OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA 1996 Owners Manual

For reasons like these, you need to decide carefully
whether
to try to drive across an incline. Just because the
trail goes across the incline doesn’t mean you have to
drive it. The last vehicle to
try it might have rolled over.
Driving across an incline that’s too steep will
make
your vehicle roll over. You could be
seriously injured or killed.
If you have any doubt
about the steepness
of the incline, don’t drive
across it. Find another route instead.
Q: What if I’m driving across an incline that’s not
too steep, but
I hit some loose gravel and start to
slide downhill. What should
I do?
A: If you feel your vehicle starting to slide sideways,
turn downhill. This should help straighten out the
vehicle and prevent the side slipping. However, a
much better way to prevent this
is to get out and
“walk the course”
so you know what the surface is
like before you drive it.
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Stalling on an Incline
If your vehicle stalls when you’re crossing an incline, be
sure you (and your passengers) get out on the uphill
side, even
if the door there is harder to open. If you get
out
on the downhill side and the vehicle starts to roll
over, you’ll be right
in its path.
If you have to walk
down the slope, stay out of the path
the vehicle will take if it does roll over.
Getting out on the downhill (low) side of a vehicle
stopped across an incline is dangerous.
If the
vehicle rolls over, you could be crushed or killed.
Always get out on the uphill (high) side
of the
vehicle and stay well clear
of the rollover path.
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Driving in Mud, Sand, Snow or Ice
When you drive in mud, snow or sand, your wheels
won’t get good traction.
You can’t accelerate as
quickly, turning is more difficult, and you’ll need
longer braking distances.
It’s best
to use a low gear when you’re in mud -- the
deeper the mud, the lower the gear. In really deep mud,
the idea
is to keep your vehicle moving so you don’t
get stuck.
When you drive on sand, you’ll sense a change in wheel
traction. But
it will depend upon how loosely packed the
sand is. On loosely packed sand
(as on beaches or sand
dunes) your tires will tend to sink into the sand. This has
an effect on steering, accelerating and braking. You may
want to reduce
the air pressure in your tires slightly
when driving on sand. This
will improve traction. Hard packed snow and
ice offer the worst tire traction.
On these surfaces, it’s 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.
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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.
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Driving in Water
Light rain causes no special off-road driving problems.
But heavy rain can mean flash flooding, and flood
waters demand extreme caution.
Find out how deep the water is before
you drive through
it. If it’s deep enough to cover your wheel hubs, axles or
exhaust pipe, don’t try it
-- you probably won’t get
through.
Also, water that deep can damage your axle
and other vehicle parts.
If the water isn’t too deep, then drive through it
slowly. At fast speeds, water splashes
on your ignition
system and your vehicle can stall. Stalling can also
occur if you get your tailpipe under water. And,
as long
as your tailpipe is under water, you’ll never be able to
start your engine. When you go through water,
remember that when your brakes get wet,
it may take
you longer to stop. Driving through rushing water can be dangerous.
Deep water can sweep your vehicle downstream
and you and your passengers could drown.
If it’s
only inches deep, it can still wash away the
ground from under your tires, and you could lose
traction and roll the vehicle over. Don’t drive
through rushing water.
See “Driving Through Water” in the Index for more
information on driving through water.
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After Off-Road Driving
Remove any brush or debris that has collected on the
underbody, chassis or under the hood. These
accumulations can be a fire hazard.
Driving at Night
After operation in mud or sand, have the brake linings
cleaned and checked. These substances can cause
glazing and uneven braking. Check the body structure,
steering, suspension, wheels, tires and exhaust system
for damage. Also, check the fuel lines and cooling
system for any leakage.
Your vehicle will require more frequent service due to
off-road use. Refer to the Maintenance Schedule for
additional information.
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving. One reason is that some drivers are
likely to be impaired -- by
alcohol or drugs, with night vision problems, or by fdtigue.
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Here are some tips on night driving.
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Drive defensively.
Don’t drink and drive.
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the
glare from headlamps behind
you.
Since you can’t see as well, you may need to
slow down and keep more space between you and
other vehicles.
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlamps can light up only
so much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you’re tired, pull off the road in a safe place
and rest.
Night Vision
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime. But as
we get older these differences increase. A 50-year-old
driver may require at least twice as much light to see the
same thing at night
as a 20-year-old.
What you do
in the daytime can also affect your night
vision. For example, if you spend the day in bright
sunshine you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your eyes will have less trouble adjusting
to night. But if you’re
driving, don’t wear sunglasses at night. They may cut
down on glare from headlamps, but they
also make a lot
of things invisible.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching
headlamps.
It can take a second or two, or even several
seconds, for your eyes to readjust to the dark. When you
are faced with severe glare
(as from a driver who
doesn’t lower the high beams, or
a vehicle with
misaimed headlamps), slow down
a little. Avoid staring
directly into the approaching headlamps.
Keep your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle
clean
-- inside and out. Glare at night is made much
worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside of the glass
can build up
a film caused by dust. Dirty glass makes
lights dazzle and flash more than clean glass would,
making the pupils
of your eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that your headlamps light up far less of a
roadway when you are
in a turn or curve. Keep your
eyes moving; that way, it’s easier to pick out dimly
lighted objects. Just
as your headlamps should be
checked regularly for proper aim,
so should your eyes
be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from night
blindness
-- the inability to see in dim light -- and
aren’t even aware of
it.
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Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet
road, you can’t stop, accelerate or
turn as well because
your tire-to-road traction isn’t
as good as on dry roads.
And,
if your tires don’t have much tread left, you’ll get
even less traction. It’s always wise to go slower and be
cautious
if rain starts to fall while you are driving. The
surfhce may get wet suddenly when your reflexes are
tuned for driving on dry pavement.
The heavier the rain, the harder it is to see. Even
if your
windshield wiper blades are
in good shape, a heavy rain
can make
it harder to see road signs and traffic signals,
pavement markings, the edge of the road and even
people walking.
It’s wise to keep your wiping equipment
in good shape
and keep your windshield washer tank filled with
washer fluid. Replace your windshield wiper inserts
when they show signs of streaking or missing areas on
the windshield, or when strips
of rubber start to separate
from
the inserts.
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Driving too fast through large water puddles or even
going through
some car washes can cause problems, too.
The water may affect your brakes. Try to
avoid puddles.
But if you can’t, try to
slow down before you hit them.
Wet brakes can cause accidents. They won’t worl
well in a quick stop and may cause pulling to one
side. You could lose control of the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle
of water or
a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly until
your brakes work normally.
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Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the water.
This can happen if the road is wet enough and you’re
going fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning,
it has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But
it can if your
tires haven’t much tread or if the pressure in one or
more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is standing on
the road. If you can see reflections from trees, telephone
poles or other vehicles, and raindrops “dimple” the
water’s surface, there could be hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There
just isn’t a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. The
best advice is to slow down when it is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
NOTICE:
If you drive too quickly through deep puddles or
standing water, water can come in through your
engine’s air intake and badly damage your
engine. Never drive through water that is slightly
lower than the underbody
of your vehicle. If you
can’t avoid deep puddles
or standing water, drive
through them very slowly.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
0 Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when you pass
another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear
room
ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted
by road spray.
“Tires” in the Index.)
0 Have good tires with proper tread depth. (See
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City Driving
One of the biggest problems with city streets is the
amount of traffic on them. You’ll want to watch out
for
what the other drivers are doing and pay attention to
traffic signals. Here
are ways to increase your safety
in city driving:
Know the best way to get to where you are
going. Get a city map and plan your trip into an
unknown part
of the city just as you would for a
cross-country trip.
Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross most
large cities.
You’ll save time and energy. (See the
next part, “Freeway Driving.”)
Treat a green light as a warning signal. A traffic
light is there because the corner is busy enough to
need
it. When a light turns green, and just before you
start to move, check both ways for vehicles that have
not cleared the intersection
or may be running the
red light.
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