
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 vehicle’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  skid. 
Driving  Guidelines 
This multipurpose  passenger  vehicle is defined  as  a utility vehicle in 
Consumer  Information  Regulations  issued  by  the  National  Highway  Traffic 
Safety  Administration  (NHTSA)  of the  United  States Department  of 
Transportation.  Utility  vehicles  have  higher  ground  clearance and a narrower 
track  to  make  them  capable 
of performing in a wide  variety  of  off-road 
applications. Specific  design characteristics  give  them 
a higher center of 
gravity  than  ordinary  cars. 
An advantage  of the  higher  ground  clearance is a 
better view  of  the  road  allowing  you  to anticipate problems.  They  are  not 
designed  for cornering at  the  same  speeds  as conventional  2-wheel drive 
vehicles  any  more  than  low-slung 
sports cars  are  designed  to  perform 
satisfactorily  under  off-road  conditions. 
If at  all possible,  avoid  sharp turns  or 
abrupt  maneuvers.  As 
with other vehicles of this type, failure  to operate  this 
vehicle correctly  may result in loss of control  or vehicle  rollover. 
4-11 
ProCarManuals.com 

You can  operate some vehicles at reduced inflation  pressures only when 
you’ll  be  carrying  reduced loads.  On those  vehicles,  the minimum  cold 
inflation  pressures  for  a  typical reduced  load are printed  on the “Improved 
Ride  Tire  Pressure”  label located  on  the  driver’s door.  Weigh  the  vehicle to 
find  the  load  on each  tire and  see  the label for  the  minimum  cold inflation 
pressures  for  that load. 
Don’t let anyone  tell  you  that underinflation or overinflation  is 
all  right. 
It’s not.  If  your tires  don’t  have  enough  air 
(underinflation)  you can get: 
Too much  flexing 
Too much heat 
Tire overloading 
Bad wear 
Bad handling 
Bad  fuel  economy. 
If your tires have  too much air (overinflation),  you can get: 
0 Unusual wear 
Bad  handling 
Rough  ride 
Needless  damage from  road hazards. 
When to Check 
Check  your  tires  once  a  month or more.  Also, check  the  tire pressure of the 
spare  tire. 
How to Check 
Use a  good  quality  pocket-type  gage to check  tire pressure. Simply  looking 
at  the  tires will not  tell  you the pressure,  especially 
if you have radial tires 
- which  may look  properly  inflated even if they’re underinflated. 
If your tires have  valve caps,  be  sure to put them back on. They  help prevent 
leaks  by keeping  out  dirt  and  moisture. 
ProCarManuals.com 

Buying  New  Tires 
To find  out  what  kind  and  size of tires  you need, look at the 
CertificatiodTire  label. 
The  tires installed 
on your vehicle  when it was new had a Tire Performance 
Criteria  Specification  (TPC Spec)  number  on each tire’s sidewall.  When  you 
get  new  tires,  get ones  with that same TPC Spec  number. That way, your 
vehicle  will continue  to have tires that are designed to give proper 
endurance,  handling, speed rating, traction, ride  and other things during 
normal service on your vehicle. If your  tires  have  an  all-season  tread 
design,  the TPC  number 
will be followed  by a “MS” (for  mud  and  snow). 
If you ever  replace  your  tires  with  those not having a TPC  Spec  number, 
make  sure they 
are the same size,  load range, speed rating  and construction 
type (bias,  bias-belted  or radial) 
as your  original  tires. 
Uniform  Tire Quality Grading 
The  following  information relates  to  the system developed by the United 
States  National  Highway  Traffic Safety Administration  which grades tires 
by  treadwear,  traction and temperature  performance.  (This applies 
only to 
vehicles sold 
in the  United  States.) 
Treadwear 
The  treadwear  grade is a comparative rating  based on the  wear  rate of the 
tire when  tested  under controlled  conditions  on a specified government  test 
course. For  example,  a tire graded 
150 would  wear  one and a half ( 1 1 /2) 
times as  well  on  the  government  course as a tire graded 100. The relative 
performance  of tires  depends  upon  the  actual conditions 
of their use, 
however, and  may depart  significantly from  the  norm  due  to variations 
in 
driving habits, service practices  and differences in road  characteristics  and 
climate. 
6-66 ProCarManuals.com 

Traction - A, B, C 
The traction  grades, from highest to lowest  are: A, B, and C. They represent 
the tire’s ability  to stop  on  wet  pavement 
as measured under  controlled 
conditions  on specified  government  test surfaces 
of asphalt  and concrete. A 
tire marked C may have  poor traction  performance. 
Warning:  The traction grade  assigned to this tire is based  on braking 
(straight-ahead)  traction  tests and  does  not include  cornering  (turning) 
traction. 
Temperature - A, By C 
The  temperature  grades are A (the highest), B, and C, representing  the  tire’s 
resistance 
to the generation  of  heat  and  its  ability  to  dissipate heat  when  tested 
under  controlled conditions 
on a specified  indoor  laboratory test wheel. 
Sustained  high  temperature  can  cause the  material  of the  tire  to  degenerate 
and  reduce  tire  life,  and  excessive temperature  can lead  to  sudden  tire  failure. 
The grade 
C corresponds  to a level  of performance  which  all  passenger  car 
tires 
must meet  under  the  Federal  Motor  Vehicle  Safety  Standard No. 109. 
Grades B and A represent  higher  levels of performance  on  the  laboratory  test 
wheel 
than the minimum  required  by  law. 
Warning:  The  temperature  grade  for  this tire is established  for  a  tire that  is 
properly inflated and  not overloaded.  Excessive  speed,  underinflation, or 
excessive  loading,  either  separately  or  in combination,  can cause  heat 
buildup  and possible  tire failure. 
These  grades  are molded  on the  sidewalls  of passenger  car tires. 
While  the tires  available  as standard  or  optional  equipment  on General 
Motors  vehicles  may  vary  with  respect to these  grades,  all such  tires meet 
General Motors  performance  standards  and have been approved for  use  on 
General Motors vehicles.  All passenger  type 
(P Metric) tires must conform 
to Federal safety  requirements in addition to these grades. 
Wheel  Alignment and Tire  Balance 
The  wheels on your vehicle  were aligned  and balanced carefully at the 
factory  to give  you the longest  tire life and best overall performance. 
In most cases, you will  not  need  to have your wheels  aligned again. 
However, 
if you  notice  unusual tire wear  or your vehicle  pulling one way  or 
the other,  the  alignment  may need to  be reset.  If  you  notice your vehicle 
vibrating  when driving  on 
a smooth road, your  wheels  may  need  to  be 
rebalanced. 
6-67 ProCarManuals.com 

Tire Chains 
NOTICE: 
If your vehicle  has LT265/75R16  size  tires, don’t  use  tire chains; 
they can damage your  vehicle. 
If you have a  tire size  other  than  LT265/75Rl6,  use  tire chains 
only  where  legal  and only  when  you  must.  Use  only 
SAE Class 
“S” type chains  that  are the proper  size for your  tires.  Install 
them on the tires 
of the  rear  axle.  Tighten them as tightly  as 
possible 
with the ends securely fastened. Drive  slowly and follow 
the  chain manufacturer’s instructions. 
If you  can hear  the  chains 
contacting your  vehicle, stop  and  retighten  them. 
If the contact 
continues,  slow  down  until 
it stops. Driving  too fast  with  chains 
on will damage your  vehicle. 
Appearance  Care 
Remember, cleaning products can be hazardous.  Some are toxic. Others can 
burst  into  flame 
if you strike  a match  or get them on  a hot part of  the 
vehicle.  Some 
are dangerous  if you  brea.the  their fumes  in  a closed space. 
When  you use anything  from a container to clean your vehicle, be sure  to 
follow the manufacturer’s warnings and instructions. And always open your  doors  or windows when you’re cleaning the inside. 
ProCarManuals.com 

Never use these to clean your vehicle: 
0 Gasoline 
0 Benzene 
Naphtha 
0 Carbon Tetrachloride 
Acetone 
0 Paint  Thinner 
Turpentine 
0 Lacquer Thinner 
0 Nail Polish Remover 
They 
can all  be hazardous - some  more than others - and  they  can all 
damage  your vehicle, too. 
NOTICE: 
Don’t  use  any of these  unless this manual  says  you  can. In many 
uses,  these  will  damage  your  vehicle: 
0 Laundry Soap 
0 Bleach 
0 Reducing  Agents 
CIeaning  the  Inside of Your Vehicle 
Use a vacuum  cleaner often to get  rid of dust  and loose  dirt.  Wipe  vinyl or 
leather with a clean, damp cloth. 
Your 
GM dealer  has two GM cleaners,  a solvent-type  spot lifter and  a 
foam-type  powdered cleaner.  They  will clean normal spots  and stains  very 
well. 
Do not  use  them  on vinyl  or leather. 
Here  are  some  cleaning tips: 
0 Always read the instructions on  the cleaner label. 
Clean  up  stains as soon as you  can - before  they  set. 
Use a  clean  cloth or  sponge,  and change to  a  clean  area often. A soft 
Use  solvent-type  cleaners in a well-ventilated  area only.  If  you  use 
If a ring forms after spot cleaning, clean  the entire  area immediately  or 
brush 
may  be  used if stains are  stubborn. 
them,  don’t saturate  the stained area. 
it will  set. 
ProCarManuals.com