ESP CHEVROLET CORVETTE 1996 4.G Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety B,elts -- and the Answers
Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an .
accident if I’m wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be -- whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you’re upside down. And your chance
of
being conscious during and after an accident, so
you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if
you
are belted.
Q.’ If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only;
so they work with
safety belts -- not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered for sale has required the use
o f
safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that has air
bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That’s true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
&= If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should I wear safety belts?
A: You may .be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an
accident
-- even one that isn’t your fault -- you and
your passenger can be hurt. Being a good driver
doesn’t protect you
from things beyond your
control, such
as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within
25 miles (40 km) of
home. And the greatest number of serious injuries
and deaths occur at speeds of less than
40 mph
(65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Door Locks
Unlocked doors can bc ,angerow.
Passengers
-- especially children -- can easily
open the doors and fall out. When a door is
locked, the inside handle won’t open it.
Outsiders can easily enter through an unlocked
door when you slow down or stop your vehicle.
This may not be
so obvious: You increase the
chance of being thrown out of the vehicle in a
crash
if the doors aren’t locked. Wear safety belts
properly, lock your doors, and you will be far
better off whenever you drive your vehicle.
There are several ways to lock and unlock your vehicle.
From the outside,
use your door key or the Passive
Keyless Entry transmitter.
If your theft-deterrent system is armed, unlock the doors
only with the key or the transmitter to avoid setting
off
the alarm. See “Universal Theft-Deterrent” in the Index.
I I To lock the door from the
inside, move the lock
control on the door
backward.
To unlock it,
move the lock control on
the door forward.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Theft
Vehicle theft is big business, especially in some cities.
1 Although your Corvette has a number of theft-deterrent
features, we,know that nothing we put on it can make it
impossible to steal. However, there
are ways you can
help.
Key in the Ignition
If you leave your vehicle with the keys inside, it’s an
easy target for joy riders or professional thieves
-- so
don’t do it.
. When you park your Corvette and open the driver’s
door, you’ll hear a tone reminding you to remove your
key from the ignition and take it with you. Always do
this. Your steering wheel will be locked, and
so will
your ignition.
If you have an automatic transmission,
taking your key out also locks your transmission. And
’ remember to lock the doors.
Parking at Night
Park in a lighted spot, close all windows and lock your
vehicle. Remember to keep your valuables out of sight.
Put them in a storage area, or take them with you.
Parking Lots
If you park in a lot where someone will be watching
your vehicle, it’s best to lock it up and take your keys.
But what
if you have to leave your ignition key? What if
you have to leave something valuable in your vehicle?
Put your valuables in a storage area, like your rear
storage compartment
or center console.
Lock the rear storage compartment and center
console.
Lock all the doors except the driver’s.
Then take the door key with you.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine NOTICE:
If you skip more than one gear when you
downshift, or if you race the engine when you
downshift, you can damage the clutch or
transmission.
The six-speed transmission has a spring that centers the
shift lever near THIRD
(3) and FOURTH (4). This
spring helps you know which gear you
are in when you
are shifting. Be careful when shifting from FIRST
(1) to
SECOND
(2) or downshifting from SIXTH (6) to
FIFTH
(5). The springs will try to pull the gear shift
lever toward FOURTH
(4) and THIRD (3). Make sure
you move the lever into SECOND
(2) or FIFTH (5). If
you let the lever move in the direction of the pulling,
you may end up shifting from FIRST
(1) to
FOURTH
(4) or from SIXTH (6) to THIRD (3).
Ride Control (Option)
You may have a ride control system on your Corvette
called Real Time Damping (RTD). The system provides
the following performance benefits:
Reduced impact harshness
0 Improved road isolation
0 Improved high-speed stability
0 Improved handling response
RIDE CONTROL
SPORT
This knob is on the center console. Turn it to select the
ride control
of your choice.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine TOUR: Use for city and highway driving. Provides a
smooth, soft ride. Parking Brake
SPORE Use where road conditions or personal
preference demand more control. Provides more “feel,”
or response to the road conditions.
PERF’: Use for performance driving. Provides a tight,
firm ride and precise response to road conditions.
You can select a setting at any time. Based on road
conditions and your vehicle speed, the system
automatically adjusts to provide the best ride and
handling. Select a new setting whenever driving
conditions change.
The SERVICE RIDE CONTROL light monitors the
system. Refer to “Service Ride Control Light” in
the Index.
Limited-Slip Rear Axle
Your rear axle can give you additional traction on snow,
mud, ice, sand
or gravel. It works like a standard axle
most
of the time, but when one of the rear wheels has no
traction and the other does, the limited-slip feature will
allow the wheel with traction to move the vehicle. To
set the parking brake, hold the brake pedal down.
Pull the parking brake lever up, then move it back down.
This sets your parking brake, even though the lever is
down. If the ignition is on, the parking brake indicator
light will come on.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Daytime Running Lamps (Canada Only)
Daytime Running Lamps (Dm) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the day.
DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset.
A light sensor on top of the instrument panel makes the
DRL work,
so be sure it isn’t covered.
The DlU system will make your front turn signal lamps
come on when:
0 The ignition is on,
0 The headlamp switch is off, and
0 The parking brake is released.
When
the DRL are on, only your front turn signal lamps
will be on. The taillamps, sidemarker and other lamps won’t be on. Your instrument panel won’t
be lit up either.
When it’s dark enough outside, your front
turn signal lamps
will go out and your headlamps will come on. The other
lamps that come on with your headlamps will
also come on.
When it’s bright enough outside, the regular lamps will
go
off, and your front turn signal lamps come on.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
Fog Lamps
I-1 Use your fog lamps for
better vision in foggy or
misty conditions. Your
parking lamps or low-beam
headlamps must be on or
your fog lamps won’t work.
To turn the fog lamps on, push the button. Push the
button again to turn the fog lamps
off. A light above the
button will come on when the fog lamps are on.
2-44

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Understanding Radio Reception
FM, Stereo
FM stereo will give you the best sound. But FM signals
will reach only about
10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km). Tall
buildings or hills can interfere with FM signals, causing
the sound to come and go.
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range, however, can
cause stations to interfere with each other.
AM can pick
up noise from things like storms and power lines. Try
reducing the treble to reduce this noise if you ever get it,
Tips About Your Audio System
Hearing damage from loud noise is almost undetectable
until it is too late. Your hearing can adapt to higher
volumes
of sound. Sound that seems normal can be loud
and harmful to your hearing. Take precautions by
adjusting the volume control on your radio to a safe
sound level before your hearing adapts to it. To
help avoid hearing loss or damage:
Adjust the volume control to the lowest setting.
Increase volume slowly until you hear comfortably
and clearly.
NOTICE:
Before you add any sound equipment to your
vehicle
-- like a tape player, CB radio, mobile
telephone or two-way radio
-- be sure you can add
what you want.
If’ you can, it’s very important to
do it properly. Added sound equipment may
interfere with the operation of your vehicle’s
engine, Delco radio or other systems, and even
damage them. Your vehicle’s systems may
interfere with the operation of sound equipment
that has been added improperly.
So, before adding sound equipment, check with
your dealer and be sure to check Federal rules
covering mobile radio and telephone units.
I
3-18

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.
I
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
Your reflexes, perceptions, attentiveness and
judgment can be affected by even a small amount
of alcohol. You can have a serious -- or even
fatal
-- collision 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.
4-4

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 or always decrease
stopping distance. 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.
Using Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
and let anti-lock work for you. You may hear a motor or
clicking noid and feel the brake pedal move a little
during
a stop, but this is normal.
ABS
ACTIVE
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid,
this light will come on. See
“Anti-Lock Brake System
Active Light” in the Index.
ASR (Acceleration Slip Regulation) System
Your vehicle has a traction control system called ASR
that limits wheel spin. This is especially useful in
slippery road conditions’. The system operates only if it
senses that the rear wheels
are spinning too much or are
beginning to lose traction. When this happens, the
system works the rear brakes and reduces engine power
(by closing the throttle and managing engine spark) to
limit wheel spin.
ASR
ACTIVE
This light will come on
when the ASR system is
limiting wheel spin. See
“ASR System Active Light”
in the Index. You may feel
or hear the system working,
but this is normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the ASR system
begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise control will
automatically disengage. When road conditions allow
you to safely use it again, you may re-engage the cruise
control. (See “Cruise Control” in the Index.)
J

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine SERVICE
ASR
This warning light will
come on to let you know if
there’s a problem with your
ASR system. See “ASR
System Warning Light” in
the Index.
When this warning light is on, the system will not limit
wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly. (The ASR
OFF light will also come on when the ASR system
warning light comes on.)
The ASR system automatically comes on whenever you
start your vehicle.
To limit wheel spin, especially in
I slippery road conditions, you should always leave the
system on. But you can
turn the ASR system off if you
ever need to. (You should turn the system off if your
vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud, ice or snow. See
“Rocking Your Vehicle” in the Index.) To
turn the system off, press the button located
above-the
headlamp switch. The ASR
OFF light will come on and
stay on.
If the ASR system is limiting wheel spin when
you press the button,
the system will turn off right away.
You can turn the system back on at any time by pressing
the button again. The ASR
OFF light should go off.
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.
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