Before off-road driving in unfamiliar areas at high speeds, do a low speed reconnaissance run to become aware of any obstacles that you could encounter.
Your vehicle can incur damage if driven beyond its capabilities. Skid plates and rock rails are designed to help limit damage to vital components and exterior finishes, but cannot prevent all damage if driven in extreme off-road conditions. Damage to skid plates, rock rails and exterior finishes as well as bent, cracked or broken body, frame and chassis components may not be covered by warranty.
It is important that you take the time to become familiar with the controls and dynamics of your vehicle before attempting higher speed off-road driving.
Some points to consider:
  • Slowly build up speed. Initially, drive at a speed that allows ample time to fully assess the terrain around you and to understand how the vehicle responds to both the terrain and your inputs. Increase speed as comfort increases, being mindful of how the vehicle responds to various conditions at different speeds.
  • Find a wide open place to experiment with different functions on your vehicle and different driving techniques. Try a given maneuver with different functions, such as drive modes, four-wheel drive modes or switching the electronic locking differential on and off and see how your vehicle responds. If the vehicle is tending to push straight ahead when trying to negotiate a turn, a light application of the brake when turning could help turn your vehicle. A wider entry to a corner or entering a corner more slowly could help your vehicle turn and allow you to apply the throttle sooner after negotiating the turn.
  • As speed increases, look farther ahead of the vehicle so that there is time to react to oncoming obstacles. Remember that in many off-road environments, obstacles can be hard to see until they are relatively near. A good strategy is to alternate between looking far ahead and up closer to the front of your vehicle when driving.
  • Remember that you may not be the only one in a particular recreational area. Be aware of others in your area. This is especially true of motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles that may be more difficult to spot than a full-sized vehicle.
  • When driving in desert conditions, the midpoint of the day is the most difficult time to see many of the small ridges and dips due to flat shadows from the sun being at its highest point. Extreme care should be taken at these times.
  • We encourage you to switch on off-road modes for off-road driving.   See   G.O.A.T. Mode Control. 

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