1994 BUICK CENTURY tires

Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work
at the places where the tires meet the road. Sometimes,
as when you’re driving
on snow or ice, it’s
easy to ask more of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
of your vehicle.
Braking
Braking action involves perception time and reaction
time.
First, you have
to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That’s perception time. Then
you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That’s reaction time.
Average reaction time is about
3/4 of a second. But
that’s only an average. It might be
less with one driver
and as long
as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness,
coordination, and eyesight all play a part.
So do alcohol,
drugs and frustration. But even in
3/4 of a second, a
vehicle moving at
60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet
(20 m). That could be a lot of distance in an emergency,
so keeping enough space between your vehicle and
others
is important.
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Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal. If you get too
close
to the vehicle in front of you, you won’t have time
to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or
stops. Always leave enough room up ahead to stop, even
though you have anti-lock brakes.
Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system is not functioning, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
To Use Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
and let anti-lock
work for you. You may feel the system
working, or
you may notice some noise, but this is
normal. When your anti-lock system is adjusting brake
pressure to help avoid a braking skid, the
“LOW
TRACTION” light will come on. See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Active Light”
in the Index.
Braking in Emergencies
Use your anti-lock braking system when you need to.
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help
you more
than even
the very best braking.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject to
the same laws
of physics when driving on curves. The
traction of the tires against the road surface makes
it
possible for the vehicle to change its path when you turn
the front wheels. If there’s no traction, inertia will keep
the vehicle going
in the same direction. If you’ve ever
tried to steer
a vehicle on wet ice, you’ll understand this.
The traction
you can get in a curve depends on the
condition of your tires and the road surface, the angle at
which
the curve is banked, and your speed. While
you’re
in a curve, speed is the one factor you can
control.
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Suppose you’re steering through a sharp curve. Then
you suddenly accelerate. Both control systems --
steering and acceleration -- have to do their work where
the tires meet the road. Adding the sudden acceleration
can demand too much of those places. You can lose
control.
What should you do
if this ever happens? Ease up on the
accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you want
it
to go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should
adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speeds are
based on good weather and road conditions. Under less
favorable conditions
you’ll want to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a
curve, do
it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed
so you can “drive” through the
curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until you are
out of the curve, and then
accelerate gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective than
braking.
For example, you come over a hill and find a
truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls out
from nowhere, or a child darts out from between parked
cars and stops right
in front of you. You can avoid these
problems by braking
-- if you can stop in time. But
sometimes you can’t; there isn’t room. That’s
the time for
evasive action
-- steering around the problem.
Your Buick can perform very well
in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes. It is better to remove as
much speed as you can from a possible collision. Then
steer around the problem, to the left or right depending
on the space available.
An emergency like this requires close attention and a
quick decision. If you are holding the steering wheel at
the recommended 9 and 3 o’clock positions, you can
turn
it a full 180 degrees very quickly without removing
either hand. But you have
to act fast, steer quickly, and
just as quickly straighten the wheel once you have
avoided the object.
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e If other cars are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait
your turn. But take care that someone isn’t trying to
pass you as you pull
out to pass the slow vehicle.
Remember to glance over your shoulder and check
the blind spot.
e Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and
start your left lane change signal before moving out
of the right lane to pass. When
you are far enough
ahead of the passed vehicle to see
its front in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal
and move back into the right lane. (Remember that
your right outside mirror is convex. The vehicle you
just passed may seem to be farther away from you
than
it really is.)
two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the next
vehicle.
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on
e Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lights are
not flashing, it may
be slowing down or starting to
turn.
If you’re being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps you
can ease a
little to the right.
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering
and acceleration) don’t have enough friction where the
tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give
up. Keep trying to steer
and constantly seek an escape route or area
of less
danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those Conditions. But skids are always
possible.
The three types
of skids correspond to your Buick’s
three control systems. In the braking skid your wheels
aren’t rolling. In the steering
or cornering skid, too
much speed or steering
in a curve causes tires to slip and
lose cornering force. And in the acceleration skid too
much
throttle causes the driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid and an acceleration skid are best
handled by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal.
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If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want the
vehicle to
go. If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a
second skid
if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel, or other material is
on the road. For safety, you’ll
want to slow down and adjust your driving to these
conditions. It is important
to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best
to avoid sudden steering, acceleration, or
braking (including engine braking by shifting to a lower
gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires to slide.
You may not realize the surface is slippery
until your
vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning clues --
such as enough water, ice or packed snow on the road to
make a “mirrored surface’’
-- and slow down when you
have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock braking system
(ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.
Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving. One
reason is that some drivers are likely to be impaired
-- by
alcohol or drugs, with night vision problems, or by fatigue.
Here are some
tips on night driving.
0 Drive defensively.
0 Don’t drink and drive.
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Driving in the Rain
. .
Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet
road
you can’t stop, accelerate or turn as well because
your tire-to-road traction isn’t as good as on dry roads. And,
if your tires don’t have much tread left, you’ll get
even
less traction. It’s always wise to go slower and be
cautious if rain starts to fall while you are driving. The
surface may get wet suddenly when your reflexes are
tuned for driving on dry pavement.
The heavier the rain,
the harder it is to see. Even if your
windshield wiper blades are in good shape, a heavy rain
can make it harder
to see road signs and traffic signals,
pavement markings, the edge of the road, and even
people walking.
It’s wise to keep your wiping equipment in good shape
and keep your windshield washer tank filled. Replace
your windshield wiper inserts when they show signs
of
streaking or missing areas on the windshield, or when
strips of rubber start to separate from the inserts.
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Driving too fast through large water puddles or even
going through some car washes can cause problems, too. The
water may affect your brakes. Try
to avoid puddles.
But
if you can’t, try to slow down before you hit them.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the water.
This can happen
if the road is wet enough and you’re
going fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning,
it has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But it can
if your
tires haven’t much tread or
if the pressure in one or
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more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is standing
on the road. If you can see reflections from trees,
telephone poles, or other vehicles, and raindrops
“dimple” the water’s surface, there could be
hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There
just isn’t a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. The
best advice is to slow down when it is raining.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
0 Turn on your low-beam headlights -- not just your
parking lights
-- to help make you more visible to
others.
City Driving
I
Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when you pass
another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear room
ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted
by road spray.
0 Have good tires with proper tread depth. (See
“Tires” in the Index.) One
of the biggest problems with city streets is the
amount of traffic on them. You’ll want
to watch out for
what the other drivers are doing and pay attention to
traffic signals.
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