traction control CHEVROLET S10 1994 2.G Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Electronic Transfer Case
If your four-wheel drive vehicle has the electronic transfer case, the transfer
case switches are on the right side of your instrument panel above the radio
controls. Use these switches to shift into and out of four-wheel drive. You
can choose among three driving settings:
1. 2HI: This setting is for driving in most street and highway situations.
Your front axle is not engaged
in two-wheel drive.
2. 4HI: This setting engages your front axle to help drive your vehicle.
Use
4HI when you need extra traction, such as on snowy or icy roads, \
or in most off-road situations.
3. 4LO: This setting also engages your front axle to give you extra
traction. You may never need
4LO. It sends the maximum power to all
four wheels. You might choose
4LO if you were driving off-road in
sand, mud, deep snow and climbing or descending steep hills.
Amber indicator lights in the switches show you which setting \
you are in.
The indicator lights will come on briefly when you
turn on the ignition and
one
will stay on. If the lights do not come on, you should take your vehicle
in for service. When shifting, an indicator light will flash until the shift is
completed then remain solidly lit.
To shift from 2HI to 4HI: Press and release the 4HI switch. This can be
done at any speed, and the front axle will lock automatically.
To shift from 4HI to 2HI: Press and release the 2HI switch. This can be
done at any speed, and the front axle will unlock
; omaticallv.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine t
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation that \
requires hard
braking.
The four-wheel anti-lock system lets you steer and brake at the same time.
If you have the rear-wheel anti-lock braking system, your front wh\
eels can
stop rolling when you brake very hard. Once they do, the vehicle can’t
respond to your steering. Momentum will carry it in whatever direction it
was headed when the front wheels stopped rolling. That could b\
e off the
road, into the very thing you were trying to avoid, or into traffic.
So, unless you have four-wheel anti-lock, use a “squeeze” braking
technique. This will give you maximum braking while maintaining \
steering
control. You do this by pushing on the brake pedal with steadily increasing
pressure. When you do, it will help maintain steering control. \
In many
emergencies, steering can help you more than even the very best braking.
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 eurves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “drrver lost control” accidents mentit- ~~- -- - -~ -1-3 news happen
on curves. Here’s why:
bxperienced 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 you\
r
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 apply
the brakes. Both control systems
- steering and braking - 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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Check your rnlrro , 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 i\
nto 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.)
Reconsider before passing the next vehicle.
brake lights are not flashing, it may be slowing down or starting to turn.
ahead of you. Perhaps you can ease a little to the right.
0 Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on two-lane \
roads.
Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly. Even tho\
ugh the
If you’re being passed, make it easy for the following driver to get
Loss of 0 mo/
Let’s review what driving experts say about what happens whe\
n the three
control systems (brakes, steering and acceleration) don’t ha\
ve 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 conditi\
ons, and by
not “overdriving” those conditions. But skids are always p\
ossible.
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
comering force. And in the acceleration skid too much throttle causes t\
he
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.
. L.
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F. ”

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine While driving on a surrace with reaucea traction, try yo best to a td
sudden steering, acceleration, or braking (including engme braki\
ng DY
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:
If you have the four-wheel anti-lock braking system, it helps
avoid only the braking skid. The rear-wheel anti-lock braking system helps
avoid only a rear braking skid. In a braking skid (where the\
front wheels are
no longer rolling), release enough pressure on the brakes to \
get the front
wheels rolling again. This restores steering control. Push the brake pedal
down steadily when you have to stop suddenly. As long as the front wheels
are rolling, you will have steering control.
Driving Guidelines
Off-Road Driving with Your Four-wheel
Drive Vehicle
This off-road guide is for vehicles that have four-wheel drive.
Also, see “Anti-lock Brakes’’
in the Index.
If your vehicle doesn’t have four-wheel drive, you shouldn’\
t drive off-road
unless you’re on a level, solid surface.
Off-road driving can be great fun. But it does have some definite hazards.
The greatest of these is the terrain itself.
“Off-roading” means you’ve left the great North American road system
behind. Traffic lanes aren’t marked. Curves aren’t banked. \
There are no
road signs. Surfaces can be slippery, rough, uphill or downhill\
. In short,
you’ve gone right back to nature.
Off-road driving involves some new skills. And that’s why it\
’s very
important that you read this guide. You’ll find many driving tips and
suggestions. These
will help make your off-road driving safer and more
enjoy able.
Before You Go Off-Roading
There are some things to do before you go out. For example, be sure to have
all necessary maintenance and service work done. Be sure
you read all the
information about your four-wheel drive vehicle in this manual. \
Is there
enough fuel?
Is the spare tire fully inflated? Are the fluid levels up where
they should be? What are the local laws that apply to off-roading where
you’ll be driving? If you don’t know, you should check with law
enforcement people in the area. Will you
be on someone’s private land? If
so, be sure to get the necessary permission.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Hard packed snow and ice offer the worst tire traction. On th\
ese surfaces,
it’s very easy to lase control. On wet ice, for example, the traction is
so poor
that you will have difficulty accelerating. And
if you do get moving, poor
steering and difficult braking can cause you to slide out of control.
Driving In Water
Light rain causes no special off-road driving problems. But heavy rain can\

mean flash flooding, and flood waters demand extreme caution.
Find out haw deep the water is before you
drive through it. If it’s deep
enough to cover your wheel hubs, axles, or exhaust pipe, don’\
t
try it - you
probably won’t get through. Also, water that deep can damage\
your axle and
other vehicle parts.
If the water isn’t too deep, then drive through it slowly. At \
fast speeds, water
splashes on your ignition system and your vehicle can stall. S\
talling can also
occur
if you get your tailpipe under water. And, as long as your tailpipe \
is
under water, you’ll never be able to start your engine. Whe\
n you go through water, remember
that when vour brakes get wet, it mav take you longer to
stop.
C. ..
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Uniform Tire Quality Grading
The following information relates to the system developed by the Un\
ited
States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which grade\
s tires
by treadwear, traction and temperature performance. (This applie\
s only
to
vehicles sold in the United States.)
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate\
of the
tire when tested under controlled conditions on a specified gov\
ernment test
course. For example, a tire graded
150 would wear one and a half (1-1/2)
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 var\
iations
in
driving habits, service practices and differences in road charac\
teristics and
climate.
Tractlon - A, 9, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest are: A, B, and C. They 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 braking
(straight-ahead) traction tests
and does not include cornering (turning)
traction.
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