2004 GMC Sierra 1500 Pickup Owner's Manual - Page 328

• Never go downhill with the transmission in NEUTRAL (N), or with the clutch pedal pressed down in a manual shift. This is called "free-wheeling." Your brakes will have to do all the work and could overheat and fade. Driving Across an Incline Sooner or later, an off-road trail will probably go across the incline of a hill. If this happens, you have to decide whether to try to drive across the incline. Here are some things to consider: Q: Am I likely to stall when going downhill? A: It is much more likely to happen going uphill. But if it happens going downhill, here is what to do. • A hill that can be driven straight up or down may be too steep to drive across. When you go 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 you drive across an incline, the much more narrow track width (the distance between the left and right wheels) may not prevent the vehicle from tilting and rolling over. Also, driving across an incline puts more weight on the downhill wheels. This could cause a downhill slide or a rollover. • Stop your vehicle by applying the regular brakes. Apply the parking brake. • Shift to PARK (P) (or to neutral with the manual transmission) and, while still braking, restart the engine. • Shift back to a low gear, release the parking brake, and drive straight down. • If the engine will not start, get out and get help. • Surface conditions can be a problem when you drive across a hill. Loose gravel, muddy spots, or even wet grass can cause your 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 incline even worse. If you drive across a rock with the uphill wheels, or if the downhill wheels drop into a rut or depression, your vehicle can tilt even more. 4-32