2011 Chevrolet Avalanche Owner's Manual - Page 283

Driving and Operating 9-15 { WARNING Heavy braking when going down a hill can cause your brakes to overheat and fade. This could cause loss of control and a serious accident. Apply the brakes lightly when descending a hill and use a low gear to keep vehicle speed under control. Things not to do when driving down a hill: . Vehicles are much more likely to stall when going uphill, but if it happens when going downhill: 1. Stop the vehicle by applying the regular brakes and apply the parking brake. 2. Shift to P (Park) and, while still braking, restart the engine. 3. Shift back to a low gear, release the parking brake, and drive straight down. 4. If the engine will not start, get out and get help. . WARNING (Continued) injured or killed. If you have any doubt about the steepness of the incline, do not drive across it. Find another route instead. 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. When driving downhill, avoid turns that take you across the incline of the hill. A hill that is not too steep to drive down might be too steep to drive across. The vehicle could roll over. Never go downhill with the transmission in N (Neutral), called free-wheeling. The brakes will have to do all the work and could overheat and fade. 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: . { WARNING Driving across an incline that is too steep will make your vehicle roll over. You could be seriously (Continued)