
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine time  and flash your brake  lights  (in  addition to your  turn signal)  as extra 
warning  that you are  about  to  slow  down and exit. 
The  exit ramp  can be curved, sometimes  quite sharply. 
-. 
U t I! The exit speed  is  usually  posted.  Reduce  your speed according  to your 
speedometer,  not  to  your sense 
of motion. After driving  for any  distance 
at  higher speeds,  you  may tend  to think you are going  slower  than you 
actually  are. For example, 
40 mph (65 h/h)  might seem like  only 20 mph c_? 
(30 km/h).  Obviously,  this could lead  to serious  trouble  on  a ramp 
designed  for 
20 mph (30 kmih)! 
I 
L/ 
DRIVTNG  A  LONG DISTANCE 
Although  most long trips today  are  made  on  freeways, there  are still 
many  made  on  regular highways. 
Long-distance  driving on freeways  and regular  highways  is  the  same in 
some  ways.  The trip has 
to be  planned  and  the vehicle  prepared,  you 
drive  at higher-than-city  speeds,  and there  are longer turns behind  the 
wheel.  You’ll  enjoy  your trip  more  if you  and your  vehicle  are in good 
shape.  Here  are  some tips for a successful  long  trip. 
BEFORE LEAWNG  ONA LONG  TRlP 
Make  sure you’re  ready. Try to  be  well rested. If you  must  start when 
you’re  not  fresh 
-- such  as  after a day’s  work -- don’t plan  to make  too 
many  miles  that first part  of the  journey.  Wear comfortable clothing  and 
shoes  you can easily  drive  in. 
.3 
I 
F i ! u 
Is your  vehicle  ready  for a long  trip? If you keep  it serviced  and 
maintained,  it’s  ready to 
go. If it needs  service,  have  it  done  before 
starting  out. Of course,  you’ll find experienced  and  able service experts  in 
Cadillac dealerships  all  across North America.  They’ll be ready  and 
7 
willing  to help if you  need  it. -1 
Here  are  some things  you  can check  before  a trip: 
Windshield  Washer  Fluid: Is the  reservoir  full? Are all  windows  clean 
inside  and  outside? 
Wiper  Blades: Are they in  good  shape? 
0 Fuel, Engine  Oil, Other  Fluids:  Have you  checked  all  levels?   

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine - Lights: Are they  all working?  Are  the lenses clean? 
0 Tires: They  are vitally  important  to  a  safe, trouble-free  trip. Is the 
tread  good enough  for  long-distance driving?  Are  the tires all inflated 
to  the  recommended  pressure? 
Weather  Forecasts:  What’s the weather  outlook  along your route? 
Should  you delay your  trip  a  short  time  to  avoid a  major  storm 
system? 
Maps: Do you have  up-to-date  maps? 
_- - ON THE ROAD 
Unless you are  the  only driver, it  is good  to  share  the  driving task with 
hours  at  a  sitting. Then,  either  change drivers  or  stop  for  some 
refreshment  like coffee, tea  or soft drinks  and  some  limbering up. But  do 
stop  and  move around.  Eat  lightly along the way.  Heavier  meals tend 
to 
make  some  people  sleepy. 
- others. Limit turns  behind  the wheel  to  about 100 miles (160 km) or two 
- ._ 
On two-lane  highways  or undivided multilane  highways that  do  not  have 
controlled  access,  you’ll  want to watch  for  some  situations  not  usually 
found  on  freeways. Examples  are:  stop signs and signals,  shopping  centers 
with  direct  access  to  the highway, 
no passing  zones  and  school zones, 
vehicles  turning left and  right  off the  road,  pedestrians,  cyclists, parked 
vehicles,  and even animals. 
- 
- 
HIGWAY HYPNOSIS 
c_ 
Is  there  actually such  a  condition as “highway  hypnosis”?  Or is  it  just 
plain falling  asleep at  the wheel? Call it  highway  hypnosis,  lack 
of 
awareness, or whatever. 
There  is something  about  an easy  stretch  of road  with the same  scenery, 
along  with the hum 
of the tires on the  road,  the  drone of the engine,  and 
- the rush  of the  wind  against  the vehicle  that can  make  you  sleepy.  Don’t 
let it  happen 
to you! If it  does,  your vehicle can leave  the  road in  less than 
a  second,  and  you could crash  and  be  injured. 
happen. 
__ 
- What  can you  do  about  highway  hypnosis?  First,  be  aware  that  it can   

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Another  part of this manual  tells  how  to use  your parking  brake  (see 
“Parking  Brake”  in the  Index).  But  on  a mountain  or  steep  hill,  you can 
do  one  more  thing. You can  turn  your front  wheels  to  keep  your vehicle 
from  rolling  downhill  or  out into traffic. 
Here’s  how: 
Parking  Downhill 
Parking  Uphill 
t -I 
d 
Turn your wheels  to 
the  right. 
You  don’t  have to jam 
your  tires against  the 
curb, 
if there is a curb. 
A  gentle  contact  is all 
you need. 
If there  is a curb, turn 
your  wheels  to  the left 
if the  curb  is at  the 
right  side of your 
vehicle. 
201   

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I 
I 
If you’re  going  uphill 
on  a  one-way  street 
and  you’re  parking  on 
the  left  side,  your 
wheels  should point to 
the  right. 
If there is no curb 
when  you’re  parking 
uphill,  turn  the  wheels 
to  the  right. 
Q 
Q 
If there  is no curb when  you’re  parking uphill on  the  left side of a 
one-way  street, your  wheels  should be  turned  to  the  left. 
Torque Lock (Automatic Transmission) 
If you are parking on  a hill  and  you  don’t  shift your  transmission  into  “P” 
(Park)  properly,  the weight  of the  vehicle  may put  too  much force  on  the 
parking  pawl in the  transmission.  You  may find it difficult  to pull  the shift 
lever  out of “P”  (Park). This  is called  “torque  lock.” 
To prevent  torque 
lock,  always  be sure  to  shift into “P’, (Park)  properly  before you  leave  the 
driver’s  seat. To find  out how,  see “Shifting  Into ‘P’ (Park)”  in the  Index. 
202   

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I 
- 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 
(320F; OOC)  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. If your  traction  control  system  is disabled,  accelerate 
gently. 
Try not  to  break  the  fragile traction. If you accelerate  too  fast 
when your  traction  control  system is disabled,  the drive wheels  will  spin 
and  polish  the surface  under  the  tires even more. 
Your  traction  control  system improves your  ability to accelerate 
when 
driving  on a slippery  road. Even though  your vehicle has  a  traction 
control  system,  you’ll  want to slow  down  and adjust your  driving to  the 
road  conditions.  See “Traction  Control System”  in the  Index. 
- 
- 
Your  anti-lock  brakes  improve  your  ability to make a hard  stop on a 
want to begin  stopping  sooner  than you  would on dry pavement.  See 
“Anti-lock’’  in  the Index. 
7 slippery  road. Even though  you  have  the anti-lock braking  system,  you’ll 
T Allow greater  following  distance on any slippery  road. 
e 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   

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine *_ 
safety and  that of your passengers. So please  read this section carefully 
before  you pull a  trailer. 
Load-pulling components  such as the  engine,  transmission,  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  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 
0 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  if your  trailer  will  weigh 
2,000 pounds 
(900  kg)  or less.  You  should  always  use  a sway  control  if your  trailer 
will 
weigh  more  than 2,000 pounds  (900  kg). 
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 
1,000 miles  (1600 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.  Avoid  continuous operation 
in mountainous  areas  that have 
grades  greater  than 
2% and are longer  than 5 miles. 
Change  axle 
oil annually  or every  6,000  miles  (9654 km) of trailer  towing, 
whichever  comes  first. 
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 
2,000 pounds (907 kg). But, if you  have  the optional  Trailer Towing   

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine - Following Distance 
Stay at least  twice  as far  behind  the vehicle  ahead as you  would  when 
driving  your vehicle  without  a  trailer.  This  can help  you  avoid  situations 
- that  require  heavy braking  and  sudden  turns. 
Passing 
I_ 
You’ll need  more  passing distance  up  ahead  when  you’re  towing  a trailer. 
And,  because  you’re a good  deal longer,  you’ll need  to  go much  farther 
beyond  the passed  vehicle  before you can  return  to  your lane. 
- 
Backing Up 
_- Hold the  bottom  of the  steering  wheel  with  one hand.  Then, to move  the 
trailer  to  the left, just  move that  hand  to  the  left. 
To move the trailer  to 
the  right,  move  your hand 
to the right.  Always  back up slowly  and, if 
- possible,  have someone  guide you. 
Making  Turns 
When you’re  turning  with a trailer,  make wider  turns  than  normal. Do 
this so your trailer  won’t strike soft  shoulders,  curbs, road signs,  trees,  or 
other  objects.  Avoid  jerky or  sudden  maneuvers.  Signal  well  in  advance. 
1urn Signals When Towing  a Trailer 
When  you  tow  a trailer,  your vehicle  has to have  a different  turn signal 
flasher  and  extra  wiring. The  green  arrows on your  instrument  panel  will 
flash  whenever  you  signal  a turn  or  lane change. Properly  hooked  up,  the 
trailer  lights  will  also  flash, telling  other drivers  you’re  about  to  turn, - 
- change  lanes or stop. 
213 
When  towing  a trailer,  the green  arrows  on your  instrument  panel  will 
flash  for  turns  even 
if the bulbs  on  the  trailer are  burned  out.  Thus, you 
may  think  drivers  behind  you are seeing your  signal when they are  not. 
It’s  important  to  check  occasionally  to  be  sure  the trailer bulbs are still 
working. p__-_.   

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving On Grades 
Reduce  speed  and shift  to a lower  gear before you start  down  a long  or 
steep  downgrade.  If  you don’t shift  down,  you  might  have  to use your 
brakes 
so much  that they  would  get  hot  and no longer work  well. 
On a long  uphill  grade,  shift down  and  reduce  your speed to  around 45 
mph (70 kmih) to reduce  the possibility  of engine  and transmission 
overheating. 
19 1 
d l 
n 1, ia 
and  you  have an  automatic  transmission  with Overdrive,  you  may prefer 
to  drive  in 
“D” instead  of Overdrive 
Parking  on Hills 
You really should  not  park your vehicle,  with  a  trailer  attached,  on a hill. - 
If  something  goes wrong,  your rig could  start to move.  People  can be 
injured,  and  both  your vehicle  and the trailer  can be damaged. <- 
But if you  ever  have  to  park  your rig on  a  hill, here’s  how to  do  it: 
1. Apply your regular brakes,  but don’t  shift into  “P”  (Park) yet. 
2. Have  someone  place chocks under  the  trailer  wheels. 
3. When  the wheel  chocks  are in place,  release  the  regular brakes until 
4. Reapply  the regular brakes.  Then shift into “P” (Park)  firmly and 
apply your parking  brake. 
5. Release the regular brakes. 
the 
chocks  absorb  the  load. 
When You Are Ready to Leave  After  Parking on a Hill 
1. Apply  your regular  brakes and hold  the pedal  down  while  you: 
Start your engine; 
Shift  into  a  gear;  and 
0 Be sure  the  parking brake has released. 
2. Let up  on  the  brake pedal. 
3. Drive slowly  until the trailer  is clear  of the  chocks. 
4. 
Stop and  have  someone  pick up  and  store  the chocks. 
r .t 
-1 
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e_i 
u 
,. . 
214