Pontiac AZTEK 2003, Owner'S Manual

Page: 263 / 428

•
Know how to go down hills. The most important
thing to know is this: let your engine do some of
the slowing down. Shift to a lower gear when you go
down a steep or long hill.
{
CAUTION:
If you don’t shift down, your brakes could get
so hot that they wouldn’t work well. You would
then have poor braking or even none going
down a hill. You could crash. Shift down to let
your engine assist your brakes on a steep
downhill slope.
{
CAUTION:
Coasting downhill in NEUTRAL (N) or with the
ignition off is dangerous. Your brakes will have
to do all the work of slowing down. They could
get so hot that they wouldn’t work well. You
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
would then have poor braking or even none
going down a hill. You could crash. Always
have your engine running and your vehicle in
gear when you go downhill.
•
Know how to go uphill. You may want to shift down
to a lower gear. The lower gears help cool your
engine and transaxle, and you can climb the
hill better.
•
Stay in your own lane when driving on two-lane
roads in hills or mountains. Don’t swing wide or
cut across the center of the road. Drive at speeds
that let you stay in your own lane.
•
As you go over the top of a hill, be alert. There
could be something in your lane, like a stalled car or
an accident.
•
You may see highway signs on mountains that
warn of special problems. Examples are long
grades, passing or no-passing zones, a falling rocks
area or winding roads. Be alert to these and take
appropriate action.
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