2011 Dodge Ram 1500 Crew Cab Owner Manual - Page 344

STARTING AND OPERATING 343 steering damper. In addition, this vehicle is equipped with boxed cross members and fore/aft rails. This additional protection allows the vehicle to be utilized in Off-Road Driving Tips and Vehicle Characteristics severe off-road situations that would be considered imYour vehicle has excellent on and off-road capabilities. passable by a normal truck. These off-road capabilities will allow you to explore those wilderness trails where few travel, providing a Ramp Travel Index (RTI) source of exciting and satisfying recreation. Before you The ramp travel index is the distance, in inches, that you venture out, you should contact your local governmental can drive your vehicle with one wheel on a 20-degree agency to determine the designated off-road vehicle ramp without lifting any other wheel off the ground. This (ORV) trails or recreation areas. You should always tread distance up the ramp divided by the wheelbase of the lightly and only use established roads, trails or ORV vehicle and multiplied by 1,000 is the RTI. This vehicle recreational areas. The National Forest Service, Bureau of has an RTI of 655, which means you can articulate one Land Management or local Department of Natural Re- front wheel 32 inches in the air while the other three sources are a wealth of information and usually have wheels remain in contact with the ground. maps with marked trails. Water Fording Characteristics Skid Plates And Underbody Protection Water fording characteristic is the vehicle's ability to Steel skid plates protect the major driveline components cross a body of still water, where the powertrain and of the truck including the fuel tank, transfer case and drivetrain are safe from water ingestion. This vehicle has SAFE OFF-ROAD DRIVING - POWER WAGON ONLY 5