2007 Dodge Ram 2500 Pickup Owner Manual Diesel - Page 275

STARTING AND OPERATING 275 toward you in one motion. Do not pull the lever sharply left as you may shift accidentally into 2nd gear and damage the transmission. You should use 1st gear when starting from a standing position if under heavy load or when pulling a trailer. To shift into Reverse, come to a complete stop. Depress the clutch and pause briefly to allow the gear train to stop. Move the shift lever from the Neutral position straight across and back into Reverse. Never drive with your foot resting on the clutch pedal, or attempt to hold the vehicle on a hill with the clutch pedal partially engaged, as this will cause abnormal wear on the clutch. Downshifting Moving from a high gear down to a lower gear is recommended to preserve brakes when driving down steep hills. In addition, downshifting at the right time provides better acceleration when you desire to resume speed. Downshift progressively. Do not skip gears to avoid overspeeding the engine and clutch. For acceleration at speeds less than 15 mph (25 km/h), 2nd gear is recommended. 5 CAUTION! When descending a hill, be very careful to downshift one gear at a time to prevent overspeeding the engine which can cause valve damage.