tires CHEVROLET BLAZER 1995 2.G Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine dealer check your system. Turn the INT LIGHTS switch located to the righl
of your headlight switch to dim your transfer case indicator light when you1
headlights or parking lights are on. This will also cause your instrument
panel lights to dim.
2HI - This setting is for driving in most street and highway situations.
Your front axle is not engaged in two-wheel drive.
4HI - This setting engages your front axle to help drive your vehicle. Use
4HI when you need extra traction, such as on snowy or icy roads, or in mos
off-road situations.
N SET PARK BRAKE - Shift to this neutral setting only when your
vehicle needs to be towed.
4LO - This setting also engages your front axle to give you extra traction
and provides extra gear reduction. You may never need 4LO. It sends the
maximum power to all four wheels. You might choose 4LO if
you were
driving off-road in sand, mud, or deep snow and climbing or descending
steep hills.
You can shift from 2HI to 4HI or from 4HI to 2HI while the vehicle is
moving.
Do not press the transfer case shift lever button when shifting fron
2HI to 4HI or from 4HI to 2HI. Your front axle will engage faster
if you
take your foot off
of the accelerator for a few seconds after you shift.
To shift your transfer case into N SET PARK BRAKE:
1. Stop the vehicle and shift your transmission into NEUTRAL (N).
2. Set the parking brake. Your vehicle can roll unless the brakes are
3. Pull the transfer case shift lever into N SET PARK BRAKE.
applied.
To shift into or out
of 4LO:
1. The vehicle must be stopped or moving less than 3 mph (4.8 kdh)
with the transmission in NEUTRAL
(N) for an automatic transmission
or the clutch pedal depressed with a manual transmission.
2. Press the transfer case shift button and shift in one continuous motion.
Don’t pause in
N SET PARK BRAKE as you shift into or out of 4L0, or
your gears could clash.
Remember that driving in 4HI or 4LO may reduce fuel economy. Also,
driving in four-wheel
drive on dry pavement could cause your tires to wea
faster and make your transfer case harder to shift and reduce powertrain
longevity.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The body takes about an hour to rid itself of the alcohol in one drink. No
amount of coffee or number of cold showers will speed that up. “I’ll be
careful” isn’t
the right answer. What if there’s an emergency, a need to take
sudden action,
as when a child darts into the street? A person with even a
moderate
BAC might not be able to react quickly enough to avoid the
collision.
There’s something else about drinking and driving that many people don’t
know. Medical research
shows that alcohol in a person’s system can make
crash injuries worse, especially injuries to the brain, spinal cord or heart.
This means that when anyone who has been drinking
- driver or passenger
- is in a crash, that person’s chance of being killed or permanently disabled
is higher than
if the person had not been drinking.
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where you want it to go.
They are the brakes, the steering and the accelerator. All three systems hav\
e
to do their work at the places where the tires meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you’re driving on snow or ice, it’s easy to
ask more of
those control systems than the tires and road can provide. That means you
can lose control
of your vehicle.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need to get \
your foot up to
the brake pedal. If you get too close to the vehicle in front of you, you won’t
have time to apply your brakes if that vehicle suddenly slows \
or stops. Always leave enough room up ahead to stop, even though you have anti\
-lock brakes.
To Use Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down and \
let anti-lock work for you.
You may feel the brakes vibrate, or you may notice some noise,
but this is normal. On vehicles with four-wheel drive, your anti-lock brakes
work at all times
-- whether you are in two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive.
Braking in Emergencies
Use your anti-lock braking system when you need to. With anti-\
lock, you
can steer and brake at the same time. In many emergencies, steering can
help you more than even the very best braking.
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine stops or the system is
not functioning, you can steer but it will take much more effort.
Steering lips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot
of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on the news \
happen
on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject to the same laws of
physics when driving on curves. The traction
of the tires against the road
surface makes it possible
for the vehicle to change its path when you turn
the front wheels. If there’s no traction, inertia will keep the vehicle going in
the same direction.
If you’ve ever tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you’ll
understand this.
The traction you can get
in a curve depends on the condition of your tires
and
the road surface, the angle at which the curve is banked, and your
speed. While you’re in a curve, speed is the one factor you can control.
Suppose you’re steering through a sharp curve. Then you suddenly
accelerate. Both control systems
- steering and acceleration - have to do
their work where the tires meet the road. Adding the sudden acceleration
can demand too much
of those places. You can lose control.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what happens whe\
n the three
control systems (brakes, steering and acceleration) don’t have enough
friction where the tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying to steer and constantly seek an
escape route or area
of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle. Defensive drivers avoid
most skids by taking reasonable care suited to existing conditions, and by
not “overdriving” those conditions.
But skids are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your vehicle’s three control systems.
In the braking skid your wheels aren’t rolling. In the steering or cornering
skid, too much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip and lose
cornering force. And in the acceleration skid too much throttle causes the
driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid and an acceleration skid are best handled by easing your
foot
off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the accelerator pedal and
quickly steer the way you
want the vehicle to go. If you start steering
quickly enough, your vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a
second skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice, gravel, or other
material is on the road. For safety, you’ll want to slow down and adjust your
driving to these conditions. It
is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and vehicle control more
limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try your best to avoid
sudden steering, acceleration, or braking (including engine braking by
shifting to a lower gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires to slide.
You may not realize the surface is slippery until your vehicle is skidding.
Learn to recognize warning clues
- such as enough water, ice or packed
snow on the road to make a “mirrored surface”
- and slow down when you
have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system (ABS) helps avoid only the braking
skid.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Loading Your Vehicle for Off-Road Driving
There are some important things to remember about how to load your
vehicle.
0 The heaviest things should be on the load floor and forward of your
rear axle. Put heavier items as far forward as you can.
doesn’t toss things around.
Be sure the load is secured properly, so driving on the off-road terrain
You’ll find other important information in this manual. See “Vehicle
Loading,’’ “Luggage Carrier” and “Tires” in the Index.
Traveling to Remote Areas
It makes sense to plan your trip, especially when going to a remote area.
Know the terrain and plan your route. You are much less likely to get bad
surprises. Get accurate maps of trails and terrain. Try to learn of any
blocked
or closed roads.
It’s also a good idea to travel with at least one other vehicle.
If something
happens to one
of them, the other can help quickly.
Does your vehicle have a winch?
If so, be sure to read the winch
instructions. In
a remote area, a winch can be handy if you get stuck. But
you’ll want to know how
to use it properly.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Q: Are there some things I should not do when driving down a hill?
A: Yes? These are important because if you ignore them you could lose
control and have a serious accident.
When driving downhill, avoid turns that take you across the incline of
the hill.
A hill that’s not too steep to drive down may be too steep to
drive across. You could roll over if
you don’t drive straight down.
Never go downhill with the transmission in NEUTRAL (N), or with the
clutch pedal depressed in a manual shift. This is called
“free-wheeling.” Your brakes will have to do all the work and could
overheat and fade.
Q: Am I likely to stall when going downhill?
A: It’s much more likely to happen going uphill. But if it happens going
downhill, here’s what to do.
0 Stop your vehicle by applying the regular brakes. Apply the parking
0 Shift to PARK (P) (or to Neutral with the manual transmission) and,
brake.
while still braking, restart the engine.
0 Shift back to a low gear, release the parking brake, and drive straight
down.
0 If the engine won’t start, get out and get help.
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 to try to drive across the incline.
Here are some things to consider:
0 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 tumble end over end. But when
you drive
across an incline, the much more narrow 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.
0 Surface conditions can be a problem when you drive across a hill.
Loose graveI, muddy
spots, or even wet grass can cause your tires to
slip sideways, downhill.
If the vehicle slips sideways, it can hit
something that will trip it (a rock,
a rut, etc.) and roll over.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving In Mud, 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 the gear. 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. 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. 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 th\
ese surfaces,
it’s 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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving In .Water
Light rain causes no special off-road driving problems. But hea\
vy 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.
If the water isn’t too deep, then drive through it slowly. At fast speeas, water
splashes on your ignition system and your vehicle can stall. Stalling can also
occur if you get your tailpipe under water. And, as long as your tailpipe is
under water, you’ll never be able to start your engine. When you
go through
water, remember that when your brakes get wet, it may take
you longer to
stop.
After Off-Road Driving
Remove any brush or debris that has collected on the underbody, chassis or
under the hood. These accumulations can be a fire hazard.
After operation in mud or sand, have the brake linings cleaned and checked.
These substances can cause glazing and uneven braking. Check th\
e body
structure, steering, suspension, wheels, tires, and exhaust system for
damage. Also, check the fuel lines and cooling system for any leakage.
Your vehicle will require more frequent service due to off-road use. Refer
to the Maintenance Schedule for additional information.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine you are faced with severe glare (as from a driver who doesn’t lower the high
beams, or a vehicle
with misaimed headlights), slow down a little. Avoid
staring directly into the approaching lights.
Keep your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle clean
- inside and
out. Glare at night is made much worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside
of the glass can build up
a film caused by dust. Dirty glass makes lights
dazzle and flash more than clean glass would, making the pupils
of your
eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that your headlights light up far less
of a roadway when you are
in a turn or curve. Keep your eyes moving; that way, it’s easier to pick out
dimly lighted objects. Just as your headlights should be checked regularly
for proper aim,
so should your eyes be examined regularly. Some drivers
suffer from night blindness
- the inability to see in dim light - and aren’t
even aware of it.
Driving in the Rain
Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet road y\
ou can’t stop,
accelerate or turn as well because your tire-to-road traction isn’t as good as
on dry roads. And, if your tires don’t have much tread left, you’ll get even
less traction. It’s always wise to go slower and be cautious
if rain starts to
fall while you are driving. The surface may get wet suddenly when your
reflexes are tuned for driving on dry pavement.
The heavier the rain, the harder it is to see. Even
if your windshield wiper
blades are in good shape,
a heavy rain can make it harder to see road signs
and traffic signals, pavement markings, the edge
of the road, and even
people walking.
It’s wise to keep your wiping equipment in good shape and keep your
windshield washer tank filled. Replace your windshield wiper inserts when
they show
signs of streaking or missing areas on the windshield, or when
strips of rubber start
to separate from the inserts.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 1
Driving too fast through large water puddles or even going through 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.
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 hydroplaning, it
has little or
no contact with the road.
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 surface, there
could be hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There just isn’t a hard and
fast rule about hydroplaning. The best advice is to slow down when it is
raining.
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