wheel OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA 1996 Owner's Manual

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Cargo on the load floor piled higher than
the seatbacks can be thrown forward
during a sudden stop. You or your
passengers could be injured. Keep cargo
below the top of the seatbacks.
Unsecured cargo on the load floor can
be tossed about when driving over rough
terrain. You or your passengers can
be struck by flying objects. Secure the
cargo properly.
Heavy loads on the roof raise the vehicle’s
center
of gravity, making it more likely to
roll over. You can be seriously or fatally
injured if the vehicle rolls over. Put heavy
loads inside the cargo area, not on the roof.
Keep cargo in the cargo area as far forward
and low as possible.
You’ll find other important information in this manual.
See “Vehicle Loading,” “Luggage Carrier” and “Tires”
in the Index.
Environmental Concerns
Off-road driving can provide wholesome and satisfying
recreation. However,
it also raises environmental
concerns. Oldsmobile recognizes these concerns
and
urges every off-roader to follow these basic rules for
protecting the environment:
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Always use established trails, roads and areas that
have been specially set aside for public off-road
recreational driving: obey
all posted regulations.
Avoid any driving practice that could damage the
environment
-- shrubs. flowers, trees, grasses -- or
disturb wildlife (this includes wheel-spinning.
breaking down trees
or unnecessary driving through
streams or over soft ground).
Always carry
a litter bag . . . make sure all refuse is
removed from any campsite before leaving.
Take extreme care
with open fires (where permitted),
camp stoves and lanterns.
Never park your vehicle over dry grass or other
combustible materials that could catch
fire from the
heat of the vehicle‘s exhaust system.
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Scanning the Terrain
Off-road driving can take you over many different
kinds of terrain. You need to be familiar with the terrain
and its many different features. Here are some things
to consider.
Su$uce Condiriorzs. Off-roading can take you over
hard-packed dirt, gravel, rocks, grass, sand, mud, snow or
ice. Each of these surfaces affects the steering, acceleration
and braking of your vehicle
in different ways. Depending
upon the kind of surface
you are on, you may experience
slipping, sliding, wheel spinning, delayed acceleration,
poor traction and longer braking distances.
Surjiuce Obstacles. Unseen or hidden obstacles can be
hazardous.
A rock, log, hole, rut or bump can startle you if
you’re not prepared for them. Often these obstacles are
hidden by grass, bushes, snow or even the rise and fall of
the terrain itself. Here are some things to consider:
Is the path ahead clear?
Will the surface texture change abruptly up ahead?
Does the travel take you uphill or downhill? (There’s
more discussion of these subjects later.)
Will you have to stop suddenly or change
direction quickly? When
you drive over obstacles or rough terrain, keep
a
firm grip on the steering wheel. Ruts, troughs or other
surface features can jerk
the wheel out of your hands if
you’re not prepared.
When you drive over bumps, rocks, or other obstacles,
your wheels can leave the ground. If this happens, even
with one or two wheels,
you can’t control the vehicle as
well or at all.
Because you
will be on an unpaved surface, it’s
especially important to avoid sudden acceleration,
sudden turns or sudden braking.
In a way, off-road driving requires a different kind
of
alertness from driving on paved roads and highways.
There are no road signs, posted speed limits or signal
lights.
You have to use your own good judgment about
what is safe and what isn’t.
Drinking and driving can be very dangerous on any
road. And this is certainly true for off-road driving.
At
the very time you need special alertness and driving
skills, your reflexes, perceptions and judgment can be
affected by
even a small amount of alcohol. You could
have a serious
-- or even fatal -- accident if you drink
and drive or ride with a driver who has been drinking.
See “Drunken Driving”
in the Index.
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Driving Uphill
Once you decide you can safely drive up the hill, you
need
to take some special steps.
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Use a low gear and get a firm grip on the
steering wheel.
Get a smooth start up the hill and try to maintain
your speed. Don’t use more power than you need,
because you don’t want your wheels to start spinning
or sliding.
Try to drive straight up the hill if at all possible. If
the path twists and turns, you might want to find
;hn@h,w rQude.
Ease up on your speed as you approach the top
of the hill.
0 Attach a flag to the vehicle to make you more visible
to approaching traffic on trails or hills.
0 Sound the horn as you approach the top of the hill to
let opposing traffic know you’re there.
you more visible
to oncoming traffic.
0 Use your headlamps even during the day. They make
1 A CAUTION:
’hrning or driving across steep hills can be
dangerous. You could lose traction, slide
sideways, and possibly roll over. You could be
seriously injured or killed. When driving up hills,
always try to go straight up. Driving to the top (crest)
of
a hill at full speed can
cause an accident. There could be a drop-off,
embankment, cliff, or even another vehicle. You
could be seriously injured
or killed. As you near
‘---1 the top of a hill, slow down and stay alert.
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Q.’ What should I do if my vehicle stalls, or is about
A: If this happens, there are some things you should
to stall, and I can’t make it up the hill?
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do, and there are some things you must not do.
First, here’s what you
should do:
Push the brake pedal to stop the vehicle and keep
it
from rolling backwards. Also, apply the parking brake.
If your engine is still running, shift the transmission
to REVERSE (R), release the parking brake, and
slowly back down the hill in REVERSE
(R).
If your engine has stopped running, you’ll need to
restart
it. With the brake pedal depressed and the
parking brake still applied, shift the transmission to
PARK (P) and restart the engine. Then, shift
to
REVERSE (R), release the parking brake, and
slowly back down the hill as straight as possible
in
REVERSE (R).
As you are backing down the hill, put your left hand
on the steering wheel at the 12 o’clock position. This
way, you’ll be able to tell
if your wheels are straight
and maneuver as you back down. It’s best that you
back down the
hill with your wheels straight rather
than in the left or right direction. Turning the wheel
too far to the
left or right will increase the possibility
of a rollover. Here are some things
you
must not do if you stall, or are
about
to stall, when going up a hill.
Never attempt to prevent a stall by shifting into
NEUTRAL
(N) to “rev-up7’ the engine and regain
forward momentum. This won’t work. Your vehicle
will roll backwards very quickly and you could go
out
of control.
Instead, apply the regular brake to stop the
vehicle. Then apply the parking brake. Shift to
REVERSE (R), release the parking brake, and
slowly back straight down.
Never attempt to turn around if you are about to stall
when going up a
hill. If the hill is steep enough to
stall your vehicle, it’s steep enough to cause you to
roll over
if you turn around. If you can’t make it up
the hill, you must back straight down the hill.
Suppose, after stalling, I try to back down the hill
and decide
I just can’t do it. What should I do?
A: Set the parking brake, put your transmission in
PARK (P) and
turn off the engine. Leave the
vehicle and go get some help. Exit on the uphill
side and stay clear of the path the vehicle would
take if it rolled downhill.
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Driving Downhill
When off-roading takes you downhill, you’ll want to
consider
a number of things:
How steep is the downhill? Will I be able to maintain
vehicle control?
What’s the surface like? Smooth? Rough? Slippery?
Hard-packed dirt? Gravel?
Are there hidden surface obstacles? Ruts?
Logs? Boulders?
What’s at the bottom of the hill? Is there a hidden
creek bank or even
a river bottom with large rocks?
If you decide you can go down a hill safely, then try to
keep your vehicle headed straight down, and use
a low
gear. This way, engine drag can help your brakes and
they won’t have to do all the work. Descend slowly,
keeping your vehicle under control at all times.
Heavy braking when going down a hill can cause
your brakes to overheat and fade. This could cause loss
of control and a serious accident. Apply the
brakes lightly when descending a hill and use a low gear to keep vehicle speed under control.
Are there
some things I should not do when
driving down a hill?
A: Yes! These are important because if you ignore them
you could lose control and have
a serious accident.
When driving downhill, avoid turns that take you
across the incline
of the hill. A hill that’s not too
steep to drive down may be too steep
to drive across.
You could roll over if you don‘t drive straight down.
Never go downhill with the transmission in
NEUTRAL
(N). This is called “free-wheeling.” Your
brakes will have to do all the work and could
overheat and fade.
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&: Am I likely to stall when going downhill?
A: It’s much more likely to happen going uphill. But if
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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) 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:
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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.
Surface conditions can be a problem when you drive
across a hill. Loose gravel, muddy spots, or even wet
grass can cause your tires to slip sideways, downhill.
If the vehicle slips sideways, it can hit something
that
will trip it (a rock, a rut, etc.) and roll over.
Hidden obstacles can make the steepness
of the
incline even worse. If you drive across a rock with
the uphill wheels, or
if the downhill wheels drop into
a rut or depression, your vehicle can tilt even more.
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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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A CAUl
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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Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as “highway hypnosis”?
Or is it just plain falling asleep at the wheel? Call it
highway hypnosis, lack
of awareness, or whatever.
There is something about an easy stretch
of road with
the same scenery, along with the hum
of the tires on the
road,
the drone of the engine, and the rush of the wind
against the vehicle that can make you sleepy. Don’t
let it
happen to you! If it does, your vehicle can leave the
road in less than a second, and you could crash and
be injured.
What can
you do about highway hypnosis? First, be
aware that
it can happen.
Then here are some tips:
e
e
e Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a
comfortably cool interior.
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead
and
to the sides. Check your mirrors and your
instruments frequently.
If you get sleepy, pull off the road
into a rest, service
or parking area and take a nap, get some exercise, or
both. For safety, treat drowsiness
on the highway as
an emergency.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is different from
driving
in flat or rolling terrain.
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