1994 CHEVROLET CORVETTE esp

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your Driving and the Road
You can steer around the obstacle while
braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps
receiving updates on wheel speed and
controls braking pressure accordingly.
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.
To Use Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the
brake pedal down and let anti-lock work
for you. You may hear a motor or clicking
. . .I26
noise and feel the brake pedal move a
little during a hard stop, but this is
normal. When your anti-lock system is
adjusting brake pressure to help avoid a
braking skid, the “ABS ACTIVE” light
will come on. See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Active Light” in the Index.
ASR (Accelerated Slip Regulation)
System
Your vehicle has an ASR system that
limits wheel spin. This is especially
useful in slippery road conditions. The
system operates only if it senses that the
rear wheels are spinning too much or
are beginning to lose traction. When this
happens, the system works
the rear brakes
and reduces engine power (by closing the
throttle and managing spark) to limit
wheel spin.
The “ASR ACTIVE” light will come on
when the ASR system is limiting wheel
spin. See “ASR Active Light”
in the
Index. You may feel the system working,
or you may notice some noise, but this is
normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when
the ASR system begins to limit wheel
spin, the cruise control will automatically disengage. When road conditions allow
you to safely use it again, you may
re-engage cruise control. (See “Cruise
Control” in the Index.)

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The
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SERVICE
ASR
“SERVICE ASR“ warning light will
2 on
to let you know if there’s a
lem with the ASR system. See “ASR
:m Warning Light” in the Index.
n this warning light is on, the system
not limit wheel spin. Adjust your
ng accordingly. The
ASR system automatically comes on
whenever you start your vehicle. To limit
wheel spin, especially in slippery road
conditions, you should always leave the
system on. But you can turn the ASR
system off
if you ever need to. (You
should turn the system off if your vehicle
ever gets stuck
in sand, mud, ice or snow.
See “Rocking Your Vehicle” in the
Index.)
To
turn the system off, press the button
located above the headlight switch. The
“ASR
OFF’ light will come on and stay
on. If the ASR system is limiting wheel
spin when you press the button, the
system won’t turn off right away. It will
wait until there’s no longer a current
need
to limit wheel spin.
You can turn the system back on at any
time by pressing the button again. The
“ASR
OFF’ light should go off.
Braking in Emergencies
Use your anti-lock braking system when
you need to. With anti-lock, you can steer
and brakG at the same time. In many
emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
Steering
; .1
,.
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
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Off-Road Recovery
You may find sometime that your right
wheels have dropped off the edge of a
road onto the shoulder (A) while you’re
driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only slight11
below the pavement, recovery should be
fairly easy. Ease off the accelerator and
then,
if there is nothing in the way, steer
so that your vehicle straddles the edge of
the pavement.
You can turn the steering
wheel up to
1/4 turn (B) until the right
front tire contacts the pavement edge.
Then turn your steering wheel to
go
straight down the roadway.
Passing
fhe driver of a vehicle about to pass
mother on a two-lane highway waits for
ust the right moment, accelerates, moves
tround the vehicle ahead, then goes back
.nto the right lane again.
A simple
naneuver?
Vot necessarily! Passing another vehicle
In a two-lane highway is a potentially
langerous move, since the passing
fehicle occupies the same lane as
Incoming traffic for several seconds. A
niscalculation, an error in judgment, or
brief surrender to frustration or anger
:an suddenly put the passing driver face
:o face with the worst of all traffic
lccidents
- the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:
“Drive ahead.” Look down the road,
to the sides, and
to crossroads for
situations that might affect your
passing patterns. If you have any
doubt whatsoever about making a
successful pass, wait for a better time.
Watch for traffic signs, pavement
markings, and lines. If you can see a
sign up ahead that might indicate a
turn or an intersection, delay your
pass. A broken center line usually indicates
it’s all right to pass
(providing the road ahead
is clear).
Never cross a solid line on your side
of the lane or a double solid line, even
if the road seems empty of
approaching traffic.
Do not get too close to the vehicle you
want to pass while you’re awaiting an
opportunity. For one thing, following
too closely reduces your area of
vision, especially if you’re following
a larger vehicle. Also, you won’t have
adequate space if the vehicle ahead
suddenly slows or stops. Keep back a
reasonable distance.
When it looks like a chance to pass
is coming up, start to accelerate but
stay in the right lane and don’t get too
close. Time your move
so you will be
increasing speed as the time comes to
move into the other lane. If the way is
clear to pass, you will have a “running
start” that more than makes up for the
distance you would lose by dropping
back. And if something happens to
cause you to cancel your pass, you
need only slow down and drop back
again and wait for another
opportunity.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your Driving and the Road
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0
..
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.
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.)
Try not to pass more than one vehicle
at a time on two-lane roads.
Reconsider before passing the next vehicle.
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.
,130
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 Corvette’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
is best handled by
easing your foot
off the accelerator pedal. Remember: Any
ASR system helps avoid
only the acceleration skid. If your ASR
system is
off, then an acceleration skid is
also 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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
I
1 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.
0 Adjust your inside rearview mirror to
reduce the glare from headlights
behind you.
Since you can’t see as well, you may
need to slow down and keep more
space between you and other vehicles.
Slow down, especially on higher
speed roads. Your headlights can light
up only
so much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you’re tired, pull off the road in a
safe place and rest.
Night Vision
No one can see as well at night as in
the daytime. But as we get older these
differences increase.
A 50-year-old
driver may require at least twice as much
light to see the same thing at night as a
20-year-old.
What you do in the daytime can also
affect your night vision. For example, if
you spend the day in bright sunshine you
are wise to wear sunglasses. Your eyes
will have less trouble adjusting to night.
But if you’re driving, don’t wear
sunglasses at night. They may cut down
on glare from headlights, but they also
make a lot of things invisible.
You can be temporarily blinded by
approaching lights. It can take
a second
or two, or even several seconds, for your
eyes to readjust to the dark. When you are
faced with severe glare (as from a driver
who doesn’t lower the high beams, or a
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 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.
0 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.
Have good tires with proper tread
depth. (See “Tires” in the Index.)
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 8. Shut the engine off and replace the
pressure cap. At any time during this
procedure if coolant begins
to flow
out
of the filler neck, reinstall the
pressure cap. Be sure the arrows on
the cap line up like this.
If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out” while
you’re driving, especially if you maintain
your tires properly. If air goes out of a
tire, it’s much more likely
to’ leak out
slowly. But
if you should ever have a
”blowout,” here are a few tips about
what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create
a drag that pulls the vehicle toward that
side. Take your foot off the accelerator
pedal and grip the steering wheel firmly.
Steer
to maintain lane position, then
gently brake to a stop well out of the
traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve,
acts much like a skid and may require the
same correction you’d use in a skid. In
any rear blowout, remove your foot from
the accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle
under control by steering the way you
want the vehicle to go.
It may be very
bumpy and noisy, but you can still steer.
Gently brake to a stop, well qff the road
if possible.
If a tire goes flat, the next section shows
how to use your jacking equipment to
change a flat tire safely. If your vehicle
has Extended Mobility Tires (tires with
“EMT” molded on the sidewalls), see
“Extended Mobility Tires” in the Index.
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire
damage by driving slowly to a level place.
Turn on your hazard warning flashers.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Fuel
Use premium unleaded gasoline rated at
91 octane or higher. You may use middle
grade or regular unleaded gasolines, but
your vehicle may not accelerate as well.
The gasoline you use should meet
specifications ASTM D4814 in the
U.S.
and CGSB 3.5-92 in Canada. These fuels
should have the proper additives,
so you
should not have to add anything to the
fuel.
In the U.S. and Canada, it’s easy to be
sure you get the right kind of gasoline
(unleaded). You’ll see “UNLEADED’
right on the pump. And only unleaded
nozzles will fit into your vehicle’s filler
neck.
Be sure the posted octane for premium
is
at least 91 (at least 89 for middle grade
and 87 for regular). If the octane is less
than
87, you may get a heavy knocking
noise when you drive. If it’s bad enough,
it can damage your engine.
If you’re using fuel rated at 91 octane or
higher and you still hear heavy knocking,
your engine needs service. But don’t
worry if you hear a little pinging noise
when you’re accelerating or driving up a
hill. That’s normal and you don’t have to
buy a higher octane fuel to get rid of
pinging. It’s the heavy, constant knock
that means you have a problem.
What about gasoline with blending
materials that contain oxygen
(oxygenates), such as MTBE or alcohol?
MTBE is “methyl tertiary-butyl ether.’’
Fuel that is no more than 15% MTBE is
fine for your vehicle.
Ethanol is ethyl or grain alcohol.
Properly-blended fuel that is no more
than
10% ethanol is fine for your vehicle.
Methanol
is methyl or wood alcohol.
NOTICE:
Fuel that is more than 5% methanol
is bad for your vehicle. Don’t use it.
It can corrode metal parts
in your fuel
system and also damage plastic and
rubber parts. That damage wouldn’t
be covered under your warranty.
And even at
5% or less, there must
be “cosolvents” and corrosion
preventers in this fuel to help avoid
these problems.
Gasolines for Cleaner Air
Your use of gasoline with deposit control
additives will help prevent deposits from
forming in your engine and fuel system.
That helps keep your engine
in tune and
your emission control system working
properly. It’s good for your vehicle, and
you’ll be doing your part for cleaner air.
Many gasolines are now blended with
oxygenates. General Motors recommends
that you use gasolines with these blending
materials, such as MTBE and ethanol. By
doing
so, you can help clean the air,
especially in those parts of the country
that have high carbon monoxide levels.
In addition, some gasoline suppliers are
now producing reformulated gasolines.
These gasolines are specially designed to
reduce vehicle emissions. General Motors
recommends that you use reformulated
gasoline. By doing
so, you can help clean
the air, especially in those parts of the
country that have high ozone levels.
You should ask your service station
operators
if their gasolines contain deposit
control additives and oxygenates, and if
they have been reformulated to reduce
vehicle emissions.
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