1995 Chevrolet S10 Pickup Owner's Manual - Page 152

Driving Downhill When off-roading takes you downhill, you'll want to consider a number of things: 0 0 How steep is the downhill? Will I be able to maintain vehicle control? What's the surface like? Smooth? Rough? Slippery? Hard-packed dirt? Gravel? Are there hidden surface obstacles? Ruts? Logs? Boulders? What's at the bottom of the hill? Is there a hidden creek bank or even a river bottom with large rocks? If you decide you can go down a hill safely, then try tokeep your vehicle headed straight down, and use a low gear. This way, engine drag can help your brakes and they won't haveto do all the work. Descend slowly, keeping your vehicle under control at all times. Q: Are there some things I should not do when driving down hill? a A: Yes! These are important because if you ignore them you could lose control and have a serious accident. 0 When driving downhill, avoid turns that take you across the incline of the hill. A hill that's not too steep to drive down may be too steep to drive across. You could roll over if you don't drive straight down. Never go downhill with the transmission in NEUTRAL (N), or with the clutch pedal depressed in a manual shift. This is called "free-wheeling." Your brakes will have to do all the work andcould overheat and fade. Unless you have four-wheel anti-lock: Avoid braking so hard that you lock the front wheels when going downhill. If your front wheels are locked, you can't steer your vehicle. If your wheels lock up during downhill braking, you may feel the vehicle starting to slide sideways. To regain your direction, just ease off the brakes and steer to keep the front of the vehicle pointing straight downhill. 0 4- 19