1994 CHEVROLET TRACKER tire type

loss of Control
Let's review what driving experts say
about
what happens when the three
control system (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 Geo's three control systems. In the
braking skid your wheels are.n'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 011' 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. 41ways be
ready for
;I sccond 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
EO a
lower gear).
Any sudden changes could
cause the tires to slide. You may
not
realize the surface is slippery until yout-
vehicle is skidding. Learn
to recognize
warning clues
~ such as enough water,
ice or packed snow
on the road to make ;1
"nlir~-or.ed surf'rlce" - and slow down
when you have any doubt.
Remember: The rex-wheel anti-lock
braking system (RWAL) helps avoid
only
a rear braking skid. In a braking skid
(where the front wheels are
no longer rolling),
release enough pressure
on the
brakes to get the front wheels rolling
again. This restores steering control. Push
the brake pedal down steadily when you
have
to stop suddenly. As long as the
I'ront wheels are rolling,
you will have
sleering control.
Driving Guidelines
This multipurpose passenger vehicle is
defined as a utility vehicle in Consumer
Information Regulations issued
by the
National I-lighway 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 no re than low-slunl 7 .'p '-, orts cars are
designed
to perform satisfitctorily under
off-road conditions.
If at all possible,
avoid shurp turns or abrupt maneuvers.
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Your Driving and the Road
As with other vehicles of this type, failure
to operate this vehicle correctly may
result
in loss of control or vehicle
rollover.
Off-Road Driving with
Your Geo Four-wheel
Drive Vehicle
This off-road guide is for vehicles that
have four-wheel drive.
Also, see “Anti-lock Brakes”
in the Index.
If your vehicle doesn’t have four-wheel
drive, you shouldn’t drive off-road unless
you’re
on a level, solid surface.
Off-road driving can be great fun. But
it
does have some definite hazards. The
greatest of these is the terrain itself.
“Off-roading” means
you’ve left the great
North American road system behind.
Traffic lanes aren‘t marked. Curves aren’t
banked. There are no road signs. Surfwes
can be slippery, rough, uphill
or downhill.
In short, you’ve gone right back to nature.
Off-road driving involves
some new
skills. And that’s
why it’s very important
that
you read this guide. You’ll find many
driving tips and suggestions. These
will
help make your off-road driving safer and
more enjoyable.
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Before You Go Off-Roading
There are some things to do before you
go out. For example, be sure to have all
necessary maintenance and service work
done. Be sure you read all the information
about your four-wheel drive vehicle in
this manual. Is there enough fuel? Is the
spare tire
fully inflated‘? Are the fluid
levels up where they should
be‘? What are
the local laws
that apply to off-roacting
where you’ll be driving?
If you don’t
know, you should check with law
enforcement people
in the area. Will you
be on someone’s private land?
If so, be
sure
to get the necessary permission.
Loading Your Vehicle for Off-Road
Driving
There are some important things to
remember
about how to load your
vehicle. The heavies1 things should
be on the
load floor and forward of your rear
axle. Put heavier items
as far forward
as you can.
e Be sure the load is secured properly,
so driving on the off-road terrain
doesn’t
toss things around.
You’ll find other important information in
this manual. See “Vehicle Loading” and
”Tires”
in the Index.
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Problems on the Road
h I B
2. Remove the cables in reverse order
to prevent electrical shorting. Take
care that they don't touch each other
or any other metal.
A. Heavy Metal Engine Part
B. Good Battery
C. Dead Battery
C
Towing Your Vehicle
Try to have a GM dealer or a professional
towing service tow your Geo. The usual
towing equipment
is a sling-type (A) or a
wheel-lift (B) or car carrier (C) tow truck.
If your vehicle has been changed or
modified since
it was factory-new by
adding aftermarket items like fog lamps,
aero skirting, or special tires and wheels,
these instructions and illustrations may
not be correct.
Before you do anything, turn
on the
hazard warning flashers.
When you
call, tell the towing service:
A dolly must be used when towing
from the front.
0
e
e
That your vehicle has rear-wheel
drive, or that is has the
four-wheel-drive option.
The make, model, and year
of your
vehicle.
Whether you
can still move the shift
levers for the transmission and
transfer case,
if you have one.
If there was an accident, what was
damaged.
When the towing service arrives,
let the
tow operator know that this manual
contains detailed towing instructions and
illustrations. The operator may want to
see them.
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Service and Appearance Care
Inflation - Tire Pressure
The Certificatioflire label which is on the driver’s door shows the correct inflation
pressures for your tires, when they’re cold. ‘Told” means your vehicle has been
sitting for at least three hours or driven no more than
a mile.
NOTICE:
Don’t let anyone tell you that underinflation PI: overinflation is all right. It’s not.
If your tires don’t have enough air (underinflation) you can get:
i Too much flexing
0 Too much heat
0 Tire overloading
0 Bad wear
0 Bad handling
0 Bad fuel economy.
If your tires have too much air (overinflation), you can get:
0 Unusual wear
0 Bad handling
0 Rough ride
0 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
I
1
t
7
xessure. Simply looking at the tires
will not tell
you the pressure,
:specially if you have radial tires
-
which may look properly inflated even
.f they’re underinflated.
[f your tires have valve caps, be sure to
Jut them back on. They help prevent
leaks by keeping out dirt and moisture.
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-
Service and Appearance Care
When It’s Time for New Tires
One way to tell when it’s time for new
tires
is to check the treadwear indicators,
which will appear
when your tires have
only
2/32 inch (1.6 mm) or less of tread
remaining.
You need a new tire
if
0 You can see the indicators at three or
more places around
the tire.
0 You can see cord or fabric showing
through the tire’s rubber.
The tread or sidewall is cracked, cut
or snagged deep enough to show cord
or fabric.
The tire has a bump, bulge or split.
. . ,186
0 The tire has a puncture, cut, or other
damage that can’t be repaired well
because of the size or location
of the
damage.
Buying New Tires
To find out what kind and size of tires you
need,
look at the Certificationnire 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
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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.
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, B, 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.
Wheel Replacement
Replace any wheel that is bent, cracked or
badly rusted. If wheel nuts keep coming
loose, the wheel, wheel bolts, and wheel
nuts should be replaced. If the wheel
leaks air, replace it (except some
aluminum wheels, which can sometimes
be repaired). See your Geo dealer if any
of these conditions exist.
Your dealer will know the kind of wheel
you need.
Each new wheel should have the same
load carrying capacity, diameter, width,
offset, and be mounted the same way as
the one it replaces.
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Service and Appearance Care
If you need to replace any of your wheels,
wheel bolts, or wheel nuts, replace them
only
with new GM original equipment
parts. This way, you
will be sure to have
the right wheel, wheel bolts, and wheel
nuts for your Geo model.
NOTICE:
The wrong wheel can also cause
problems
with bearing life, brake
cooling, speedometer/odometer
calibration, headlight aim, bumper
height, vehicle ground clearance,
and
tire or tire chain clearance to the
body and chassis.
Used Replacement Wheels
A CAUTION:
Putting a used wheel on your vehicle
is dangerous. You can’t know how
it’s been used or how many miles it’s
been driven. It could
fail suddenly
and cause an accident.
If you have
to replace a wheel
use a new GM
original equipment wheel.
Tire Chains
NOTICE:
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 drive axle (four-
wheel drive vehicles can use chains
on both axles). 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.
. . .188 ProCarManuals.com

Service and Appearance Care
Use a clean cloth or sponge, and
change to
a clean area often. A soft
brush
may be used if stains are
stubborn.
Use solvent-type cleaners
in a
well-ventilated area only. If you use
them, don’t saturate the stained area.
If a ring forms after spot cleaning,
clean the entire area immediately or
it
will set.
Using Foam-Type Cleaner on Fabric
Vacuum and brush the area to remove
any loose dirt.
Always clean a whole trim panel or
section. Mask surrounding trim along
stitch or welt lines.
Mix Multi-Purpose Powdered Cleaner
following the directions on the
container label.
Use suds only and apply with a clean
sponge.
Don’t saturate the material.
Don’t rub
it roughly.
As soon as you’ve cleaned the section,
use a sponge to remove the suds.
Rinse the section
with a clean, wet
sponge.
Wipe off what’s left with a slightly
0 Then dry it immediately with a blow
damp
paper towel or cloth.
dryer or
a heat lamp.
I NOTICE:
I
Be careful with a hair dryer or heat
lamp. You could scorch the fabric.
Wipe with a clean cloth.
Using Solvent-Type Cleaner an Fabric
First, see if you have to use solvent-type
cleaner at all. Some spots and stains
will
clean off better with just water and mild
soap.
If you need to use a solvent:
0 Gently scrape excess soil from the
trim material with a clean, dull knife
or scraper. Use very
little cleaner, light
pressure and clean cloths (preferably
cheesecloth). Cleaning should start
at
the outside of the stain, “feathering”
toward the center. Keep changing
to a
clean section of the cloth.
0 When you clean a stain from fabric,
immediately dry the area
with an air
hose, hair dryer, or heat
lamp to help
prevent a cleaning ring.
(See the
previous
NOTICE.)
Fabric Protection
Your Geo has upholstery that has been
treated
with Scotchgard Fabric
Protector,
a 3M product. Scotchgard”
protects fabrics by repelling
oil and water,
which are the carriers of most
stains.
Even with this protection, you still need
to clean your upholstery often to keep
it
looking new.
Further information on cleaning
is
available by calling 1-800-433-3296
(in Minnesota, 1-800-642-6167).
Special Cleaning Problems
Greasy or
oily stains: Such as grease,
oil, butter, margarine, shoe polish, coffee
with cream, chewing gum, cosmetic
creams, vegetable oils, wax crayon, tar
and asphalt.
0 Carefully scrape off excess stain.
Follow the solvent-type instructions
described earlier.
. . .I90 ProCarManuals.com