2009 GMC Canyon Owner's Manual - Page 212

Driving Across an Incline An off-road trail will probably go across the incline of a hill. To decide whether to try to drive across the incline, consider the following: • Surface conditions can be a problem. Loose gravel, muddy spots, or even wet grass can cause the tires to slip sideways, downhill. If the vehicle slips sideways, it can hit something that will trip it - a rock, a rut, etc. - and roll over. • Hidden obstacles can make the steepness of the { CAUTION: Driving across an incline that is too steep will make your vehicle roll over. You could be seriously injured or killed. If you have any doubt about the steepness of the incline, do not drive across it. Find another route instead. incline even worse. If you drive across a rock with the uphill wheels, or if the downhill wheels drop into a rut or depression, the vehicle can tilt even more. For these reasons, carefully consider whether to try to drive across an incline. Just because the trail goes across the incline does not mean you have to drive it. The last vehicle to try it might have rolled over. If you feel the vehicle starting to slide sideways, turn downhill. This should help straighten out the vehicle and prevent the side slipping. The best way to prevent this is to "walk the course" first, so you know what the surface is like before driving it. • A hill that can be driven straight up or down might be too steep to drive across. When going straight up or down a hill, the length of the wheel base - the distance from the front wheels to the rear wheels - reduces the likelihood the vehicle will tumble end over end. But when driving across an incline, the narrower track width - the distance between the left and right wheels - might not prevent the vehicle from tilting and rolling over. Driving across an incline puts more weight on the downhill wheels which could cause a downhill slide or a rollover. 4-22