1997 Toyota RAV4 Owners Manual - Page 111

Part 2 INFORMATION BEFORE DRIVING YOUR TOYOTA S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S Off-road vehicle precautions Break-in period Fuel Operation in foreign countries Three-way catalytic converter Engine exhaust cautions Facts about engine oil consumption Brake system Brake pad wear limit indicators Luggage stowage precautions Limited-slip differential Your Toyota's idenitification Theft prevention labels Suspension and chassis Types of tires Off-road vehicle precautions are designed to perform satisfactorily under off-road condtions. ! CAUTION Always observe the following precautions to minimize the risk of serious personal injury or damage to your vehicle: S Avoid loading any items on the roof that will make the center of gravity even higher. S Avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneuvers, if at all possible. As with other vehicles of this type, failure to operate this vehicle correctly may result in loss of control or vehicle rollover. S Always slow down in gusty crosswinds. Because of its high center of gravity, your vehicle is more sensitive to side winds than an ordinary passsenger car. Slowing down will allow you to have much better control. This vehicle is one of the class of vehicles which have higher ground clearances and narrower tread in relation to the height of their center of gravity to make them capable of performing in a wide variety of off-road applications. Specific design characteristics give it a higher center of gravity than ordinary cars. An advantage of the higher ground clearance is a better view of the road allowing you to anticipate problems. It is not designed for cornering at the same speeds as conventional two-wheel drive vehicles any more than low-slung sports cars 107