1
* Never raise or lower the top while the- vehicle .is moving, or drive with any
part of the top unfastened or partially -removed. The wind Could t under ‘it
and
cause- damage. I Do not take.your vehicle through an a
your convertible -top. . . ’
0 ,Don? try to lower or raise the conver le top or tap or beat on the plasti
windows if your car is out in dd weatIq.4 1 OF (5°C) or below. The. cold.
can cause cracks -and other damage ta th ;inb---rs and to the top as it is. ’
being lowered or-raised :
I .
.. ..e Don’t.lower the top if it is dl. p or w After E tc is down, the trapp
.- ----iter-- cause stains, mildew and damage to *% in-’Je of your car. Be
.. &e to dry -off :&e top.before you lower it.
* Don’t lower the convertible top if the rear f or sic: wndol are di
~.
.
I Dirt could scratch the side windows..
The convertible top isn’t designed to carry weight. Never let anyone sit on
the top, and don’t put anything on top. of it when it is up, or it could be
damaged.
’
I
. 9 -88
The parts of your convertible top are:
1. Top Bow Latch
2. Front Top Bow
3. Horizontal Roof Support
4. Rear Top Bow
5. Strap
6. Strut
7. Clamp
8. Center Pillar
9. Roof Rail
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Your Driving and the Road
deaths are the result of someone who
was drinking and driving. Over 25,000
motor vehicle-related deaths occur each
year because
of alcohol, and thousands
of people are injured.
Just how much alcohol is too much if a
person plans to drive? Ideally, no one
should drink alcohol and then drive. But
if one does, then what’s “too much”? It
can be 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
Content (BAC) of
someone who is drinking depends upon
four things:
How much alcohol is in the drink.
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-pound (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 a liquor like
whiskey, gin or vodka.
It’s 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 slightly lower BAC level.
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DRINKING THAT WILL
IN THE TIME SHOWN
RESULT IN A BAC OF .05%
i
I
I
-1
4 IVJ 120 140 160 180 Mo 220 240
I =
1 2 HOURS
i noUR
aoov WEIGHT IN POUNDS
The law in most U.S. states sets the
legal limit at a BAC of
0.10 percent. In
Canada the limit is
0.08 percent, and in
some other countries it’s lower than
that. The RAC
will be over 0.10 percent
after three to six drinks (in one hour).
Of course, as we’ve seen, it depends on
how much alcohol is in the drinks, and
how quickly the person drinks them.
But it’s very important to keep in mind
that 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 an accident increases sharply
for drivers who have a BAC of
0.05
percent or above. A driver with a BAC
level of
0.06 percent (three beers in one
hour for a 180-pound or
82 kg person)
has doubled his or her chance of having
an accident. At a BAC level of 0.10
percent, the chance of that driver having
an accident is six times greater; at a
level
of 0.15 percent, the chances are
twenty-five times greater! And, 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’ll be careful” isn’t
the right answer.
What if there’s an emergency, a need to
take sudden action, as when a child
darts into the street?
A person with a
higher BAC might
not be able to react
quickly enough to avoid the collision.
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tumble end over end. But when you
drive across an incline, the much
more narrow track width (the
distance between the left and right
wheels) may not prevent the vehicle
from tilting and rolling over.
Also,
driving across an incline puts more
weight
on the downhill wheels. This
could cause a downhill slide or a
rollover.
0 Surface conditions can be a problem
when
you drive across a hill. Loose
gravel, muddy spots, or even wet
grass can cause your tires to slip
sideways, downhill.
If the vehicle
slips sideways, it can hit something
that will trip it (a rock, a rut, etc.)
and roll over.
Hidden obstacles can make the
steepness
of the incline even worse.
If you drive across a rock with the
uphill wheels, or if the downhill
wheels drop into a
rut or depression,
your vehicle can tilt even more.
For reasons like these,
you need to
decide carefully whether to try
to drive
across an incline. Just because the trail
goes across
the incline doesn’t mean you
have to drive
it. The last vehicle to try it
might have rolled over.
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[f there is no curb when you’re parking
uphill, turn the wheels to the right.
[f 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.
When you are ready to drive, move the
shift lever out
of P (Park) BEFORE you
release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need
to have another vehicle push yours a
little uphill
to take some of the pressure
from the transmission,
so you can pull
the shift lever out
of P (Park).
Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your Geo in good shape for
winter. Be sure your engine coolant
mix is correct.
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.
I
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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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Then, during the first 500 miles
(800 km) that you tow a trailer, don’t
drive over
50 mph (80 h/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:
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be? It
should never weigh more than
1,500
pounds (680 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
write
us at: Customer
Assistance Department
Chevrolet/Geo
P.O. Box 7047
Troy, MI 48007
In Canada, write to:
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Assistance Center
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario
L1H 8P7
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Your Driving and the Road
L
Weight of the Trailer Tongue
... 180
The tongue load (A) of any trailer is
an important weight to measure
because
it affects the total gross
weight of your vehicle. The gross
vehicle weight (GVW) includes the
curb weight of the vehicle, any cargo
you may carry in it, and the people
who will be riding in the vehicle. And
if
you will tow a trailer, you must add
the tongue load to
the GVW because
your vehicle will be carrying that
weight, too. See “Loading Your
Vehicle’’ in the Index for more
information about your vehicle’s
maximum load capacity. 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.
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 won’t go over the GVW limit for
your vehicle.
Hitches
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:
Will you have to make any holes in
the body of your vehicle when
you
install a trailer hitch? If you do, then
be sure to seal
the holes later when
you remove the hitch. If you don’t
seal them, deadly carbon monoxide
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