wheel CHEVROLET COBALT 2005 1.G Owner's Guide

A cornering skid is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
If you have the Enhanced Traction System (ETS),
remember: It helps to avoid only the acceleration skid.
SeeEnhanced Traction System (ETS) on page 4-8.
If you do not have the Enhanced Traction System, or if
the system is off, then an acceleration skid is also
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
will 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.
If you have the anti-lock braking system (ABS),
remember: It helps avoid only the braking skid. If you do
not have ABS, then in a braking skid, where the
wheels are no longer rolling, release enough pressure
on the brakes to get the wheels rolling again. This
restores steering control. Push the brake pedal down
steadily when you have to stop suddenly. As long as the
wheels are rolling, you will have steering control.
4-15

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. Do
not 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 and your
instruments frequently.
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.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is different from
driving in at or rolling terrain.
4-23

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
will have a lot less traction, or grip, and will need to be
very careful.
What is 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 leasttraction of all. You can get wet ice when it is 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.
If you have the Enhanced Traction System, keep the
transaxle shift lever in AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D) so
the system will be able to improve your ability to
accelerate when driving on a slippery road. Even though
your vehicle has this system, you will want to slow
down and adjust your driving to the road conditions.
Under certain conditions, you may want to turn the
traction system off, such as when driving through deep
snow and loose gravel, to help maintain vehicle
motion at lower speeds. SeeEnhanced Traction System
(ETS) on page 4-8.
If you do not have the Enhanced Traction System,
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.
Unless you have the anti-lock braking system (ABS),
you will want to brake very gently, too. If you do
have ABS, seeAnti-Lock Brake System (ABS) on
page 4-6. This system improves your vehicle’s stability
when you make a hard stop on a slippery road.
Whether you have ABS or not, you will want to begin
stopping sooner than you would on dry pavement.
4-26

Without ABS, if you feel your vehicle begin to slide, let
up on the brakes a little. Push the brake pedal down
steadily to get the most traction you can.
Remember, unless you have ABS, if you brake so hard
that your wheels stop rolling, you will just slide. Brake
so your wheels always keep rolling and you can
still steer.
Whatever your braking system, allow greater
following distance on any slippery road.
Watch for slippery spots. The road might be ne
until you hit a spot that is covered with ice. On
an otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear in
shaded areas where the sun cannot reach, such
as around clumps 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 are actually on the ice, and
avoid sudden steering maneuvers.
If You Are Caught in a Blizzard
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you could be in a
serious situation. You should probably stay with
your vehicle unless you know for sure that you are near
help and you can hike through the snow. Here are
some things to do to summon help and keep yourself
and your passengers safe:
Turn on your hazard ashers.
Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert police that
you have been stopped by the snow.
Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket around you.
If you do not have blankets or extra clothing, make
body insulators from newspapers, burlap bags,
rags, oor mats — anything you can wrap around
yourself or tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
4-27

Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a little
faster than just idle. That is, push the accelerator
slightly. This uses less fuel for the heat that you get and
it keeps the battery charged. You will need a
well-charged battery to restart the vehicle, and possibly
for signaling later on with your headlamps. Let the
heater run for a while.
Then, shut the engine off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine
again and repeat this only when you feel really
uncomfortable from the cold. But do it as little as
possible. Preserve the fuel as long as you can. To help
keep warm, you can get out of the vehicle and do
some fairly vigorous exercises every half hour or so until
help comes.
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand,
Mud, Ice or Snow
In order to free your vehicle when it is stuck, you will
need to spin the wheels, but you do not want to
spin your wheels too fast. The method known as rocking
can help you get out when you are stuck, but you
must use caution.
{CAUTION:
If you let your tires spin at high speed, they
can explode, and you or others could be
injured. And, the transaxle or other parts of the
vehicle can overheat. That could cause an
engine compartment re or other damage.
When you are stuck, spin the wheels as little
as possible. Do not spin the wheels above
35 mph (55 km/h) as shown on the
speedometer.
Notice:Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of
your vehicle as well as the tires. If you spin the
wheels too fast while shifting your transaxle back
and forth, you can destroy your transaxle. See
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out on page 4-30.
For information about using tire chains on your vehicle,
seeTire Chains on page 5-68.
4-29

Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That
will clear the area around your front wheels. Then shift
back and forth between REVERSE (R) and a forward
gear, or with a manual transaxle, between FIRST (1) or
SECOND (2) and REVERSE (R), spinning the wheels
as little as possible. Release the accelerator pedal while
you shift, and press lightly on the accelerator pedal
when the transaxle is in gear. By slowly spinning your
wheels in the forward and reverse directions, you
will cause a rocking motion that may free your vehicle. If
that does not get you out after a few tries, you may
need to be towed out. If you do need to be towed out,
seeTowing Your Vehicle on page 4-35.
Loading Your Vehicle
It is very important to know how much weight your
vehicle can carry. This weight is called the vehicle
capacity weight and includes the weight of all occupants,
cargo and all nonfactory-installed options. Two labels
on your vehicle show how much weight it may properly
carry, the Tire and Loading Information label and the
Certication label.
{CAUTION:
Do not load your vehicle any heavier than the
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), or either
the maximum front or rear Gross Axle Weight
Rating (GAWR). If you do, parts on your
vehicle can break, and it can change the way
your vehicle handles. These could cause you
to lose control and crash. Also, overloading
can shorten the life of your vehicle.
4-30

{CAUTION:
Things you put inside your vehicle can strike
and injure people in a sudden stop or turn, or
in a crash.
Put things in the trunk or rear area of your
vehicle. In a trunk, put them as far forward
as you can. Try to spread the weight
evenly. If you have fold-down rear seats,
you will nd four anchors on the back wall
of your trunk. You can use these anchors
to tie down lighter loads. They are not
strong enough for heavy things, however,
so put them as far forward as you can in
the trunk or rear area.
Never stack heavier things, like suitcases,
inside the vehicle so that some of them
are above the tops of the seats.
Do not leave an unsecured child restraint
in your vehicle.
When you carry something inside the
vehicle, secure it whenever you can.
Do not leave a seat folded down unless
you need to.
Towing
Towing Your Vehicle
Consult your dealer or a professional towing service if
you need to have your disabled vehicle towed. See
Roadside Assistance Program on page 7-6.
If you want to tow your vehicle behind another vehicle
for recreational purposes (such as behind a motorhome),
see “Recreational Vehicle Towing” following.
Recreational Vehicle Towing
Recreational vehicle towing means towing your vehicle
behind another vehicle — such as behind a motorhome.
The two most common types of recreational vehicle
towing are known as “dinghy towing” (towing your
vehicle with all four wheels on the ground) and “dolly
towing” (towing your vehicle with two wheels on
the ground and two wheels up on a device known
as a “dolly”).
With the proper preparation and equipment, many
vehicles can be towed in these ways. See “Dinghy
Towing” and “Dolly Towing,” following.
4-35

Here are some important things to consider before you
do recreational vehicle towing:
What is the towing capacity of the towing vehicle?
Be sure you read the tow vehicle manufacturer’s
recommendations.
How far will you tow? Some vehicles have
restrictions on how far and how long they can tow.
Do you have the proper towing equipment?
See your dealer or trailering professional for
additional advice and equipment recommendations.
Is your vehicle ready to be towed? Just as you
would prepare your vehicle for a long trip, you
will want to make sure your vehicle is prepared to
be towed. SeeBefore Leaving on a Long Trip
on page 4-22.
Dinghy Towing
You may dinghy tow your vehicle from the front following
these steps:
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Turn the ignition key to ACC to unlock the steering
wheel.
3. Shift your transaxle to NEUTRAL (N).
4. Release the parking brake.
Notice:If you exceed 65 mph (105 km/h) while
towing your vehicle, it could be damaged. Never
exceed 65 mph (105 km/h) while towing your vehicle.
4-36

Towing a Trailer
(Automatic Transaxle)
{CAUTION:
If you do not use the correct equipment and
drive properly, you can lose control when you
pull a trailer. For example, if the trailer is too
heavy, the brakes may not work well — or even
at all. You and your passengers could be
seriously injured. You may also damage your
vehicle; the resulting repairs would not be
covered by your warranty. Pull a trailer only if
you have followed all the steps in this section.
Ask your dealer for advice and information
about towing a trailer with your vehicle.Your vehicle can tow a trailer if it is equipped with an
automatic transaxle and the proper trailer towing
equipment. If your vehicle is not equipped as stated
above, do not tow a trailer. To identify what the vehicle
trailering capacity is for your vehicle, you should
read the information in “Weight of the Trailer” that
appears later in this section. But trailering is different
than just driving your vehicle by itself. Trailering means
changes in handling, acceleration, braking, durability
and fuel economy. Successful, safe trailering takes
correct equipment, and it has to be used properly.
That is the reason for this part. In it are many
time-tested, important trailering tips and safety rules.
Many of these are important for your safety and that of
your passengers. So please read this section carefully
before you pull a trailer.
Load-pulling components such as the engine, transaxle,
wheel assemblies and tires are forced to work harder
against the drag of the added weight. The engine
is required to operate at relatively higher speeds and
under greater loads, generating extra heat. Also,
the trailer adds considerably to wind resistance,
increasing the pulling requirements.
4-38

And always keep in mind that the vehicle you are
driving is now a good deal longer and not nearly as
responsive as your vehicle is by itself.
Before you start, check all trailer hitch parts and
attachments, safety chains, electrical connector, lamps,
tires and mirror adjustment. If the trailer has electric
brakes, start your vehicle and trailer moving and then
apply the trailer brake controller by hand to be sure
the brakes are working. This lets you check your
electrical connection at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally to be sure that the
load is secure, and that the lamps and any trailer
brakes are still working.
Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the vehicle ahead as
you would when driving your vehicle without a trailer.
This can help you avoid situations that require
heavy braking and sudden turns.
Passing
You will need more passing distance up ahead when
you are towing a trailer. And, because the vehicle
is a good deal longer, you will need to go much farther
beyond the passed vehicle before you can return to
your lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand.
Then, to move the trailer to the left, just move that hand
to the left. To move the trailer to the right, move your
hand to the right. Always back up slowly and, if possible,
have someone guide you.
Making Turns
Notice:Making very sharp turns while trailering
could cause the trailer to come in contact with the
vehicle. Your vehicle could be damaged. Avoid
making very sharp turns while trailering.
When you are turning with a trailer, make wider turns
than normal. Do this so your trailer will not strike
soft shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees or other objects.
Avoid jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal well in
advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle may need a
different turn signal asher and/or extra wiring. Check
with your dealer. The arrows on your instrument
panel will ash whenever you signal a turn or lane
change. Properly hooked up, the trailer lamps will also
ash, telling other drivers you are about to turn,
change lanes or stop.
4-42