2002 Chevrolet Prizm Owner's Manual - Page 192
2002 Chevrolet Prizm Manual
Page 192 highlights
Driving On Grades Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start down a long or steep downgrade. If you don't shift down, you might have to use your brakes so much that they would get hot and no longer work well. On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your speed to 45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the possibility of engine and transaxle overheating. If you are towing a trailer that weighs more than 1,000 lbs. (450 kg), and you have an automatic transaxle with overdrive, you may prefer to drive in DRIVE (D) rather than OVERDRIVE (or, as you need to, a lower gear). Or, if you have a manual transaxle with FIFTH (5), it's better not to use FIFTH (5). Just drive in FOURTH (4) (or, as you need to, a lower gear). Parking on Hills CAUTION: You really should not park your vehicle, with a trailer attached, on a hill. If something goes wrong, your rig could start to move. People can be injured, and both your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged. But if you ever have to park your rig on a hill, here's how to do it: 1. Apply your regular brakes, but don't shift into PARK (P) yet, or into gear for a manual transaxle. 2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels. 3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load. 4. Reapply your regular brakes. Then apply your parking brake, and then shift to PARK (P), or REVERSE (R) for a manual transaxle. 5. Release the regular brakes. 4-36