1993 GMC Suburban Owner's Manual - Page 196

Approaching a Hill Whenyouapproachahill,youneedtodecide if it'soneofthosehillsthat's justtoosteep to climb,descend, or cross.Steepness can be hard to judge. Onaverysmallhill,forexample,theremaybeasmooth,constantincline withonlyasmallchange in elevationwhereyoucaneasilyseealltheway to thetop.Onalargehill,theinclinemaygetsteeperasyounearthetop, butyoumaynotseethisbecausethecrest of thehill is hidden by bushes, grass, or shrubs. Herearesomeotherthings to consider as youapproachahill. or doesthe hill getsharplysteeper Is thereaconstantincline, places? in Is there good tractiononthehillside, slipping? or willthesurfacecausetire to make * IS thereastraight turningmaneuvers? path up or downthe hill so youwon'thave hill thancanblockyour Arethereobstructionsonthe trees,logs or ruts)? 8 path (boulders, What'sbeyondthe hill? Is thereacliff,anembankment,adrop-off,a fence?Getoutandwalkthe hill if youdon't know. It'sthesmartway to find out. * Is the hill simplytoorough?Steep hills oftenhaveruts,gullies,troughs and exposedrocksbecausetheyaremoresusceptible to theeffects of erosion. riving Uphill Onceyoudecideyou specialsteps, 0 can safelydriveupthehill,youneedtotakesome Usealowergearandgetafirmgriponthesteeringwheel. Get a smoothstartupthe hill and try to maintainyourspeed.Don'tuse to start more power than you need, because you don't want your wheels spinning orsliding. 0 8 Try todrivestraightupthe hill if at all possible. If the path twists and turns,youmightwant to find anotherroute. 4-28