1994 PONTIAC FIREBIRD wheel

Steering in Emergencies
rhere are times when steering can be
.nore effective than braking. For example,
you come over a hill and find a truck
stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly
pulls out from nowhere, or a child darts
out from between parked cars and stops
right
in front of you. You can avoid these
problems by braking
- if you can stop in
time.
But sometimes you can’t; there isn’t
room. That’s the time for evasive action
- steering around the problem.
Your Pontiac can perform very well
in
:mergencies like these. First apply your
)rakes. It is better to remove as much
;peed as you can from a possible
:ollision. Then steer around the problem,
to the left or right depending on the space
available.
An emergency like this requires close
attention and a quick decision. If you are
holding the steering wheel at the
recommended
9 and 3 o’clock positions,
you can turn it a full 180 degrees very
quickly without removing either hand.
But you have to act fast, steer quickly,
and just as quickly straighten the wheel
mce you have avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency situations
xe always possible is a good reason to
practice defensive driving at all times and
wear safety belts properly.
1
3ff-Road Recovery
fou may find sometime that your right
aheels have dropped
off the edge of a
road onto the shoulder
(A) while you’re
hiving.
[f the level of the shoulder
is only slightly
)elow the pavement, recovery shbuld be
Fairly easy. Ease
off the accelerator and
:hen, if there is nothing in the way, steer
$0 that your vehicle straddles the edge of
he pavement. You can turn the steering
wheel up to
114 turn (B) until the:right
kont tire contacts the pavement edge.
rhen
turn your steering wheel to go
;traight down the roadway.
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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 Pontiac’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.
[f you have the traction control system,
remember:
It helps avoid only the
acceleration skid. If you do not have
traction control, or if the 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
bot 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 recqgnize
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.
*:p? ’
‘.I ,
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Your Driving and the Road
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes
quite sharply. The exit speed is usually
posted. Reduce your speed according to
your speedometer, not to your sense of
motion. After driving for any distance at
higher speeds, you may tend to thnk you
are going slower than you actually are.
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Make sure you’re ready. Try to be well
rested.
If you must start when you’re not
fresh
- such as after a day’s work -
don’t plan to make too many miles that
first part of the journey. Wear comfortable
clohng and shoes you can easily drive
in.
Is your vehicle ready for a long trip? If
you keep it serviced and maintained, it’s
ready to go. If it needs service, have it
done before starting out. Of course, you’ll
find experienced and able service experts
in Pontiac dealerships all across North
America. They’ll be ready and willing to
help if you need it.
Here are some things you can check
before a trip:
Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the
reservoir full? Are all windows clean
inside and outside?
. . .I40
Wiper Blades: Are they m good
shape?
0 Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids:
Have you checked all levels?
0 Lights: Are they all workmg? Are the
lenses clean?
0 Tires: They are vitally important to a
safe, trouble-free trip. Is the tread
good enough for long-distance
driving? Are the tires all inflated to
the recommended pressure?
Weather Forecasts: What’s the
weather outlook along your route?
Should you delay your trip a short
time to avoid a major storm system?
maps?
Maps: Do you have up-to-date
Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as
“highway hypnosis”? Or is it just plain
falling asleep at the wheel? Call
it
highway hypnosis, lack of awareness, or
whatever.
There is something about an easy stretch
of road with the same scenery, along with
the hum of the tires on the road, the drone
of the engine, and the rush of the wind
against the vehicle that can make you sleepy. Don’t let
it happen to you! If it
does, your vehicle can leave the road in
less than a second, and you could crash
and be injured.
What can you
do about highway
hypnosis? First, be aware that it can
happen.
Then here are some tips:
0
0
0 Make sure your vehicle is well
ventilated, with a comfortably cool
interior.
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and to the sides. Check your
rearview mirrors and your instruments
frequently.
If you get sleepy, pull
off the road into
a rest, service, or parking area and
take a nap, get some exercise, or both.
For safety, treat drowsiness on the
highway as an emergency.
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Whatever the condition - smooth ice,
packed, blowing or loose snow
- drive
with caution. If you have traction control,
keep the system on. It will improve your
ability to accelerate when driving on a
slippery road. Even though your vehicle
has a traction control system, you’ll want
to slow down and adjust your driving to
the road conditions. See “Traction
Control System’’ in the Index. If you
don’t have the traction control
system, accelerate gently. Try not to break
the fragile traction. If you accelerate too
fast, the drive wheels will spin and polish
the surface under the tires even more.
Your anti-lock brakes improve your
ability to make a hard stop on a slippery
road. Even though you have the anti-lock
braking system, you’ll want to begin
stopping sooner than you would
on dry
pavement. See “Anti-Lock” in the Index.
0
0
Allow greater following distance on
any slippery road.
Watch for slippery spots. The road
might be fine until you hit a spot that’s
covered with ice. On an otherwise
clear road, ice patches may appear in
shaded areas where the sun can’t
reach: around clumps of trees, behind
buildings, or under bridges.
Sometimes the surface of a curve or
an overpass may remain icy when the
surrounding roads are clear. If
you
see a patch of ice ahead of you, brake
before you are on it. Try not to brake
while you’re actually on the ice, and
avoid sudden steering maneuvers.
If You’re Caught in a Blizzard
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you
could be
in a serious situation. You should
probably stay with your vehicle unless
you know for sure that
you are near help
and you can hike through the snow. Here
are some things to do
to summon help and
keep yourself and your passengers safe:
Turn on your hazard flashers. Tie a red
cloth to your vehicle to alert police that
you’ve been stopped by the snow. Put
on
extra clothing or wrap a blanket around
you. If
you have no blankets or extra
clothing, make body insulators from
newspapers, burlap bags, rags, floor mats
- anything you can wrap around yourself
or tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
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NOTICE:
Pulling a trailer improperly can
damage your vehicle and result in
costly repairs not covered by your
warranty.
To pull a trailer correctly,
follow the advice in this section, and
see your Pontiac dealer for important
information about towing a trailer
with your vehicle.
Your vehicle can tow a trailer if it is
equipped with the proper trailer towing
equipment. To identify what the vehicle
trailering capacity is for your vehicle, you
should read the information in “Weight
of the Trailer” that appears later in this
section. But trailering is different than just
driving your vehicle by itself. Trailering
means changes
in handling, durability,
and fuel economy. Successful, safe
trailering takes correct equipment, and
it has to be used properly.
That’s the reason for this section. In it are
many time-tested, important trailering
tips and safety rules. Many of these are
important for your safety and that of your
passengers.
So please read this section
carefully before you pull a trailer. Load-pulling components such
as the
engine, transmission, rear axle, wheel
assemblies, and tires are forced to work
harder against the drag of the added
weight, The engine is required to operate
at relatively higher speeds and under
greater loads, generating extra heat.
What’s more, the trailer adds considerably
to wind resistance, increasing the pulling
requirements.
If You Do Decide to Pull a Trailer
If you do, here are some important points.
0 There are many different laws,
including speed limit restrictions,
having to do with trailering. Make
sure your rig will be legal, not only
where you live but also where you’ll
be driving.
A good source for this
information can be state or provincial
police.
0 Consider using a sway control. You
can ask a hitch dealer about sway
controls.
0 Don’t tow a trailer at all during the
first 1,000 miles (1 600 km) your
new vehicle is driven. Your engine,
axle or other parts could be damaged.
(800 km) that you tow a trailer, don’t
drive over
50 mph (SO h/h) and don’t
make starts at full throttle. This heips
your engine and other parts of your
vehicle wear in at the heavier loads.
Obey speed limit restrictions when
towing a trailer. Don’t drive faster
than the maximum posted speed for
trailers (or no more than
55 mph
(90 km/h)) to save wear on your
vehicle’s parts.
Three important considerations have to do
with weight:
., )I
Weight of the .Trailer $:
How heavy can a trailer safelyabe?
It should never weigh more th&
1,500 pounds (680 kg) under nQrmal
driving conditions. It should n&er
weigh more than
1,000 pounds
(450 kg) when driven on long grades
at high ambient temperatures. But
even that can be too heavy.
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Your Driving and the Road
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel
with one hand. Then, to move the trailer
to the left, just move that hand to the left.
To move the trailer to the right, move
your hand to the right. Always back up
slowly and, if possible, have someone
guide you.
Making 7hms
When you’re turning with a trailer, make
wider turns than normal.
Do this so your
trailer won’t strike soft shoulders, curbs,
road signs, trees, or other objects. Avoid
jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal well in
advance.
Thrn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has
to have a different turn signal flasher and
extra wiring. The green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash whenever you signal a turn or lane change. Properly
hooked up, the trailer lights will also
flash, telling other drivers you’re about to
turn, change lanes or stop. When
towing a trailer, the green arrows
on your instrument panel will flash for
turns even
if the bulbs on the trailer are
burned out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you are seeing your signal when
they are not. It’s important to check
occasionally to be sure the trailer bulbs
are still working.
Driving on Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear
before you start down a long or steep
downgrade. If you don’t shift down, you
might have to use your brakes
so much
that they would get hot and no longer
work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and
reduce your speed to around
45 mph
(70 km/h) to reduce the possibility of
engine and transmission overheating.
If you are towing a trailer and you
have an automatic transmission with
Overdrive, you may prefer to drive in
“D”
instead of Overdrive (or, as you need to, a
lower gear). Or,
if you have a manual
transmission with fifth (or sixth) gear and
you are towing a trailer, it’s better not to
use fifth (or sixth) gear. Just drive in
fourth gear (fifth gear if you have a six-speed manual transmission) or, as you
need to, a lower gear.
Parking on Hills
You really should not park your vehicle,
with a trailer attached, on a hill. If
-
something goes wrong, your rig could
start to move. People can be injured, and
both your vehicle and the trailer can be
damaged.
But if you ever have to park your rig on a
hill, here’s how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don’t
shift into
“P” (Park) yet, or into gear
for a manual transmission.
2. Have someone place chxks under the
3. When the wheel chocks are in place,
release the regular brakes until the
chocks absorb the load. trailer wheels.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then
apply your parking brake, and then shift to
“P” (Park), or “R” (Reverse)
for a manual transmission.
5. Release the regular brakes.
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Problems on the Road
9.
IO.
Attach the cable at least 18 inches
(45 cm) away from the dead battery,
but not near engine parts that move.
The electrical connection is just as
good there, but the chance of sparks
getting back to the battery is much
less.
Now start the vehicle with the good
battery and run the engine for a
while.
11.
12.
Try to start the vehicle with the dead
battery.
If it won't start after a few tries, it
probably needs service.
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
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1 Towing Your Vehicle
ry to have a GM dealer or a professional
,wing service tow your Pontiac. The
sua1 towing equipment is a sling-type
4) or a wheel-lift (B) or car carrier (C)
)w truck.
' your vehicle has been changed or
hodified since it was factory-new by
iding aftermarket items like fog lamps,
xo skirting, or special tires and wheels,
lese instructions and illustrations may
ot be correct.
'efore you do anything, turn on the
azard warning flashers.
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When you call, tell the towing service:
That your vehicle cannot be towed
from the front or rear with
sling-type equipment.
drive.
That your vehicle has rear-wheel
The make, model, and year of your
Whether you can still move the shift
If there was an accident, what was
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. vehicle.
lever.
damaged.
;.
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