traction control CADILLAC ESCALADE EXT 2004 2.G User Guide

Driving on Off-Road Hills
Off-road driving often takes you up, down or across a
hill. Driving safely on hills requires good judgment
and an understanding of what your vehicle can and can
not do. There are some hills that simply can not be
driven, no matter how well built the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
Many hills are simply too steep for any vehicle.
If you drive up them, you will stall. If you drive
down them, you can not control your speed. If
you drive across them, you will roll over. You
could be seriously injured or killed. If you have
any doubt about the steepness, do not drive
the hill.
Approaching a Hill
When you approach a hill, you need to decide if it is
one of those hills that is just too steep to climb, descend
or cross. Steepness can be hard to judge. On a very
small hill, for example, there may be a smooth, constantincline 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 consider 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 hillside, or will the
surface cause tire slipping?
·Is there a straight path up or down the hill so you
will not have to make turning maneuvers?
·Are there obstructions on the hill that can block
your path (boulders, trees, logs or ruts)?
·What is beyond the hill? Is there a cliff, an
embankment, a drop-off, a fence? Get out and walk
the hill if you do not know. It is the smart way to
®nd 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.
4-22

Driving in Mud, Sand, Snow or Ice
When you drive in mud, snow or sand, your wheels will
not get good traction. You can not accelerate as
quickly, turning is more difficult, and you will need longer
braking distances.
It is best to use a low gear when you are in mud Ð the
deeper the mud, the lower the gear. In really deep
mud, the idea is to keep your vehicle moving so you do
not get stuck.
When you drive on sand, you will 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. Drive at a reduced speed
and avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneuvers.Hard packed snow and ice offer the worst tire traction.
On these surfaces, it is 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.
4-29

Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grades can be found where applicable on the
tire sidewall between tread shoulder and maximum
section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
The following information relates to the system
developed by the United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, which grades tires by
treadwear, traction and temperature performance. (This
applies only to vehicles sold in the United States.)
The grades are molded on the sidewalls of most
passenger car tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading
system does not apply to deep tread, winter-type
snow tires, space-saver or temporary use spare tires,
tires with nominal rim diameters of 10 to 12 inches
(25 to 30 cm), or to some limited-production tires.
While the tires available on General Motors passenger
cars and light trucks may vary with respect to these
grades, they must also conform to federal safety
requirements and additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC) standards.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on
the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a speci®ed government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and
a half (1.5) times as well on the government course as
a tire graded 100. The relative performance of tires
depends upon the actual conditions of their use,
however, and may depart signi®cantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits, service practices and
differences in road characteristics and climate.
Traction ± AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A,
B, and C. Those grades represent the tire's ability
to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled
conditions on speci®ed government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance. Warning: The traction grade
assigned to this tire is based on straight-ahead braking
traction tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction characteristics.
5-78

Used Replacement Wheels
{CAUTION:
Putting a used wheel on your vehicle is
dangerous. You can't know how it's been used
or how far it's been driven. It could fail
suddenly and cause a crash. If you have to
replace a wheel, use a new GM original
equipment wheel.
Tire Chains
{CAUTION:
Don't use tire chains. There's not enough
clearance. Tire chains used on a vehicle
without the proper amount of clearance can
cause damage to the brakes, suspension or
other vehicle parts. The area damaged by the
tire chains could cause you to lose control of
your vehicle and you or others may be injured
in a crash. Use another type of traction device
only if its manufacturer recommends it for use
on your vehicle and tire size combination and
road conditions. Follow that manufacturer's
instructions. To help avoid damage to your
vehicle, drive slowly, readjust or remove the
device if it's contacting your vehicle, and
don't spin your wheels. If you do ®nd traction
devices that will ®t, install them on the
rear tires.
5-81

J
Jump Starting.................................................5-42
K
KEYFOB X BATTERY LOW.............................3-65
Keyless Entry System....................................... 2-4
Keys............................................................... 2-3
L
Lamps
Exterior......................................................3-15
Interior.......................................................3-19
Lamps On Reminder.......................................3-17
Lap-Shoulder Belt...................................1-14, 1-23
LATCH System
Child Restraints...........................................1-40
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the
LATCH System........................................1-42
Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running.....................................................2-39
LEFT REAR DOOR AJAR................................3-65
Light
Air Bag Readiness.......................................3-36
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning...................3-41
Brake System Warning.................................3-39Light (cont.)
Charging System.........................................3-38
Cruise Control.............................................3-47
Low Fuel Warning.......................................3-48
Low Tire Pressure Warning Light...................3-41
Malfunction Indicator....................................3-44
Passenger Air Bag Status Indicator................3-36
Safety Belt Reminder...................................3-35
Tow/Haul Mode...........................................3-47
Traction Off................................................3-42
Listening to a DVD.........................................3-82
Loading Your Vehicle.......................................4-47
Loading Your Vehicle for Off-Road Driving..........4-18
Lockout Protection..........................................2-13
Locks
Delayed Locking........................................... 2-9
Door........................................................... 2-8
Lockout Protection.......................................2-13
Power Door.................................................. 2-9
Programmable Automatic Door Locks.............2-10
Rear Door Security Locks.............................2-12
Loss of Control...............................................4-16
LOW COOLANT LEVEL..................................3-60
Low Fuel Warning Light...................................3-48
Luggage Carrier..............................................2-54
Lumbar
Power Controls............................................. 1-3
9

Towing
Recreational Vehicle.....................................4-46
Towing a Trailer..........................................4-55
Your Vehicle...............................................4-46
Traction
Off Light.....................................................3-42
Road Sensing Suspension.............................. 4-9
Stabilitrak
žSystem........................................ 4-9
TRACTION ACTIVE........................................3-65
Traction Control Operation................................4-10
TRACTION SYS LIMITED................................3-65
Trailer
Recommendations.......................................4-54
Trailer Brakes.................................................4-61
Trailer Wiring Harness.....................................4-64
TRANS HOT IDLE ENGINE.............................3-64
Transfer Case................................................5-48
Transmission
Fluid, Automatic...........................................5-19
Temperature Gage.......................................3-43
TRANSMISSION HOT.....................................3-63Transmission Operation, Automatic....................2-34
Transmission, Transaxle, Transfer Case Unit
Repair Manual............................................7-11
Transportation Options...................................... 7-7
Traveling to Remote Areas...............................4-19
Trip Information Button....................................3-50
Truck-Camper Loading Information....................4-54
Turn and Lane Change Signals.......................... 3-8
TURN SIGNAL ON.........................................3-62
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever........................... 3-7
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer..................4-62
U
Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist (URPA)...............3-20
Underhood Fuse Block...................................5-115
Understanding Radio Reception.......................3-100
Uniform Tire Quality Grading............................5-78
United States ± Customer Assistance.................. 7-4
Using HomeLink
ž...........................................2-53
Using the Recovery Hooks...............................4-45
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