Operation Under Adverse Driving Conditions - Mitsubishi L200 Owner's Manual

For emergencies
Operation under adverse driving
conditions
If your vehicle becomes stuck in sand,
mud or snow
If the vehicle becomes stuck in snow, sand, or
mud, it can often be moved with a rocking motion.
Move the selector lever alternately between the
"L" (LOW) and "R" (REVERSE) position (with
st
manual transmission, between 1
while applying slight pressure to the accelerator ped-
al.
Avoid racing the engine or spinning the wheels. Pro-
longed efforts to free a stuck vehicle may result in
overheating and transmission failure. Allow the en-
gine to idle for a few minutes to let the transmis-
sion cool between rocking attempts.
If the vehicle remains stuck after several rocking at-
tempts, seek other assistance.
WARNING
l
When attempting to rock your vehicle out
6
of a stuck position, be sure that the area
around the vehicle is clear of people and
physical objects. The rocking motion may
cause the vehicle to suddenly launch for-
ward or backward, causing injury or dam-
age to nearby people or objects.
On 2WD vehicles, it is recommended to start the ve-
hicle with parking brake partially, but not complete-
ly, applied by slightly pulling the parking brake lev-
er.
After the vehicle has become free, do not forget to
release the parking brake.
6-24
NOTE
l
Depress the accelerator pedal gradually when
starting the vehicle.
E00801702140
On a flooded road
l Avoid flooded roads. Water could enter the
brake discs, resulting in temporarily ineffec-
tive brakes. In such cases, lightly depress the
brake pedal to see if the brakes operate prop-
erly. If they do not, lightly depress the pedal
several times while driving in order to dry
and Reverse),
the brake pads.
l When driving in rain or on a road with many
puddles a layer of water may form between
the tyres and the road surface.
This reduces a tyre's frictional resistance on
the road, resulting in loss of steering stability
and braking capability.
To cope with this, observe the following items:
(a) Drive your vehicle at slow speed.
(b) Do not drive on worn tyres. Always
maintain the specified tyre inflation
pressures.
On a snow-covered or frozen road
l When driving on a snow-covered or frozen
road, it is recommended that you use snow
tyres or tyre chains.
Refer to the "Snow tyres" and "Tyre chains"
sections.
l Avoid high-speed operation, sudden acceler-
ation, abrupt brake application and sharp cor-
nering.
OCRE12E1
l Depressing the brake pedal during travel on
snowy or icy roads may cause tyre slippage
and skidding. When traction between the
tyres and the road is reduced the wheels may
skid and the vehicle cannot readily be
brought to a stop by conventional braking
techniques. Braking will differ, depending
upon whether you have anti-lock brake sys-
tem (ABS). If you do have ABS, brake by
pressing the brake system pedal hard, and
keeping it pressed. If you do not have ABS,
pump the brake pedal with short rapid jabs,
each time fully applying and fully releasing
for greatest effect.
l Allow extra distance between your vehicle
and the vehicle in front of you, and avoid sud-
den braking.
l Accumulation of ice on the braking system
can cause the wheels to lock. Pull away from
a standstill slowly after confirming safety
around the vehicle.
CAUTION
l
Do not press the accelerator pedal rapid-
ly. If the wheels break free of the ice, the
vehicle could suddenly start moving and
possibly cause an accident.
On a bumpy or rutted road
l Drive as slow as possible when driving on
bumpy or rutted roads.