Off-Road Driving With Your Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicle; Before You Go Off-Roading - GMC 2003 Envoy XL Owner's Manual

Off-Road Driving with Your
Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicle
This off-road guide is for vehicles that have four-wheel
drive. Also, see Braking on page 4-5. If your vehicle
doesn't have four-wheel drive, you shouldn't drive
off-road unless you're on a level, solid surface.
Off-road driving can be great fun. But it does have
some definite hazards. The greatest of these is
the terrain itself.
"Off-roading" means you've left the great North American
road system behind. Traffic lanes aren't marked.
Curves aren't banked. There are no road signs.
Surfaces can be slippery, rough, uphill or downhill.
In short, you've gone right back to nature.
Off-road driving involves some new skills. And that's
why it's very important that you read this guide.
You'll find many driving tips and suggestions. These will
help make your off-road driving safer and more
enjoyable.
Before You Go Off-Roading
There are some things to do before you go out. For
example, be sure to have all necessary maintenance
and service work done. Check to make sure all
underbody shields (if so equipped) are properly
attached.
Be sure you read all the information about your
four-wheel-drive vehicle in this manual.
Is there enough fuel? Is the spare tire fully inflated?
Are the fluid levels up where they should be? What are
the local laws that apply to off-roading where you'll
be driving? If you don't know, you should check with law
enforcement people in the area. Will you be on
someone's private land? If so, be sure to get the
necessary permission.
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