1993 CHEVROLET TRACKER wheel

Your Driving and the Road
rn
You may want to put winter
emergency supplies in your vehicle.
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.
... 174
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.
t
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
(32°F; 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. 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.
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Your Driving and the Road
Your Geo 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.
9 178
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:
Handling
Durability
Fuel economy
If You Do Decide to Pull a Trailer
If you do, here are some important
points.
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.
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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
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.
Turn 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.
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
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Your Driving and the Road
they are not. It’s important to check
occasionally to be sure the trailer bulbs
are still working.
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 km/h) to reduce the possibility of
engine and transmission overheating.
If your trailer weighs more than 1,000
pounds
(450 kg), and you have a manual
transmission with fifth gear, it’s better
not to use fifth gear. Just drive
in fourth
gear (or, as you need to, a lower gear).
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, or into gear
for a manual transmission.
the trailer wheels.
2. Have someone place chocks under
3. When the wheel chocks are in place,
release the regular brakes until the
chocks absorb the load.
apply your parking brake, and then
shift
to P (Park), or R (Reverse) for
a manual transmission.
vehicle, be sure the transfer case is
in a drive gear - not in N (Neutral).
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then
5. If you have a four-wheel-drive
... 184
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J
It be dangerous tu get out
of your vehicle if the shift lever
is not fully in P (Park) with the
parking brake firmly set.
If you have left the engine running,
the veficle can
move suddenly. You
or others could be injured. To be
sure your vehicle won’t move, when
you’re
on fairly level ground, use
the steps that follow.
If you have four-wheel drive, and
your transfer
case is in N (NeutraI) ,
your vehicle will be free to roll,
even
if your shift lever is in
P (Park). So, be sure the transfer
case is in a drive gear - not in
N (Neutral).
If you are parking on a hill, or if
you’re pulling a trailer; also see
“Parking On Hills” in the Index.
6. Release the regular brakes.
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
Release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear
4. Stop and have someone pick up and
of the chocks.
store
the chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more
often when you’re pulling a trailer.
See
the Maintenance Schedule for more on
this. Things that are especially important
in trailer operation are automatic
transmission fluid (don’t overfill),
engine oil, axle lubricant, belts, cooling
system, and brake adjustment. Each
of
these is covered in this manual, and the
Index will help you find them quickly.
If
you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to
review these sections before you start
your trip.
Check periodically
to see that all hitch
nuts and bolts are tight.
185 9 =
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Your Driving and the Road
Recreational Towing
There may be times when you want to
tow your Geo behind another vehicle for
use at your destination. Be sure to use
the proper towing equipment designed
for recreational towing. Follow
the
instructions for the towing equipment.
186
Towing Your Geo from the Rear
The best way to tow your Geo is from
the rear. Follow these steps:
1 . Put the rear wheels on a dolly.
NOTlCE
Do not tow your Geo with the re--
wheels in contact with the grounL,
or
the transmission could be
damaged.
2. Set the parking brake.
3. If your Geo is a four-wheel-drive
vehicle, set your manual
free-wheeling hubs to
FREE or
unlock your automatic free-wheeling
hubs. See “Four-Wheel Drive’’
in
the Index.
4. Turn the ignition key to ACC to
unlock the steering wheel.
5. Clamp the steering wheel in a
straight-ahead position,
with a
clamping device designed for towing.
6. Release the parking brake.
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Make sure that the towing speed
dues not exceed 55 mph
(90 km/h), or your Geo could be
badly damaged.
Towing Your Geo from the Front
If your vehicle has automatic
I free-wheeling hubs or two-whet
drive, do not tow it
on all fa
I wheels. If you do, you transmission could be damaged.
I
If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle
with manual free-wheeling hubs, it can
be towed from the front with all four
wheels on the ground. Follow these
steps:
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Turn the ignition key to ACC to
unlock the steering wheel.
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Your Driving and the Road
= - 9 188
3. Shift your automatic transmission
into
P (Park), or your manual
transmission into
2 (Second).
4. Shift the transfer case to N (Neutral).
5. Set the hubs to FREE. See
“Four-Wheel Drive” in the Index.
6. Release the parking brake. Stop towing every
200 miles (300 km)
and
start the engine. Leave the transfer
case shift lever in
N (Neutral). Shift
your automatic transmission
to
D (Drive); leave a manual transmission
in
2 (Second) and release the clutch.
Run the engine at medium speed for one
minute to circulate
the oil in the transfer
case. Turn
the ignition key to ACC.
Now, you can continue towing your
Geo
.
NU I Kt
Make sure that the towing speed
does not exceed
50 mph
(80 km/h), or your Geo could
badly damaged.
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