Cadillac 2011 Escalade ESC Owner's Manual

Black plate (15,1)Cadillac Escalade EXT Owner Manual - 2011Driving and Operating 9-15Driving Across an InclineAn off-road trail will probably goacross the incline of a hill. To decidewhether to try to drive across theincline, consider the following:{ WARNINGDriving across an incline that istoo steep will make your vehicleroll over. You could be seriouslyinjured or killed. If you have anydoubt about the steepness of theincline, do not drive across it.Find another route instead.. A hill that can be driven straightup or down might be too steepto drive across. When goingstraight up or down a hill, thelength of the wheel base — thedistance from the front wheels tothe rear wheels — reduces thelikelihood the vehicle will tumbleend over end. But when drivingacross an incline, the narrowertrack width — the distancebetween the left and rightwheels — might not prevent thevehicle from tilting and rollingover. Driving across an inclineputs more weight on the downhillwheels which could cause adownhill slide or a rollover.. Surface conditions can be aproblem. Loose gravel, muddyspots, or even wet grass cancause the tires to slip sideways,downhill. If the vehicle slipssideways, it can hit somethingthat will trip it — a rock, a rut,etc. — and roll over.. Hidden obstacles can make thesteepness of the incline evenworse. If you drive across a rockwith the uphill wheels, or if thedownhill wheels drop into a rutor depression, the vehicle can tilteven more.For these reasons, carefullyconsider whether to try to driveacross an incline. Just because thetrail goes across the incline doesnot mean you have to drive it. Thelast vehicle to try it might haverolled over.If you feel the vehicle starting toslide sideways, turn downhill. Thisshould help straighten out thevehicle and prevent the sideslipping. The best way to preventthis is to “walk the course” first, soyou know what the surface is likebefore driving it.