KIA Sorento 2006 - Manual (Page 208)

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 difficult to
judge. On a very small hill, for exam-
ple, 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 con-
sider as you approach a hill:
• Is there a constant incline, or does
the hill get sharply steeper in
places?
• Is there good traction on the hill-
side, or will the surface cause tire
slipping?
• Is there a straight path up or down
the hill so you won’t have to make
turning maneuvers?
• 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, or
a fence? Get out of the vehicle and
walk the hill if you are unsure. 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.
• How have weather conditions
affected the terrain? Is there likely
to be mud, snow or ice on the hill?
• What time of day is it? Are temper-
atures dropping so that wet sur-
faces will start to freeze?
DRIVING TIPS
5-21
WARNING
- Driving on Hills
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. In either case, you
could flip over. If you drive
across them, you will roll over.
You could be seriously or fatal-
ly injured. If you have any doubt
about the steepness, don’t drive
up or down the hill, even if it
means that you have to turn
around and find another route.
Re-tracking is a normal part of
safe off-roading.
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