1995 GMC Jimmy Owner's Manual - Page 168

Getting Familiar with Off-Road Driving It's a goodidea to practice in anarea 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 vibrations and vehiclebounce. to Controlling your vehicle is the key to successful off-road driving. One of the best ways to control your vehicle is to control your speed. Here are some things to keep in mind. At higher speeds: you approach thingsfaster 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 distancefor braking, especially since you're onan unpaved surface. Scanning the Terrain Off-road driving can take you over many different kinds of terrain. You need to befamiliar 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 brakingof 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 distances. 4-14