KIA Sportage 2005 - Manual (Page 242)

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Driving tips
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Stalling downhill
Stalling is much more likely to hap-
pen going uphill. But if it happens
going downhill, here’s what to do.
• Stop your vehicle by applying the
brakes. Then apply the parking
brake.
• Move the shift lever to P (Park) in
automatic transaxle or shift to N
(Neutral) in manual transaxle 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 seek help. Exit on the uphill
side of the vehicle and stay clear of
the path the vehicle would take if it
rolled downhill.
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 or not 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 tum-
ble end over end. But when you
drive across an incline, the much
narrower 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 prob-
lem when you drive across a hill.
Loose gravel, muddy spots, or
even wet grass can cause your
tires to slip sideways. If the vehicle
slips sideways, it can hit something
that will tip it (a rock, a rut, etc.) and
cause it to 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 or not to try
to drive across an incline.
Just
because the trail goes across the
incline doesn’t mean you have to
drive it.
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