Driving DownhillWhen off-roading takes you downhill, you will wantto consider a number of things:• How steep is the downhill? Will I be able tomaintain vehicle control?• What is the surface like? Smooth? Rough?Slippery? Hard-packed dirt? Gravel?• Are there hidden surface obstacles? Ruts?Logs? Boulders?• What is at the bottom of the hill? Is there ahidden creek bank or even a river bottomwith large rocks?If you decide you can go down a hill safely, thentry to keep your vehicle headed straight down, anduse a low gear. This way, engine drag can helpthe brakes and they will not have to do allthe work. Descend slowly, keeping your vehicleunder control at all times.{CAUTION:Heavy braking when going down a hill cancause your brakes to overheat and fade.This could cause loss of control and aserious accident. Apply the brakes lightlywhen descending a hill and use a lowgear to keep vehicle speed under control.Q: Are there some things I should not dowhen driving down a hill?A: Yes! These are important because, if youignore them, you could lose control and have aserious accident.• When driving downhill, avoid turns that take youacross the incline of the hill. A hill that is not toosteep to drive down may be too steep to driveacross. You could roll over if you do not drivestraight down.• Never go downhill with the transmission inNEUTRAL (N). This is called “free wheeling.”The brakes will have to do all the work andcould overheat and fade.300
