1994 CHEVROLET CAVALIER tires

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your Driving and the Road
true for brain, spinal cord and heart
injuries. That means that
if anyone who
has been drinking
- driver or
passenger
- is in a crash, the chance of
being killed or permanently disabled is
higher than if that person had not been
drinking. And we’ve already seen that
the chance
of a crash itself is higher for
drinking drivers.
Condrol of a Khkk
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 ta ask more
of
those control systems than the tires and
road can provide. That means you can
lose control
af your vehicle.
Bruking
Braking action involves perception
time
and reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the
brake pedal. That’s
perception the.
Then you have to bring up your foot
and do it. That’s reaction the.
Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a I
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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
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.
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.
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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your Driving and the Road
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 Chevrolet’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.
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 slid.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your Driving and the Road
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. 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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
Before Leaving on a Long
Trip
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.
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 Chevrolet 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
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 and your
instruments frequently.
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.
a

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your Driving and the Road
Hill 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. Shift to a lower gear when you
go down a steep or long hill.
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.
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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 4 Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your Chevrolet in good shape
for winter. Be sure your engine
coolant mix is correct.
You may want to put winter
emergency supplies in your trunk.
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.
Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places wnere
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; OOC) and freezing rain begins to
fall. Try to avoid driving on wet ice until
salt and sand crews can get there.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your Driving and the Road
I..
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
Anti-lock in the Index.
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.
I24
If You’re Caught in a Blizzard
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you
could be in a serious situation. You
should probably stay with your vehicle
unless you know for sure that you are
near help and you can hike through the
snow. Here are some things to do to
summon help and keep yourself and
your passengers safe: Turn on your
hazard flashers. Tie
a red cloth to your
vehicle to alert police that you’ve been
stopped by the snow. Put on extra
clothing or wrap a blanket around
you.
If you have no blankets or extra clothing,
make body insulators from newspapers,
burlap bags, rags, floor mats
- anything
you can wrap around yourself or tuck
under your clothing to keep warm.
You can run the engine to keep warm,
but be careful.