winter tires PONTIAC G3 2010 Owners Manual

{WARNING:
If you do not shift down, the brakes could get so
hot that they would not work well. You would then
have poor braking or even none going down a hill.
You could crash. Shift down to let the engine
assist the brakes on a steep downhill slope.
{WARNING:
Coasting downhill in N (Neutral) or with the
ignition off is dangerous. The brakes will have to
do all the work of slowing down and they could
get so hot that they would not work well. You
would then have poor braking or even none going
down a hill. You could crash. Always have the
engine running and the vehicle in gear when
going downhill.
.Stay in your own lane. Do not swing wide or cut
across the center of the road. Drive at speeds that
let you stay in your own lane.
.Top of hills: Be alert—something could be in your
lane (stalled car, accident).
.Pay attention to special road signs (falling rocks
area, winding roads, long grades, passing or
no-passing zones) and take appropriate action.
Winter Driving
Driving on Snow or Ice
Drive carefully when there is snow or ice between the
tires and the road, creating less traction or grip. Wet ice
can occur at about 0°C (32°F) when freezing rain
begins to fall, resulting in even less traction. Avoid
driving on wet ice or in freezing rain until roads can be
treated with salt or sand.
Drive with caution, whatever the condition. Accelerate
gently so traction is not lost. Accelerating too quickly
causes the wheels to spin and makes the surface under
the tires slick, so there is even less traction.
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.
5-11

Different Size Tires and Wheels
If you add wheels or tires that are a different size than
your original equipment wheels and tires, this may
affect the way your vehicle performs, including its
braking, ride and handling characteristics, stability, and
resistance to rollover . Additionally, if your vehicle has
electronic systems such as, antilock brakes, traction
control, and electronic stability control, the performance
of these systems can be affected.
{WARNING:
If you add different sized wheels, your vehicle
may not provide an acceptable level of
performance and safety if tires not recommended
for those wheels are selected. You may increase
the chance that you will crash and suffer serious
injury. Only use GM specific wheel and tire
systems developed for your vehicle, and have
them properly installed by a GM certified
technician.
See Buying New Tires
on page 6‑63andAccessories
and Modificationson page 6‑3for additional
information.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grades can be found where applicable on
the tire sidewall between tread shoulder and
maximum selection width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
The following information relates to the system
developed by the Unites States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which
grades tires by treadwear, traction, and
temperature performance. This applies only to
vehicles sold in the United States. The grades are
molded on the sidewalls of most passenger car
tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG)
system does not apply to deep tread, winter-type
snow tires, space-saver, or temporary use spare
tires, tires with nominal rim diameters of
10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm), or to some
limited-production tires.
While the tires available on General Motors
passenger cars and light trucks may vary with
respect to these grades, they must also conform
to federal safety requirements.
6-65

Carbon MonoxideEngine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Care of Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-82
CD, MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-48
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-46, 6-47
Central Door Unlock System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-7
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-68
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-25
Check
Engine Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-29
Checking Things Under the Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
Chemical Paint Spotting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-85
Child Restraints
Infants and Young Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-36
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . . 2-43
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-33
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear SeatPosition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-51 Child Restraints (cont.)
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-54
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-40
Where to Put the Restraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-42
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-87
Cleaning Aluminum Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-84
Exterior Lamps/Lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-82
Fabric/Carpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-80
Finish Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-83
Glass Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-81
Instrument Panel, Vinyl, and Other Plastic
Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-81
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-79
Interior Plastic Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-81
Leather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-81
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-84
Underbody Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-85
Washing Your Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-82
Weatherstrips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-82
Windshield and Wiper Blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-83
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W
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-20
WarningsHazard Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Safety and Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Wheels Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-67
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-65
Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-67
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-63
Where to Put the Child Restraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-42
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12 Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13 Windshield
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-33
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-49
Wiper Blades, Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-83
Wiper Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-86
Wipers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Wipers Rear Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7
X
XM Radio Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-51
i - 14