traction control PONTIAC FIREBIRD 1994 Owners Manual

Features and Controls
shift Speeds (MANUAL TRANSMISSION)
This chart shows when to shift to the next higher gear for best fuel economy.
MANUAL TRANSMISSION RECOMMENDED SHIFT SPEEDS, IN MPH (km/h)
Acceleration Shift Speed
1 to2 5
to
6 4 to 5 3 to 4 2 to 3
Engine
3.4L L32
you should downshift to the next lower gear. You may have to downshift two or more
If
your speed drops below
20 mph (30 km/h), or if the engine is not running smoothly,
(80)
(72)
(64)
(40)
(24)
(Code P)
50 45 40
25 15 5.7L LTI NIA
(72-75)
(51-59)
(34-35)
(21-25)
(Code
S)
45-47
32-37
21 -28
13-1 6
gears to keep the engine running smoothly or for
good performance.
NOTICE:
If you skip more than one gear when
you downshift, or if you race the
engine when you downshift, you can
damage the clutch or transmission.
Limited-Slip Rear Axle
If you have this feature, your rear axle
can give you additional traction on
snow, mud, ice, sand or gravel. It works
like a standard axle most of the time,
but
when one of the rear wheels has
no traction and the other does, the limited-slip feature will allow the
wheel with traction to move the vehicle.
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Passing Another Vehicle While Using
Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your
speed. When you take your foot
off the
pedal, your vehicle will slow down to the
Cruise Control speed you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your Cruise Control will work
on hills depends upon your speed, load,
and the steepness
of the hills. When going
up steep hills, you may have to step on
the accelerator pedal to maintain your
speed. When going downhill, you may
have to brake or
shift to a lower gear to
keep your speed down.
Of course,
applying the brake takes you out
of
Cruise Control. Many drivers find this to
be too much trouble and don’t use Cruise
Control on steep hills.
ro Get Out of Cruise Control
:here are several ways to turn off the
3ruise Control:
I. Step lightly on the brake pedal or pus1
the clutch pedal, if you have a manual
transmission;
OR
!. Move the Cruise switch to “OFF.”
:o Erase Speed Memory
Yhen you turn off the Cruise Control or
he ignition, your Cruise Control set speec
nemory is erased.
kaction Control System and Cruise
lontrol
f your traction control system engages
vhile your Cruise Control
is set, Cruise
lontrol will disengage. Your speed will
le
set in memory, though. When Cruise
lontrol engages again, use
“WA”
Resume/Accelerate) to go back to your
et speed.
”‘ 1. 2. 4>
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Instrument Panel
1. Fog Lamp Switch (if equipped)
2. Main Light Control
3. Side Upper Air Vent
4. Instrument Cluster
5. Horn
6. Center Upper Air Vent
7. Audio System
8. Glove Box
9. Comfort Controls
10. Cigarette Lighter
11. Parking Brake Lever
12. Cupholder
13. Storage Console and Cassette Tape/
14. Transmission Mode Switch Compact
Disc Storage (as equipped)
(Automatic Transmission)
15. Shift Lever
16. Ashtray (Automatic Transmission)
17. Rear Window Defogger Switch
18. Steering Wheel Controls
19. Remote Hatch Release
20. Convertible Top Switch
21. Traction Control Switch
(if
equipped)
(if equipped)
22. Ashtray (Manual Transmission)
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Features and Controls
-
I
1:
4
i;
S
S
1
S
C
s
C
S
1
t
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ABS
INOP
f the anti-lock brake system warning
ight stays on longer than normal after
rou’ve started your engine, turn the
gnition
off. Or, if the light comes on and
tays on when you’re driving, stop as
oon as possible and turn the ignition
off.
rhen start the engine again to reset the
‘ystem. If the light still stays on, or
:omed on again while you’re driving,
rour Pontiac needs service. If the light is
In but not flashing and the regular brake
,ystem warning light isn’t on, you still
lave brakes, but you don’t have anti-lock
wakes.
TCS
OFF
kaction Control System Warning
,ight (Option)
men the traction control system is off,
he “TCS OFF” light will come on. This
ight will also come on for three seconds
:ach time you start your vehicle as a bulb
:heck and if there’s a system failure. See
‘Traction Control System” in the Index.
The traction control system will shut
lown partially due to brake overheating
)ut the “TCS OFF” light will not come
m. If there is throttle relaxer overheating,
he “TCS
OFF” light will illuminate
md the system will shut down. Once
werything cools
off, the system will
)perate normally again.
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When this warning light is on, the system
will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your
driving accordingly.
Low Traction Light
When your anti-lock system is adjusting
brake pressure to help avoid a braking
skid, the “LOW TRAC” light will appear
on your instrument cluster. If you have
the traction control system, this light will
also come on when the system is limiting
wheel spin. Slippery road conditions may
exist if this light comes on,
so adjust your
driving accordingly. The light will stay
or
for a few seconds after the anti-lock
system stops adjusting brake pressure or
the traction control system stops limiting
wheel spin. The “LOW TRAC” light also
comes
on briefly, as a bulb check, when
the engine is started.
Sngine Coolant Temperature Gage
’his gage shows the engine coolant
emperature.
If the gage pointer moves
nto the red area, your engine is too, hot!
t means that your engine coolant fias
werheated. If you have been operiting
‘our vehicle under normal driving-
onditions, you should pull off the road,
top your vehicle and turn
off the engine
s soon as possible.
IOT COOLANT CAN BURN
YOU
iADLY!
n “Problems on the Road,” this manual
hows what
to do. See “Engine
Iverheating” in the Index.
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Your Driving and the Road
Here’s how anti-lock works. Let’s say
the road is wet. You’re driving safely.
Suddenly an animal jumps out in front
You slam on the brakes. Here’s what
happens with ABS.
A computer senses that wheels are
slowing down. If one of the wheels is
about to stop rolling, the computer will
separately work the brakes at each front
wheel and at the rear wheels.
The anti-lock system can change the
brake pressure faster than any driver
could. The computer is programmed to
make the most of available tire and road
conditions.
of you.
. . .I30
You can steer around the obstacle while
braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps
receiving updates
on wheel speed and
controls braking pressure accordingly.
Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the
time you need to get your foot
up to the
brake pedal. 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.
To Use 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. When your anti-lock system is adjusting brake pressure to help
avoid a braking skid, the “LOW TRAC”
light will come on. See “Low Traction
Light” in the Index.
Traction Control System (Option: LT1
V8 Engine)
Your vehicle may have a traction control
system that limits wheel spin. This is
especially useful in slippery road
conditions. The system operates only
if
it
senses that one or both of the rear wheels
are spinning or beginning to lose traction.
When this happens, the system works the
rear brakes and reduces engine power (by
closing the throttle and managing spark)
to limit wheel spin.
The “LOW TRAC” light will come on
when your traction control system is
limiting wheel spin. See “Low Traction Light” in the Index.
You may feel the
system working, or you may notice some
noise, but this is normal.
The traction control system may operate
on dry roads under some conditions, and
you may notice a reduction
in acceleration
when this happens. This is normal and
doesn’t mean there’s a problem with your vehicle. Examples of these conditions
include a hard acceleration in a turn, or
an abrupt upshift or downshift.
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TCS
OFF
If your vehicle is in cruise control when
the traction control system begins to
limit wheel spin, the cruise control will
automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow you to safely use it
again, you may re-engage the cruise
control. (See “Cruise Control”
in the
Index.)
The “TCS
OFF” warning light will come
on when you turn the traction control system off. When the system is on, this
light will come on to let you know if
there’s a problem with your traction
control system. See “Traction Control System Warning Light”
in the Index.
When this warning light is on, the system
will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your
driving accordingly.
F
TRACTION
’he traction control system automatically
omes on whenever you start your vehicle
’0 limit wheel spin, especially in
lippery road conditions, you should
lways leave the system on. But you can
urn the traction control system off if you
ver need to. (You should turn the system
Iff if your vehicle ever gets stuck in sand.
mud, ice or snow. See “Rocking Your
[ehicle” in the Index.)
’0 turn the system off, press the button
.ear the center of the console behind the
hift lever. The light on the button will
;o off, and the “TCS OFF” warning light
Jill come on and stay on. If
the traction
ontrol system
is limiting wheel spin
{hen you press the button, the system won’t
turn off
right away. It will wait
until there’s no longer a current need to
limit wheel spin.
You can
turn the system back on at any
time by pressing the button again. The
light on the button should come on, and
the “TCS
OFF” warning light should go
off.
If your car
is equipped with P245/50ZR16
tires, the traction control system will
automatically turn off at speeds above
108 mph ( 173 km/h). (The “TCS OFF”
warning light will not come on.) When
the vehicle speed drops below
103 mph
(165 km/h), the system will automatically
turn on again.
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Your Driving and the Road
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.
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 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.
Both control systems
- steering and
acceleration
- have to do their work
where the tires meet the road. Unless you
have traction control and the system is
on, adding the sudden acceleration can
demand too much of those places.
You
can lose control.
What should you do if this ever happens?
Ease 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.
[f 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.
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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 Pontiac’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 is best handled by
Easing your foot
off the accelerator pedal.
[f you have the traction control system,
remember:
It helps avoid only the
acceleration skid. If you do not have
traction control, or if the system is
off,
then an acceleration skid is also best
handled by easing your foot
off the
accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your
bot 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 recqgnize
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 braking system
(ABS) helps avoid only the braking skid.
*:p? ’
‘.I ,
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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.
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.
0
0
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
cloth 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.
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