tires CHEVROLET BLAZER 1993 User Guide

So it is wise to keep your wiping equipment in good shape and keep your
windshield washer tank filled. Replace your windshield wiper ins\
erts when they
show signs of streaking or missing areas on the windshield,
or when strips of
rubber start to separate from the inserts,
AN455018
Driving too fast through large water puddles or even going thr\
ough some car
washes can cause problems,
too. The water may affect your brakes. Try to
avoid puddles. But
if you can’t, try to slow down before you hit them.
Wet brakes can cause accidents. They won’t work well
in a quick
stop
and may cause pulling to one side. You could lose control of
the vehicle.
After driving through
a large puddle of water or a car wash, apply
your brake pedal lightly until your brakes
work normally.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up under your tires that
they can actually ride on the water. This can happen
if the road is wet
enough and you’re going fast enough. When your vehicle is h\
ydroplaning,
it
has little or no contact with the road.
You might not be aware of hydroplaning. You could drive along for some time \
without realizing your tires aren’t in constant contact with \
the road.
You could
find out the hard way: when you have
to slow, turn, move out to pass-or if
you get hit by a gust of wind. You could suddenly find yourself out of control.
4-38

Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But it can if your tires haven’t much tread
or
if the pressure in one or more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is
standing on the road. If you can see reflections from trees, \
telephone poles, or other vehicles, and raindrops “dimple” the water’s s\
urface, there could be hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens on higher speed roads. There just isn’t a hard
and fast rule about hydroplaning. The best advice is to slow \
down when it is
raining, and be careful.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
Turn on your headlights-not just your parking lights-to help ma\
ke you
more visible to others.
Look for hard-to-see vehicles coming from behind. You may want to use
your headlights even in daytime
if it’s raining hard.
Besides slowing down, allow some extra following distance. And \
be
especially careful when you pass another vehicle. Allow yourself\
more
clear room ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted\
by road spray.
If the road spray is so heavy you are actually blinded, drop back.
Don’t pass until conditions improve. Going more slowly is be\
tter than
having an accident.
Use your defogger
if it helps.
Have good tires with proper tread depth. (See “Tires” in\
the Index.)
4-39

Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Make sure you’re ready. Try to be well rested. If you must start when you’re
not fresh-such as after a day’s work-don’t plan to make too many miles
that first part of the journey. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes you can
easily drive in.
Is your vehicle ready for a long trip? If you keep it serviced and maintained,
it’s ready to go. If it needs service, have it done before starting out. Of
course, you’ll find experienced and able service experts
in your vehicle’s
dealerships all across North America. They’ll be ready and w\
illing to help
if
you need it.
Here are some things you can check before a trip:
e
e
On
Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the reservoir full? Are all windows clean
inside and outside?
Wiper Blades: Are they in good shape?
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids: Have you checked all levels?
Lights: Are they all working? Are the lenses clean?
Tires: They are vitally important to a safe, trouble-free trip. Is the tread
good enough for long distance driving? Are the tires all inflated to the
recommended pressure?
Weather Forecasts: What’s the weather outlook along your route?
Should you delay your trip a short time to avoid a major storm system?
Maps: Do you have up-to-date maps?
the Road
Unless you are the only driver, it is good to share the driving task with
others. Limit turns behind the wheel to about
100 miles (160 km) or two
hours at a sitting. Then, either change drivers or stop for s\
ome refreshment
like coffee, tea or soft drinks and some limbering up. But do stop and move
around. Eat lightly along the way. Heavier meals tend
to make some people
sleepy.
On two-lane highways or undivided multilane highways that do not have
controlled access, you’ll want to watch for some situations not usually found
on freeways. Examples are: stop signs and signals, shopping cen\
ters with
direct access to the highway, no passing zones and school zones, vehicles
turning left and right
off the road, pedestrians, cyclists, parked vehicles, and
even animals.
4-45

Your Driving and the Road
Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as “highway hypnosis?” Or \
is it just plain
falling asleep at the wheel? Call
it highway hypnosis, lack of awareness, or
whatever.
There is something about an easy stretch of road with the sam\
e scenery, along with the hum of the tires on the road, the drone of the engine, and the
rush
of the wind against the vehicle that can make you sleepy. Don’\
t let it
happen to you! If it does, your vehicle can leave the road in less than a
second,
and you could crash and be injured.
What can you do about highway hypnosis? First, be aware that
it can
happen.
Then here are some tips:
Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a comfortably \
cool interior.
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and to the sides. Check
your rearview mirrors frequently and your instruments from time \
to time.
This can help you avoid a fixed stare.
Wear good sunglasses in bright light. Glare can cause drowsiness. But
don’t wear sunglasses at night. They will drastically reduce your overall
vision at the very time you need all the seeing power you have.
If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest, service, or parking area
and take a nap, get some exercise, or both. For safety, treat\
drowsiness
on the highway as an emergency.
As in any driving situation, keep pace with traffic and allow ade\
quate
following distances.
4-46

Hill and Mountain Roads
:.-. . , , . .;. . . . . . - ,. ..
AM470001
Driving on steep hills or mountains is different from driving in flat or rolling
terrain.
If you drive regularly in steep country, or if you’re planning to visit
there, here are some tips that can make your trips safer and more enjoyable.
(See “Off-Road” in the Index
for information about driving off-road.)
Keep your vehicle in good shape. Check all fluid levels and also the
brakes, tires, cooling system and transmission. These parts can work
hard on mountain roads.
Know how to go down hills. The most important thing to know is this: let
your engine do some
of the slowing down. Don’t make your brakes do it
all. Shift
to a lower gear when you go down a steep or long hill. That
way, you will slow down without excessive use of your brakes.
I
CAUT’oN
A If you don’t shift down, your brakes could get so hot that they
v- 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.
4-47

Your Driving and fhe Road
Here’s how:
Downhill Parking
AN470032
Turn your wheels to the right.
You don’t have to
jam your tires against the curb, if there is a curb. A gentle
contact
is all you need.
4-50

Winter Driving
r
AM480003
Here are some tips for winter driving.
Have your vehicle in good shape for winter. Be sure your engi\
ne coolant
mix is correct.
Snow tires can help in loose snow, but they may give you les\
s traction
on ice than regular tires.
If you do not expect to be driving in deep
snow, but may have to travel over ice, you may not want
to switch to
snow tires at all.
You may want to put winter emergency supplies in your vehicle.
Include
an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a supply of windshield
washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer clothing, a small shovel, a flashlight, a
red cloth, and a couple of reflective warning triangles. And, if you will be
driiing under severe conditions, include a small bag of sand, a piece of
old
carpet or a couple of burlap bags to help provide traction. Be sure you
properly secure these items in your vehicle.
Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where your tires meet the road probably\
have
good traction.
However,
if there is snow or ice between your tires and the road, you can
have a very slippery situation. You’ll have a lot less traction or “grip” and
will
need to be very careful.
4-53

Your Driving and the Road
1
AN480018
What’s the worst time for this? “Wet ice.” Very cold snow or ice can be slick
and hard to drive on. But wet ice can be even more trouble because it may
offer the least traction of all.
You can get “wet ice” when it’s about freezing
(32”F, 0°C) and freezing rain begins to fall. Try to avoid driving on wet ice
until salt and sand crews can get there.
Whatever the condition-smooth ice, packed, blowing or loose snow-drive
with caution. Accelerate gently. Try not
to break the fragile traction. If you
accelerate too fast, the drive wheels will spin and polish the surface under
the tires even more.
Your anti-lock brakes improve your ability to make a hard stop on \
a slippery
road. Even though you have the anti-lock braking system, you’\
ll want to begin
stopping sooner than you would on dry pavement. See “Anti-lo\
ck” in the
Index.
Allow greater following distances on any slippery road.
Watch for slippery spots. The road might be fine until you hi\
t a spot
that’s covered with ice.
On an otherwise clear road, ice patches may
appear in shaded areas where the sun can’t reach: around cl\
umps of
trees, behind buildings, or under bridges. Sometimes the surface\
of a
curve or an overpass may remain icy when the surrounding roads\
are
clear.
If you see a patch of ice ahead of you, brake before you are on
it. Try not to brake while you’re actually on the ice, and avoid sudden
steering maneuvers.
4-54

A B
AN490002
If you’re using a “dead-weight” hitch, the trailer tongue (A) should weigh \
10%
of the total loaded trailer weight (8). If you have a “weight-distributing” hitch,
the trailer tongue
(A) should weigh 12% of the total loaded trailer weight (B).
After you’ve loaded your trailer, weigh the trailer and then the tongue,
separately, to see if the weights are proper.
If they aren’t, you may be able
to get them right simply by moving some items around in the trailer.
Total Weight on Your Vehicle’s Tires
Be sure your vehicle’s tires are inflated to the limit for cold tires. You’ll find
these numbers on the Certification label at the rear edge of \
the driver’s
door
(or see “Loading Your Vehicle” in the Index). Then be sure you don’t go over
the
GVW limit for your vehicle.
Hitches
It’s important to have the correct hitch equipment. Crosswinds, large trucks
going by, and rough roads are a few reasons why you’ll need the right hitch,
Here are some rules to follow:
If your vehicle has a step bumper and you are going to use a ball-type
hitch, remove the pad and cut holes in it to match the hitch and safety
chain holes in the bumper.
If you’ll be pulling a trailer with a utility model that, when loaded, will
weigh more than
3,000 pounds (1361 kg); or with a wagon model that
when loaded, will weigh more than
4,000 pounds (1 800 kg), be sure to
use a properly mounted weight-distributing hitch and sway control
of the
proper size. This equipment
is very important for proper vehicle loading
and good handling when you’re driving.
4-59

Your Driving and 0% Road
Will you have to make any holes in the body of your vehicle when you
install a trailer hitch?
If you do, then be sure to seal the holes later
when you remove the hitch.
If you don’t seal them, deadly carbon
monoxide
(CO) from your exhaust can get into your vehicle (see “Carbon
Monoxide” in the Index). Dirt and water can, too.
Safety Chains
You should always attach chains between your vehicle and your trail\
er. Cross
the safety chains under the tongue of the trailer
so that the tongue will not
drop to the road
if it becomes separated from the hitch. Instructions about
safety chains may be provided by the trailer manufacturer. Follow the
manufacturer’s recommendation
for attaching safety chains. Always leave just
enough slack
so you can turn with your rig. And, never allow safety chains to
drag on the ground.
Trailer Brakes
If your trailer weighs more than 1,000 pounds (450 kg) loaded, then it needs
its own brakes-and they must be adequate. Be sure
to read and follow the
instructions for the trailer brakes
so you’ll be able to install, adjust and
maintain them properly.
Don’t tap into your vehicle’s brake system if the trailer’s brake system will use
more than
0.02 cubic inch (0.3 cc) of fluid from your vehicles master cylinder.
If it does, both braking systems won’t work well. You could even lose your
brakes.
Will the trailer brake parts take 3,000 psi (20 650 kPa) of pressure? If
not, the trailer brake system must not be used with your vehi\
cle.
If everything checks out this far, then make the brake fluid tap at the
port on the master cylinder that sends fluid
to the rear brakes. But don’t
use copper tubing for this.
If you do, it will bend and finally break off.
Use steel brake tubing.
Driving with a Trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain amount of experience. Before setting out
for the open road, you’ll want
to get to know your rig. Acquaint yourself with
the feel of handling and braking with the added weight of the trailer. And
always keep in mind that the vehicle you are driving is now a good deal
longer and not nearly
so responsive as your vehicle is by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer hitch and platform, safety \
chains, electrical
connector, lights, tires and mirror adjustment.
If the trailer has electric brakes,
start your vehicle and trailer moving and then apply the trail\
er brake controller
by hand to be sure the brakes are working. This lets vou check your
electrical connection at the same time.
4-60