steering wheel CHEVROLET IMPALA 2003 8.G User Guide

Increasing Speed While Using Cruise
Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed:
·Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher
speed. Press the SET button on the steering wheel,
then release the button and the accelerator pedal.
You'll now cruise at the higher speed.
·Press the ACCEL (Accelerate) button on the
steering wheel. Hold it there until you get up to the
speed you want and then release the button.
(To increase your speed in very small amounts,
press the ACCEL button brie¯y and then release it.
Each time you do this, your vehicle will go about
1 mph (1.6 km/h) faster).
The accelerate feature will only work after you set the
cruise control speed by pressing the SET button on the
steering wheel.
Reducing Speed While Using Cruise
Control
There are two ways to reduce your speed while using
cruise control:
·Press the COAST button on the steering wheel
until you reach the lower speed you want, then
release it.
·To slow down in very small amounts, press the
COAST button on the steering wheel brie¯y.
Each time you do this, you'll go about 1 mph
(1.6 km/h) slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While Using
Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed.
When you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will
slow down to the cruise speed you set earlier.
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Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness of the
hills. When going up steep hills, you may have to step
on the accelerator pedal to maintain your speed.
When going downhill, you may have to brake or shift to
a lower gear to keep your speed down. Of course,
applying the brake takes you out of cruise control. Many
drivers ®nd this to be too much trouble and don't use
cruise control on steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are three ways to cancel the cruise control:
·Step lightly on the brake pedal.
·Slide the lever on the multifunction lever to the left
to the OFF position.
·Press the COAST and ACCEL buttons at the
same time.
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition, your
cruise control set speed memory is erased.
Exterior Lamps
The exterior lamps control
is located on the
instrument panel to the left
of the steering wheel.
It controls the following systems:
·Headlamps
·Taillamps
·Parking Lamps
·License Plate Lamps
·Instrument Panel Lights
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Delayed Headlamps
The delayed headlamps feature provides a period of
exterior lighting as you leave the area around your
vehicle. The feature is activated when the headlamps
are on due to the automatic headlamps control
feature described previously in this section, and when
the ignition is turned off. Your headlamps will then
remain on until the exterior lamps control is moved to
the parking lamps position or until either a 30 second or
60 second lighting period has ended.
If you turn off the ignition with the headlamps switch in
the parking lamps or headlamps position, the delayed
headlamps cycle will not occur.
To disable the delayed headlamps feature or change
the time of delay, see
Vehicle Customization Settings on
page 3-94.
Fog Lamps
If your vehicle is equipped
with fog lamps, the button
is located on the
instrument panel next to
the exterior lamps
control wheel to the left of
the steering column.
Your ignition must be in ON for the fog lamps to
illuminate.
To turn the fog lamps on, press the FOG button. A light
will come on in the button to let you know that the
fog lamps are on. Press the FOG button again to turn
the fog lamps off.
The ignition must be ON and the parking lamps must be
on for your fog lamps to work.
The fog lamps will go off while you change to high-beam
headlamps.
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Audio Steering Wheel Controls
If your vehicle has this feature, you can control certain
radio functions using the buttons on your steering
wheel.
QSEEKR:Press the up or the down arrow to seek
to the next or to the previous radio station.
If a cassette tape or compact disc is playing, the player
will advance with the up arrow and reverse with the
down arrow. Holding SEEK for three seconds or more
will activate the PSCAN mode.SEEK TYPE:Press this button to go to a station with
the last selected PTY TYPE and the last selected
PTY will appear on the display, if it is not already
showing. If a station with the selected PTY is not found,
the radio will return to the original station. If both
SEEK by TYPE and TRAF are on, the radio will search
for stations with the selected PTY and traffic
announcements.
PRESET:Press this button to play a station you have
programmed on the radio preset pushbuttons.
MODE:Press this button to choose AM, FM1, FM2, or
XM1, or XM2, (USA only, if equipped). If a cassette
tape or compact disc is playing, it will stop and the radio
will play.
MUTE:Press this button to silence the system. Press it
again to turn on the sound.QVOL (Volume)R:Press the up or the down arrow
to increase or to decrease volume.
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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
®rmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel a
slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise, but
this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation
that requires hard braking.If you have anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the
same time. However, if you don't have anti-lock,
your ®rst reaction Ð to hit the brake pedal hard and
hold it down Ð may be the wrong thing to do. Your
wheels can stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle can't
respond to your steering. Momentum will carry it in
whatever direction it was headed when the wheels
stopped rolling. That could be off the road, into the
very thing you were trying to avoid, or into traffic.
If you don't have anti-lock, use a ªsqueezeº braking
technique. This will give you maximum braking while
maintaining steering control. You can do this by pushing
on the brake pedal with steadily increasing pressure.
In an emergency, you will probably want to squeeze the
brakes hard without locking the wheels. If you hear or
feel the wheels sliding, ease off the brake pedal.
This will help you retain steering control. If you
dohave
anti-lock, it's different. See ªAnti-Lock Brake Systemº
in this section.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more than
even the very best braking.
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To turn the system on or
off, press the TRAC OFF
button on the left side
of the instrument panel.
When you turn the system off, a chime will sound and
the TRAC OFF warning light will come on and stay on.
If the traction control system is limiting wheel spin
when you press the button to turn the system off, the
warning light will come on and the system will turn
off right away.
You can turn the system back on at any time by
pressing the button again. The TRAC OFF warning light
should go off.Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system is not functioning, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It's important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the ªdriver lost controlº accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves.
Here's why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject to
the same laws of physics when driving on curves.
The traction of 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.
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Suppose you're steering through a sharp curve.
Then you suddenly apply the brakes. Both control
systems Ð steering and braking Ð have to do their
work where the tires meet the road. Unless you
have four-wheel anti-lock brakes, adding the hard
braking can demand too much of those places. You
can lose control.
The same thing can happen if you're steering through
a sharp curve and you suddenly accelerate. Those
two control systems Ð steering and acceleration Ð can
overwhelm those places where the tires meet the
road and make you lose control.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on
the brake or 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 ªdriveº 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.Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and ®nd
a truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls
out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between
parked cars and stops right in front of you. You
can avoid these problems by braking Ð if you can stop
in time. But sometimes you can't; there isn't room.
That's the time for evasive action Ð steering around
the problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes Ð but, unless you
have anti-lock, not enough to lock your wheels.
See
Braking on page 4-6. It is better to remove as much
speed as you can from a possible collision. Then
steer around the problem, to the left or right depending
on the space available.
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An emergency like this requires close attention and a
quick decision. If you are holding the steering wheel at
the recommended 9 and 3 o'clock positions, you
can turn it a full 180 degrees very quickly without
removing either hand. But you have to act fast, steer
quickly, and just as quickly straighten the wheel
once you have avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a good reason to practice defensive driving
at all times and wear safety belts properly.
Off-Road Recovery
You may ®nd that your right wheels have dropped off
the edge of a road onto the shoulder while you're
driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease off the
accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way,
steer so that your vehicle straddles the edge of
the pavement. You can turn the steering wheel up to
one-quarter turn until the right front tire contacts
the pavement edge. Then turn your steering wheel to go
straight down the roadway.
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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
ªoverdrivingº those conditions. But skids are always
possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your vehicle'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, 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'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 Ð such as enough water, ice or packed snow
on the road to make a ªmirrored surfaceº Ð and slow
down when you have any doubt.
If you have the anti-lock braking system, remember: It
helps avoid only the braking skid. If you do not have
anti-lock, 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.
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What's the worst time for this? ªWet ice.º 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 least traction of all. You can get wet ice when it's
about freezing (32ÉF; 0ÉC) 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.
Keep your traction control system on. It improves your
ability to accelerate when driving on a slippery road.
Even though your vehicle has a traction control system,
you'll want to slow down and adjust your driving to
the road conditions. See
Traction Control System (TCS)
(3800 V6 Engine) on page 4-9.
Unless you have the anti-lock braking system, you'll
want to brake very gently, too. (If you do have anti-lock,
see
Braking on page 4-6. This system improves your
vehicle's stability when you make a hard stop on a
slippery road.) Whether you have the anti-lock braking
system or not, you'll want to begin stopping sooner than
you would on dry pavement. Without anti-lock brakes,
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 anti-lock, if you brake
so hard that your wheels stop rolling, you'll 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's covered with ice. On
an otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear in
shaded areas where the sun can't reach: 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're actually on the ice, and avoid sudden
steering maneuvers.
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