PONTIAC BONNEVILLE 1995 Owners Manual

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.
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Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
0 Turn on your low-beam headlamps -- not just your
parking lamps
-- to help make you more visiblle to
others.
0 Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And
be especially carefial when you pass
another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear room
ahead,
and be prepared to have your view restricted
by road spray.
0 Have good tires with proper tread depth. (See “Tires”
in the Index.)
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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:
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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
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.
trip.
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Freeway Driving The most important advice on freeway driving is: Keep
up with traffic and keep to the right.
Drive at the same
speed most of the other drivers are driving. Too-fast
or
too-slow driving breaks a smooth traffic flow. Treat the
left lane
on a freeway as a passing lane.
At the entrance there is usually
a ramp that leads to the
freeway. If
you have a clear view of the freeway as you
drive along the entrance ramp, you should begin to
check traffic.
Try to determine where you expect to
blend with the flow.
Try to merge into the gap at close to
the prevailing speed. Switch
on your turn signal, check
your
mirrors and glance over your shoulder as often as
necessary. Try to blend smoothly with the traffic flow.
Mile for mile, freeways (also called thruways, parkways, expressways, turnpikes,
or superhighways) are the safest
of
all roach But they have their own special rules. Once
you are on the freeway, adjust your speed to the
posted limit or to the prevailing rate if it's slower. Stay
in the right lane unless
you want to pass.
Before changing lanes, check
your mirrors. Then use
your turn signal.
Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly over your
shoulder
to make sure there isn't another vehicle in your
"blind" spot.
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Once you are moving on the freeway, make certain you
allow a reasonable following distance. Expect to move
slightly slower
at night.
When you want to leave the freeway, move to the proper
lane well in advance.
If you miss your exit do not, under
any circumstances, stop and back up. Drive on to the
next exit.
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply.
The exit speed is usually posted.
Reduce your speed according to your speedometer, not
to your sense
of motion. After driving for any distance
at higher speeds, you may tend to think you are going
slower than you actually are.
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Make sure you’re ready. Try to be well rested. If you
must start when you’re not fresh
-- such as after a day’s
work
-- don’t plan to make too many miles that first part
of the journey. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes you
can easily drive in.
Is your vehicle ready for a long trip? If you keep it
serviced and maintained, it’s ready to go. If it needs
service, have
it done before starting out. Of course,
you’ll find experienced and able service experts in Pontiac dealerships
all across North America. They’ll be
ready and willing to help if you need it.
Here are some things you can check before a trip:
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Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the reservoir full? Are
all windows clean inside and outside?
Wiper Blades: Are they in good shape?
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids: Have you checked
all levels?
Lamps: Are they all working? Are the lenses clean?
Tires: They are vitally important to a safe,
trouble-free trip.
Is the tread good enough for
long-distance driving? Are the tires all inflated
to the
recommended pressure?
Weather Forecasts: What’s the weather outlook
along your route? Should you delay your trip a short
time to avoid a major storm system?
Maps: Do you have up-to-date maps?
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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:
Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a
comfortably cool interior.
0 Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and to
the sides. Check your rearview 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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If you drive regularly in steep country, or if you’re
planning to visit there, here are some tips that can make
your trips safer and more enjoyable.
Keep your vehicle in good shape. Check all fluid
levels and also the brakes, tires, cooling system and
transaxle. These parts can work hard on mountain
roads.
Know how to go down hills. The most important
thing to know is this: let your engine
do some of the
slowing down. Shift to
a lower gear when you go
down a steep or long hill.
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Know how to go uphill. Shift down to DRIVE (D).
This will help cool your engine and transaxle, and
you can climb the hill better.
Stay in your own lane when driving
on two-lane
roads
in hills or mountains. Don’t swing wide or cut
across the center of the road. Drive at speeds that let
you stay in your
own lane.
As you go over the top of a hill, be alert. There could
be something in your lane, like a stalled car or an
accident.
You may see highway signs on mountains that
warn
of special problems. Examples are long grades,
passing or no-passing
zones, a faIIing rocks area, or
winding
roads. Be alert to these and take appropriate
action.
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Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your Pontiac in good shape for winter. Be sure
your engine coolant
mix is correct.
your trunk.
You may want to put winter emergency supplies in Include
an ice
scraper, a small brush or broom, a supply
of windshield washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer
clothing, a small shovel, a flashlight, a red cloth, and a
couple
of reflective warning triangles. And, if you will
be
driving under severe conditions, include a small bag
of sand, a piece of old carpet or a couple of burlap bags
to help provide traction.
Be sure you properly secure
these items in your vehicle.
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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 rd, 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
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.
If
you have traction control, keep the system on. It will
improve your ability to accelerate when driving on a
slippery road. Even though your vehicle has a traction
control system, you’ll want to slow down and adjust
your driving to the road conditions. See “Traction
Control System” in the
Index.
If you don’t have the traction control system, 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.
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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
“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.
If You’re Caught in a Blizzard
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you could be in a
serious situation. You should probably stay with your
vehicle
unless you know for sure that you are near help
and you can hike through the snow. Here
are some
things to
do to summon help and keep yourself and your
passengers safe: Turn on your hazard flashers. Tie a red
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clo'th to your vehicle to alert police that you've been
stopped by the snow. Put
on extra clothing or wrap a
blanket around you. If you have no blankets or extra
clothing, make body insulators from newspapers, burlap
bags, rags, floor mats
-- anything you can wrap around
yourself
or tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
You can run the engine to keep warm, but be careful.
Run your engine only as long as you must.
This saves
fuel. When
you run the engine, make it go a little faster
than just idle. That is, push the accelerator slightly. This
uses less fuel
for the heat that you get and it keeps the
battery charged. You will need a well-charged battery
to
restart the vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on
with your headlamps. Let the heater run for awhile.
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