1997 Oldsmobile Bravada Owner's Manual - Page 158

Driving inMud, 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 thegear. 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. Onloosely packed sand (as on beaches or sand dunes) your tires will tend to sink into the sand. Thishas 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 losecontrol. 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. Driving onfrozen lakes, pondsor rivers can be dangerous. Underwatersprings, currents under the ice, or sudden thawscan weaken the ice.Your vehicle couldfall through the ice and you and your passengers could drown. Driveyour vehicle on safe surfaces only. Driving inWater 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. 4-26