CHEVROLET CAMARO 1993 Owners Manual

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.
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. 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, and be
careful.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
0
Turn on your headlights - not just
your parking lights
- to help make
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.
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Your Driving and the Road
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 better than
having an accident.
Use your defogger
if it helps.
Have good tires
with proper tread
depth. (See “Tires”
in the Index.)
Driving in Fog, Mist
and Haze
Fog can occur with high humidity or
heavy frost. It can be
so mild that you can
see through
it for several hundred feet
(meters). Or
it might be so thick that you
can see only a few feet (meters) ahead.
It
may come suddenly to an otherwise clear
road.
And it can be a major hazard.
When you drive into
a fog patch, your
visibility will be reduced quickly. The
biggest dangers are striking the vehicle
ahead or being struck
by the one behind.
Try to “read” the fog density down the
road. If the vehicle ahead starts to become
less clear or, at night,
if the taillights are
harder to see, the fog is probably
thickening. Slow down to give traffic behind you
a chance to slow down.
Everybody then has a better chance
to
avoid hitting the vehicle ahead.
A patch of dense fog may extend only for
a few feet (meters) or for miles
(kilometers);
you can’t really tell while
you’re
in it. You can only treat the
situation with extreme care.
One common fog condition
- sometimes
called mist or ground fog
- can happen
in weather that seems perfect, especially
at
night or in the early morning in valley
and low, marshy areas.
You can be
suddenly enveloped
in thick, wet haze
that may even coat your windshield. You
can often spot these fog patches or mist
layers
with your headlights. But
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sometimes they can be waiting for you as
you come over a hill or dip into a shallow
valley. Start your windshield wipers and
washer, to help clear accumulated road
dirt. Slow down carefully.
Tips on Driving in Fog
If you get caught in fog, turn your
headlights on low beam, even
in daytime.
You’ll see
- and be seen - better. Use
your fog lights
if your vehicle has them.
Don’t use your high beams. The light will
bounce off the water droplets that make
up fog and reflect back at you. Use
your defogger. In high humidity, even
a light buildup of moisture on the inside
of the glass will cut down on your already
limited visibility. Run your windshield
wipers and washer occasionally. Moisture
can build up on the outside glass, and
what seems to be fog may actually be
moisture on the outside of your
windshield.
Treat dense fog as an emergency. Try to
find a place to pull off the road. Of course
you want to respect another’s property,
but you might need to put something
between you and moving vehicles
-
space, trees, telephone poles, a private
driveway, anything that removes you
from other traffic.
[f visibility is near zero and you must stop
but are unsure whether you are away from
the road,
turn your lights on, start your
hazard warning flashers, and sound your
horn at intervals or when you hear
approaching traffic.
Pass other vehicles in fog only if you can
see far enough ahead to pass safely. Even
then, be prepared to delay your pass if
you suspect the fog is worse up ahead. If
other vehicles try to pass you, make
it
easy for them.
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Your Driving and the Road
City Driving
One of the biggest problems with city
streets is the amount of traffic on them.
You’ll want to watch out for what the
other drivers are doing
and pay attention
to traffic signals.
Here are ways to increase your safety
in
city driving:
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0 Know the best way to get to where
you are going. Try not to drive around
trying to pick out a familiar street or
landmark. Get a city map and plan
your trip into an unknown part of the
city just as you would for a
cross-country trip.
0
0 Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross most large cities. You’ll
save time and energy. (See the next
section, “Freeway Driving.”)
Treat a green light as a warning signal.
A traffic light is there because the
corner is busy enough to need
it.
When a light turns green, and just
before you start to move, check both
ways for vehicles that have not
cleared the intersection or may be
running the red light.
Obey all posted speed limits. But
remember that they are for ideal road,
weather and visibility conditions. You
may need
to drive below the posted
limit in bad weather or when visibility
is especially poor.
Pull to the right
(with care) and stop
clear of intersections when you see or
hear emergency vehicles.
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Freeway Driving
Mile for mile. freeways (also called
thruways, parkways, expressways,
turnpikes, or superhighways) are the
safest
of all roads. But they have their
own special rules.
The
most important advice on freeway
driving
is: Keep up with traffic and keep
to the right. Drive at the same speed most
of the other drivers are driving. Too-Past
or too-slow driving breaks a smooth
traffic flow. Treat the left lane on
a
freeway as a passing lane.
Entering the Freeway
At the entrance there is usually a ramp
that leads to the freeway.
If you have a
clear view of the freeway as you drive
along the entrance ramp, you should
begin
to check traffic. Try to determine
where
you expect to blend with the flow.
If traffic is light. you may have no
problem. But if it is heavy. find a gap as
you move along the entering lane and
time your approach. Try
to merge into the
gap
at close to the prevailing speed.
Switch on your
turn signal, check your
rearview mirrors
as you move along, and
glance over your shoulder as often as
necessary. Try
to blend smoothly with the
traffic flow.
Driving on the Freeway
Once you are on the freeway, adjust your
speed to the posted
limit or to the
prevailing rate
if it's slower. Stay in the
right lane unless
you want to pass. If you
are on a two-lane freeway, treat the right
lane as the
slow lane and the left lane as
the passing lane.
If you are on a three-lane freeway, treat
the right lane as the slower-speed through
lane, the middle lane as the higher-speed
through lane, and the left lane as the
passing lane.
Before changing lanes, check your
rearview mirrors. Then use your turn
signal.
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Your Driving and the Road
Just before you leave the lane,’ glance
quickly over your shoulder to make sure
there isn’t another vehicle
in your “blind”
spot.
If you are moving from an outside to a
center lane on a freeway having more
than two lanes, make sure another vehicle
isn’t about
to move into the same spot.
Look
at the vehicles two lanes over and
watch for telltale signs:
turn signals
flashing, an increase
in speed, or moving
toward the edge of the lane. Be prepared
to delay your move.
Once
you are moving on the freeway,
make certain you allow
a reasonable
following distance. Expect
to move
slightly slower at night.
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Leaving the Freeway
When you want to leave the freeway,
move to
the proper lane well in advance.
Dashing across lanes at the last minute is
dangerous. If you miss your exit do not,
under any circumstances, stop and back
up. Drive on
to the next exit.
At each exit point is a deceleration lane.
Ideally
it should be long enough for you
to enter it at freeway speed (after
signaling,
of course) and then do your
braking before moving onto the exit
ramp. Unfortunately, not all deceleration
lanes are long enough
- some are too
short for
all the braking. Decide when to
start braking. If you must brake on the
through lane, and
if there is traffic close behind you, you can allow
a little extra
time and flash your brake lights
(in
addition to your turn signal) as extra
warning that you are about to slow down
and exit.
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes
quite sharply.
The exit speed
is usually posted. Reduce
your speed according to your
speedometer, not
to your sense of motion.
After driving for any distance at higher
speeds, you
may tend to think you are
going slower than you actually are. For
example,
40 mph (65 km/h) might seem
like only
20 mph (30 km/h). Obviously,
this could lead
to serious trouble on a
ramp designed for
20 mph (30 km/h)!
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Driving a Long
Distance
Although most long trips today are made
on freeways, there are
still many made on
regular highways.
Long-distance driving on freeways and
regular highways
is the same in some
ways. The
trip has to be planned and the
vehicle prepared, you drive at
higher-than-city speeds, and there are
longer turns behind the wheel. You’ll
enjoy your trip more
if you and your
vehicle are
in good shape. Here are some
:ips for a successful long trip.
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 Chevrolet dealerships all across North
America. They’ll be ready and willing to
help
if you need it. Here
are some things you can check
before a trip:
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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?
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Your Driving and the Road
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0 Weather Forecasts: What’s the
weather outlook along
your route?
Should you delay your trip a short
time to avoid a major storm system?
0 Maps: Do you have up-to-date
maps?
On 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 some 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 centers
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.
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 same 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.
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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 adequate following
distances.
Hill and Mountain
Roads
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.
0 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.
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Your Driving and the Road
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.
If you don’t shift down, your
brakes could get
so hot that
they 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.
2 Coasting downhill in
, N (Neutral) or with the ignition
off is dangerous, Your brakes will
have to do all the work of slowing
down, They could get so hot that
they wouldn’t work weiL You could
crash. Always have your engine
running and your vehicle in gear
when you go downhill.
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