traction control OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS 1997 Owners Manual

Cruise Control
Cruise control can be dangerous where you
can’t drive safely at
a steady speed. So,
don’t use your cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.
slippery roads.
On such roads, fast changes
in tire traction can cause needless wheel
spinning, and you could lose control. Don’t
use cruise control on slippery roads.
Cruise control can be dangerous on
With cruise control, you can maintain
a speed of about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more without keeping your foot
on
the accelerator. This can really help on long trips.
Cruise control does
not work at speeds below
25 mph (40 km/h).
When you apply your brake, the cruise control shuts off.
2-32
ProCarManuals.com

Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too close to the vehicle in
front
of you, you won’t have time to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead to stop, even though you have
.anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal
down and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel the
system working, or you may notice some noise, but
this
is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system is not functioning, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject to
the same laws of physics when driving on curves. The
traction of the tires against the road surface makes it
possible for the vehicle to change its path when you
turn
the front wheels. If there’s no traction, inertia will keep
the vehicle going in the same direction. If you’ve ever
tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you’ll understand this\
.
The traction you can get
in a curve depends on the
condition
of your tires and the road surface, the angle at
which the curve is banked, and yom speed. While you’re
in a curve, speed is the one factor you can control.
Suppose you’re steering through a sharp curve. Then you
suddenly accelerate. Both control systems
-- steering and
acceleration
-- have to do their work where the tires meet
the road. Adding the sudden acceleration can demand too
much
of those places. You can lose control.
4-9
ProCarManuals.com

If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want the
vehicle to
go. If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a
second skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction
is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel or other material is on the road. For safety, you’ll
want
to slow down and adjust your driving to these
conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving
on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration or
braking (including engine braking by shifting to a lower gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires to slide.
You may not realize the surface
is slippery until your
vehicle
is skidding. Learn to recognize warning clues --
such as enough water, ice or packed snow on the road to
make a “mirrored surface”
-- and slow down when you
have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system
(ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.
Driving at Night
I
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 fatigue.
4-14
ProCarManuals.com

Buying New Tires
To find out what kind and size of tires you need, look at
the Tire-Loading Information label,
The tires installed on your vehicle when it was new had
a Tire Performance Criteria Speclfication (TPC Spec)
number on each tire’s sidewall. When you get new tires,
get ones with that same TPC Spec number. That way
your vehicle will continue to have tires that are designed
to give proper endurance, handling, speed rating,
traction, ride and other things during normal service on
your vehicle.
If your tires have an all-season tread
design, the TPC number will be followed by an
“MS”
(for mud and snow).
If
you ever replace your tires with those not having a
TPC Spec number, make sure they are the same size,
load range, speed rating and construction type (bias,
bias-belted or radial) as your original tires. Mixing
tires could cause you to lose control while
driving.
If you mix tires of different sizes or types
(radial and bias-belted tires), the vehicle may not
handle properly, and you could have a crash.
Using tires
of different sizes may also cause
damage to your vehicle. Be sure to use the same
size and type tires on
all wheels.
I
It’s all right to drive with your compact spare,
though.
It was developed for use on your vehicle.
6-36
ProCarManuals.com

Uniform Tire Quality Grading
The following information relates to the system developed by the United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Adrninistration, which grades tires by
treadwear, traction and temperature performance.
(This
applies only to vehicles sold in the United States.) The
grades are molded on the sidewalls of most passenger
car tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading system does
not apply to deep tread, winter-type snow tires,
space-saver or temporary use spare tires, tires with
nominal
rim diameters of 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm),
or to some limited-production tires.
While the tires available on General Motors passenger
cars and light trucks may vary with respect to these
grades, they must also conform to Federal safety
requirements and additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC) standards.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on
the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified government test course. For
example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and a half
.
(1 1/2) times as well on the government course as a tire
graded
100. The relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use, however, and
may depart significantly from the norm due to variations
in driving habits, service practices and differences
in
road characteristics and climate.
Traction -- A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are A, B, and
C, and they represent the tire’s ability to stop on wet
pavement
as measured under controlled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt and concrete.
A tire marked C may have poor traction performance.
Warning: The traction grade assigned to this tire is based
on braking (straight ahead) traction tests and does not
include cornering (turning) traction.
ProCarManuals.com

Tires (Continued) Loading
.................................... 4-30
Pressure
.................................... 6-33
Temperature
................................. 6-38
Traction
.................................... 6-37
Treadwear
................................... 6-37
Uniform Quality Grading
....................... 6-37
Used Replacement Wheel
...................... 6-39
Wear Indicators
.............................. 6-35
Wheel Replacement
........................... 6-38
When It’s Time for New
....................... 6-35
TopStrap
..................................... 1-37
TorqueLock
................................... 2-23
Torque. Wheel
Nut ......................... 5-29. 6-57
Towing
From the Front
................................ 4-28
FromtheRear
............................... 4-30
Recreational Vehicle
.......................... 4-28
Towing a Trailer
................................ 4-32
Towing
Your Vehicle ............................. 5-8
Towing Your Vehicle From the Front
............... 4-28
Towing Your Vehicle From the Rear
................ 4-30
Trailer
Backing Up with
............................. 4-37
Brakes
..................................... 4-36
Driving
on Grades ............................ 4-38
Drivingwitha
............................... 4-36
Following Distance
with ....................... 4-37
Hitches
..................................... 4-35
Maintenance When Towing
..................... 4-40
MakingTums
................................ 4-38
ParkingonHills
.............................. 4-39
Passingwith
................................. 4-37 SafetyChains
................................ 4-36
Tongueweight
............................... 4-34
Total Weight on Tires
.......................... 4-35
Towing
..................................... 4-32
Turnsignals
................................. 4-38
Weight ..................................... 4-34
Automatic
................................... 6-16
Ignition Lock Check
.......................... 7-40
Transmitters. Remote Lock Control
.................. 2-6
Transportation. Courtesy
.......................... 8-6
Trip Odometer
................................. 2-49
Transaxle
Trunk
........................................ 2-10
Lamp
...................................... 2-38
Release Lockout. Remote
...................... 2-10
Release. Remote
.............................. 2-10
TTYUsers
..................................... 8-4
Turn Signal and Lane Change Signals
............... 2-28
Turn Signal On Chime
........................... 2-28
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
................... 2-28
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
................ 4-38
Underbody Flushing Service
..................... 7-40
Underbody Maintenance
......................... 6-57
Vehicle Control
...................................... 4-6
Damagewarnings
.............................. iv
Dimensions
................................. 6-58
Identification Number
......................... 6-49
Loading
.................................... 4-30
Storage
..................................... 6-26
9-10 .
ProCarManuals.com