traction control CHEVROLET CORVETTE 2012 6.G Owner's Guide

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
10-4 Vehicle Care
Accessories and
Modifications
Adding non‐dealer accessories or
making modifications to the vehicle
can affect vehicle performance and
safety, including such things as
airbags, braking, stability, ride and
handling, emissions systems,
aerodynamics, durability, and
electronic systems like antilock
brakes, traction control, and stability
control. These accessories or
modifications could even cause
malfunction or damage not covered
by the vehicle warranty.Damage to vehicle components
resulting from modifications or the
installation or use of non‐GM
certified parts, including control
module or software modifications,
is not covered under the terms of
the vehicle warranty and may affect
remaining warranty coverage for
affected parts.
GM Accessories are designed to
complement and function with other
systems on the vehicle. See your
dealer to accessorize the vehicle
using genuine GM Accessories
installed by a dealer technician.
Also, see
Adding Equipment to
the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on
page 3‑26.
Lifting the Vehicle
{WARNING
Lifting a vehicle can cause an
injury. The vehicle can slip off the
jack and roll over you or other
people. You and they could be
badly injured. Find a level place
to lift your vehicle. To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put an automatic transmission shift lever in
P (Park), or shift a manual
transmission to 1 (First) or
R (Reverse).
3. Turn off the engine.
To be even more certain the
vehicle won't move, put blocks in
front of and behind the wheels.

Black plate (59,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-59
Winter Tires
Consider installing winter tires on
the vehicle if frequent driving on
snow or ice covered roads is
expected. All season tires provide
good overall performance on most
surfaces, but they may not offer
the traction or the same level of
performance as winter tires on
snow or ice covered roads.
Winter tires, in general, are
designed for increased traction
on snow and ice covered roads.
With winter tires, there may be
decreased dry road traction,
increased road noise, and shorter
tread life. After changing to winter
tires, be alert for changes in vehicle
handling and braking.See your dealer for details
regarding winter tire availability and
proper tire selection. Also, see
Buying New Tires on page 10‑74.
If using snow tires:
.Use tires of the same brand and
tread type on all four wheel
positions.
.Use only radial ply tires of the
same size, load range, and
speed rating as the original
equipment tires.
Winter tires with the same speed
rating as the original equipment tires
may not be available for H, V, W, Y,
and ZR speed rated tires. If winter
tires with a lower speed rating are
chosen, never exceed the tire's
maximum speed capability.
Run-Flat Tires
This vehicle, when new, had run-flat
tires. There is no spare tire, no tire
changing equipment, and no place
to store a tire in the vehicle.
The vehicle also has a Tire
Pressure Monitor System (TPMS)
that indicates a loss of tire pressure
in any of the tires.
{WARNING
If the low tire warning light
displays on the instrument panel
cluster, the handling capabilities
will be reduced during severe
maneuvers. Driving too fast could
cause loss of control and you or
others could be injured. Do not
drive over 90 km/h (55 mph)
when the low tire warning light is
displayed. Drive cautiously and
check the tire pressures as soon
as possible.

Black plate (74,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
10-74 Vehicle Care
The rubber in tires ages over time.
This also applies for the spare tire,
if the vehicle has one, even if it is
never used. Multiple conditions
including temperatures, loading
conditions, and inflation pressure
maintenance affect how fast aging
takes place. Tires will typically need
to be replaced due to wear before
they may need to be replaced due
to age. Consult the tire
manufacturer for more information
on when tires should be replaced.
Vehicle Storage
Tires age when stored normally
mounted on a parked vehicle.
Park a vehicle that will be stored for
at least a month in a cool, dry, clean
area away from direct sunlight to
slow aging. This area should be
free of grease, gasoline, or other
substances that can deteriorate
rubber.Parking for an extended period can
cause flat spots on the tires that
may result in vibrations while
driving. When storing a vehicle for
at least a month, remove the tires
or raise the vehicle to reduce the
weight from the tires.
Buying New Tires
GM has developed and matched
specific tires for the vehicle. The
original equipment tires installed
were designed to meet General
Motors Tire Performance Criteria
Specification (TPC Spec) system
rating. When replacement tires are
needed, GM strongly recommends
buying tires with the same TPC
Spec rating.
GM's exclusive TPC Spec system
considers over a dozen critical
specifications that impact the
overall performance of the
vehicle, including brake systemperformance, ride and handling,
traction control, and tire pressure
monitoring performance. GM's TPC
Spec number is molded onto the
tire's sidewall near the tire size.
If the tires have an all‐season
tread design, the TPC Spec
number will be followed by MS for
mud and snow. See
Tire Sidewall
Labeling on page 10‑62, for
additional information.
GM recommends replacing all the
tires at the same time. Uniform tread
depth on all tires will help to
maintain the performance of the
vehicle. Braking and handling
performance may be adversely
affected if all the tires are not
replaced at the same time. See Tire
Inspection on page 10‑72 andTire
Rotation on page 10‑72.

Black plate (76,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
10-76 Vehicle Care
Different Size Tires and
Wheels
If wheels or tires are installed that
are a different size than the original
equipment wheels and tires, vehicle
performance, including its braking,
ride and handling characteristics,
stability, and resistance to rollover
may be affected. If the vehicle has
electronic systems such as antilock
brakes, rollover airbags, traction
control, and electronic stability
control, the performance of these
systems can also be affected.
{WARNING
If different sized wheels are used,
there may not be an acceptable
level of performance and safety
if tires not recommended for
those wheels are selected. This
increases the chance of a crash
and serious injury. Only use GM
specific wheel and tire systems
developed for the vehicle, and
have them properly installed by a
GM certified technician.
See Buying New Tires on
page 10‑74 andAccessories and
Modifications on page 10‑4 for
additional information.
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading
Quality grades can be found
where applicable on the tire
sidewall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width.
For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
The following information relates
to the system developed by the
United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), which grades tires
by treadwear, traction, and
temperature performance.
This applies only to vehicles
sold in the United States.
The grades are molded on the
sidewalls of most passenger car

Black plate (77,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-77
tires. The Uniform Tire Quality
Grading (UTQG) system
does not apply to deep tread,
winter-type snow tires,
space-saver, or temporary use
spare tires, tires with nominal
rim diameters of 10 to 12 inches
(25 to 30 cm), or to some
limited-production tires.
While the tires available on
General Motors passenger cars
and light trucks may vary with
respect to these grades, they
must also conform to federal
safety requirements and
additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC)
standards.
All Passenger Car Tires Must
Conform to Federal Safety
Requirements In Addition To
These Grades.Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a
comparative rating based on
the wear rate of the tire when
tested under controlled
conditions on a specified
government test course.
For example, a tire graded
150 would wear one and a
half (1½) times as well on the
government course as a tire
graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of
their use, however, and may
depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in
driving habits, service practices
and differences in road
characteristics and climate.
Traction
–AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from
highest to lowest, are AA, A, B,
and C. Those grades represent
the tire's ability to stop on wet
pavement as measured under
controlled conditions on
specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and
concrete. A tire marked C may
have poor traction performance.
Warning: The traction grade
assigned to this tire is based on
straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include
acceleration, cornering,
hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.

Black plate (80,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
10-80 Vehicle Care
Tightening Wheel Lug Nuts
{WARNING
Never use oil or grease on studs
or the threads of the wheel nuts.
The wheel nuts might come loose
and the wheel could fall off,
causing a crash.
{WARNING
Incorrect wheel nuts or improperly
tightened wheel nuts can cause
the wheel to become loose and
even come off. This could lead
to a crash. Be sure to use the
correct wheel nuts. If you have
to replace them, be sure to get
new GM original equipment
wheel nuts.Notice:
Improperly tightened
wheel nuts can lead to brake
pulsation and rotor damage.
To avoid expensive brake repairs,
evenly tighten the wheel nuts in
the proper sequence and to the
proper torque specification.
Tighten the wheel lug nuts firmly in
a crisscross sequence.
Tire Chains
{WARNING
Do not use tire chains. There is
not enough clearance. Tire chains
used on a vehicle without the
proper amount of clearance can
cause damage to the brakes,
suspension, or other vehicle
parts. The area damaged by the
tire chains could cause loss of
control and a crash. Use another
type of traction device only if its
manufacturer recommends it for
the vehicle's tire size combination
and road conditions. Follow that
manufacturer's instructions.
To avoid vehicle damage, drive
slowly and readjust or remove the
traction device if it contacts the
vehicle. Do not spin the wheels.
If traction devices are used, install
them on the rear tires.

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
i-6 INDEX
I
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Infants and Young Children,Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
J
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-82
K
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . . . 5-43
Keyless Entry Remote (RKE) System . . . . . . . . 2-3
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall . . . . . . . . 10-62
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-45
Lamps Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Daytime Running (DRL) . . . . . . . 6-2
Exterior Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps OffReminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Headlamps, Front Turn Signal, and Parking
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-49
Malfunction Indicator . . . . . . . . . 5-19
On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
LATCH System Replacing Parts after a
Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-39
LATCH, Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
Latches, Seatback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Lifting the Vehicle, Tires . . . . . . . 10-4 Light
StabiliTrak®OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Lighter, Cigarette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Lighting Entry/Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lights
Active Handling System . . . . . . 5-25
Airbag Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Antilock Brake System(ABS) Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Brake System Warning . . . . . . . 5-22
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Front Fog Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
High-Beam On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-2
One-to-Four Shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 5-17
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Traction Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Limited-Slip Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . 9-42

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-11
T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
TaillampsTurn Signal andStoplamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-50
Text Telephone (TTY) Users . . . 13-6
Theft-Deterrent Systems . . . . . . . 2-15 Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Tires Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-74
Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-80
Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-76
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . 10-81
Inflation Monitor System . . . . 10-70
Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-72
Lifting the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Low Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-60
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-51
Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-68
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Pressure Monitor System . . . 10-68
Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-72
Run-Flat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59
Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . 10-62 Tires (cont.)
Sport Cup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
Terminology and
Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-76
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-78
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-78
When It Is Time for New
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-73
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59
Towing General Information . . . . . . . . . . 9-54
Recreational Vehicle . . . . . . . . 10-86
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-86
Traction Active Handling System . . . . . . 9-38
Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . 9-36
Limited-Slip Rear Axle . . . . . . . . 9-42
Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Selective Ride Control . . . . . . . . 9-43 Transmission
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Fluid, Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Fluid, Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-53
One-to-Four Shift Light . . . . . . . 5-23
Transportation Program,
Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-14
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Twilight Sentinel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
U
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-76
Universal Remote System . . . . . 5-64 Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-70
Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-64
Using This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv