2011 Mercedes G-Class Owner's Manual - Page 144

142 Driving tips Off-road driving Important safety notes G Warning! General notes Read this section carefully before driving your vehicle off-road. Practice by driving over more gentle off-road terrain first. Familiarize yourself with the characteristics of your vehicle and the gear shift operation before driving through difficult terrain. The following driving systems are specially adapted to off-road driving: R4ETS (Y Rtransfer Driving and parking Sand, dirt, mud and other material having friction property can cause exceptional wear and tear as well as brake failure. Have the brakes checked for dirt build-up and cleaned. There is otherwise a risk that full braking power may not be available in an emergency. G Warning! Do not load items on the basic carrier bars. It may cause instability during some maneuvers which could result in an accident. Drive slowly in unknown terrain. This will make it easier to recognize unexpected obstacles and avoid damage to the vehicle. To help avoid the vehicle rolling over, never turn it around on steep inclines. If the vehicle cannot complete the attempted climb, back it down in reverse gear. Do not drive along the side of a slope. The vehicle might otherwise rollover. If in doing so the vehicle begins to show a tendency to roll, immediately steer into a line of gravity (straight up or downhill). Never let the vehicle roll backwards in idle. You may lose control of the vehicle if you use only the service brake. For information on driving downhill, see "Driving downhill". page 58) case (Y page 126) Rdifferential locks (Y page 129) Observe the following notes: Rstop your vehicle and, if necessary, shift the transfer case to LOW (Y page 126) before driving off-road. Rengage the differential locks, if necessary (Y page 129). G Warning! Do not reduce the tire inflation pressure before driving through sand. However, if you do so, remember to correct the tire inflation pressure before continuing your trip. Driving with reduced tire inflation pressure increases the risk of losing control of the vehicle and rolling over. i ABS, 4ETS, ESP® and BAS are deactivated while the differential locks are engaged. This allows the front wheels to lock briefly, so that these can dig into a loose surface. However, please note that locked wheels skid and can no longer steer. RCheck that items of luggage and loads are stowed safely and are well secured (Y page 196). RMake sure there is always sufficient ground clearance to prevent damage to the vehicle. RAlways keep the engine running and in gear when driving on a downhill gradient. RAlways keep the engine running and in gear when driving on a slope. RDrive slowly and evenly, if necessary at a walking pace. REnsure that the wheels are in contact with the ground at all times. RDrive with extreme care on unknown offroad routes where visibility is poor. For safety reasons, get out of the vehicle first and survey the off-road route.