1997 Chevrolet Blazer Owner's Manual - Page 187

Driving in Mud, Sand, Snow or Ice When you drive in mud. snow or sand. your wheels won't get good traction. You can't accelerate as quickly, turning is 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 idea is to keep your vehicle moving so you don't b *et stuck. When you drive on sand, 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 when driving on sand. This will improve traction. Hard packed snow and ice offer the worst tire traction. On these surfaces, it's very easy to lose 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 came you t o slide out of control. I A CAUTION: Driving on frozen lakes, ponds or rivers can be dangerous. Underwater springs. currents under the ice, or sudden thaws can weaken the ice. Your ice vehicle could fall through the and you and your passengers could drown. Driveyour vehicle on safe surfaces only. Driving in Water Light rain causes no special off-road driving problems. But heavy rain can mean tlash flooding, and flood waters demand extreme caution. Find out how deep the water is before you drive through it. If it's deep enough to cover your wheel hubs, axles or exhaust pipe. don't try it -- you probably won't get through. Also. water that deep can damage your axle and other vehicle parts. 4-26