traction control CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2007 1.G User Guide

A cornering skid is best handled by easing your
foot off the accelerator pedal.
Remember: StabiliTrak
®helps avoid only the
acceleration skid. SeeStabiliTrak®System
on page 384. If the StabiliTrak®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 reducing
vehicle speed 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.
Remember: Any Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
helps avoid only the braking skid.
Off-Road Driving
This off-road guide is for vehicles that have
four-wheel drive. Also, seeBraking on page 380.
If your vehicle is an SS Model or does not have
four-wheel drive, you should not drive off-road
unless you are on a level, solid surface. If your
vehicle has 20-inch tire/wheel assemblies, do not
use your vehicle for off-road driving. SeeTires
on page 552.
The airbag system is designed to work properly
under a wide range of conditions, including off-road
usage. Observe safe driving speeds, especially
on rough terrain. As always, wear your safety belt.
392

{CAUTION:
When you are driving off-road, bouncing
and quick changes in direction can easily
throw you out of position. This could
cause you to lose control and crash. So,
whether you are driving on or off the road,
you and your passengers should wear
safety belts.
Scanning the Terrain
Off-road driving can take you over many different
kinds of terrain. You need to be familiar with
the terrain and its many different features.
Here are some things to consider.
Surface Conditions:Off-roading can take you
over hard-packed dirt, gravel, rocks, grass,
sand, mud, snow, or ice. Each of these
surfaces affects the steering, acceleration,
and braking of your vehicle in different ways.Depending upon the kind of surface you are on,
you may experience slipping, sliding, wheel
spinning, delayed acceleration, poor traction, and
longer braking distances.
Surface Obstacles:Unseen or hidden obstacles
can be hazardous. A rock, log, hole, rut, or bump
can startle you if you are not prepared for them.
Often these obstacles are hidden by grass, bushes,
snow, or even the rise and fall of the terrain itself.
Here are some things to consider:
Is the path ahead clear?
Will the surface texture change abruptly
up ahead?
Does the travel take you uphill or downhill?
There is more discussion of these subjects
later.
Will you have to stop suddenly or change
direction quickly?
When you drive over obstacles or rough terrain,
keep a rm grip on the steering wheel. Ruts,
troughs, or other surface features can jerk the
wheel out of your hands if you are not prepared.
397

Driving in Mud, Sand, Snow, or Ice
When you drive in mud, snow, or sand, your
wheels will not get good traction. You cannot
accelerate as quickly, turning is more difficult, and
you will need longer braking distances. If your
vehicle has four-wheel drive, seeFour-Wheel Drive
on page 149for transfer case mode selection.
It is best to use a low gear when you are in
mud —the deeper the mud, the lower the gear.
In really deep mud, the idea is to keep your vehicle
moving so you do not get stuck.
When you drive on sand, you will sense a change
in wheel traction. But it will depend upon how
loosely packed the sand is. On loosely packed
sand, such as on beaches or sand dunes,
your tires will tend to sink into the sand. This has
an effect on steering, accelerating, and braking.
Drive at a reduced speed and avoid sharp turns or
abrupt maneuvers.Hard packed snow and ice offer the worst tire
traction. On these surfaces, it is very easy to lose
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.
{CAUTION:
Driving on frozen lakes, ponds, or rivers
can be dangerous. Underwater springs,
currents under the ice, or sudden thaws
can weaken the ice. Your vehicle could
fall through the ice and you and your
passengers could drown. Drive your
vehicle on safe surfaces only.
407

Service
Your dealer knows your vehicle best and wants
you to be happy with it. We hope you will go
to your dealer for all your service needs. You will
get genuine GM parts and GM-trained and
supported service people.
We hope you will want to keep your GM vehicle
all GM. Genuine GM parts have one of these
marks:
Accessories and Modications
When you add non-GM accessories to your vehicle
they can affect your vehicle’s performance and
safety, including such things as, airbags, braking,
stability, ride and handling, emissions systems,
aerodynamics, durability, and electronic systems
like anti-lock brakes, traction control and
stability control. Some of these accessories may
even cause malfunction or damage not covered by
warranty.
GM Accessories are designed to complement and
function with other systems on your vehicle.
Your GM dealer/retailer can accessorize your
vehicle using genuine GM Accessories. When you
go to your GM dealer/retailer and ask for GM
Accessories, you will know that GM-trained and
supported service technicians will perform the work
using genuine GM Accessories.
488

Buying New Tires
GM has developed and matched specic tires for
your vehicle. The original equipment tires
installed on your vehicle, when it was new, were
designed to meet General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria Specication (TPC spec)
system rating. If you need replacement tires, GM
strongly recommends that you get tires with
the same TPC Spec rating. This way, your vehicle
will continue to have tires that are designed to
give the same performance and vehicle safety,
during normal use, as the original tires.
GM’s exclusive TPC Spec system considers over
a dozen critical specications that impact the
overall performance of your vehicle, including
brake system performance, ride and handling,
traction control, and tire pressure monitoring
performance. GM’s TPC Spec number is molded
onto the tire’s sidewall by the tire manufacturer.
If the tires have an all-season tread design,
the TPC spec number will be followed by an MS
for mud and snow. SeeTire Sidewall Labeling
on page 553for additional information.{CAUTION:
Mixing tires could cause you to lose
control while driving. If you mix tires of
different sizes, brands, or types (radial
and bias-belted tires), the vehicle may not
handle properly, and you could have a
crash. Using tires of different sizes,
brands or types may also cause damage
to your vehicle. Be sure to use the same
size, brand, and type tires on all wheels.
Your vehicle may have a different size
spare than the road tires (those originally
installed on your vehicle). When new, your
vehicle included a spare tire and wheel
assembly with a similar overall diameter
as your vehicle’s road tires and wheels,
so it is all right to drive on it. Because
this spare was developed for use on your
vehicle, it will not affect vehicle handling.
572

Different Size Tires and Wheels
If you add wheels or tires that are a different size
than your original equipment wheels and tires,
this could affect the way your vehicle performs,
including its braking, ride and handling
characteristics, stability, and resistance to rollover.
Additionally, if your vehicle has electronic
systems such as anti-lock brakes, rollover airbags,
traction control, and electronic stability control,
the performance of these systems can be affected.{CAUTION:
If you add different sized wheels, your
vehicle may not provide an acceptable
level of performance and safety if tires not
recommended for those wheels are
selected. You may increase the chance
that you will crash and suffer serious
injury. Only use GM specic wheel and
tire systems developed for your vehicle,
and have them properly installed by a GM
certied technician.
SeeBuying New Tires on page 572and
Accessories and Modications on page 488for
additional information.
574

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
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.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specied
government test course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and a half (1.5) 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 signicantly 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 specied
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.
575

Used Replacement Wheels
{CAUTION:
Putting a used wheel on your vehicle is
dangerous. You cannot know how it has
been used or how far it has been driven. It
could fail suddenly and cause a crash. If
you have to replace a wheel, use a new
GM original equipment wheel.
Tire Chains
{CAUTION:
If your vehicle has dual wheels or
P265/65R18, P275/55R20 or LT265/70R17
size tires, do not use tire chains. They can
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
damage your vehicle because 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 you to lose control of
your vehicle and you or others may be
injured in a crash.
Use another type of traction device only if
its manufacturer recommends it for use
on your vehicle and tire size combination
and road conditions. Follow that
manufacturer’s instructions. To help avoid
damage to your vehicle, drive slowly,
readjust, or remove the device if it is
contacting your vehicle, and do not spin
your vehicle’s wheels.
If you do nd traction devices that will t,
install them on the rear tires.
578

Tires (cont.)
Tire Terminology and Denitions............... 558
Uniform Tire Quality Grading.................... 575
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance........... 576
Wheel Replacement................................. 576
When It Is Time for New Tires................. 571
Tow/Haul Mode........................................... 146
Tow/Haul Mode Light................................... 268
Towing
Recreational Vehicle................................. 442
Towing a Trailer....................................... 447
Your Vehicle............................................. 441
Traction
StabiliTrak
®System................................. 384
Trailer
Recommendations.................................... 484
Transmission
Fluid, Automatic....................................... 510
Transmission Operation, Automatic.............. 140
Trip Odometer............................................. 250
Truck-Camper Loading Information.............. 438
Turn and Lane-Change Signals................... 215
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever.................... 214
U
Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist (URPA)........ 230
Understanding Radio Reception................... 371
Uniform Tire Quality Grading....................... 575
Universal Home Remote System................. 187
Operation........................................187, 191
System Identication................................ 186
V
Vehicle
Control..................................................... 380
Damage Warnings....................................... 5
Loading.................................................... 427
Symbols...................................................... 5
Vehicle Customization, DIC......................... 291
Vehicle Data Collection and Event Data
Recorders................................................ 659
Vehicle Identication
Number (VIN).......................................... 610
Service Parts Identication Label.............. 611
Vehicle Privacy............................................ 659
Ventilation Adjustment.................................. 247
683