Am
I
likely to stall when going downhill?
A:
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
PARK
(P)
(or to
NEUTRAL
(N)
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.
e
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 happens, you have to decide
whether to try to drive across the incl.ine. Here are some
things to consider:
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
e
e
incline puts more weight
on
the downhill wheels.
This could cause a downhill slide or
a
rollover.
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.
For reasons like these, you need to decide carefully
whether
to
try
to drive across
an
incline. Just because the
trail
goes
across the incline doesn’t mean
you
have to
drive it. The last vehicle to
try
it might have rolled over.
Driving across an incline that’s too steep will
make your vehicle roll over.
You
could be
seriously injured or killed.
If
you have any doubt
about the steepness
of
the incline, don’t drive
across it. Find another route instead.
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