0
Are there hidden surface obstacles?
Ruts? Logs? Boulders?
0
What’s at the bottom of
the
hill? Is
there a hidden creek bank or even a
river bottom with large rocks?
If you decide you can go down a
hill
safely, then try to keep your vehicle
headed straight down, and use a low gear.
This way, engine drag can help your
brakes and they won’t have to do all the
work. Descend slowly, keeping your
vehicle under control at all times.
Q:
Are there some things
I
should not
do when driving down
a
hill?
A:
Yes! These are important because
if
you ignore them
you
could lose
control and have a serious accident.
When driving downhill, avoid turns
that take you across the incline
of
the
hill.
A
hill that’s not too steep to drive
down may be too steep to drive
across. You could roll over if you
don’t drive straight down.
Never go downhill with the
transmission in “N” (Neutral), or with
the clutch pedal depressed in a manual
shift. This is called “free-wheeling.”
Your brakes will have to do all the
work and could overheat and fade.
Avoid braking
so
hard that
you
lock
the front wheels when going downhill.
If your front wheels are locked, you
can’t steer your vehicle. If your
wheels lock up during downhill
braking, you may feel the vehicle
starting to slide sideways.
To
regain
your direction, just ease
off
the brakes
and steer to keep the front of the
vehicle pointing straight downhill.
Q:
Am
I
likely
to
stall when going
downhill?
A:
0
0
0
0
It‘s much more likely to happen going
uphill.
But
if
it
happens going
downhill, here’s what to do.
Stop your vehicle by applying the
regular brakes. Apply the parking
brake.
Shift to
“P”
(Park) (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 won’t start, get out and
get help.
Driving Across an Incline
Sooner or later, an off-road trail will
probably go across the incline
of
a
hill. If
this happeris, you have to decide whether
to try to drive across the incline. Here are
some things to consider:
0
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
113
:. .
To Next Page
Loading...
