KIA Sorento 2008 - Manual (Page 223)

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Driving tips
Getting familiar with off-road driving
It’s necessary for you to practice in an
area that’s safe and close to home before
you begin serious off-road driving. Off-
road driving requires new and different
driving skills.
You need to tune your senses to different
kinds of signals. For example, constantly
sweep the terrain with your eyes looking
for unexpected obstacles. Listen for
unusual tire, gear, or engine sounds. Feel
and respond to the vibrations of the vehi-
cle with your hands, feet, and body while
still carefully controlling your vehicle.
You’ll also need to adjust your expecta-
tions and greatly lower the number of
miles you expect to cover in an hour or a
day.
Controlling your vehicle is the key to suc-
cessful off-road driving. One of the best
ways to control your vehicle is to control
your speed. Here are some things to
keep in mind when traveling at higher
speeds:
• You approach things faster and you
have less time to scan the terrain for
obstacles.
• You have less time to react.
• You have much more vehicle bounce
when you drive over obstacles, giving
you less vehicle control.
• You’ll need more distance for braking,
especially since you’re on an unpaved
surface. Such terrain will always be
more “slippery” than a paved road.
Scanning the terrain
Off-road driving can take you over many
different kinds of terrain. You need to be
familiar with the terrain and its many dif-
ferent features. Here are some things to
consider.
Surface conditions
Off-roading can take you over hard-
packed dirt, gravel, rocks, grass, sand,
mud, snow or ice. Each of these surfaces
affects the steering, acceleration, and
braking of your vehicle in different ways.
Depending upon the kind of surface you
are on, you may experience slipping,
sliding, wheel spinning, delayed acceler-
ation, poor traction, and longer braking
distances.
WARNING - Off road driv-
ing
When you’re driving off-road,
bouncing and quick changes in
direction can easily throw you out
of position in your seat. This could
cause you to lose control of the
vehicle and crash. Whether you are
driving on or off the road, you and
your passengers should always
wear safety belts.