weight PONTIAC FIREBIRD 1998 Owners Manual

Child Restraints
Every time infants and young children ride in
vehicles, they should have protection provided by
appropriate restraints.
@ What are the different types of add-on
child restraints?
A: Add-on child restraints are available in four basic
types. When selecting
a child restraint, take into
consideration
not only the child’s weight and size,
but
also whether or not the restraint will be
compatible with the motor vehicle
in which it will
be used.
An infant car bed (A) is a special bed made for use
in a motor vehicle. It’s an infant restraint system
designed to
restrain or position a child on a
continuous flat surface. With an infant car bed,
make sure that the infant’s head rests toward the
center of the vehicle.
1-34

Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running (Automatic Transmission
Only)
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with the
engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever
is not fully in PARK (P)
with the parking brake firmly set. And, if you
leave the vehicle with the engine running, it could
overheat and even
catch fire. You or others could
be injured. Don’t leave your vehicle with the
engine running unless you have to.
Torque Lock (Automatic Transmission)
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transmission into
PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl in
the transmission. You may find
it difficult to pull the
shift lever out
of PARK (P). This is called “torque lock.”
To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then
shift into
PARK (P) properly before you leave the
driver’s seat.
To find out how, see “Shifting Into
PARK (P)” in the Index.
When you are ready
to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK (P) before you release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have another
vehicle push
yours a little uphill to take some of the
pressure from the parking pawl
in the transmission, so
you can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
2-40

NOTICE:
Before lowering the convertible top into the storage area, be sure there are no objects in the
way of the folded, stored top. The weight of
a
stored top on items in the storage area will cause
the convertible top back glass
to break.
2. Unlock the front of the convertible top by pushing on
the smaller part
of the latch, then pulling down on.
the larger part of the latch. Be sure the hook
on the latch that attaches into the hole at the
windshield releases.
3. Make sure there is
nothing
or anyone on or
around the top. Push and
hold the
bottom of the
convertible
TOP switch.
The switch
is on the
console in front
of the
gear shift lever. The top
will automatically lower
into the storage area.
2-70

Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is a
national tragedy. It’s the number one contributor to the
highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims every year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive
a vehicle:
Judgment
0 Muscular Coordination
0 Vision
Attentiveness.
Police records show that almost half of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol.
In most cases,
these deaths are the result of someone who was drinking
and driving. In recent years, over 17,000 annual motor
vehicle-related deaths have
been associated with the use
of alcohol, with more than
300,000 people injured.
Many adults
-- by some estimates, nearly half the
adult population
-- choose never to drink alcohol,
so they never drive after drinking. For persons under
21, it’s against the law in every
U.S. state to drink
alcohol. There are good medical, psychological and
developmental reasons for these laws. The
obvious way to solve this highway safety problem
is for people never to drink alcohol and then drive. But
what if people
do? How much is “too much” if the
driver plans
to drive? It’s a lot less than many might
think. Although it depends on each person and situation,
here is some general information on the problem.
The Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)
of someone
who is drinking depends upon four
things:
0 The amount of alcohol consumed
The drinker’s body weight
0 The amount of food that is consumed before and
during drinking
0 The length of time it has taken the drinker to
consume the alcohol.
According to
the American Medical Association, a
180-lb. (82 kg) person who drinks three 12-ounce
(355 ml) bottles of beer in an hour will end up with a
BAC
of about 0.06 percent. The person would reach the
same BAC by drinking
three 4-ounce (120 ml) glasses
of wine or three mixed drinks if each had 1-1/2 ounces
(45 ml) of a liquor like whiskey, gin or vodka.
4-3

Braking
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That’s
perception time. Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That’s
reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 314 OS a second. But
that’s only
an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in 3/4 of a second, a vehicle
moving at
60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m).
That could be
a lot of distance in an emergency, so
keeping enough space between your vehicle and others
is important.
And,
of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface
of the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread;
the condition of your brakes; the weight of the
vehicle and the amount of brake force applied. Avoid
needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts
-- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffk. This
is a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster if you do a
lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you
will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. That
means better braking and longer brake life.
If
your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
normally but don’t pump your brakes.
If you do, the
pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But
you will use it when you brake. Once the power assist is
used up, it may take longer to
stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push.

Loading Your Vehicle
TIRE- LOADING INFORMATION
OCCUPANTS VEHICLE CAf
yv 1, nDD 28KPA(4LBS)
'q s Manual for tire pressure needed at
l~lH(100 mph) or higher speeds, where legal, and for additional tire information
Two labels on your vehicle show how much weight it
may properly
carry. The Tire-Loading Information label
found on the rear edge of 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.
MFD BY GENERAL MOTORS CORP
DATE GWR GAM FRT
!a
THIS VEHICLE CONFORMS TO ALL
VEHICLE
SAFm BUMPER,QPT
EFFECT ON THE b~ WN ABOVE.
4% CAR
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 GVWR (Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating). 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.
And,
if you do have a heavy load, you should spread it
out. Don't carry more than
100 lbs. (45 kg) in your
rear area.

If you put things inside your vehicle -- like suitcases,
tools, packages or anything else
-- they will go as fast as
the vehicle goes. If you have to stop
or turn quickly, or
if there is a crash, they’ll keep going.
1 /d CAUTION:
Do not load your vehicle any heavier than the
GVWR, or either the maximum front or rear
GAWR. If you do, parts on your vehicle can
break, or it can change the way your vehicle
handles. These could cause
you to lose control.
Also, overloading can shorten the life of
your vehicle. Things
you put inside your vehicle can strike
and injure people in a sudden stop
or turn, or
in a crash.
0 Put things in the rear area of your vehicle.
Try to spread the weight evenly.
Never stack heavier things, like suitcases,
inside the vehicle
so that some of them are
above the tops
of the seats.
Don’t leave an unsecured child restraint in
your vehicle.
I. When you carry something inside the
vehicle, secure it whenever you can.
Don’t leave a seat folded down unless
you need to.
L
4-31

Towing a Trailer
A CAUTION:
F-
If you don’t use the correct equipment 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, 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,
transmission, rear axle, 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.
4-32 ..

If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer
If you do, here are some important points:
0
0
0
0
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.
Consider using a sway control. You
can ask a hitch
dealer about sway controls.
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.
Three important considerations have to do with weight:
0 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
1,500 lbs. (680 kg)
under normal driving conditions. It should never weigh
more than
1,000 lbs. (450 kg) when driven on long
grades at high ambient temperatures (Above
90” F
(32” C). 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.
4-33

You can ask your dealer for our trailering information or
advice, or you can write us at:
Pontiac Division
Customer Assistance Center
One Pontiac Plaza
Pontiac, MI
48340-2952
In Canada, write to:
General Motors
of Canada Limited
Customer Communication Centre
1908 Colonel
Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario L1H
8P7
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” in the Index for more information about your
vehicle’s maximum load capacity.
A B
If you’re using a weight-carrying hitch, the trailer
tongue
(A) should weigh 10 percent of the total loaded
trailer weight
(B). If you have a weight-distributing
hitch, the trailer tongue
(A) should weigh 12 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.
4-34