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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.
CAUTION:
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.
Summary of Contents for SIERRA 2002
Page 1: ......
Page 6: ...v These are some examples of vehicle symbols you may find on your vehicle ...
Page 19: ...1 12 Take the simplest vehicle Suppose it s just a seat on wheels Put someone on it ...
Page 81: ...1 74 NOTES ...
Page 175: ...2 94 The Instrument Panel Your Information System ...
Page 355: ...5 28 Front Position 2WD 1500 Series Front Position All Other Models ...
Page 358: ...5 31 Front Position 2WD 1500 Series Front Position All Other Models ...
Page 367: ...5 40 NOTES ...
Page 406: ...6 39 Power Steering Fluid 8100 V8 Engine All Other Engines ...
Page 442: ...6 75 GM Vehicle Care Appearance Materials ...
Page 449: ...6 82 ...
Page 464: ...Scheduled Maintenance 7 7 ...
Page 465: ...Scheduled Maintenance 7 8 ...
Page 487: ...7 30 Maintenance Record DATE ODOMETER READING SERVICED BY MAINTENANCE PERFORMED ...