SAAB 9-7X 2006 Owners Manual

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunken Driving.............................................4-3
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-5
Braking.........................................................4-6
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS).........................4-7
Braking in Emergencies...................................4-8
Limited-Slip Rear Axle.....................................4-8
StabiliTrak
®System........................................4-9
All-Wheel Drive (AWD) System.......................4-13
Steering......................................................4-14
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-16
Passing.......................................................4-16
Loss of Control.............................................4-18
Off-Road Driving...........................................4-19
Driving at Night............................................4-19
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-20City Driving..................................................4-23
Freeway Driving...........................................4-24
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-25
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-25
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-26
Winter Driving..............................................4-28
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand,
Mud, Ice or Snow......................................4-32
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out.................4-32
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-33
Towing..........................................................4-39
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-39
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-39
Electronically Controlled Air Suspension
System....................................................4-39
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-41
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
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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. SeeSafety Belts: They Are for
Everyone on page 1-8.
{CAUTION:
Defensive driving really means “Be ready for
anything.” On city streets, rural roads, or
expressways, it means “Always expect the
unexpected.” 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.
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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 — by some estimates, nearly half the adult
population — 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 “too much” 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.
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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!
The body takes about an hour to rid itself of the alcohol
in one drink. No amount of coffee or number of cold
showers will speed that up. “I will be careful” is not the
right answer. What if there is an emergency, a need to
take sudden action, as when a child darts into the street?
A person with even a moderate BAC might not be able to
react quickly enough to avoid the collision.
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There is something else about drinking and driving that
many people do not know. Medical research shows that
alcohol in a person’s system can make crash injuries
worse, especially injuries to the brain, spinal cord, or
heart. This means that when anyone who has been
drinking — driver or passenger — is in a crash, that
person’s chance of being killed or permanently disabled
is higher than if the person had not been drinking.
{CAUTION:
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
Your reexes, perceptions, attentiveness,
and judgment can be affected by even a small
amount of alcohol. You can have a serious — or
even fatal — collision if you drive after drinking.
Please do not drink and drive or ride with a
driver who has been drinking. Ride home in
a cab; or if you are with a group, designate a
driver who will not drink.
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering, and
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work at
the places where the tires meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you are driving on snow or ice, it is
easy to ask more of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control of
your vehicle.
Adding non-Saab accessories can affect your vehicle’s
performance. SeeAccessories and Modications on
page 5-3.
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Braking
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 3-33.
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That is perception time. Then you have to bring up
your foot and do it. That is reaction time.
Average reaction time is about three-fourths of a second.
But that is 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 three-fourths 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 is pavement or
gravel; the condition of the road, whether it is wet, dry, or
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 traffic. 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 are driving, brake
normally but do not 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.
Adding non-Saab accessories can affect your vehicle’s
performance. SeeAccessories and Modications on
page 5-3.
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Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes. ABS is an advanced
electronic braking system that will help prevent a
braking skid.
When you start your engine and begin to drive away, your
anti-lock brake system will check itself. You may hear a
momentary motor or clicking noise while this test is going
on. This is normal.
If there is a problem with
the anti-lock brake system,
this warning light will
stay on. SeeAnti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light on page 3-34.
Along with ABS, your vehicle has a Dynamic Rear
Proportioning (DRP) system. If there is a DRP problem,
both the brake and ABS warning lights will come on
accompanied by a 10-second chime. The lights and
chime will come on each time the ignition is turned on
until the problem is repaired. See your dealer for service.Let us say the road is wet and you are driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You
slam on the brakes and continue braking. Here is
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
both rear wheels.
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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. This can help you 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 does not change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too close to the vehicle in
front of you, you will not 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.
Using Anti-Lock
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
rmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel the
brakes vibrate, or you may notice some noise, but this
is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock brakes, you can steer and brake at the
same time. In many emergencies, steering can help you
more than even the very best braking.
Limited-Slip Rear Axle
Your vehicle may have this feature. A limited-slip 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, this feature will allow the wheel with
traction to move the vehicle.
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StabiliTrak®System
Your vehicle is equipped with StabiliTrak®, Electronic
Stability Control (ESC) which combines antilock
brake, traction and stability control systems and helps
the driver maintain directional control of the vehicle
in most driving conditions.
Traction control activates when the controller senses
wheel spin. StabiliTrak
®will selectively apply the brakes
and reduce engine torque to help regain traction.
Stability control activates when the controller senses
a discrepancy between your intended path and the
direction the vehicle is travelling. StabiliTrak
®selectively
applies braking pressure at any one of the vehicle’s
brakes to help guide the vehicle in the direction which
you are steering.
When you rst start your vehicle and begin to drive away,
the system performs several diagnostic checks to insure
there are no problems. You may hear or feel the system
working. This is normal and does not mean there is a
problem with your vehicle. If driving conditions delay
system initialization, the STABILITRAK NOT READY
message may be displayed. If this is the case, your
vehicle does not need servicing.
For more information on the stability messages, see
DIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-47.When the StabiliTrak
®
system is both on and
actively controlling the
stability of the vehicle,
the StabiliTrak
®light will
blink for the duration of
the event.
You may also feel or hear the system working. This is
normal.
The StabiliTrak
®disable
button is located on the
transmission shift handle.
The StabiliTrak
®system has three modes of operation:
STABILITRAK ON, TRACTION CONTROL OFF, and
STABILITRAK OFF.
STABILITRAK ON -The vehicle will default to
STABILITRAK ON every time the driver starts the
vehicle. The StabiliTrak
®light will be off and no DIC
messages will be displayed.
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TRACTION CONTROL OFF - The driver can modify
the engine speed management system by momentarily
pressing the StabiliTrak
®button on the transmission
shift handle. The StabiliTrak®light will come on and
TRACTION CONTROL OFF will be displayed. For
vehicles without a DIC, the StabiliTrak
®indicator light
will come on. Momentarily pressing the StabiliTrak®
button again will return the system to the STABILITRAK
ON mode.
STABILITRAK OFF - The driver can turn off StabiliTrak
®
by pressing the StabiliTrak®button for more than
ve seconds. The StabiliTrak®light will come on and
STABILITRAK OFF will be displayed. For vehicles
without a DIC, the StabiliTrak
®indicator light will come
on. Momentarily pressing the StabiliTrak®button again
will return the system to the STABILITRAK ON mode.
See StabiliTrak
®Off below for more information.
Traction Control Off
In this mode, stability control and brake-traction control
are functional. Engine speed management will be
modied and the driven wheels can spin more freely.
This can cause the brake-traction control to activate more
frequently. If the controller detects excessive wheel spin
in this mode, the StabiliTrak
®indicator light may blink and
the STABILITRAK ACTIVE message may be displayed
to warn the driver that damage may occur to the
transfer case.
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