
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:  The rear-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 front wheels are 
rolling,  you 
will have steering control. 
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find the load on each tire and see the label  for the  minimum cold inflation 
pressures 
for that  load. 
NOTICE: 
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: 
Unusual wear 
Bad  handling 
Rough  ride 
‘Needless  damage  from  road  hazards. 
When io 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. 
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Dual lire Operation 
If your  vehicle has dual rear wheels, the outer  tire  will usually wear  faster 
than  the inner tire.  Your tires will wear more evenly and last  longer 
if you 
rotate the tires periodically. If you’re going to be doing a lot of driving  on 
high-crown  roads, 
you can reduce  tire wear  by adding 5 psi (35 kPa)  to the 
tire  pressure  in the outer tires.  Be  sure  to return to the recommended 
pressures  when 
no longer  driving  under those conditions. 
Buying New Tires 
To find out what kind and size of tires you need, look at the 
CertificationRire  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. 
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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 
Repla@ Zm 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  GM  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. 
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 
GM  model. 
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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 
Tire Chains 
NOTICE: 
If your  vehicle has dual wheels  or LT26Y75R16  size  tires, don’t 
use  tire  chains;  they can damage your  vehicle. 
If you don’t  have 
dual  wheels  or 
if you have a tire size  other  than  LT265/75R16, 
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. 
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Cleaning  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: 
Always read the  instructions on the cleaner  label. 
0 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 
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. 
0 If a  ring  forms  after  spot  cleaning,  clean the entire area immediately  or 
it  will 
set. 
Using  Foam-Type  CIeaner on Fabric 
0 Vacuum  and brush  the  area to remove  any loose  dirt. 
Always  clean a whole  trim panel  or section.  Mask surrounding  trim 
Mix Multi-Purpose  Powdered  Cleaner  following  the directions on the 
along 
stitch or welt 
lines. 
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  damp  paper  towel or  cloth. 
Then dry it immediately  with  a blow  dryer  or a heat  lamp. 
I NOTICE: 
I Be  careful  with  a  hair  dryer  or  heat  lamp.  You could  scorch  the I 
fabric. 
Wipe with  a clean cloth. 
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