fuel additives CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 2011 10.G Owners Manual

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2011
9-2 Driving and Operating
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-71
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . 9-72
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . 9-72
California FuelRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-72
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 9-72
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-73
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . 9-74
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-75
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-77
Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-78
Driving Characteristics and Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-78
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-82
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 9-87
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-97
Adding a Snow Plow or Similar Equipment . . . . . . . . . . 9-97
Driving Information
Defensive Driving
Defensive driving means “always
expect the unexpected.” The first
step in driving defensively is to wear
your safety belt. See Safety Belts on
page 3‑24.
{WARNING
Assume that other road users
(pedestrians, bicyclists, and other
drivers) are going to be careless
and make mistakes. Anticipate
what they might do and be ready.
In addition:
.Allow enough following
distance between you and
the driver in front of you.
.Focus on the task of driving.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Driver distraction can cause
collisions resulting in injury or
possible death. These simple
defensive driving techniques
could save your life.
Drunk Driving
{WARNING
Drinking and then driving is very
dangerous. Your reflexes,
perceptions, attentiveness, and
judgment can be affected by even
a small amount of alcohol. You
can have a serious —or even
fatal —collision if you drive after
drinking. Do not drink and drive or
ride with a driver who has been
drinking. Ride home in a cab; or if
you are with a group, designate a
driver who will not drink.

Black plate (72,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2011
9-72 Driving and Operating
Recommended Fuel
Use regular unleaded gasoline with
a posted octane rating of 87 or
higher. If the octane rating is less
than 87, an audible knocking noise,
commonly referred to as spark
knock, might be heard when driving.
If this occurs, use a gasoline rated
at 87 octane or higher as soon as
possible. If heavy knocking is heard
when using gasoline rated at
87 octane or higher, the engine
needs service.
Gasoline Specifications
At a minimum, gasoline should
meet ASTM specification D 4814in the United States or CAN/
CGSB‐3.5 or 3.511 in Canada.
Some gasolines contain an
octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese
tricarbonyl (MMT). We recommend
against the use of gasolines
containing MMT. See Fuel Additives
on page 9‑73 for additional
information.
California Fuel
Requirements
If the vehicle is certified to meet
California Emissions Standards, it is
designed to operate on fuels that
meet California specifications. See
the underhood emission control
label. If this fuel is not available in
states adopting California emissions
standards, the vehicle will operate
satisfactorily on fuels meeting
federal specifications, but emission
control system performance might
be affected. The malfunction
indicator lamp could turn on and the
vehicle might fail a smog‐check test.
See Malfunction Indicator Lamp on
page 5‑22. If this occurs, return to
your authorized dealer for diagnosis.
If it is determined that the condition
is caused by the type of fuel used,
repairs might not be covered by the
vehicle warranty.
Fuels in Foreign
Countries
If you plan on driving in another
country outside the United States or
Canada, the proper fuel might be
hard to find. Never use leaded
gasoline or any other fuel not
recommended in the previous text
on fuel. Costly repairs caused by
use of improper fuel would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
To check the fuel availability, ask an
auto club, or contact a major oil
company that does business in the
country where you will be driving.

Black plate (73,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-73
Fuel Additives
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines
in the United States are now
required to contain additives that
help prevent engine and fuel system
deposits from forming, allowing the
emission control system to work
properly. In most cases, nothing
should have to be added to the fuel.
However, some gasolines contain
only the minimum amount of
additive required to meet U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
regulations. To help keep fuel
injectors and intake valves clean,
or if the vehicle experiences
problems due to dirty injectors or
valves, look for gasoline that is
advertised as TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. Look for the TOP TIER
label on the fuel pump to ensure
gasoline meets enhanced
detergency standards developed by
the auto companies. A list of
marketers providing TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline can be found at
www.toptiergas.com.For customers who do not use TOP
TIER Detergent Gasoline regularly,
one bottle of GM Fuel System
Treatment PLUS, added to the fuel
tank at every engine oil change, can
help clean deposits from fuel
injectors and intake valves. GM Fuel
System Treatment PLUS is the only
gasoline additive recommended by
General Motors. It is available at
your dealer.
Gasolines containing oxygenates,
such as ethers and ethanol, and
reformulated gasolines might be
available in your area. We
recommend that you use these
gasolines, if they comply with the
specifications described earlier.
However, E85 (85% ethanol) and
other fuels containing more than
10% ethanol must not be used in
vehicles that were not designed for
those fuels.
Notice:
This vehicle was not
designed for fuel that contains
methanol. Do not use fuel
containing methanol. It can
corrode metal parts in the fuel
system and also damage plastic
and rubber parts. That damage
would not be covered under the
vehicle warranty.
Some gasolines that are
not reformulated for low
emissions can contain an
octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese
tricarbonyl (MMT); ask the attendant
where you buy gasoline whether the
fuel contains MMT. We recommend
against the use of such gasolines.
Fuels containing MMT can reduce
the life of spark plugs and the
performance of the emission control
system could be affected. The
malfunction indicator lamp might
turn on. If this occurs, return to your
dealer for service.

Black plate (74,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2011
9-74 Driving and Operating
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol)
Vehicles that have a FlexFuel badge
and a yellow fuel cap can use either
unleaded gasoline or ethanol fuel
containing up to 85% ethanol (E85).
For all other vehicles, use only the
unleaded gasoline described under
Recommended Fuel on page 9‑72.
We encourage the use of E85 in
vehicles that are designed to use it.
The ethanol in E85 is a“renewable”
fuel, meaning it is made from
renewable sources such as corn
and other crops.
Many service stations will not have
an 85% ethanol fuel (E85) pump
available. The U.S. Department of
Energy has an alternative fuels
website (www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/
locator/stations/) that can help you
find E85 fuel. Those stations that do
have E85 should have a label
indicating ethanol content. Do not
use the fuel if the ethanol content is
greater than 85%. At a minimum, E85 should meet
ASTM Specification D 5798. By
definition, this means that fuel
labeled E85 will have an ethanol
content between 70% and 85%.
Filling the fuel tank with fuel
mixtures that do not meet ASTM
specifications can affect driveability
and could cause the malfunction
indicator lamp to come on.
To ensure quick starts in the
wintertime, the E85 fuel must be
formulated properly for your climate
according to ASTM specification
D 5798. If you have trouble starting
on E85, it could be because the E85
fuel is not properly formulated for
your climate. If this happens,
switching to gasoline or adding
gasoline to the fuel tank can
improve starting. For good starting
and heater efficiency below 0°C
(32°F), the fuel mix in the fuel tank
should contain no more than
70% ethanol. It is best not to
alternate repeatedly between
gasoline and E85. If you
do switch fuels, it is recommended
that you add as much fuel as
possible
—do not add less than
11 L (three gallons) when refueling.
You should drive the vehicle
immediately after refueling for at
least 11 km (seven miles) to allow
the vehicle to adapt to the change in
ethanol concentration.
E85 has less energy per liter
(gallon) than gasoline, so you will
need to refill the fuel tank more
often when using E85 than when
you are using gasoline. See Filling
the Tank on page 9‑75.
Notice: Some additives are not
compatible with E85 fuel and can
harm the vehicle's fuel system.
Do not add anything to E85.
Damage caused by additives
would not be covered by the
vehicle warranty.

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-5
Front Fog LampsLight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Heated and Ventilated . . . . . . . . 3-10
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-71
Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-73
E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . . . . . . . 9-74
Filling a Portable FuelContainer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-77
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-75
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . 9-72
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . 9-72
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . 5-28
Management, Active . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Recommended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-72
Requirements, California . . . . . 9-72
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-42
Fuel Economy
Driving for Better . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-28
Full-Size Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . 10-88 Fuses
Engine Compartment
Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
G
Garage Door Opener . . . . . . . . . . 5-57
Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-57
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-72
Gauges Engine CoolantTemperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Voltmeter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Warning Lights and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12 General Information
Service and Maintenance . . . . . 11-1
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-78
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Glass Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
GM Mobility Reimbursement Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7H
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . 6-5
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
HeadlampsAiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Daytime RunningLamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-2
Heated
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Heated and Ventilated Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10