Chevrolet 2003 Silverado 1500 Pickup Owner's Manual page 325

Keep your vehicle in good shape. Check all fluid
levels and also the brakes, tires, cooling system
and transmission. These parts can work hard
on mountain roads.
Know how to go down hills. The most important
thing to know is this: let your engine do some of
the slowing down. Shift to a lower gear when you go
down a steep or long hill.
If you don't shift down, your brakes could get
so hot that they wouldn't work well. You would
then have poor braking
or
even none going
down a hill. You could crash. Shift down to let
your engine assist your brakes on a steep
downhill slope.
Driving on steep hills
or
mountains is different from
driving in flat or rolling terrain.
If you drive regularly in steep country, or if you're
planning to visit there, here are some tips that can make
your trips safer and more enjoyable. See Off-Road
Driving with Your Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicle
on
page 4-21 for information about driving off-road.
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