1995 Chevrolet S10 Pickup Owner's Manual - Page 155

Driving In Mud, Sand, Snow, Or Ice When you drive in mud, snow or sand, your wheels won't get goodtraction. You can't accelerate as quickly, turningis more difficult, and you'll need longer braking distances. It's best to use a low gear when you're in mud the deeper the mud, the lower the gear. In really deep mud, the ideais to keep your vehiclemoving so you don't get stuck. When you drive 6fi S a d , you'll sense a change in wheel traction.But it will depend upon how loosely packed the sand is. On loosely packed sand (as on beaches or sand dunes) your tires will tend to sink into the sand. This has an effect on steering, accelerating, and braking. You may want to reduce the air pressure in your tires slightly whendriving on sand. This will improve traction. Hard packed snow and ice offer the worsttire traction. On these surfaces. it's very easy tolose control. On wet ice, for example, the traction is so poor that you will have difficulty accelerating. And if you do get moving, poor steering and difficult braking can cause you to slide out of control. Driving In Water Light rain causes no special off-road driving problems. But heavy raincan mean flash flooding, and flood waters demand extreme caution. Find out how deep the water is beforeyou drive through it. If it's deep enough to cover your wheel hubs, axles,or exhaust pipe, don't tryit - you probably won't get through. Also, water that deep can damage your axle and other vehicle parts. If the water isn't too deep, then drive through it slowly. At fwt speeds, water splashes on your ignition system and your vehicle can stall. Stalling can also occur if youget your tailpipe under water. And, as long as your tailpipe is under water, you'll never be ableto start your engine. When you go through water, remember that when your brakes get wet, it may take you longer to stop. 4-22