1994 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA wheel

Features & Controk
54
Running Your Engine While You’re Parked
It’s better not to park with the engine
running. But if you ever have to, here
are some things to know.
Follow the proper steps to be sure your
vehicle won’t move.
See Shifting Into P
(Park) in the Index.
If you are parking on a hill and pulling
a trailer, also see
Towing a Trailer in
the
Index.
Horn
You can sound the horn by pressing the
horn symbol on your steering wheel.
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Tilt Steering Wheel
A tilt steering wheel allows you to
adjust the steering wheel before you
drive. You can also raise it to the
highest level to give your legs more
room when you exit and enter the
vehicle.
To tilt the wheel, hold the steering
wheel and pull the lever. Move the
steering wheel
to a comfortable level,
then release the lever to lock the wheel
in place.
Power Windows
Switches on the driver's door control
each of the windows when the ignition
is on. In addition, each passenger door
has a control switch for its own
.- window.
'I- I
4 Turn SignullMukifinction
Lever
The lever on the left side of the steering
column includes your:
Turn Signal and Lane Change
Cruise Control
Headlight High-Low Beam
Windshield Wipers
Windshield Washer
The High-Low Beam feature is
discussed under
Headlights. See the
Index under Headlights.
Indicator
3
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The Instrument Panel-Your
Information System
Your instrument panel is designed to let
you know at a glance how your vehicle
is running. You’ll know how fast you’re
going, how much fuel you’re using, and
many other things you’ll need to drive
safely and economically.
The main components
of your
instrument panel are:
1. Side Vents
2. Side Window Defogger
3. Rear Window Wipermasher
4. Rear Window Defogger
5. Light Controls
6. Tilt Steering Wheel Lever
7. Instrument Cluster
8. Gearshift Lever
9. Climate Controls
IO. Lighter
11. Center Vents
12. Glove Box
13. Side Window Defogger
14. Side Vents
15. Audio System
16. Ashtray
17. Tailgate Window Release
18. Power Remote Control Mirrors
19. Ignition Switch
20. Hazard Warning Flashers Switch
21. Horn
22. Fuse Panel (under instrument
panel)
23. Hood Release
24. Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
25. Parking Brake Release
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Here you’ll find information about
driving on different kinds
of roads
and in varying weather conditions
.
We’ve also included many other
useful tips
on driving .
Part 4
Your Driving and the Road
Defensive Driving .. ............................................... ................................................... 106 . ..
Drunken Driving ........................................................................\
............................. 106
Control of a Vehicle
What
Is All-Wheel Drive? ........................................................................\
........... 108
Braking ........................................................................\
......................................... 109
Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
........................................................................\
............. 110
Braking in Emergencies
........................................................................\
............... 111
Steering ........................................................................\
........................................ 111
Steering in Emergencies ........................................................................\
.............. 112
Passing ........................................................................\
......................................... 113
Driving Guidelines ........................................................................\
.......................... 115
Operating Your Bravada
Off Paved Roads ............................................................ 115
Driving at Night
........................................................................\
.............................. 124
Driving
in the Rain ........................................................................\
.......................... 125
City Driving
........................................................................\
..................................... 126
Freeway Driving ........................................................................\
.............................. 127
Hill and Mountain Roads ........................................................................\
................ 129
Winter Driving
........................................................................\
................................. 130
Towing a Trailer ........................................................................\
.............................. 132
..
105
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Your Driving and the Road
108
“I’ll be careful” isn’t the right answer.
What
if there’s an emergency, a need to
take sudden action, as when a child
darts into the street? A person with a
higher BAC might not be able to react
quickly enough to avoid the collision.
There’s something else about drinking
and driving that many people don’t
know. Medical research shows that
alcohol in a person’s system can make
crash injuries worse. That’s especially
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. 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 to ask more
of
those control systems than the tires and
road can provide. That means you can
lose control of your vehicle,
Wt Is All-Wheel Drive?
All the Wheels, All the Time
Bravada has a unique system called all-
wheel drive
(AWD) . Simply stated,
AWD supplies power from the engine to
all four wheels, all the time. It works in
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all conditions-both on and off paved
surfaces, no matter
if the weather is fair
or foul.
The heart of the AWD system is the
transfer case. Here, engine power is
divided by an interaxle differential.
Under normal conditions,
it sends 65
percent of the torque to the rear axle and
the other 35 percent to the front axle.
But on a slippery surface, a viscous
clutch in the transfer case adjusts the
65/35 proportion according to need,
sending more power to the axle with
traction.
Another feature of the AWD system
that helps Bravada keep its grip is the
limited-slip rear axle. In conditions
where one rear wheel
loses traction but
the other still has some-as when one
wheel hits an icy patch or slips onto a
muddy road shoulder-this design
provides power to the wheel with
traction. And AWD is simple. It’s
always there-working.
Braking
Braking action involves perception
time
and reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the
brake pedal. That’s
perception time.
Then you have to bring up your foot
and do it. That’s
reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a
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.
And, of course, actual stopping
distances vary greatly with the surface
of the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition of the road (wet,
dry, icy); tire tread; and the condition of
your brakes. Avoid needless heavy braking. Some
people drive in spurts
- heavy
acceleration followed by heavy braking
- rather than keeping pace with traffic.
This is a mistake. Your brakes may not
have time to cool between hard stops.
Your brakes will wear out much faster if
you
do a lot of heavy braking. If you
keep pace with the traffic and allow
realistic following distances, you will
eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer
brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re
driving, brake normally but don’t pump
your brakes. If you do, the pedal may
get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power
brake assist. But you will use it when
you brake. Once the power assist is
used up, it may take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
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Your Driving and the Road
110
SERVICE
ENGINE
SOON ANT’- LOCK I
Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your vehicle has an advanced electronic
braking system that can help you keep
it under control. When you start your
vehicle and begin to drive away, you
may hear a momentary motor or
clicking noise. This is the ABS system
testing itself. Here’s how anti-lock works.
Let’s say
the road is wet. You’re driving safely.
Suddenly an animal jumps out in front
You slam on the brakes. Here’s what
happens with
ABS.
A computer senses that the wheels are
slowing down. If one of the wheels is
about to stop rolling, the computer will
separately work the brakes at each front
wheel and at the rear wheels. The anti-
lock system can change the brake
pressure faster than any driver could.
The computer is programmed to make
the most of available tire and road
conditions. You can steer around the
obstacle while braking hard.
of
you.
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 Four-wheel Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the
brake pedal down and let anti-lock
work for you. You may feel the brakes
vibrate, or you may notice some noise,
but this is normal.
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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.
I Steering
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.
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. Unless you have traction control
and the system is on, 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.
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