tires GMC SIERRA 1500 2006 Owner's Manual

Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your vehicle in good shape for winter.
You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
your vehicle.
Also seeTires on page 5-72.Include an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a supply
of windshield washer uid, a rag, some winter outer
clothing, a small shovel, a ashlight, a red cloth, and
reective warning triangles. And, if you will be driving
under severe conditions, include a small bag of sand,
a piece of old carpet, or a couple of burlap bags to help
provide traction. Be sure you properly secure these items
in your vehicle.
Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where the tires meet the
road probably have good traction.
However, if there is snow or ice between the tires and
the road, you can have a very slippery situation. You will
have a lot less traction, or grip, and will need to be very
careful.
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What is the worst time for this? Wet ice. 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 is about
freezing, 32°F (0°C), 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.
If you have the Traction Assist System (TAS), it will
improve your ability to accelerate when driving on a
slippery road. But you can turn the TAS off if you ever
need to. You should turn the TAS off if your vehicle ever
gets stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow. SeeIf Your Vehicle
is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on page 4-46. Even
though your vehicle has TAS, you will want to slow down
and adjust your driving to the road conditions. Under
certain conditions, you may want to turn the TAS off,
such as when driving through deep snow and loose
gravel, to help maintain vehicle motion at lower speeds.
SeeTraction Assist System (TAS) on page 4-8.
If you do not have TAS, accelerate gently. Try not to
break the fragile traction. If you accelerate too fast, the
drive wheels will spin and polish the surface under
the tires even more.
4-43

If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand,
Mud, Ice or Snow
In order to free your vehicle when it is stuck, you will
need to spin the wheels, but you do not want to spin your
wheels too fast. The method known as rocking can help
you get out when you are stuck, but you must use
caution.
{CAUTION:
If you let your tires spin at high speed, they can
explode, and you or others could be injured.
And, the transmission or other parts of the
vehicle can overheat. That could cause an
engine compartment re or other damage.
When you are stuck, spin the wheels as little
as possible. Do not spin the wheels above
35 mph (55 km/h) as shown on the
speedometer.Notice:Spinning your wheels can destroy parts
of your vehicle as well as the tires. If you spin the
wheels too fast while shifting your transmission
back and forth, you can destroy your transmission.
For more information about using tire chains on your
vehicle, seeTire Chains on page 5-89.
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That
will clear the area around your front wheels. If you have
a four-wheel-drive vehicle, shift into Four-Wheel
High. If your vehicle has the traction assist system, you
should turn it off by pressing the TAS on/off button.
Then shift back and forth between REVERSE (R) and a
forward gear, or with a manual transmission, between
FIRST (1) or SECOND (2) and REVERSE (R), spinning
the wheels as little as possible. Release the accelerator
pedal while you shift, and press lightly on the
accelerator pedal when the transmission is in gear. By
slowly spinning your wheels in the forward and
reverse directions, you will cause a rocking motion that
may free your vehicle. If that does not get you out
after a few tries, you may need to be towed out. Or, you
can use your recovery hooks if your vehicle has
them. If you do need to be towed out, seeTowing Your
Vehicle on page 4-62.
4-46

Loading Your Vehicle
It is very important to know how much weight your
vehicle can carry. This weight is called the vehicle
capacity weight and includes the weight of all occupants,
cargo, and all nonfactory-installed options. Two labels
on your vehicle show how much weight it was designed
to carry, the Tire and Loading Information label and
the Certication/Tire label.
{CAUTION:
Do not load your vehicle any heavier than the
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), or either
the maximum front or rear Gross Axle Weight
Rating (GAWR). If you do, parts on your
vehicle can break, and it can change the way
your vehicle handles. These could cause you
to lose control and crash. Also, overloading
can shorten the life of your vehicle.
Tire and Loading Information Label
A vehicle specic Tire and Loading Information label is
attached to the center pillar (B-pillar). With the driver’s
door open, you will nd the label attached below the door
lock post (striker). The tire and loading information label
shows the number of occupant seating positions (A), and
the maximum vehicle capacity weight (B) in kilograms
and pounds.
The Tire and Loading Information label also shows
the size of the original equipment tires (C) and the
recommended cold tire ination pressures (D). For more
information on tires and ination seeTires on page 5-72
andInation - Tire Pressure on page 5-79. Label Example
4-48

Certication/Tire Label
A vehicle specic Certication/Tire label is found on
the rear edge of the driver’s door. The label shows the
size of your vehicle’s original tires and the ination
pressures needed to obtain the gross weight capacity
of your vehicle. This is called Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating (GVWR). The GVWR includes the weight of
the vehicle, all occupants, fuel, and cargo.The Certication/Tire label also tells you the maximum
weights for the front and rear axles, called Gross Axle
Weight Rating (GAWR). To nd out the actual loads on
your front and rear axles, you need to go to a weigh
station and weigh your vehicle. Your dealer can help you
with this. Be sure to spread out your load equally on both
sides of the centerline.
Never exceed the GVWR for your vehicle, or the GAWR
for either the front or rear axle.
4-51

If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer
If you do, here are some important points:
There are many different laws, including speed limit
restrictions, having to do with trailering. Make sure
your rig will be legal, not only where you live but also
where you’ll be driving. A good source for this
information can be state or provincial police.
Consider using a sway control. See “Hitches” later in
this section.
Don’t tow a trailer at all during the rst
500 miles (800 km) your new vehicle is driven.
Your engine, axle or other parts could be damaged.
Then, during the rst 500 miles (800 km) that you tow
a trailer, don’t drive over 50 mph (80 km/h) and don’t
make starts at full throttle. This helps your engine
and other parts of your vehicle wear in at the heavier
loads.
If you have an automatic transmission, you can tow
in DRIVE (D). You may want to shift the transmission
to THIRD (3) or, if necessary, a lower gear selection
if the transmission shifts too often, such as under
heavy loads and/or hilly conditions. If you have a
manual transmission and you are towing a trailer,
it’s better not to use the highest gear. SeeTow/Haul
Mode Light on page 3-50.Three important considerations have to do with weight:
The weight of the trailer
The weight of the trailer tongue
The weight on your vehicle’s tires
Tow/Haul Mode
Tow/Haul is a feature on automatic transmission
equipped vehicles that assists when pulling a heavy
trailer or a large or heavy load. SeeTow/Haul Mode
on page 2-31for more information.
Tow/Haul is designed to be most effective when the
vehicle and trailer combined weight is at least 75 percent
of the vehicle’s Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR).
See “Weight of the Trailer” later in the section. Tow/Haul
is most useful under the following driving conditions:
When pulling a heavy trailer or a large or heavy load
through rolling terrain.
When pulling a heavy trailer or a large or heavy load
in stop and go traffic.
When pulling a heavy trailer or a large or heavy load
in busy parking lots where improved low speed
control of the vehicle is desired.
4-68

But let’s say your specic vehicle is equipped with some
of the latest options and you have a front seat passenger
and two rear seat passengers with some luggage and
gear in the vehicle as well. You may add 300 lbs (136 kg)
to the front axle weight and 400 lbs (181 kg) to the rear
axle weight. Your vehicle now weighs:
Weight is still below 7,200 lbs (3 266 kg) and you may
think that you should subtract 700 additional pounds
(318 kg) from your trailering capacity to stay within
GCWR limits. Your maximum trailer would only be
7,800 lbs (3 538 kg). You may go further and think you
must limit tongue weight to less than 1,000 lbs (454 kg) to
avoid exceeding GVWR. But, you must still consider the
effect on the rear axle. Because your rear axle now
weighs 3,100 lbs (1 406 kg), you can only put
900 lbs (408 kg) on the rear axle without exceeding
RGAWR. The effect of tongue weight is about 1.5 times
the actual weight. Dividing the 900 lbs (408 kg) by
1.5 leaves you with being able to handle only
600 lbs (272 kg) of tongue weight.Since tongue weight is usually at least 10 percent of
total loaded trailer weight, you can expect that the
largest trailer your vehicle can properly handle is
6,000 lbs (2 721 kg).
It is important that you make sure your vehicle does not
exceed any of its ratings — GCWR, GVWR, RGAWR,
Maximum Trailer Rating or Tongue Weight. The only way
to be sure you are not exceeding any of these ratings is to
weigh your vehicle and trailer.
Total Weight on Your Vehicle’s Tires
Be sure your vehicle’s tires are inated to the upper
limit for cold tires. You’ll nd these numbers on the
Certication label at the rear edge of the driver’s door or
see Loading Your Vehicle for more information. Then be
sure you don’t go over the GVW limit for your vehicle, or
the GAWR, including the weight of the trailer tongue. If
you use a weight distributing hitch, make sure you don’t
go over the rear axle limit before you apply the weight
distribution spring bars.
Hitches
It’s important to have the correct hitch equipment.
Crosswinds, large trucks going by and rough roads
are a few reasons why you’ll need the right hitch.
4-85

Towing a trailer requires a certain amount of experience.
Before setting out for the open road, you’ll want to get to
know your rig. Acquaint yourself with the feel of handling
and braking with the added weight of the trailer. And
always keep in mind that the vehicle you are driving is
now a good deal longer and not nearly as responsive as
your vehicle is by itself.
Before you start, check all trailer hitch parts and
attachments, safety chains, electrical connector, lamps,
tires and mirror adjustment. If the trailer has electric
brakes, start your vehicle and trailer moving and then
apply the trailer brake controller by hand to be sure the
brakes are working. This lets you check your electrical
connection at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally to be sure that the
load is secure, and that the lamps and any trailer brakes
are still working.
While towing a trailer or when exposed to long periods
of sunshine, the oor of the truck bed may become very
warm. Avoid putting items in the truck bed that might be
affected by high ambient temperatures.Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the vehicle ahead as you
would when driving your vehicle without a trailer. This can
help you avoid situations that require heavy braking and
sudden turns.
Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up ahead when
you’re towing a trailer. And, because you’re a good
deal longer, you’ll need to go much farther beyond
the passed vehicle before you can return to your lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand.
Then, to move the trailer to the left, just move that hand
to the left. To move the trailer to the right, move your
hand to the right. Always back up slowly and, if possible,
have someone guide you.
4-89

Bulb Replacement..........................................5-63
Halogen Bulbs..............................................5-63
Headlamps..................................................5-63
Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker and
Daytime Running Lamps.............................5-64
Roof Marker Lamps......................................5-66
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL)
and Cargo Lamp........................................5-67
Pickup Box Identication and Fender
Marker Lamps...........................................5-68
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps and
Back-up Lamps.........................................5-68
Replacement Bulbs.......................................5-70
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement..............5-71
Tires..............................................................5-72
Tire Sidewall Labeling...................................5-73
Tire Terminology and Denitions.....................5-76
Ination - Tire Pressure.................................5-79
Dual Tire Operation.......................................5-80
Tire Inspection and Rotation...........................5-81
When It Is Time for New Tires.......................5-83
Buying New Tires.........................................5-84
Different Size Tires and Wheels......................5-85Uniform Tire Quality Grading..........................5-86
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance..................5-87
Wheel Replacement......................................5-87
Tire Chains..................................................5-89
If a Tire Goes Flat........................................5-90
Changing a Flat Tire.....................................5-91
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools................5-92
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing the
Spare Tire................................................5-96
Secondary Latch System..............................5-105
Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools...........5-108
Spare Tire.................................................5-112
Appearance Care..........................................5-113
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle...............5-113
Fabric/Carpet..............................................5-114
Leather......................................................5-115
Instrument Panel, Vinyl, and
Other Plastic Surfaces..............................5-115
Care of Safety Belts....................................5-116
Weatherstrips.............................................5-116
Washing Your Vehicle..................................5-116
Cleaning Exterior Lamps/Lenses....................5-117
Finish Care................................................5-117
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-2

Windshield and Wiper Blades.......................5-118
Aluminum or Chrome-Plated Wheels..............5-118
Tires.........................................................5-119
Sheet Metal Damage...................................5-119
Finish Damage...........................................5-120
Underbody Maintenance...............................5-120
Chemical Paint Spotting...............................5-120
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials................5-121
Vehicle Identication.....................................5-122
Vehicle Identication Number (VIN)................5-122
Service Parts Identication Label...................5-122Electrical System..........................................5-123
Add-On Electrical Equipment.........................5-123
Windshield Wiper Fuses...............................5-123
Power Windows and Other Power Options......5-123
Fuses and Circuit Breakers..........................5-123
Instrument Panel Fuse Block........................5-124
Center Instrument Panel Fuse Block..............5-126
Underhood Fuse Block................................5-127
Capacities and Specications........................5-133
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-3