1993 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE tires

Driving a Long Distance
Although most long trips today are
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Make sure you’re ready. Try to be well
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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. 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.
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 Oldsmobile dealerships all across
North America. They’ll be ready
and willing to help
if you need it. 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?
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids:
Have you checked all levels?
Lights: Are they all working? Are the
lenses clean?
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 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?
Weather Forecasts: What’s the
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On the Road
Unless you are the only driver, it is
good to share the driving task with
others. Limit turns behind the wheel to
about 100 miles
(160 km) or two 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.
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.
Highway Hypnosis
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.
What can you do about highway
hypnosis? First, be aware that it can
happen.
Then here are some tips:
Make sure your vehicle is well
ventilated, with a comfortably cool interior.
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road
ahead and to the sides. Check your
rearview mirrors frequently and your
instruments from time
to time. This
can help
you avoid a fixed stare.
Wear good sunglasses in bright light.
Glare can cause drowsiness. But don’t
wear sunglasses at night. They will
drastically reduce
your overall vision
at the very time you need all the
seeing power you have.
If you get sleepy, pull off the road into
a rest, service,
or parking area and
take a nap, get some exercise, or both.
For safety, treat drowsiness on the
highway as an emergency.
As in any driving situation, keep pace
with traffic and allow adequate following distances.
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Hi// and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is
different from driving in flat or rolling
terrain.
If you drive regularly in steep
country, or if you’re planning to visit
there, here are some tips that can make
your trips safer and more enjoyable.
Keep your vehicle in good shape.
Check all fluid levels and also the
brakes, tires, cooling system and
transaxle. These parts can work hard
on mountain roads.
Know how to go down hills. The most
important thing to
know is this: let
your engine do some of the slowing
down. Don’t make your brakes do it
all. Shift to a lower gear when you go
down a steep or long hill. That way,
you will slow down without excessive
use
of your brakes.
GAU I IUN
If you don’t shift down, your
brakes could get
so hot that I
they wouldn’t work well. You
1 would then have poor braking or
even none going down a hill. You
1 could crash. Shift down to let your
engine assist your brakes on a
steep downhill slope.
Coasting downhill in
N
C L (Neutral) or with the ignition
OII is dangerous. Your brakes will
have
to do all the work of slowing
down. They could get
so hot that
they wouldn’t work well. You
could crash. Always have your
engine running and your vehicle in
gear when you
go downhill.
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Know how to go uphill. You may want
to shift down to a lower gear. The
lower gears help
cool your engine and
transaxle, and you can climb
the hill
better.
Stay in your own lane when driving on
two-lane roads in hills or mountains.
Don’t swing wide or cut across
the
center of the road. Drive at speeds that
let you stay
in your own lane. That
way, you won’t be surprised by
a
vehicle coming toward you in the
same lane.
It takes longer to pass another vehicle
when you’re going uphill. You’ll want
to leave extra room to pass. If a
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vehicle is passing you and doesn't have
enough room, slow down to make
it
easier for the other vehicle to get by.
As you go over the top of a hill, be
alert. There could be something in
your lane, like a stalled car or an
accident.
You may see highway signs on
mountains that warn of special
problems. Examples are
long grades,
passing or no passing zones,
a falling
rocks area, or winding roads. Be alert
to these and take appropriate action.
problems. See the
Index under Winter
Driving.
Winter driving can present special
Parking on Hills
Hills and mountains mean spectacular
scenery. But please be careful where you
stop
if you decide to look at the view or
take pictures.
Look for pull-offs or
parking areas provided for scenic
viewing.
Another part of this manual tells how to
use your parking brake (see the
Index
under Parking Brake). 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
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.
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Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you
don’t shift your transaxle into
P (Park)
properly, the weight of the vehicle may
put too much force on the parking pawl
in the transaxle. 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 the
Index under Shifting Into P (Park).
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 transaxle,
so you can pull the
shift lever out of
P (Park).
Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your Oldsmobile 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.
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.
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Your Driving and the Road
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.
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; 0°C)
and freezing rain begins to fd. 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 the Index under
Anti-Lock Brake System.
Allow greater following distance on
any slippery road.
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 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.
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Towing a Tmiler
I I If you don’t use the correct I
L L 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
Oldsmobile 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 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
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Weight of the Trailer Tongue
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 the Index under
Loading Your khicle for more
information about your vehicle’s
maximum load capacity.
If your vehicle is not equipped to tow
a trailer weighing more than
2,000
pounds (900 kg) with the 3.1L V6 or
3800 V6 engine, the trailer tongue (A)
should weigh 10% of the total loaded
trailer weight
(B).
If your vehicle is equipped to tow up
to
3,000 pounds (1 360 kg) with the
3800
V6 engine towing package, and
if you’re using a “dead-weight” hitch,
the trailer tongue
(A) should weigh
10% of the total loaded trailer weight
(B). Or, if you have a “weight-
distributing” hitch, the trailer tongue
(A) should weigh 12% 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 I
Be sure your vehicle’s tires are inflated
to the limit for cold tires.
You will find
these numbers on the Certification/
Tire label at the rear edge
of the
driver’s door (or see the
Index under
Tire Loading). Then be sure you don’t
go over the GVW limit for your
vehicle.
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