Chevrolet Low Cab Forward 5.2L Diesel Engine 4500 HD/XD/5500 HD/XD
Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S.-13337621) - 2020 - crc - 12/5/18
134 Driving and Operating
acceleration lane. Pay attention
to vehicles behind you and to
conditions in the lane you are
joining. Merge in such a way that
you do not obstruct vehicles in
the lane.
. Your sense of how fast you are
traveling becomes distorted on
long highway drives. Constantly
keep an eye on the
speedometer, and maintain a
suitable headway distance.
. During high-speed driving, even
a little turn of the steering wheel
causes a big movement of the
vehicle. Turn the steering wheel
slowly.
. Excessive use of the brake
pedal is extremely dangerous
because it rapidly wears the
brake linings and causes brake
fade. Make effective use of the
engine brake and the exhaust
brake when you want to
decelerate.
. When you want to turn off a
highway, use the turn signal
lights to indicate your intentions ahead of time. Paying attention
to vehicles behind you, turn off
the highway smoothly so as not
to obstruct other vehicles.
Brake Fade : Frequent use of the
brakes can cause the brakes to
overheat so that the frictional force
of the brake linings decreases and
the brakes become less effective
than normal. This phenomenon is
called brake fade.
Braking
Brake Operation
The brakes give strong braking
force with only light pressure on the
pedal. Do not press the brake pedal
hard except in the event of an
emergency.
Actual stopping distances vary
greatly. Your ability to stop safely
will be greatly affected by the
surface of the road, whether it is
pavement or gravel; the condition of
the road, whether it is wet, dry or
icy; tire tread; the condition of the
brakes; the weight of the vehicle;
the weight of the load; and the amount of brake force applied.
Please allow for realistic stopping
distances to avoid unnecessary
heavy braking. That means better
braking, longer brake life and safer
driving.
Stopping DistanceThe stopping distance of a vehicle
involves reaction time and braking
distance. Deciding to push the
brake pedal is reaction time.
Applying the brake pedal until the
vehicle comes to a complete stop is
braking distance. Average reaction
time is about three-fourths of a
second. But that is only an average.
It might be less with one driver and
as long as two or three seconds or
more with another. Age, physical
condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play a part. Braking
distance will vary based reaction
Chevrolet Low Cab Forward 5.2L Diesel Engine 4500 HD/XD/5500 HD/XD
Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S.-13337621) - 2020 - crc - 12/5/18
Driving and Operating 211
Parking Brake
Parking Brake Lever
When parking or stopping your
vehicle, engage the parking brake
and make sure that the vehicle does
not start moving. Avoid parking your
vehicle on a slope as much as
possible and choose a level and flat
place. If parking on a slope is
unavoidable, be sure to set the
parking brake, make sure that the
vehicle does not move, and block
the wheels with chocks for added
safety.
Illumination of the parking brake
warning light does not mean that the
parking brake is fully applied. The
parking brake lever must be fully
engaged.
When you engage the parking brake
lever, air pressure is reduced and all
four wheel brakes are applied.
{Warning
Although the parking brake
indicator light will come on if the
parking brake is engaged while
the engine control switch is in the
ON position, this does not mean
the parking brake is fully
engaged, so always make sure
the lever is fully pulled up.
Never drive the vehicle with the
parking brake set as this will
cause excessive wear, reduce
parking brake effectiveness and
increase fuel consumption.
Choose a flat place where
stopping and parking are
permitted and where the vehicle
will not obstruct traffic.
Remove all dirt from the vehicle's
light lenses and reflectors to
ensure that the vehicle can be
seen from other vehicles. You and
others could be seriously injured.
Avoid parking for long periods with
cargo on the vehicle.
{Warning
Do not use the parking brake
while the vehicle is in motion
except in an emergency. Applying
the parking brake before the
vehicle has stopped can cause
the tires to lock or the vehicle to
spin, possibly causing an
accident. Unless the parking
brake is fully released during
driving, a fault and/or a fire may
result.
If it was necessary to use the
parking brake during driving, be
sure to check afterwards to
determine if any fault or failure
has resulted.
