Driving Across An Incline - Cadillac Escalade 2003 Owner's Manual

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
NEUTRAL (N). This is called "free wheeling". Your
brakes will have to do all the work and could
overheat and fade.
Q:
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) 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.
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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:
•
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.
•
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 it the downhill wheels drop into a rut
or depression, your vehicle can tilt even more.