tires CHEVROLET CAMARO 1993 Owners Manual

Your Driving and the Road
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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. That’s especially true for brain,
spinal cord and heart injuries. That means
that
if anyone who has been drinking -
driver or passenger - is in a crash, the
chance
of being killed or permanently
disabled
is higher than if that person had
not been drinking. And we’ve already
seen that the chance of a crash itself
is
higher for drinking drivers.
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urrnKing ana men awing IS
very dangerous. Your reflexes,
perceptions, and judgment
will be
affected by even a small amount of
alcohol. You could have a serious
- or even fatal - accident if you
drive after drinking. Please don’t
drink
and drive or ride with a driver
who has been drinking. Ride home
in a cab; or if you’re with a group,
designate
a driver who will not
drink.
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your
vehicle
go where you want it lo go. They
are the brakes,
the steering and the
accelerator. All three systems have 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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Disc Brake Wear Indicators
Unless you have the four-wheel disc
brake option, your Chevrolet has front
disc brakes and rear drum brakes.
Disc brake pads have built-in wear
indicators that make a high-pitched
warning sound when the brake pads are
worn and new pads are needed. The
sound may come and go or be heard all
the time your vehicle is moving (except
when you are pushing on the brake peda
firmly). 1 The brake wear warning sound
- means that sooner or later your
brakes won’t work well. That could
lead to an accident. When you hear
the brake wear warning sound, have
your vehicle serviced.
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brake pads could result in rnctl\~
brake repair. Some driving conditions
or climates may
cause a brake squeal when the brakes are
first applied or lightly applied. This does
not mean something
is wrong with your
brakes.
Rear Drum Brakes
If you have rear drum brakes, they don’t
have wear indicators,
but if you ever hear
a rear brake rubbing noise, have the rear
brake linings inspected.
Also, the rear
brake drums should be removed and
inspected each time the tires are removed
for rotation or changing. When you have
the front brakes replaced, have the rear
brakes inspected, too.
Brake linings should always be replaced
as complete axle sets.
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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.
Those two control systems
- steering
and acceleration
- can overwhelm those
places where the tires meet the road and
make you lose control.
What should you do
if this ever happens?
Let up on the accelerator pedal, steer the
vehicle the way you want
it to go, and
slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn
that
you should adjust your speed. Of course,
the posted speeds are based on good
weather and road conditions. Under less
favorable conditions you’ll want to
go
slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you
approach
a curve, do it before you enter
the curve, while your front wheels are
straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed so you can
“drive” through the curve. Maintain a
reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate
until you are out of the curve,
and then accelerate gently into the
straightaway.
When you drive into a curve at night, it’s
harder
to see the road ahead of you
because
it bends away from the straight
beams
of your lights. This is one good
reason to drive slower.
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If other cars are lined up to pass a
slow vehicle, wait your turn.
But take
care that someone isn’t
trying to pass
you as you pull out
to pass the slow
vehicle. Remember to glance over
your shoulder and check the blind
spot.
Check your mirrors, glance over your
shoulder, and start your left lane
change signal before moving out of
the right lane to pass. When you are
far enough ahead of the passed vehicle
to see its front in your inside mirror,
activate your right lane change signal
and move back into the right lane. (Remember
that your right outside
mirror is convex. The vehicle you
just
passed may seem to be farther away
from you than
it really is.)
Try not to pass more than one vehicle
at a time on two-lane roads.
Reconsider before passing the next
vehicle.
Don’t overtake a slowly moving
vehicle too rapidly. Even though the
brake lights are not flashing,
it may be
slowing down or starting to turn.
If you’re being passed, make
it easy
for the following driver
to get ahead
of you. Perhaps you can ease a little
to
the right.
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say
about what happens when 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.
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Your Driving and the Road
The three types of skids correspond to
your Chevrolet’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 (as when you turn a corner
on a wet, snow- or ice-covered road),
ease your
foot off the accelerator pedal as
soon as you feel the vehicle start to slide.
Quickly steer the way
you want the vehicle to
go. If you
start steering quickly
enough, your vehicle will straighten out.
As it does, straighten the front wheels.
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 braking system
(ABS) helps avoid only the braking skid.
Steer the way you want to go.
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When you follow another vehicle on a
freeway or highway, use low beams. True,
most vehicles now have day/night mirrors
that enable the driver to reduce glare. But
outside mirrors are not of this type and
high beams from behind can bother the
driver ahead.
A Few More Night Driving Suggestions
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.
Tobacco smoke also makes inside glass
surfaces very filmy and can be a vision
hazard
if it’s left there. Dirty
glass makes lights dazzle and flash
more than clean glass would, making the
pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly.
You might even want to keep a cloth and
some glass cleaner
in your vehicle if you
need to clean your glass frequently.
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 you 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.
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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
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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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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?
163 -
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Your Driving and the Road
m.. 164
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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