1999 GMC Sierra 1500 Pickup Owner's Manual - Page 211

Driving Across an Incline Sooner or later,anoff-road trail willprobablygoacrosstheincline of a hill. If this happens, you have to decide whether to try to drive across the incline. Here are some things to consider: A hill thatcanbedrivenstraightup or downmaybetoosteep to drive or down a hill,thelength of thewheel across.Whenyougostraightup to the rear wheels) reduces the base (the distance from the front wheels likelihoodthevehiclewilltumbleendover end.Butwhenyoudrive acrossanincline,themuchmorenarrowtrackwidth (the distance betweentheleftandrightwheels) maynotpreventthevehiclefrom tilting androlling over. Also, drivingacross an inclineputsmoreweight onthedownhillwheels.Thiscouldcause a downhill slide or a rollover. Surfaceconditionscanbe a problemwhenyoudriveacross a hill.Loose gravel,muddyspots, or evenwetgrasscancauseyourtirestoslip sideways,downhill. If thevehicleslipssideways, it canhitsomethingthat willtrip it (arock, a rut,etc.)and roll over. 0 Hiddenobstaclescanmakethesteepness of theinclineevenworse. If youdriveacross a rockwiththeuphillwheels, or if thedownhillwheels dropinto a rut or depression,yourvehiclecantiltevenmore. to decide carefully whether to try to drive For reasons like these, you need acrossanincline.Justbecausethetrailgoesacrosstheinclinedoesn'tmean it mighthaverolledover. youhave to driveit.Thelastvehicletotry CAUTIP! 4 Drivingacrossaninclinethat'stoosteepwillmakeyourvehicle roll over.You couldbeseriouslyinjuredorkilled. If youhaveanydoubt it. Findanother about the steepness of theincline,don'tdriveacross routeinstead. Q: What if I'm driving across an inclinethat'snottoosteep,but I hit I do? some loose gravelandstarttoslidedownhill.Whatshould A: If you feel yourvehiclestarting to slidesideways,turndownhill.This shouldhelpstraightenoutthevehicleandpreventthesideslipping.However, a muchbetterwaytoprevent this is togetoutand"walkthecourse" knowwhatthesurfaceislikebeforeyoudriveit. so you 4-33