traction control CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2011 2.G Owner's Manual

Black plate (72,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
9-72 Driving and Operating
It is recommended to leave the
system on for normal driving
conditions, but it may be necessary
to turn the system off if the vehicle
is stuck in sand, mud, ice or snow,
and you want to“rock”the vehicle
to attempt to free it. It may also be
necessary to turn off the system
when driving in extreme off-road
conditions where high wheel spin is
required. See If the Vehicle is Stuck
on page 9‑22.
When the transfer case is in 4LO,
the stability system is automatically
disabled, the StabiliTrak light comes
on, and the STABILITRAK OFF
message will appear on the DIC.
Both traction control and StabiliTrak
are automatically disabled in this
condition.
Traction Control Operation
The traction control system is part
of the StabiliTrak system. Traction
control limits wheel spin by reducing
engine power to the wheels (engine
speed management) and by
applying brakes to each individual
wheel (brake-traction control) as
necessary.
The traction control system is
enabled automatically when the
vehicle is started. It will activate
and the StabiliTrak light will flash
if it senses that any of the wheels
are spinning or beginning to lose
traction while driving. If traction
control is turned off, only the
brake-traction control portion
of traction control will work.
The engine speed management will
be disabled. In this mode, engine
power is not reduced automatically
and the driven wheels can spin
more freely. This can cause the
brake-traction control to activate
constantly. Notice:
If the wheel(s) of one axle
is allowed to spin excessively
while the StabiliTrak®, ABS, brake
warning lights, and any relevant
DIC messages are displayed, the
transfer case could be damaged.
The repairs would not be covered
by the vehicle warranty. Reduce
engine power and do not spin the
wheel(s) excessively while these
lights and messages are
displayed.
The traction control system may
activate on dry or rough roads or
under conditions such as heavy
acceleration while turning or
abrupt upshifts/downshifts of the
transmission. When this happens,
a reduction in acceleration may be
noticed, or a noise or vibration may
be heard. This is normal.
If cruise control is being used when
the system activates, the StabiliTrak
light will flash and cruise control will
automatically disengage. Cruise
control may be reengaged when
road conditions allow. See Cruise
Control on page 9‑73.

Black plate (73,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-73
StabiliTrak may also turn off
automatically if it determines that
a problem exists with the system.
If the problem does not clear itself
after restarting the vehicle, see your
dealer for service.
2500 and 3500 series vehicles with
StabiliTrak have a Trailer Sway
Control (TSC) feature. SeeTrailer
Sway Control (TSC) on page 9‑123.
2500 and 3500 series vehicles with
StabiliTrak have a Hill Start Assist
(HSA) feature. See Hill Start Assist
(HSA) on page 9‑70.
Adding non‐dealer accessories can
affect the vehicle's performance.
See Accessories and Modifications
on page 10‑3.
Locking Rear Axle
Vehicles with a locking rear axle can
give more traction on snow, mud,
ice, sand, or gravel. It works like a
standard axle most of the time, but
when traction is low, this feature will
allow the rear wheel with the most
traction to move the vehicle.
Cruise Control
{WARNING
Cruise control can be dangerous
where you cannot drive safely at
a steady speed. So, do not use
the cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.
Cruise control can be dangerous
on slippery roads. On such roads,
fast changes in tire traction can
cause excessive wheel slip, and
you could lose control. Do not use
cruise control on slippery roads.
For vehicles with cruise control, a
speed of about 40 km/h (25 mph)
or more can be maintained
without keeping your foot on the
accelerator. Cruise control does
not work at speeds below about
40 km/h (25 mph). When the brakes are applied, cruise
control is turned off.
For vehicles with an Allison or
Hydra‐Matic 6‐speed automatic
transmission, see
“Grade Braking
and Cruise Grade Braking (Allison
Transmission) under Tow/Haul
Mode
on page 9‑49for an
explanation of how cruise control
interacts with the Range Selection
Mode, tow/haul and grade braking
systems.
For vehicles with the StabiliTrak
system that begins to limit wheel
spin while you are using cruise
control, the cruise control will
automatically disengage. See
StabiliTrak
®Systemon page 9‑70.
When road conditions allow the
cruise control to be safely used
again, it can be turned back on.

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-3
General Information
For service and parts needs,
visit your dealer. You will receive
genuine GM parts and GM-trained
and supported service people.
Genuine GM parts have one of
these marks:
California Proposition
65 Warning
Most motor vehicles, including this
one, contain and/or emit chemicals
known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or
other reproductive harm. Engine
exhaust, many parts and systems,
many fluids, and some component
wear by-products contain and/or
emit these chemicals.
California Perchlorate
Materials Requirements
Certain types of automotive
applications, such as airbag
initiators, seat belt pretensioners,
and lithium batteries contained
in remote keyless transmitters,
may contain perchlorate materials.
Special handling may be necessary.
For additional information, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/
perchlorate.
Accessories and
Modifications
Adding non‐dealer accessories
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. Some of these
accessories could even cause
malfunction or damage not covered
by the vehicle warranty.

Black plate (75,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-75
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 your vehicle.
The original equipment tires
installed on your vehicle, when it
was new, were designed to meet
General Motors Tire Performance
Criteria Specification (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 specifications 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 near the tire size.
If the tires have an all‐season tread
design, the TPC spec number will
be followed by an MS for mud and
snow. See
Tire Sidewall Labeling
on
page 10‑56for additional
information.
GM recommends replacing tires in
sets of four. This is because uniform
tread depth on all tires will help
keep your vehicle performing most
like it did when the tires were new.

Black plate (77,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-77
Vehicles that have a tire pressure
monitoring system may give an
inaccurate low‐pressure warning
if non‐TPC Spec-rated tires
are installed on your vehicle.
Non‐TPC Spec-rated tires may
give a low‐pressure warning that
is higher or lower than the proper
warning level you would get with
TPC Spec-rated tires. SeeTire
Pressure Monitor System
on
page 10‑65.
Your vehicle's original equipment
tires are listed on the Tire and
Loading Information label. See
Vehicle Load Limits
on page 9‑23for more information about the Tire
and Loading Information label and
its location on your vehicle.
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 antilock
brakes, rollover airbags, traction
control, and electronic stability
control, the performance of these
systems can be affected.
{WARNING
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
specific wheel and tire systems
developed for your vehicle, and
have them properly installed by
a GM certified technician.
See Buying New Tires
on
page 10‑75and Accessories and
Modificationson page 10‑3for
additional information.

Black plate (78,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
10-78 Vehicle Care
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 TireQuality 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.

Black plate (79,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-79
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.
Temperature –A, B, C
The temperature grades
are A (the highest), B, and C,
representing the tire's resistance
to the generation of heat and its
ability to dissipate heat when
tested under controlled conditions on a specified
indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature
can cause the material of
the tire to degenerate and
reduce tire life, and excessive
temperature can lead to
sudden tire failure. The grade C
corresponds to a level of
performance which all
passenger car tires must meet
under the Federal Motor Safety
Standard No. 109. Grades B and
A represent higher levels of
performance on the laboratory
test wheel than the minimum
required by law. Warning: The
temperature grade for this tire
is established for a tire that
is properly inflated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed,
underinflation, or excessive
loading, either separately or in
combination, can cause heat
buildup and possible tire failure.Wheel Alignment and Tire
Balance
The tires and wheels on the vehicle
were aligned and balanced carefully
at the factory to give the longest tire
life and best overall performance.
Adjustments to wheel alignment and
tire balancing will not be necessary
on a regular basis. However, if there
is unusual tire wear or the vehicle
pulls to one side or the other, the
alignment should be checked. If the
vehicle vibrates when driving on a
smooth road, the tires and wheels
might need to be rebalanced. See
your dealer for proper diagnosis.

Black plate (81,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-81
Tire Chains
{WARNING
If your vehicle has dual wheels
or P265/65R18, P275/55R20 or
LT265/70R17 size tires, do not
use tire chains. They can 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.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
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 find traction devices that
will fit, install them on the rear
tires.
Notice: If your vehicle does
not have dual wheels and has a
tire size other than P265/65R18,
P275/55R20 or LT265/70R17, use
tire chains only where legal and
only when you must. Use chains
that are the proper size for your
tires. Install them on the tires of
the rear axle. Do not use chains
on the tires of the front axle.
Tighten them as tightly as
possible with the ends securely
fastened. Drive slowly and
follow the chain manufacturer's instructions. If you can hear the
chains contacting your vehicle,
stop and retighten them. If the
contact continues, slow down
until it stops. Driving too fast or
spinning the wheels with chains
on will damage your vehicle.
If a Tire Goes Flat
It is unusual for a tire to blowout
while you are driving, especially if
you maintain your vehicle's tires
properly. If air goes out of a tire, it is
much more likely to leak out slowly.
But if you should ever have a
blowout, here are a few tips about
what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire
creates a drag that pulls the vehicle
toward that side. Take your foot
off the accelerator pedal and grip
the steering wheel firmly. Steer to
maintain lane position, and then
gently brake to a stop well out of
the traffic lane.