2011 GMC Savana 1500 Cargo Owner's Manual - Page 236

9-28 Driving and Operating the rear wheels when you are trying to start the vehicle from a stop on slippery road surfaces. 1 (First): This position reduces vehicle speed without using the brakes. You can use it for major/ severe downgrades where the vehicle would otherwise accelerate due to steepness of grade. When you shift to 1 (First) it provides the lowest gear appropriate to current road speed and continues to downshift as the vehicle slows, eventually downshifting to 1 (First) gear. The transmission can be held in 1 (First) gear using Range Selection Mode or the shift lever. See "Range Selection Mode" under Manual Mode on page 9‑31. Notice: Spinning the tires or holding the vehicle in one place on a hill using only the accelerator pedal may damage the transmission. The repair will not be covered by the vehicle warranty. If you are stuck, do not spin the tires. When stopping on a hill, use the brakes to hold the vehicle in place. 3 (Third): This position is also used for normal driving. It reduces vehicle speed more than D (Drive) without using the brakes. You might choose 3 (Third) instead of D (Drive) when driving on hilly, winding roads, when towing a trailer, so there is less shifting between gears and when going down a steep hill. See "Range Selection Mode" under Manual Mode on page 9‑31. 2 (Second): This position reduces vehicle speed even more than 3 (Third) without using the brakes. You can use 2 (Second) on hills. It can help control vehicle speed as you go down steep mountain roads, but then you would also want to use the brakes off and on. See "Range Selection Mode" under Manual Mode on page 9‑31. If you manually select 2 (Second) in an automatic transmission, the transmission will start in second gear. You can use this feature for reducing the speed of Automatic Transmission (Four Speed) There are several different positions for your shift lever. P (Park): This position locks the rear wheels. It is the best position to use when you start the engine because the vehicle cannot move easily.