If
you drive regularly in steep country, or
if
you’re
planning
to
visit there, here are some tips that can make
your trips safer and more enjoyable. See
Off-Road
Driving
with
Your Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicle
on
page
4-15
for information about driving off-road.
Keep your vehicle in good shape. Check all fluid
levels and also the brakes, tires, cooling system
and transmission. These parts can work hard
on mountain roads.
Know how to go down hills. The most important
thing
to
know
is
this: let your engine do some of
the slowing down. Shift
to
a lower gear when you go
down a steep or long hill.
If
yc
-
-.-n’t shift down,
,
-
-r
brakes
cc,.d
get
’
so
hot that they wouldn’t work
well.
You would
then have poor braking
or
even none going
down
a
hill. You could crash. Shift down to let
your engine assist your brakes on
a
steep
’
downhill slope.
e
e
e
Coas
~
Jownh
...
’RP
(N)
or with the
ignition
off
is dangerous. Your brakes
will
have
to do
all
the work
of
slowing down. They could
get so hot that they wouldn’t work
well.
You
would then have poor braking
or
even none
going down
a
hill. You could crash. Always
have your engine running and your vehicle in
gear when you go downhill.
Know how to go uphill. You may want
to
shift down
to
a
lower gear. The lower gears help cool your
engine and transmission, and you can climb the hill
better.
Stay
in
your own lane when driving on two-lane
roads in hills or mountains. Don’t swing wide or
cut across the center of the road. Drive at speeds
that let you stay in your own lane.
As
you go over the top of a
hill,
be alert. There
could be something in your lane, like a stalled car or
an accident.
4-36
To Next Page
Loading...
