GMC Royale - Driving Your Motor Home; General Driving and Maneuvering Tips; Driving on Grades and Parking; Steering Wheel and Cruise Control

NOT rest your foot on the brake pedal when yo
u
are not intending to stop
. "Riding" the brakes wil
l
waste gasoline and can cause excessive brake tem-
peratures, lining wear and possible brake failure
.
GRADE S
Before descending steep or long grades, reduc
e
speed and shift into a lower gear
. The selector leve r
may be moved to Low (L) at any speed, but th
e
transmission will only shift automatically into Lo
w
range when the vehicle speed is under 40 mph
. Th e
transmission will not upshift from Low range as lon
g
as the selector lever is in the (L) position
. Super rang e
(S) can be used when increased acceleration is neede
d
in traffic,
hill
climbing or "engine braking" o n
down-hill grades
. The selector lever may be move
d
from (D) to (S) and vice versa under most operatin
g
conditions
. Super range should not be used at speed
s
above 75 mph .
Reducing speed and shifting to a lower gea
r
before climbing or descending steep grades ca
n
prevent engine overheating
. If your vehicle's engin e
should overheat, pull well off the road, shift t
o
Neutral (N), and run the engine with your foo
t
resting lightly on the accelerator pedal
. If the engin e
does not cool within 5 minutes, turn it off and locat
e
the problem before continuing on your trip
.
PARKING ON A GRAD E
Always apply the foot brakes then set the parkin
g
brake, when parking on a grade, before moving th
e
shift lever to Park (P)
. When preparing to move th e
vehicle, move shift lever out of Park (P) befor e
releasing parking brake
. If this sequence is no t
followed, you may not be able to move the shif
t
lever out of Park (P) . If this torque lock does occur
,
you may have to have another vehicle push your
s
a short distance until you can move the shift lever
.
FREEING A STUCK VEHICL
E
To pull your vehicle out of snow, sand or mud ,
apply slight pressure to the accelerator pedal an d
move the gear selector lever rhythmically betwee n
Low (L) and Reverse (R) . If possible, keep the fron t
wheels pointed straight ahead . Avoid sharp turns .
Once the vehicle starts to move, do not stop unti l
it is on firm ground
.
CAUTION : DO NOT race the engine or spi n
the wheels ; prolonged efforts to free a stuc k
vehicle may result in overheating and trans -
mission and axle failure .
TOWIN G
Towing a trailer will affect handling, durabilit y
and economy . Maximum safety and satisfactio
n
depends upon proper use of correct equipmen t
and avoiding overloads and other abusive operation .
For more information on towing, see the Chassi s
and Body Operating Manual — Trailer Hauling .
TILT STEERING WHEE L
The tilt steering wheel can be moved above th e
normal position to allow additional room for en -
trance and exit, as well as selected driving position s
above and below normal height. Operate the til t
mechanism by lifting the small control lever, on th e
left side of the steering column just below the direc-
tional signal lever, then moving the steering whee
l
to the selected position and releasing the lever .
CRUISE CONTRO
L
The Cruise Control, located in the end of th
e
turn signal lever, is designed to allow the vehicl e
to hold a selected speed at 30 mph or higher . T o
activate, accelerate to the desired speed and pus h
in the engagement button momentarily ; take you r
foot off the accelerator and the speed will b e
maintained
. To reset at higher speed, accelerat e
to the desired speed, push in the engagement butto n
6