1997 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA wheel

When YOLI drive over obstacles or rough terrain, keep a
firm grip on the steering wheel. Ruts, troughs or other
surface features can jerk the wheel out of your hands if’
you’re not prepared.
When you drive over bumps, rocks, or other obstacles,
your wheels can leave the ground.
If this happens, even
with one or two wheels, you can’t control the vehicle as
well or at
all.
Because you will be on an unpaved surface, it’s
especially important
to avoid sudden acceleration,
sudden turns or sudden braking.
In a way, off-road driving requires a different kind of
alertness from driving on paved roads and highways.
There are
no road signs, posted speed limits or signal
lights.
You have to use your own good judgment about
what is safe and what isn‘t.
Drinking and driving can be very dangerous
on any
road. And this
is certainly true for off-road driving. At
the very time you need special alertness and driving
skills, your reflexes, perceptions and judgment can be
affected by even a small amount of alcohol.
YOLI coulcl
have a serious -- or even fatal -- accident if you drink
and drive or ride
with a driver who has been drinking.
See ”Drunken Driving”
in the Index.
Driving on Off-Road Hills
Off-road driving often takes you up, down or across a
hill. Driving safely on hills requires good judgment and
an understanding of what your vehicle can and can’t do.
There are some hills that simply can’t be driven, no
matter how well built the vehicle.
I PL CAUTION:
Many hills are simply too steep for any vehicle. If
you drive up them, you will stall. If you drive
down them, you can’t control your speed. ]If you
drive across them,
you will roll over. You could be
seriously injured or killed.
If you have any doubt
about the steepness, don’t drive the hill.
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Apm I ~ ~ ~ hing a Hill
When you approach a hill, you need to decide if it’s one
of those hills that’s just too steep to climb, descend or
cross. Steepness can be hard to judge. On a very small
hill, for example, there may be a smooth, constant
incline with only
a small change in elevation where you
can easily see all the way to the top. On a large hill, the
incline may get steeper as you near the top, but you may
not see this because the crest of the hill is hidden by
bushes, grass or shrubs.
Here are some other things to consider as you approach
a hill.
0 Is there a constant incline, or does the hill get sharply
steeper
in places?
Is there good traction on the hillside, or will the
surface cause tire slipping?
0 Is there a straight path up or down the hill so you
won’t have to make turning maneuvers?
0 Are there obstructions on the hill that can block your
path (boulders, trees, logs or ruts)?
0 What’s beyond the hill‘? Is there a cliff, an
embankment,
a drop-off, a fence? Get out and walk the
hill if you don‘t know, It’s the smart way to find out.
Is the hill simply too rough? Steep hills often have
ruts, gullies, troughs and exposed rocks because they
are more susceptible to the effects
of erosion.
Driving Uphill
Once you decide you can safely drive up the hill, you
need to take
some special steps.
0 Use a low gear and get a firm grip on the
steering wheel.
Get a smooth start up the hill and try to maintain your
speed. Don’t use more power than you need, because
you don’t want your wheels to start spinning or sliding.
Try to drive straight up the hill if at all possible. If
the path twists and turns, you might want to find
another route.
Turning or driving across steep hills can be
dangerous. You could lose traction, slide
sideways, and possibly roll over. You could be
seriously injured or killed. When driving up hills,
always try to go straight up.
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0 As you are backing down the hill, put your left hand
on the steering wheel at the 12 o’clock position. This
way, you’ll be able to tell
if your wheels are straight
and maneuver as you back down. It’s best that you
back down
the hill with your wheels straight rather
than in the left or right direction. Turning the wheel
too far to the left or right will increase the possibility
of a rollover.
Here are
some things you mist not do if you stall,
or are about to stall, when going
up a hill.
0 Never attempt to prevent a stall by shifting into
NEUTRAL (N) to “rev-up” the engine and regain
forward momentum. This won’t work. Your vehicle
will roll backwards very quickly and you could go
out of control.
Instead, apply the regular brake to stop the vehicle.
Then apply the parking brake. Shift to REVERSE
(R),
release the parking brake, and slowly back straight down.
0 Never attempt to turn around if you are about to stall
when going up
a hill. If the hili is steep enough to
stall your vehicle, it’s steep enough to cause you to
roll over
if you turn around. If you can’t make it up
the
hill, you must back straight down the hill.
Q: Suppose, after stalling, I try to back down the
hill and decide
I just can’t do it. What should
I do?
A: Set the parking brake, put your transmission in
PARK (P) and turn off the engine. Leave the
vehicle and go get some help. Exit
on the uphill
side and stay clear of
the path the vehicle would
take
if it rolled downhill.
Driving Downhill
When off-roading takes you downhill, you’ll want to
consider
a number of things:
0
0
0
0
How steep is the downhill? Will I be able to maintain
vehicle control?
What’s the surfice like? Smooth? Rough? Slippery?
Hard-pac ked dirt‘? Gravel?
Are there. hidden surface obstacles‘? Ruts?
Logs? Boulders?
What’s at the bottom
of the hill‘? Is there a hidden
creek bank
or even a river bottom with large rocks‘?
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If you decide you can go down a hili safely, then try to
keep your vehicle headed straight down, and use a
low
gear. This way, engine drag can help your brakes and
they won’t have to do
all the work. Descend slowly,
keeping your vehicle under control at all times.
CAWTION: I
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.
Heavy braking when going down a hill can cause
your brakes to overheat and fade. This could
, cause loss of control and a serious accident.
Apply the brakes lightly when descending a hill
and use a low gear to keep vehicle speed
under control. ~
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.
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 (Pj and, while still braking, restart
the engine.
Shift back to
a low gear, release the parking brake,
and drive straight down.
0 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 if the downhill wheels drop into
a rut or depression, your vehicle can
tilt even more.
For reasons like these, you need to decide carefully
whether to
try to drive across an incline. Just because
the trail goes across the incline doesn’t mean you
have
to drive it. The last vehicle to try it might have
1-01 led over.
Driving across an incline that’s too steep will
make your vehicle roll over. You could be
seriously injured or killed.
If you have any doubt
about the steepness
of the incline, don’t drive
across it. Find another route instead.
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Driving in Mud, Sand, Snow or Ice
When you drive in mud, snow or sand, your wheels
won’t get good traction. You can’t accelerate as quickly,
turning
is more difficult, and you’ll need longer
braking distances.
It’s best
to use a low gear when you’re in mud -- the
deeper the mud, the lower the gear. In really deep mud,
the idea is to keep your vehicle moving
so you don’t
get stuck.
When you drive on sand, you’ll sense a change in wheel
traction. But it will depend upon how loosely packed the
sand is. On loosely packed sand (as on beaches
or sand
dunes) your tires will tend to sink into the sand. This has
an effect on steering, accelerating and braking. You may
want to reduce the air pressure in your tires slightly
when driving on sand. This will improve traction.
Hard packed snow and ice offer the worst tire traction.
On these surfaces, it’s very easy to lose control. On wet
ice, for example, the traction is
so poor that you will
have difficulty accelerating. And
if you do get moving,
poor steering and difficult braking can cause you to slide
out
of control.
Driving on frozen lakes, ponds or rivers can be
dangerous. Underwater springs, currents under
the ice, or sudden thaws can weaken the ice. Your
vehicle could fall through the ice and you and
your passengers
could drown. Drive your vehicle
on safe surfaces only.
Driving in Water
Light rain causes no special off-road driving problems.
But heavy rain can mean flash flooding, and flood
waters demand extreme caution.
Find out how deep
the water is before you drive through
it. If it’s deep enough to cover your wheel hubs, axles or
exhaust pipe, don’t try it
-- you probably won’t get
through. Also, water that deep can damage your axle
and other vehicle parts.
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If the water isn’t too deep, then drive through it slowly. At
fast speeds, water splashes on your ignition system and
your vehicle can stall. Stalling can also occur
if you get
your tailpipe under water. And, as long
as your tailpipe is
under water, you‘ll never be able to stzt your engine.
When you go through water. remember that when your
brakes get wet,
it may take you longer to stop.
I
Driving through rushing water can be dangerous.
Deep water can sweep your vehicle downstream and you and your passengers could drown. If it’s
only shallow water, it can still wash away the
ground from under your tires, and you could lose
traction and roll the vehicle over. Don’t drive
through rushing water.
See “Driving Through Water‘. in the Index for more
information
on driving through water.
After Off-Road Driving
Remove any brush or debris that has collected on the
underbody, chassis or under the hood. These
accumulations can be a fire hazard.
After operation
in mud or sand, have the brake linings
cleaned and checked. These substances can cause
steering, suspension, wheels, tires and exhaust system
for damage. Also, check the fuel lines and cooling
system for any leakage.
2 (.lazing and uneven braking. Check the body structure,
Your vehicle will require more frequent service due to
off-road use. Refer to the Maintenance Schedule for
additional information.
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Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as “highway hypnosis”‘?
Or is
it just plain falling asleep at the wheel? Call it
highway hypnosis, lack of awareness, or whatever.
There is something about an easy stretch of road with
the same scenery, along with the
hum of the tires on the
road, the drone
of the engine, and the rush of the wind
against the vehicle that can make you sleepy. Don’t let it
happen to you!
If it does, your vehicle can leave the
road
in less than a second, and you could crash and
be injured.
What can you do about highway hypnosis? Erst, be
aware that
it can happen.
Then here are some tips:
0 Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a
comfortably cool interior.
0 Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and
to the sides. Check your mirrors and your
instruments frequently.
If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest, service
or parking area and take a nap, get some exercise, or
both. For safety, treat drowsiness on the highway
as
an emergency.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is different from
driving
in flat or rolling terrain.
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