Driving On Wet Roads; Hill And Mountain Roads - Cadillac ATS 2017 Owner's Manual

216 DRIVING AND OPERATING

Driving on Wet Roads

Rain and wet roads can reduce vehicle
traction and affect your ability to stop
and accelerate. Always drive slower in
these types of driving conditions and
avoid driving through large puddles
and deep-standing or flowing water.
Warning
Wet brakes can cause crashes. They
might not work as well in a quick
stop and could cause pulling to one
side. You could lose control of the
vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle
of water or a car/vehicle wash,
lightly apply the brake pedal until
the brakes work normally.
Flowing or rushing water creates
strong forces. Driving through
flowing water could cause the
vehicle to be carried away. If this
happens, you and other vehicle
occupants could drown. Do not
Warning (Continued)
ignore police warnings and be very
cautious about trying to drive
through flowing water.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. Water can
build up under the vehicle's tires so
they actually ride on the water. This
can happen if the road is wet enough
and you are going fast enough. When
the vehicle is hydroplaning, it has
little or no contact with the road.
There is no hard and fast rule about
hydroplaning. The best advice is to
slow down when the road is wet.
Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, other wet
weather driving tips include:
Allow extra following distance.
Pass with caution.
Keep windshield wiping equipment
in good shape.
Keep the windshield washer fluid
reservoir filled.
Have good tires with proper tread
depth. See Tires 0 323.
Turn off cruise control.

Hill and Mountain Roads

Driving on steep hills or through
mountains is different than driving on
flat or rolling terrain. Tips include:
Keep the vehicle serviced and in
good shape.
Check all fluid levels and brakes,
tires, cooling system, and
transmission.
Shift to a lower gear when going
down steep or long hills.
Warning
Using the brakes to slow the vehicle
on a long downhill slope can cause
brake overheating, can reduce brake
performance, and could result in a
loss of braking. Shift the
transmission to a lower gear to let
the engine assist the brakes on a
steep downhill slope.