The Victoria Napolitano Bookstore THE DRIVING COMPANY WORKBOOK | Page 14

MECHANICAL SYMPATHY
“Mechanical Sympathy” means you should treat
your equipment with care and respect so that it will
serve you well for years. This also means you need
to practice finesse when negotiating obstacles in-
stead of trying to muscle your way through. If you
are hung up on something, STOP. Get out and
find out what is causing the problem. Continuing
to try to power through the situation will only lead
to breakage.
FRONT END SWING/REAR WHEEL CHEAT
When backing up, turning the wheel will cause the front end to swing out to one side. If you
were in a parking lot parked between two other vehicles, what would happen if you imme-
diately turned the wheel when backing out? You would collide with the vehicle next to you.
This is called “front end swing.” When off-road, watch for obstacles that your vehicle can
swing into or even end up straddling that could cause damage to the underside.
When driving forward, the rear wheels track inside the front wheels when you are turn-
ing. Have you ever seen someone drive into their driveway where the front wheels go up
the ramp, but the rear wheel drives over the curb? This is rear wheel cheat, also known as
off-tracking. In off-road situations, be careful not to steer around an obstacle with the front
wheels only to scrape the rear sidewalls or quarter panel.
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