1998 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA Owners Manual

Environmental Concerns
Off-road driving can provide wholesome and satisfying
recreation. However,
it also raises environmental
concerns.
GM recognizes these concerns and urges
every off-roader to follow these basic rules for
protecting the environment:
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Always use established trails, roads and areas that
have been specially set aside for public off-road
recreational driving; obey all posted regulations.
Avoid any driving practice that could damage
the
environment -- shrubs, flowers, trees, grasses -- or
disturb wildlife (this includes wheel-spinning,
breaking down trees or unnecessary driving through
streams or
over soft ground).
Always carry a litter bag
. . . make sure all refuse is
removed
f~'om any campsite before leaving.
Take extreme care
with open fires (where permitted),
camp stoves and lanterns.
Never park your vehicle over dry grass or other
combustible materials that could catch fire from the
heat of the vehicle's exhaust system.
Traveling to Remote Areas
It makes sense to plan your trip, especially when going
to
a remote area. Know the terrain and plan your route.
You are much less likely to get bad surprises. Get
accurate maps of trails and terrain.
Try to learn of any
blocked or closed roads.
It's also
a good idea to travel with at least one other
vehicle.
If something happens to one of them, the other
can help quickly.
Getting Familiar with Off-Road Driving
It's a good idea to practice in an area that's safe and
close to home before you go into the wilderness.
Off-road driving does require some new and different
driving skills. Here's what we mean.
Tune your senses to different kinds
of signals. Your
eyes, for example, need to constantly sweep
the terrain
for unexpected obstacles. Your ears need to listen for
unusual tire or engine sounds. With
your arms, hands,
feet and body, you'll need to respond to vibrations and
vehicle bounce.
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Controlling your vehicle is the key to successful
off-road driving. One of the best ways
to control your
vehicle
is to control your speed. Here are some things to
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keep in mind. At higher speeds:
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you approach things faster and you have less time
to scan
the terrain for obstacles.
you have less time to react.
you have more vehicle bounce when you drive
over obstacles.
you’ll need more distance for braking, especially
since you’re on an unpaved surface.
’ A CAUTION:
When you’re driving off-road, bouncing and
quick changes in direction can easily throw you
out of position. This could cause you to lose
control and crash.
So, whether you’re driving on
or off the road, you and your passengers should
wear safety belts.
Scanning the Terrain
Off-road driving can take you over many different kinds
of terrain. You need to be familiar with the terrain and its
many different features. Here are some things
to consider.
Sutface Conditicm. Off-roading can take you over
hard-packed dirt, gravel, rocks, grass, sand, mud, snow or
ice. Each of these surfaces affects the steering, acceleration
and braking
of your vehicle in different ways. Depending
upon the kind of surface you are on, you may experience
slipping, sliding, wheel spinning, delayed acceleration,
poor traction and longer braking distances.
Swfc/ce Ubstcrcles. Unseen or hidden obstacles can be
hazardous.
A rock, log, hole, rut or bump can startle you if
you’re not prepared for them. Often these obstacles are
hidden by grass, bushes, snow or even the rise and fall of
the terrain itself. Here are some things
to consider:
Is the path ahead clear?
0 Will the surface texture change abruptly up ahead?
0 Does the travel take you uphill or downhill? (There’s
more discussion of these subjects later.)
0 Will you have to stop suddenly or change
direction quickly?
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When you 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 YOLI need special alertness and driving
skills, your reflexes, perceptions and judgment can be
affected by even a
small amount of alcohol. You could
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.
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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Approaching 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)?
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.
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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.
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Turning or driving across steep hills can be Driving
to the top (crest) of a hill at full speed can
dangerous. You could lose traction, slide cause
an accident. There could be a drop-off,
sideways, and possibly roll over. You could be embankment,
cliff, or even another vehicle. You
seriously injured or killed. When driving up hills, could
be seriously injured or killed.
As you near
always
try to go straight up. the top
of a hill, slow down and stay alert.
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Ease up on your speed as you approach the top of
the hill.
Attach a flag to the vehicle to make you more visible
to approaching traffic on trails or hills.
Sound the horn as you approach the top of the hill to
let opposing traffic know you’re there.
Use your headlamps even during the day. They make
you more visible to oncoming traffic.
What should I do if my vehicle stalls, or is about
to stall, and
I can’t make it up the hill?
A: If this happens, there are some things you should
do, and there are some things you must not do.
First, here’s what you
should do:
0 Push the brake pedal to stop the vehicle and keep it
from rolling backwards.
Also, apply the parking brake.
0 If your engine is still running, shift the transmission
to REVERSE (R), release the parking brake, and
slowly back down the hill in
REVERSE (R).
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If your engine has stopped running, you’ll need to
restart it. With
the brake pedal depressed and the
parking brake still applied, shift the transmission to
PARK
(P) and restart the engine. Then, shift to
REVERSE
(R), release the parking brake, and
slowly back down
the hill as straight as possible in
REVERSE (R).
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
must 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.
Never attempt to turn around if you are about to
stall when going
up a hill. If the hill 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.
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.
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Driving Downhill
When off-roading takes you downhill, you'll want to
consider a number
of things:
0 How steep is the downhill'? Will I be able to maintain
vehicle control?
0 What's the surface like'? Smooth'? Ro~lgh'? Slippery?
Hard-packed dirt'? Gravel?
0 Are there hidden surfdce obstacles? Ruts'? Logs'?
Boulders?
0 What's at the bottom of the hill? Is there a hidden
creek bank or even a river bottom
with large rocks?
If you decide you can go down a hill safely, then try to
keep
your vehicle headed straight down, and use a low
they won't have to do all the work. Descend slowly,
keeping your vehicle under control at all times.
i> (rear. This way, engine drag can help your brakes and
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A CAUTION:
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.
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.
0 When driving downhill, avoid turns that take you
across the incline of the hill. A hill that's not too
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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.
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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 (P) and, while still braking, restart
the engine.
Shift back to a low gear, release the parking brake,
and drive straight down.
If the engine won’t start, get out and get help.
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.
0 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 rolled over.
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