching (Refer To “Winch Operation” For Additional
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 environmental 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 out of the situation in a slow
controlled manner. This control works well for avoiding
further vehicle damage. 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 throttle as 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.
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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
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.
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 performs simi-
larly to a conventional differential. On slippery surfaces,
however, the differential delivers more of the driving effort
to the rear wheel having the better traction.
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•Replace tires when tread wear indicators first become
visible.
• Keep tires properly inflated.
• Maintain sufficient distance between your vehicle and
the vehicle in front of you to avoid a collision in a
sudden stop.
Your vehicle may be equipped with a Limited Slip Differ-
ential (LSD) that reduces, but does not eliminate, the
amount of wheel slip across a given axle for improved
handling.
DRIVING THROUGH WATER
Driving through water more than a few inches/centimeters
deep will require extra caution to ensure safety and pre-
vent damage to your vehicle.
Flowing/Rising Water
WARNING!
Do not drive on or across a road or path where water is
flowing and/or rising (as in storm run-off). Flowing
water can wear away the road or path’s surface and
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
cause your vehicle to sink into deeper water. Further-
more, flowing and/or rising water can carry your ve-
hicle away swiftly. Failure to follow this warning may
result in injuries that are serious or fatal to you, your
passengers, and others around you.
Shallow Standing Water
Although your vehicle is capable of driving through shal-
low standing water, consider the following Cautions and
Warnings before doing so.
WARNING!
•Driving through standing water limits your vehicle’s
traction capabilities. Do not exceed 5 mph (8 km/h)
when driving through standing water.
• Driving through standing water limits your vehicle’s
braking capabilities, which increases stopping dis-
tances. Therefore, after driving through standing
water, drive slowly and lightly press on the brake
pedal several times to dry the brakes.
(Continued)
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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
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.
WINCH USAGE — POWER WAGON ONLY
(IF EQUIPPED)
Things To Know Before Using Your Winch
General Winch Information
Your vehicle is equipped with an electric vehicle recovery
winch. This winch uses the electrical power from the
vehicle charging system to power a motor that winds wire
rope into the winch drum via planetary gear reduction. By
nature, a winch is capable of generating very high forces
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You also may experience the following when ABS activates:
•The ABS motor noise (it may continue to run for a short
time after the stop).
• The clicking sound of solenoid valves.
• Brake pedal pulsations.
• A slight drop of the brake pedal at the end of the stop.
These are all normal characteristics of ABS.
WARNING!
•The ABS contains sophisticated electronic equipment
that may be susceptible to interference caused by
improperly installed or high output radio transmitting
equipment. This interference can cause possible loss
of anti-lock braking capability. Installation of such
equipment should be performed by qualified profes-
sionals.
•Pumping of the Anti-Lock Brakes will diminish their
effectiveness and may lead to a collision. Pumping
makes the stopping distance longer. Just press firmly
on your brake pedal when you need to slow down or
stop.
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WARNING! (Continued)
•The ABS cannot prevent the natural laws of physics
from acting on the vehicle, nor can it increase brak-
ing or steering efficiency beyond that afforded by the
condition of the vehicle brakes and tires or the
traction afforded.
• The ABS cannot prevent collisions, including those
resulting from excessive speed in turns, following
another vehicle too closely, or hydroplaning.
• The capabilities of an ABS equipped vehicle must
never be exploited in a reckless or dangerous manner
that could jeopardize the user ’s safety or the safety of
others.
ABS is designed to function with the OEM tires. Modifica-
tion may result in degraded ABS performance.
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