PONTIAC GTO 2006 Owners Manual

Speed-Dependent Volume (SDV)
With SDV, the audio system adjusts automatically to
make up for road or wind noise as you drive.
This feature will never completely compensate for
driving noise. There are other factors such as road
surface, wind noise, windows open, and engine speed
that may alter the interior noise for any given road
speed.
You can select compensation rates between 0 (off) and
5 (maximum compensation) in the options menu.
See ªOptions Menu Adjustmentº later in this section to
adjust SDV.
Dynamic Distortion Limiting (DDL)
The radio has a feature that limits the amount of
ampli®er distortion that you can hear. When this feature
is turned on, it continuously monitors the quality of
the signal to the speakers. When the signal distortion
exceeds the preset limits the radio will automatically limit
or reduce the volume until the distortion is minimized.
Under some circumstances, distortion may be heard for
a very short period of time until the system has taken
the necessary steps to limit it.The speakers may go off when the volume level is set
at a high or full volume for a long period of time in order
to protect the ampli®er from overheating. When the
ampli®er cools down, the radio will reset and you will
again hear sound through the speakers.
The main source of distortion in music is the low
frequency bass caused by drums or large instruments.
Music that features very strong bass may trigger the
distortion limiting system and the system will then
reduce the volume to minimize the distortion. Increasing
the bass control or the EQ boost may also result in a
reduced volume level due to the emphasized bass. See
ªSetting the Tone (Bass/Treble)º previously in this
section. The DDL can be turned off so that the radio will
deliver a higher volume level, but distortion will also
be increased.
See ªOptions Menu Adjustmentº later in this section to
adjust DDL.
3-53
2006 - Pontiac GTO Owner Manual

Options Menu Adjustment
Con®rmation beeps, SDV, and DDL can all be adjusted
by doing the following:
1. Turn off the radio by pressing the OFF button.
2. Press and hold pushbutton 1, then press the ON
button until OPTION MENU appears on the
display.
3. Push the AUDIO knob until the correct option
appears on the display.
4. Turn the AUDIO knob to adjust the setting of the
option being displayed.
5. Push the AUDIO knob to select another option or
press the OFF button to exit the options menu.
The selection will be saved.
If no buttons are pressed or turned for eight
seconds, the radio will automatically exit the menu
and the radio will turn on.
Master Reset
The radio has a reset feature that allows you to return
certain settings back to the factory default settings.
Use this feature when adjustments have been made that
affect the sound quality or operation of the radio and
you are unsure of how to return to the original settings.
This master reset feature will reset the following:
·Bass, Treble, Fade, and Balance
·Con®rmation beeps to on
·SDV to setting 2
·DDL to on
·EQ to off.
To perform the master reset, do the following:
1. Turn off the radio by pressing the OFF button.
2. Press the ON button and pushbutton 4 at the same
time for about two seconds.
After the radio has ®nished resetting, the radio will
turn on with the original settings and no message
will appear on the display.
3-54
2006 - Pontiac GTO Owner Manual

Theft-Deterrent Feature
Your vehicle's radio has an electronically coded security
system. The system recognizes the vehicle which the
radio has been installed. If the radio is kept in the
vehicle, the PIN should not be required, even if the
battery or the radio has been removed and reinstalled.
If the link between your vehicle and the radio is
disrupted, the radio will prompt you for a four-digit PIN
code to be entered.
The PIN is supplied on the security card. As the pin is
the only means of enabling operation of the radio, place
the security card in a safe place. Do not leave the
security card in the glovebox. The PIN should also be
written down and kept with other important documents.
If the security card is lost and the PIN is not recorded,
the PIN can be requested from your GM dealer,
after supplying proof of ownership. There may be a
charge for this service.
When the radio and vehicle are turned off, the blinking
red light indicates that the radio is armed.
Security Release Procedure
To type in the PIN code, do the following:
1. Turn the ignition to ON.
2. Turn the radio on. CODE____will appear on the
display.
3. Use the preset buttons to enter the PIN code.
If the wrong PIN code is entered, the radio will display
CODE ERR WAIT.
After a few seconds, the radio will display
CODE 2____,indicating that this is the second
attempt. The correct code should now be entered.
After three attempts, the radio will display
LOCK OUT 1 HR. After 1 hour, the radio will allow
another three attempts to enter the PIN.
3-55
2006 - Pontiac GTO Owner Manual

Audio Steering Wheel Controls
If your vehicle has this feature, some audio controls can
be adjusted at the steering wheel. They include the
following:
MODE:Press this button to turn the radio on, if it is off.
If the radio is on, press this button to switch between
FM1, FM2, AM, or to change to CD.
QNEXT:Press this button to go to the next radio
station and stay there. The radio will only seek stations
with a strong signal that are in the selected band.
When a CD is playing, press and release this button to
go to the next track. Press and hold this button to
go to the next CD, if multiple CDs are loaded.
NEXT
R:Press this button to go to the previous radio
station and stay there. The radio will only seek stations
with a strong signal that are in the selected band.
When a CD is playing, press and release this button to go
to the previous track. Press and hold this button to go to
the previous CD, if multiple CDs are loaded.
MUTE:Press this button to silence the system. Press it
again, or any other radio button, to turn on the sound.
QVOL (Volume):Press this button to increase
the volume.
VOL
R(Volume):Press this button to decrease the
volume.
3-56
2006 - Pontiac GTO Owner Manual

Radio Reception
You may experience frequency interference and static
during normal radio reception if items such as cellphone
chargers, vehicle convenience accessories, and
external electronic devices are plugged into the
accessory power outlet. If there is interference or static,
unplug the item from the accessory power outlet.
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range can cause
station frequencies to interfere with each other. For
better radio reception, most AM radio stations will boost
the power levels during the day, and then reduce
these levels during the night. Static can also occur when
things like storms and power lines interfere with radio
reception. When this happens, try reducing the treble on
your radio.
FM Stereo
FM stereo will give the best sound, but FM signals will
reach only about 10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km). Tall
buildings or hills can interfere with FM signals, causing
the sound to fade in and out.
Care of Your CDs
Handle CDs carefully. Store them in their original cases
or other protective cases and away from direct
sunlight and dust. The CD player scans the bottom
surface of the disc. If the surface of a CD is damaged,
such as cracked, broken, or scratched, the CD will
not play properly or not at all. If the surface of a CD is
soiled, take a soft, lint free cloth or dampen a clean, soft
cloth in a mild, neutral detergent solution mixed with
water, and clean it. Make sure the wiping process starts
from the center to the edge.
Do not touch the bottom side of a CD while handling it;
this could damage the surface. Pick up CDs by
grasping the outer edges or the edge of the hole and
the outer edge.
Care of the CD Player
The use of CD lens cleaners for CD players is not
advised, due to the risk of contaminating the internal
lens of the CD optics with lubricants.
3-57
2006 - Pontiac GTO Owner Manual

Backglass Antenna
The AM-FM antenna is integrated with the rear window
defogger, located in the rear window. Make sure that the
inside surface of the rear window is not scratched and
that the lines on the glass are not damaged. If the inside
surface is damaged, it could interfere with radio
reception. Also, for proper radio reception, the antenna
connector at the top-center of the rear window needs to
be properly attached to the post on the glass.
Notice:Do not apply aftermarket glass tinting with
metallic ®lm. The metallic ®lm in some tinting
materials will interfere with or distort the incoming
radio reception. Any damage caused to your
backglass antenna due to metallic tinting materials
will not be covered by your warranty.
Notice:Using a razor blade or sharp object to clear
the inside rear window may damage the rear
window antenna and/or the rear window defogger.
Repairs would not be covered by your warranty. Do
not clear the inside rear window with sharp
objects.Because this antenna is built into your rear window,
there is a reduced risk of damage caused by car washes
and vandals.
If static is heard on the radio, when the rear window
defogger is turned on, it could mean that a defogger grid
line has been damaged. If this is true, the grid line
must be repaired.
If you choose to add a cellular telephone to your
vehicle, and the antenna needs to be attached to the
glass, make sure that you do not damage the grid lines
for the AM-FM antenna. There is enough space
between the lines to attach a cellular telephone antenna
without interfering with radio reception.
3-58
2006 - Pontiac GTO Owner Manual

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunken Driving.............................................4-3
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-6
Braking.........................................................4-6
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS).........................4-7
Braking in Emergencies...................................4-9
Traction Control System (TCS).........................4-9
Steering......................................................4-10
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-12
Passing.......................................................4-13
Loss of Control.............................................4-14
Competitive Driving.......................................4-15
Driving at Night............................................4-16
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-17City Driving..................................................4-19
Freeway Driving...........................................4-20
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-21
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-22
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-23
Winter Driving..............................................4-25
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow..............................................4-29
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out.................4-29
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-30
Towing..........................................................4-35
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-35
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-35
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-35
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1
2006 - Pontiac GTO Owner Manual

Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is: Drive
defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device in your
vehicle: Buckle up. See
Safety Belts: They Are for
Everyone on page 1-6.
{CAUTION:
Defensive driving really means ªBe ready for
anything.º On city streets, rural roads, or
expressways, it means ªAlways expect the
unexpected.º Assume that pedestrians or other
drivers are going to be careless and make
mistakes. Anticipate what they might do and
be ready. Rear-end collisions are about the
most preventable of accidents. Yet they are
common. Allow enough following distance.
Defensive driving requires that a driver
concentrate on the driving task. Anything that
distracts from the driving task makes proper
defensive driving more difficult and can even
cause a collision, with resulting injury. Ask a
passenger to help do these things, or pull off
the road in a safe place to do them. These
simple defensive driving techniques could
save your life.
4-2
2006 - Pontiac GTO Owner Manual

Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It is 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
·Muscular Coordination
·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, more than
16,000 annual motor vehicle-related deaths have been
associated with the use of alcohol, with more than
300,000 people injured.
Many adults Ð by some estimates, nearly half the
adult population Ð choose never to drink alcohol, so
they never drive after drinking. For persons under 21,
it is 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 eliminate the leading highway
safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol and
then drive. But what if people do? How much is ªtoo
muchº if someone plans to drive? It is 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:
·The amount of alcohol consumed
·The drinker's body weight
·The amount of food that is consumed before and
during drinking
·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 liquors like whiskey, gin, or vodka.
4-3
2006 - Pontiac GTO Owner Manual

It is the amount of alcohol that counts. For example, if
the same person drank three double martinis (3 ounces
or 90 ml of liquor each) within an hour, the person's
BAC would be close to 0.12 percent. A person
who consumes food just before or during drinking will
have a somewhat lower BAC level.There is a gender difference, too. Women generally
have a lower relative percentage of body water
than men. Since alcohol is carried in body water, this
means that a woman generally will reach a higher BAC
level than a man of her same body weight will when
each has the same number of drinks.
The law in most U.S. states, and throughout Canada,
sets the legal limit at 0.08 percent. In some other
countries, the limit is even lower. For example, it is
0.05 percent in both France and Germany. The
BAC limit for all commercial drivers in the United States
is 0.04 percent.
The BAC will be over 0.10 percent after three to six
drinks (in one hour). Of course, as we have seen,
it depends on how much alcohol is in the drinks, and
how quickly the person drinks them.
But the ability to drive is affected well below a BAC of
0.10 percent. Research shows that the driving skills
of many people are impaired at a BAC approaching
0.05 percent, and that the effects are worse at night. All
drivers are impaired at BAC levels above 0.05 percent.
Statistics show that the chance of being in a collision
increases sharply for drivers who have a BAC of
0.05 percent or above. A driver with a BAC level of
0.06 percent has doubled his or her chance of having a
collision. At a BAC level of 0.10 percent, the chance
of this driver having a collision is 12 times greater; at a
level of 0.15 percent, the chance is 25 times greater!
4-4
2006 - Pontiac GTO Owner Manual