wheel Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme 1996 s Owner's Guide

Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where your tires meet the
road probably have good traction.
However,
if there is snow or ice between your tires and the
road, you can have a very slippery situation. You’ll have a\

lot less traction or “grip” and will need to be very ca\
reful.
What’s the worst time for this? “Wet ice.” Very cold
snow
or ice can be slick and hard to drive on. But wet
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ice
can be even more trouble because it may offer the
least traction ofiall. You can get wet ice when it’s about
freezing
(32 OF; 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. 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.
Your anti-lock brakes improve your vehicle’s stability
when you make a hard stop on a slippery road. Even
though you have the anti-lock braking system, you’ll
want to begin stopping sooner than you would on dry
pavement. See “Anti-Lock” in the Index.
Allow greater following distance on any slippery road.
Watch for slippery spots. The road might be fine
until you hit a spot that’s covered with ice. On an
otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear
in
shaded areas where the sun can’t reach: around
clumps of trees, behind buildings or under bridges.
Sometimes the surface of a curve or an overpass may
remain icy when the surrounding roads are clear. If
you see a patch of ice ahead of you, brake before you
are on it.
Try not to brake while you’re actually on ’
the ice, and avoid sudden steering maneuvers.
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That’s the reason for this part. In it are many
time-tested, important trailering tips and safety rules.
Many of these are important for your safety and that of
your passengers.
So please read this section carefully
before you pull a trailer.
Load-pulling components such as the engine, transaxle,
wheel assemblies and tires are forced to work harder
against the drag of the added weight. The engine is
required to operate at relatively higher speeds and under
greater loads, generating extra heat. What’s more, the
trailer adds considerably to wind resistance, increasing
the pulling requirements.
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.
0 Consider using a sway control. You can ask a hitch
dealer about sway controls.
0 Don’t tow a trailer at all during the first 1,000 miles
(1 600 km) your new vehicle is driven. Your engine,
axle or other parts could be damaged.
0
0
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Then, during the first 500 miles (800 km) that you
tow a trailer, don’t drive over
50 mph (80 kmk) and
don’t make starts at full throttle. This helps your
engine and other parts of your vehicle wear in at the
heavier loads.
Obey speed limit restrictions when towing a trailer.
Don’t drive faster than the maximum posted speed
for trailers
(or no more than 55 mph (90 W)) to
save wear on your vehicle’s parts.
Three important considerations have to do with weight:
the weight of the trailer,
the weight of the trailer tongue
and the total weight on your vehicle’s tires.
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be?
It should never weigh more than
1,000 lbs. (450 kg). But
even that can be too heavy;
It depends on how you plan to use your rig. For
example, speed, altitude, road grades, outside
temperature and how much your vehicle is used to pull a
trailer are all important. And, it can also depend
on any
special equipment that you have on your vehicle.
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e.

Before you start, check the trailer hitch and platform
(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.
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.
Making Turns
NOTICE:
Making very sharp turns while trailering could
cause the trailer to come, in contact with the
vehicle. Your vehicle could be damaged. Avoid
making very sharp turns while trailering.
When you’re turning with a trailer, make wider turns
than normal. Do this
‘so your trailer won’tstrike soft
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees or other objects.
Avoid jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal well
in advance.
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Thrn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle may need a different turn signal flasher and/or extra wiring. Check
with your Oldsmobile retailer. The green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash !whenever you signal a
turn
or lane change. Properly hooked up, the trailer lamps
will also flash, telling other drivers you’re about to turn,
change lanes or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash for turns even if the bulbs on
the trailer are burned out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you
are seeing your signal when they are not. It’s
important to check occasionally to be sure the trailer
bulbs
are still working.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you ,start
down
a long or steep downgrade. If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your brakes
so much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your
speed to. around
45 mph (70 krn/h) to reduce the
possibility
of engine and transaxle overheating. If you
have overdrive, you may prefer to drive in
THIRD
(3) instead of AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (a)
(or, as you need to, a lower gear).
Parking on Hills
You really should not park your vehicle, with a trailer
attached, on a hill. If something goes wrong, your rig
could start to move. People can be injured, and both
your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged.
But
if you ever have to park your rig on a hill, here’s
how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don’t shift into
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release-the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your parking
brake, and then shift to PARK
(P).
5. Release the regular brakes. PARK
(P) yet.
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Towing Your Vehicle
Try to have an Oldsmobile retailer or a professional
towing service tow your Cutlass Supreme. See
“Roadside Assistance” in the Index.
If your vehicle has been changed or modified since it
was factory-new by adding aftermarket items like fog
lamps, aero skirting, or special tires and wheels, these
instructions and illustrations may not be correct.
Before you do anything, turn on the hazard
warning flashers.
When you call, tell the towing service:
That your vehicle cannot be towed 6.om the front
0 That your vehicle has front-wheel drive.
The make, model and year of your vehicle.
0 Whether you can still move the shift lever.
If there was an accident, what was damaged.
When the towing service arrives, let the tow operator
know that this manual contains detailed towing
instructians and illustrations. The operator may want to
see them.
with
sling-type equipment.
,
To help avoid injury to you or others:
Never let passengers ride in a vehicle that is
Never tow faster than safe or posted speeds.
Never tow with damaged parts not
fully secured.
Never get under your vehicle after it has
been lifted by the tow truck.
Always secure the vehicle on each side with
separate safety chains when towing
it.
Never use J-hooks. Use T-hooks instead. being towed.
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When your vehicle is being towed,. have the ignition key
turned to the
OFF position. The steering wheel should
be clhmped in
a straight-ahead position; with a clamping
device designed for towing service.
Do not use the
vehicle’s steering column lock for this. The transaxle
should be
in NEUTRAL (N) and the parking
brake released.
A vehicle can fall from a car carrier if it isn’t
adequately secured. This can cause a collision,
serious personal injury and vehicle damage. The
vehicle should be tightly secured with chains or
steel cables before
it is transported.
Don’t use substitutes (ropes, leather straps,
canvas webbiqg, etc.) that can be cut by sharp
edges underneath the towed vehicle. Always use
T-hooks inserted
in the T-hook slots. Never use
J-hooks. They will damage drivetrain and
suspension components.
Don’t have your vehicle tawed on the drive wheels,
unless
you must. If the vehicle must be towed on the
drive wheels, be sure to follow the speed and distance
restrictions later in
this section or your transaxle will be
damaged.
If these limitations must be exceeded, then the
drive wheels have to be supported on a dolly.

NOTICE:
Do not tow 'ivith sling type equipment or
fascidfog lamp damage
will oceur. Use wheel-lEt
or car carrier equipment. Additional ramping
may be required for
car carrier equipment.
Use safety chains and wheehtraps.
. '
Towing a vehicle over rough surfaces could .
damage a vehicle. Damage can occur from
vehicle
to ground or vehicle to wheel-lift
equipment.
To helg .avoid damage, raise the
vehi.cle until adequate clearance is obtained
between the ground and/or wheel-lift equipment.
Do not attach winch cables or J-hooks to
suspension components when using car carrier
equipment. Always use T-hooks inserted in the
T-hook
slots.

Attach T-hook chains on
both ides,
irr the slotted
holes
irr the bottom of the
frme rails, behind the
front wheels.
These slots we to be used when loading and securing to
ear carrier equipment. Additional mphg may be
required for car carrier equipment. Use safety chains and
wheel straps.
Attach
a separate safety chain around the outboardend
of each lower control arm.
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Rear Towing
Tow Limits -- 35 mph (56 kdj, 50 miles (80 km)
A towing dolly must be used under the drive wheels
when towing from the rea7:
NOTICE:
Do not tow with sling-type equipment or rear
bumper valance damage will occur. Use wheel-lift
or car carrier equipment. Additional ramping
may be required for car carrier equipment.
Use
safety chains and wheel straps.
Towing
a vehicle over rough surfaces could
damage
a vehicle. Damage can occur from
vehicle to ground or vehicle to wheel-lift
equipment. To help avoid damage, install
a
towing dolly and raise the vehicle until adequate
clearance
is obtained between the ground and/or
wheel-lift equipment.
Do not attach winch cables or J-hooks to
suspension components when using car carrier
equipment. Always use T-hooks inserted in the
T-hook slots.
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If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out” while you’re driving,
especially
if you maintain your tires properly. If air goes
out of a tire, it’s much more likely to leak out slowly.
But if you should ever have a “blowout,” here are a few
tips about what to expect and what
to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot
off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel firmly.
Steer to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well out of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and may require the same correction you’d use in a
skid. In any rear blowout, remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by
steering the way you want the vehicle to go. It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but you can still steer. Gently
brake to a stop
-- well off the road if possible.
If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely.
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place. Turn on your hazard
warning flashers.
Changing a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle
can slip
off the jack and roll over you or other
people. You and they could be badly injured.
Find
a level place to change your tire. To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put the shift lever in PARK (P).
3. Turn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won’t move,
you can put blocks at the front and rear
of the
tire farthest away from the one being changed.
That would be the tire on the other side of the
vehicle,
at the opposite end.
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