steering OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE 1993 User Guide

r
“I’ll be careful” isn’t the right answer.
What if there’s an emergency, a need to
take sudden action, as when a child
darts into the street?
A person with a
higher
BAC might not be able to react
quickly enough to avoid the collision.
There’s something else about drinking
and driving that many people don’t
know. Medical research shows that
alcohol in a person’s system can make
crash injuries worse. That’s especially
true for brain, spinal cord and heart
injuries. That means that if anyone who
has been drinking-driver or
passenger-is in a crash, the chance of
being killed or permanently disabled is
higher than
if that person had not been
drinking. And we’ve already seen that t
C
he chance
of a crash itself is higher for
kinking drivers.
CAllT€~N
r Drinking and then driving is
c b very dangerous. Your reflexes,
pexeptions, and judgment will be
affected
by even a small amount of
alcohol. You could have a
serious-or even fatal-accident if
you drive after drinking. Please
don’t drink and drive or ride with
a
driver who has been drinking.
Ride home in a cab; or
if you’re
with a group, designate a driver
who will not drink.
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your
vehicle go where
you want it to go.
They
are the brakes, the steering and the
accelerator.
All three systems have to do
their work at the places where the tires
meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you’re driving on
snow or ice, it’s easy to ask more of
those control systems than the tires and
road can provide. That means you can
lose control of your vehicle.
n
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Brake Adjustment
Every time you make a brake stop, your
brakes adjust for wear.
If you rarely
make a moderate or heavier stop, then
your brakes might not adjust correctly.
If you drive in that way, then-very
carefully-make a few moderate brake
stops about every
1,000 miles (1 600 km),
so your brakes will adjust properly.
Braking In Emergencies
Use your anti-lock braking system when
you need to. 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.
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because
the engine stops or the system fails to
function, you can steer but it will take
much more effort.
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Your Driving and the Road
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 your
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.
Those two control systems-steering
and acceleration-can overwhelm those
places where
the tires meet the road and
make you lose control.
What should you do if this ever
happens? Let up on the accelerator
pedal, steer the vehicle the way you
want it to go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that
you should adjust your speed. Of
course, the posted speeds are based on
good weather and road conditions.
Under less favorable conditions you’ll
want to go slower. If you need to
reduce your speed as you
approach a curve, do it before you enter
the curve, while your front wheels are
straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed
so you can
“drive” through
the curve. Maintain a
reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until you are out of the curve,
and then accelerate gently into the
straightaway.
When you drive into a curve at night,
it’s harder to see the road ahead
of you
because it bends away from the straight
beams of your lights. This is one good
reason
to drive slower.
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1 Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be
more effective than braking. For
example, you come over a
hill and find a
truck stopped in your lane, or a car
suddenly pulls out from nowhere, or a
child
darts out from between parked
cars and stops right in front of you. You
can avoid these problems by braking-if
you can stop
in time. But sometimes you
can’t; there isn’t room. That’s the time
for evasive action-steering around the
problem.
, Your Oldsmobile can perform very well
in emergencies like these. First apply
your brakes.
It is better to remove as
much speed
as you can from a possible
collision. Then steer around
the
problem, to the left or right depending
on the space available.
An emergency like this requires close
attention and a quick decision.
If you
are holding the steering wheel at the
recommended
9 and 3 o’clock positions,
you can turn it a
full 180 degrees very
quickly without removing either hand.
But you have to act fast, steer quickly,
and just as quickly straighten the wheel
once
you have avoided the object. You
must then be prepared to steer back to
your
original lane and then brake to a
controlled stop. Depending on your
speed,
this can be
rather violent for an unprepared driver.
This is one of the reasons driving
experts recommend that you use your
safety belts and keep
both hands on the
steering wheel.
The fact that such emergency situations
are always possible is a
good reason to
practice defensive driving at all times.
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YOUP Driving and the Road
Ofi-Road Recovery
You may find sometime that your right
wheels have dropped
off the edge of a
road onto the shoulder while you’re
driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only
slightly below the pavement, recovery
should be fairly easy. Ease
off the
accelerator and then,
if there is nothing
in the way, steer
so that your vehicle
straddles the edge
of the pavement. You
can turn the steering wheel up to
?4 turn
until the right front tire contacts the
pavement edge. Then
turn your steering
wheel
to go straight down the roadway.
If the shoulder appears to be about four
inches
(100 mm) or more below the
pavement, this difference can cause
problems.
If there is not enough room to pull entirely onto the shoulder and stop,
then follow the same procedures. But
if
the
right front tire scrubs against the
side of the pavement, do
not steer more
sharply.
With too much steering angle,
the vehicle may jump back onto the road
with
so much steering input that it
crosses over into the oncoming traffic
behre you can bring
it back under
control. Instead, ease
off again on the
accelerator and steering input, straddle
the pavement once more, then
try again.
Passing
The driver of a vehicle about to pass
another
on a two-lane highway waits for
just the right moment, accelerates,
moves around the vehicle ahead, then
goes back into the right lane again.
A
simple maneuver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle
on a two-lane highway is a potentially
dangerous move, since the passing
vehicle occupies the same lane as
oncoming traffic for several seconds.
A
miscalculation, an error in judgment, or
a brief surrender to frustration or anger
can suddenly put the passing driver face
to face with the worst of all traffic
accidents-the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:
“Drive ahead.” Look down the road,
to
the sides, and to crossroads for
situations that might affect your
passing patterns.
If you have any doubt
whatsoever about making
a successful
pass, wait for a better time.
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Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say
about what happens when the
three
control systems (brakes, steering and
acceleration) don’t have enough friction
where the tires meet the road to do what
the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep
trying
to steer and constantly seek an
escape route or area of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of
the vehicle. Defensive drivers avoid
most skids by taking reasonable care
suited to existing conditions, and
by not
“overdriving” those conditions. But
skids are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to
your Oldsmobile’s
three control systems.
In the braking skid your wheels aren’t
rolling.
In the steering or cornering
skid, too much speed or steering in a
curve causes tires to slip and lose
cornering force. And
in the acceleration
skid too much throttle causes the driving
wheels to spin.
A cornering skid and an acceleration
skid are best handled by easing your
foot
off the accelerator pedal. If your
vehicle
starts to slide (as when you turn
a corner on a wet, snow- or ice-covered road), ease your
foot
off the accelerator
pedal as soon as you feel the vehicle
start to slide. Quickly steer the way you
want the vehicle to go.
E you start
steering quickly enough, your vehicle
will straighten out. As it does, straighten
the front wheels.
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
I
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Your Driving and the Road
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 careful.
What’s the worst time for this? “Wet
ice.” Very cold snow or ice can be slick
and hard
to drive on. But wet ice can be
even more trouble because it may offer
the least traction
of all. You can get wet
ice when it’s about freezing
(32°F; 0°C)
and freezing rain begins to fd. 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
ability
to 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 the Index under
Anti-Lock Brake System.
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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Your Driving and the Road
Driving with a Trailer (CONT.)
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
When you’re turning with a trailer,
make wider
turns than normal. Do this
so your trailer won’t strike soft
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees, or
other objects. Avoid jerky or sudden
maneuvers. Signal well in advance.
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has
to have a different
turn signal flasher
and extra wiring. The green arrows on
your instrument panel will flash
whenever you signal
a turn or lane
change. Properly hooked up, the trailer
lights 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 Wh) to reduce the possibility of
engine and transaxle overheating. If
your vehicle has a 3800 V6 engine, you
should also drive in
D instead of
Overdrive when towing a trailer on
fairly level roads. This will help your
engine and transaxle run cooler in
this
condition, too.
If you are towing a trailer that weighs
more
than 1,000 pounds (454 kg), and
you have an automatic transaxle with Overdrive, you may prefer to drive in
D
instead of Overdrive (or, as you need to,
a lower gear).
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Problems on the Road
I
Hazard Warning Flashers
Your hazard warning flashers let you
warn others. They
also let police know
you have a problem. Your front and rear
turn signal lights will flash on and off.
But they won’t flash if you’re braking. Your
hazard warning flashers switch is
on the steering column below the
ignition switch. Press the button in to
make your front and rear turn signal
lights flash on and off.
Your hazard warning flashers work no
matter what position your key is in, and
even if the key isn’t in.
L
To turn off the flashers, pull out on the
collar.
When the hazard warning flashers are
on, your turn signals won’t work.
Other Warning Devices
If you carry reflective triangles, you can
set one up at the side of the road about
300 feet (100 m) behind your vehicle.
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Problems on the Road
192
Towing Your Oldsmobile (CONT.:)
When you call, tell the towing service:
That your vehicle cannot be towed
from the front with sling-type
equipment.
drive.
vehicle. lever.
damaged.
That your vehicle has front-wheel
The make, model, and year of your
Whether you can still move the shift
If there was an accident, what was
When the towing service arrives, let the
tow operator know that this manual
contains detailed towing instructions and
illustrations. The operator may want to
see them.
1 X6016
m,. ,
L ‘~‘n help avoid injury to you or
0 Never let passengers ride in a
vehicle that is
being towed.
* Never tow faster than safe or
0 Never tow with damaged parts
0 Never get under your vehicle
posted speeds.
not fully secured.
after it has been lifted by the tow
truck.
chains on each side when towing
a vehicle.
Never use “J” hooks. Use T-
hooks instead.
* Always use separate safety When your vehicle is being towed, have
the
ignition key
off. The steering wheel
should be clamped 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
and the parking brake released.
Don’t have your vehicle towed on
the
front wheels, unless you must. If the
vehicle must be towed on the front
wheels, don’t
go more than 35 mph
(56 km/h) or farther than 50 miles
(80 km) or your transaxle will be
damaged. If these limits must be
exceeded,
then the front wheels have to
be supported on a dolly.
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