tires PONTIAC BONNEVILLE 2003 User Guide

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 do not have 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.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
Notice: If you drive too quickly through deep
puddles or standing water, water can come
in
through your engine’s air intake and badly damage
your engine. Never drive through water that is
slightly lower than the underbody of your vehicle.
water, drive through them very slowly.
!f you can’t avoid deep puddles or standing
Driving Through Flowing Water
Flowing or rushing water creates strong
forces. If you try to drive through flowing
water, as you might at a low water crossing,
your vehicle can be carried away.
As little as
six inches of flowing water can carry away a
smaller vehicle. If this happens, you and other
vehicle occupants could drown. Don’t ignore
police warning signs, and otherwise be very
cautious about trying to drive through
flowing water.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
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distance. And be especially careful when you
pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear
room ahead, and be prepared to have your
view restricted by road spray.
Have
good tires with proper tread depth. See Tires
on page 5-62.
4-1 9

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. Of
course, you’ll find experienced and able service
experts in 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:
a
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.
Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the reservior 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?
4-22

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.
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.
4-23

Hill and Mountain Roads
-
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.
0 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.
Driving on steep hills or mountains is different from
driving
in flat or rolling terrain.
If you don’t shift down, your brakes could get
so hot that they wouldn’t work well. You would
then have poor braking or even none going down
a hill. You could crash. Shift down to let
your engine assist your brakes on a steep downhill slope.
4-24

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.
i
.a
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; OT) 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
(TCS) on page 4-9.
If you don’t have a traction control system, accelerate
gently. Try not to break the gentle traction. If you
accelerate too fast, the drive wheels will spin and polish
the surface under the tires even more.
4-27

Then, shut the engine off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine
again and repeat this only when you feel really
uncomfortable from the cold. But do it as little as
possible. Preserve the fuel as long as you can. To help
keep warm, you can get out of the vehicle and do
some fairly vigorous exercises every half hour or
so until
help comes.
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice
or Snow
In order to free your vehicle when it is stuck, you will
need to spin the wheels, but you don’t want to spin your
wheels too fast. The method known as “rocking” can
help you get out when you’re stuck, but you must
use caution. If
you let your tires
s 1 at high speed, they
can explode, and you or others could be
injured. And, the transaxle or other parts of the
vehicle can overheat. That could cause an
engine compartment fire
or other damage.
When you’re stuck, spin the wheels as little as
possible. Don’t spin the wheels above
35 mph
(55 km/h) as shown on the speedometer.
Notice: Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of
your vehicle as well as the tires. If you spin the
wheels too fast while shifting your transaxle back
and forth, you can destroy your transaxle. See
“Rocking Your Vehicle
To Get It Out.”
For information about using tire chains on your vehicle.
see
Tire Chains on page 5-71.
4-30

Loading Your Vehicle
Two labels on your vehicle show how much weight it
may properly carry. The Tire-Loading information
label found on the rear edge of the driver’s door tells
you the proper size, speed rating and recommended
inflation pressures for the tires on your vehicle. It also
gives you important information about the number
of people that can be in your vehicle and the total weight
that you can carry. This weight is called the Vehicle
Capacity Weight and includes the weight of all
occupants, cargo and all nonfactory-installed options.
THIS VEHICLE CONFORMS
VEHICLE
SAFETY BUMPER
The other label is the Certification label, found on the
rear edge of the driver’s door. It tells you the gross
weight capacity of your vehicle, called the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR). The GVWR includes the
weight of the vehicle, all occupants, fuel and cargo.
Never exceed the GVWR for your vehicle, or the Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for either the front or
rear axle.
4-34

Automatic Level Control
This feature keeps the rear of your vehicle level as the
load changes. It is automatic
- you do not need to
adjust anything.
Towing a Trailer
If you don’t use orr ~ - t equiprr It and
drive properly, you can lose control when you
pull a trailer. For example, if the trailer
is too
heavy, the brakes may not work well
-- or even
at all. You and your passengers could be
seriously injured. You may also damage your
vehicle; the resulting repairs would not be covered by your warranty. Pull a trailer only if
you have followed all the steps in this section.
Ask your dealer for advice and information
about towing a trailer with your vehicle. Your
vehicle can tow a trailer
if it is equipped with the
proper trailer towing equipment. To identify what
the vehicle trailering capacity is for your vehicle, you
should read the information in “Weight of the Trailer” that
appears later in this section. But trailering is different
than just driving your vehicle by itself. Trailering means
changes in handling, durability and fuel economy.
Successful, safe trailering takes correct equipment, and
it has to be used properly.
That’s the reason for this part. In it are many time-tested,
iq3Ortant 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.
4-36

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.
Then, during the first 500 miles (800 km) that you
tow a trailer, don’t drive over 50 mph (80 km/h)
and don’t make starts at full throttle. This helps your
engine and other parts of your vehicle wear in at
the heavier loads.
0 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 km/h),
to save wear on your vehicle’s parts.
rhree important considerations have to do with weight:
0 the weight of the trailer,
the weight oi the traiier 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 Ibs. (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.
You can ask your dealer for our trailering information
or advice, or you can write us at:
Pontiac-GMC Customer Assistance Center
P.O. Box 33172
Detroit, MI 48232-51 72
In Canada, write to:
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Communication Centre, 163-005
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario L1H 8P7
4-37

Weight of the Trailer Tongue
The tongue load (A) of any trailer is an important weight
to measure because it affects the total or gross weight
of your vehicle. The Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW)
includes the curb weight of the vehicle, any cargo you
may carry in it, and the people who will be riding in
the vehicle. And
if you tow a trailer, you must add the
tongue load to the GVW because your vehicle will
be carrying that weight, too. See
Loading Your Vehicle
on page 4-34 for more information about your
vehicle’s maximum load capacity.
A B
If you’re using a weight-carrying hitch or a
weight-distributing hitch, the trailer tongue (A) should
weigh
10-15 percent of the total loaded trailer
weight (B).
After you’ve loaded your trailer, weigh the trailer and
then the tongue, separately, to see
if the weights
are proper.
If they aren’t, you may be able to get them
right simply by moving some items around in the
trailer.
Total Weight on Your Vehicle’s Tires
Be sure your vehicle’s tires are inflated to the upper limit
for cold tires. You’ll find these numbers on the
Tire-Loading Information label at the rear edge of the
driver’s door or see
Loading Your Vehicle on page 4-34.
Then be sure you don’t go over the GVW limit for
your vehicle, including the weight of the trailer tongue.
Hitches
It’s important to have the correct hitch equipment.
Crosswinds, large trucks going by and rough roads are
a few reasons why you’ll need the right hitch. Here
are some rules to follow:
The rear bumper on your vehicle is not intended for
hitches.
Do not attach rental hitches or other
bumper-type hitches to it.
Use only a
frame-mounted hitch that does not attach to the
bumper.
4-38