1993 BUICK RIVIERA brake

Control of a Vehicle Braking
You
have three systems that make your vehicle go where Braking act\
ion involves perception time and reaction
you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and time.
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work First\
,
you have to decide to push on the brake pedal,
at the places where the tires meet the road.
That’s perception time. Then you have to bring up your
foot and do
it. That’s reaction time.
Average reaction time is about
3/4 of 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.
Sometimes, as when you’re driving on snow or ice, it’s
easy to ask more
of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
of your vehicle.
~ 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; and the condition of
your brakes.
Most drivers treat their brakes with care. Some,
however, overwork the braking system with poor
driving habits.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
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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.
Don’t “ride” the brakes by letting your left foot rest
lightly on the brake pedal while driving.
I
A CAUTION:
“Riding” your brakes can cause them to
overheat to the point that they won’t work well.
You might not be able to stop your vehicle in
time to avoid an accident. If you “ride” your
brakes, they will get
so hot they will require a lot
of pedal force to slow you down. Avoid “riding”
the brakes.
I
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Here’s how anti-lock works. Let’s say the road is wet.
You’re driving safely. Suddenly an animal jumps out in
front
of you.
You slam on the brakes. Here’s what happens with
ABS.
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. The
computer separately works the brakes at each front
wheel and at the rear wheels. 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.
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I A CAUTION:
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.
. 5 ’,.
To Use Anti-Lock:
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
and let anti-lock work for you. You may hear the
anti-lock pump or motor operate, and feel the brake
pedal pulsate, but this is normal.
.
Disc Brake Wear Indicators
Your Buick has four-wheel disc brakes.
Disc brake pads have built-in wear indicators that make a
high-pitched warning sound when the brake pads are worn and new pads are needed. The sound may come and
go or
be heard all the time your vehicle is moving (except
when you are pushing on the brake pedal firmly).
I ‘
A CAUTION:
The brake wear warning sound means that
sooner or later your brakes won’t work well.
That could lead to an accident. When you hear
the brake wear warning sound, have your
:~
vehicle serviced. &tz
some driving conditions or climates may cause a brake
squeal when the brakes are first applied or lightly
applied.
This does not mean something is wrong with
your brakes.
Brake linings should always be replaced as complete
axle sets.
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Brake Pedal Travel
See your dealer if the brake pedal does not return to
normal height, or if there is a rapid increase in pedal
travel. This could be
a sign of brake trouble.
Brake Adjustment
Every time you make a moderate brake stop, your disc
brakes adjust for wear.
If you rarely make a moderate or heavier stop, then your
brakes might not adjust correctly.
If you drive in that
way, then
-- very carefully -- make a few moderate
brake stops about every
1000 miles ( 1600 km), so your
brakes will adjust properly.
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 fails to function, 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.
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either hand. But you have to act fast, steer quickly, and
just as quickly straighten the wheel once
you have
avoided the object. You must then be prepared to steer
back to your original lane and then brake to a controlled
stop.
Depending on your speed, this can be rather violent for
an unprepared driver. This is one
of the reasons driving
experts recommend that you use your safety belts and
keep both hands on the steering wheel.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a good reason to practice defensive driving at
all times.
Off-Road Recovery
You may find sometime that your right wheels have
dropped
off the edge of a road onto the shoulder while
you’re driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease
off the
accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way, steer
so that your vehicle straddles the edge of the pavement.
You can turn the steering wheel
up to 1/4 turn until the
right front tire contacts the pavement edge. Then turn
your steering wheel to
go straight down the roadway.
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Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lights are not flashing, it may
be slowing down
or starting to turn.
If you’re being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead
of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little to the right.
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what
happens when the thee 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 Buick’s
three control systems. In the braking skid your wheels aren’t rolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too

r/d CAUTION:
Wet brakes can cause accidents. They won’t
work well in a quick stop and may cause pulling
to one side. You could lose control of the
vehicle.
After driving through a large puddre of water or
a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly until
your brakes work normally.
I- Hydroplaning
I
1 Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the water.
This can happen if the road is wet enough and you’re
Driving too fast through large water puddles or even
going fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning,
going through some car washes can cause problems, too. it has little or no contact with the road.
The water may affect your brakes. Try to avoid puddles.
But if you can’t, try to slow down before you hit them. You
might not be aware of hydroplaning. You could
drive along for some time without realizing your tires aren’t
in constant contact with the road. You could find
out the hard way: when you have to slow, turn, move out
to pass
-- or if you get hit by a gust of wind. You could
suddenly find yourself out of control.
Hydroplaning doesn‘t happen often. But it can if your
tires haven’t much tread or if the pressure in one or