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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine WINTER DRIITNG
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your Cadillac in good shape for winter. Be sure your engine
Snow tires can help in loose snow, but they may give you less traction
on ice than regular tires.
If you do not expect to be driving in deep
snow, but may have to travel over ice, you may not want to switch
to
snow tires at all.
coolant
mix is correct.
Cr
You may
want to put winter emergency supplies in your trunk.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Include an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a supply of windshield
washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer clothing, a small shovel, a
flashlight, a red cloth, and a couple
of reflective warning triangles. And, if
you will be driving under severe conditions, include a small bag of sand, a
piece
of old carpet or a couple of burlap bags to help provide traction. Be
sure you properly secure these items in your vehicle.
Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where your tires meet the road probably
have good traction.
However, if there is snow or ice between your tires and the road,
you can
have a
very slippery situation. You'll have a lot less traction or "grip" and
will need to be very careful.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine What’s the worst time for this? “Wet ice.” Very cold snow or ice can be
slick and hard to drive
on. But wet ice can be even more trouble because
it may offer the least traction
of all. You can get “wet ice” when it’s about
freezing
(32OF; O°C) and freezing rain begins to fall. Try to avoid driving
on wet ice until salt and sand crews can get there.
Whatever the condition
-- smooth ice, packed, blowing or loose snow --
drive with caution. Accelerate gently. 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.
Your anti-lock brakes improve your ability to make a hard stop on
a
slippery road. Even though you have the anti-lock braking system, you’ll
want to begin stopping sooner than you would
on dry pavement. See
“Anti-lock” in the Index.
0 Allow greater following distance on any slippery roaa.
0 Watch for slippery spots. The road might be fine until you hit a spot
that’s covered with ice. On an otherwise clear road, ice patches may
appear in shaded areas where the sun can’t reach: around clumps
of
trees, behind buildings, or under bridges. Sometimes the surface of a
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine curve or an overpass may remain icy when the surrounding roads are
clear.
If you see a patch of ice ahead of you, brake before you are on
it.
Try not to brake while you're actually on the ice, and avoid sudden
steering maneuvers.
IfYou%e Caught in a Blizzard
r
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you could be in a serious situation. You
should probably stay with your vehicle unless you know for sure that you
are near help and
you can hike through the snow. Here are some things
to do to summon help and keep yourself and your passengers safe: Turn
on your hazard flashers. Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert police that
you've been stopped by the snow. Put on extra clothing
or wrap a blanket
around you.
If you have no blankets or extra clothing, make body
insulators from newspapers, burlap bags, rags, floor mats
-- anything you
can wrap around yourself or tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
You can run the engine to keep warm, but be careful.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I
I
A CAUTION:
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your vehicle. This can cause
deadly
CO (carbon monoxide) gas to get inside. CO could
overcome you and kill you. You can’t see it or smell it,
so you
might not know it is in your vehicle. Clear
away snow from
around the base of your vehicle
, especially any that is blocking
your exhaust pipe. And check around again from time to time to
be sure snow doesn’t collect there.
Open a window just
a little on the side of the vehicle that’s away
from the wind. This will help keep CO out.
Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves fuel. When you
run the engine, make it go a little faster than just idle. That is, push the
accelerator slightly. This
uses less fuel for the heat that you get and it
keeps the battery charged. You
will need a well-charged battery to restart
the vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on with your headlights. Let
the heater run for awhile.
Then, shut the engine off and close the window almost all the way to
preserve the heat. Start the engine again and repeat this only when you
feel really uncomfortable from the cold. But do it as little as possible.
Preserve the fuel as long as you can. To help keep warm, you can get out
of the vehicle and do some fairly vigorous exercises every half hour or so
until help comes.
a
ID
216
1
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If You’re Stuck in Deep Snow
This manual explains how to get the vehicle out of deep snow without
damaging it. See “Rocking Your Vehicle” in the Index.
TOWING A TWLER
I
‘ A CAUTION:
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. Pull a
trailer only if you have followed all the steps in this section.
Your vehicle can tow a trailer.
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 section. 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, transaxle, 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
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine greater loads, generating extra heat. What’s more, the trailer adds
considerably to wind resistance, increasing the pulling requirements.
All of that means changes in:
0 Handling
Durability
Fuel economy
If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer
If you do, here are some important points.
0
0
0
0
0
0
There are many different laws 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
500 miles (800 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.
Three important considerations have to do with weight:
1. Weight of the nailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be?
It should never weigh more than
1,000 pounds (453 kg). 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.
You can ask your dealer for our trailering information or advice, or
you can write us at Cadillac.
I,
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine In Canada, write to General Motors of Canada Limited, Customer
Assistance Center,
1908 Colonel Sam Drive, Oshawa, Ontario L1H
8P7.
2. Weight of the Trailer Tongue
When a trailer is connected to your vehicle, the trailer tongue adds
to the weight your vehicle is carrying.
So, remember to subtract the
weight
of the trailer tongue from your vehicle’s capacity weight.
The trailer tongue (A) should weigh
10% 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.
3. Total Weight on Your Vehicle’s Tires
Be sure your vehicle’s tires are inflated to the limit for cold tires.
You’ll find these numbers
on the Certification label at the rear edge
of the driver’s door (or see “Tire Loading” in the Index). Then be
sure you don’t go over the
GVW limit for your vehicle.
Hitches
1
It’s important to have the correct hitch equipment. Crosswinds, large
trucks going by, and rough roads are a
few reasons why you’ll need the
right hitch. Here are some rules to
follow:
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