length GMC SONOMA 1999 Owner's Manual

4-3
Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It's the number one contributor to
the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims
every year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to
drive a vehicle:

Judgment

Muscular Coordination

Vision

Attentiveness.
Police records show that almost half of all motor
vehicle
-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases,
these deaths are the result of someone who was drinking
and driving. In recent years, over 17,000 annual motor
vehicle
-related deaths have been associated with the use
of alcohol, with more than 300,000 people injured.
Many adults
-- by some estimates, nearly half the adult
population
-- choose never to drink alcohol, so they
never drive after drinking. For persons under 21, it's
against the law in every U.S. state to drink alcohol.
There are good medical, psychological and
developmental reasons for these laws.The obvious way to solve the leading highway safety
problem is for people never to drink alcohol and then
drive. But what if people do? How much is ªtoo muchº
if the driver plans to drive? It's a lot less than many
might think. Although it depends on each person and
situation, here is some general information on
the problem.
The Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of someone
who is drinking depends upon four things:

The amount of alcohol consumed

The drinker's body weight

The amount of food that is consumed before and
during drinking

The length of time it has taken the drinker to
consume the alcohol.
According to the American Medical Association, a
180
-lb. (82 kg) person who drinks three 12-ounce
(355 ml) bottles of beer in an hour will end up with a
BAC of about 0.06 percent. The person would reach the
same BAC by drinking three 4
-ounce (120 ml) glasses
of wine or three mixed drinks if each had 1
-1/2 ounces
(45 ml) of a liquor like whiskey, gin or vodka.

4-22
Q:Am I likely to stall when going downhill?
A:It's much more likely to happen going uphill.
But if it happens going downhill, here's what to do.

Stop your vehicle by applying the regular brakes.
Apply the parking brake.

Shift to PARK (P) (or to NEUTRAL (N) with the
manual transmission) and, while still braking, restart
the engine.

Shift back to a low gear, release the parking brake,
and drive straight down.

If the engine won't start, get out and get help.
Driving Across an Incline
Sooner or later, an off-road trail will probably go across
the incline of a hill. If this happens, you have to decide
whether to try to drive across the incline. Here are some
things to consider:

A hill that can be driven straight up or down may be
too steep to drive across. When you go straight
up or down a hill, the length of the wheel base
(the distance from the front wheels to the rear
wheels) reduces the likelihood the vehicle will
tumble end over end. But when you drive across
an incline, the much more narrow track width
(the distance between the left and right wheels) may
not prevent the vehicle from tilting and rolling over.
Also, driving across an incline puts more weight on
the downhill wheels. This could cause a downhill
slide or a rollover.

4-42
CAUTION:
Things you put inside your vehicle can strike
and injure people in a sudden stop or turn, or
in a crash.

Put things in the cargo area of your vehicle.
Try to spread the weight evenly.

Never stack heavier things, like suitcases,
inside the vehicle so that some of them are
above the tops of the seats.

Don't leave an unsecured child restraint in
your vehicle.

When you carry something inside the
vehicle, secure it whenever you can.
There's also important loading information for off-road
driving in this manual. See ªLoading Your Vehicle for
Off
-Road Drivingº in the Index.
Payload
The payload capacity is shown on the Certification/Tire
label. This is the maximum load capacity that your
vehicle can carry. If you are using ethanol fuel the
maximum payload should not exceed 1000 lbs (454 kg).
Be sure to include the weight of the occupants as part of
your load. If you added any accessories or equipment
after your vehicle left the factory, remember to subtract
the weight of these things from the payload. Your dealer
can help you with this.
2-Tiered Loading
By positioning four 2, x 6, wooden planks across the
width of the pickup box, you can create an upper load
platform. The planks must be inserted in the pickup box
depressions. The length of the planks must allow for at
least a 3/4 inch (2 cm) bearing surface on each end of
the plank.
When using this upper load platform, be sure the load is
securely tied down to prevent it from shifting. The
load's center of gravity should be positioned in a zone
over the rear axle. The zone is located in the area
between the front of each wheel well and the rear of
each wheel well. The center of gravity height must not
extend above the top of the pickup box flareboard.

6-70 Vehicle Dimensions*
Wheelbase
Reg Cab Short Box 108.3 inches (275.1 cm). . . . . .
Reg Cab Long Box 117.9 inches (299.5 cm). . . . . .
Extended Cab 122.9 inches (312.2 cm). . . . . . . . . .
Length
Reg Cab Short Box 189.0 inches (480.1 cm). . . . . .
Reg Cab Long Box 204.9 inches (520.4 cm). . . . . .
Extended Cab 203.6 inches (517.1 cm). . . . . . . . . .
Height
2WD Reg Cab 62.1 inches (157.7 cm). . . . . . . . . . .
2WD Ext Cab 62.2 inches (158.0 cm). . . . . . . . . . .
4WD Reg Cab Short Box 63.8 inches (162.1 cm). .
4WD Reg Cab Long Box 65.4 inches (166.1 cm). .
4WD Extended Cab 63.8 inches (162.1 cm). . . . . .
Width 67.9 inches (172.5 cm). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Front Tread
2WD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.0 Wheel Offset 54.5 inches (138.4 cm). . . . . . . . .
-6.4 Wheel Offset 55.0 inches (139.6 cm). . . . . . . .
4WD
15
-inch Tires 57.3 inches (145.4 cm). . . . . . . . . . . .
31 x 10.5 Tires 61.2 inches (155.4 cm). . . . . . . . . . .
Rear Tread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2WD 54.7 inches (138.8 cm). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4WD
15
-inch Tires 55.1 inches (139.9 cm). . . . . . . . . . . .
31 x 10.5 Tires 59.1 inches (150.0 cm). . . . . . . . . . .
*Figures reflect base equipment only.