1995 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN weight

Torque Lock
When parking, the weight of the vehicle may put too much force on the
parking pawl in the transmission. It may be difficult to pull the selector
lever out of
PARK (P). This is called “torque lock.” To find out how to
prevent torque lock,
see “Torque Lock” later in this section.
Shifting Into PARK (P) (Automatic
Transmission Models Only)
1. Hold the brake
pedal down with
your right foot
and set the
parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) position like this:
Pull the lever toward you.
Move the lever up as far as it will go.
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Torque Lock (Automatic Transmission)
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your transmission into PARK
(P)
properly, the weight of the vehicle may put too much force on the
parking pawl in the transmission.
You may find it difficult to pull the shift
lever out of
PARK (P). This is called “torque lock.” To prevent torque lock,
set
the parking brake and then shift into PARK (P) properly before you
leave
the driver’s seat. To find out how, see “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in the
Index.
When you are ready
to drive, move the shift lever out of PARK (P) before
you release the parking brake.
If “torque lock” does occur,
you may need to have another vehicle push
yours a little uphill
to take some of the pressure from the transmission, so
you can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
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Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going to be careless and make
mistakes. Anticipate what they might do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable of accidents. Yet they
are common. Allow enough following distance.
It’s the best defensive
driving maneuver, in both city and rural driving. You never know when the
vehicle in front of
you is going to brake or turn suddenly.
Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is a national tragedy.
It’s the number one contributor
to the highway death toll, claiming
thousands of victims every year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive a vehicle:
Judgment
0 Muscular Coordination
Vision
Attentiveness
Police records show that almost half of all motor vehicle-related deaths
involve alcohol. In most cases, these deaths are the result of someone who
was drinking and driving. In recent years, some
18,000 annual motor
vehicle-related deaths have been associated with the use
of alcohol, with
more
than 300,000 people injured.
Many adults
- by some estimates, nearly half the adult population -
choose never to drink alcohol, so they never drive after drinking. For
persons under
2 1, it’s against the law in every U.S. state to drink alcohol.
There are good medical, psychological and developmental reasons for these
laws.
The obvious way
to solve this highway safety problem is for people never to
drink alcohol and then drive. But what if people do? How much is “too
much” if the driver plans to drive? It’s a lot less than many might think.
Although it depends on each person and situation, here is some general
information on the problem.
The Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)
of someone who is drinking
depends upon four things:
How much alcohol consumed
The drinker’s body weight
The amount of food that is consumed before and during drinking
The length of time it has taken the drinker to consume the alcohol
According to the American Medical Association, a 180-pound
(82 kg)
person who drinks three 12-ounce
(355 ml) bottles of beer in an hour will
end up with a
BAC of about 0.06 percent. The person would reach the same
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BAC by drinking three 4-ounce ( 120 ml) glasses of wine or three mixed
drinks
if each had 1-1/2 ounces (45 ml) of a liquor like whiskey, gin or
vodka.
It’s the amount of alcohol that counts. For example, if the same person
drank three double martinis
(3 ounces or 90 ml of liquor each) within an
hour, the person’s BAC would be close to
0.12 percent. A person who
consumes food just before or during drinking will have a somewhat lower
BAC level.
There is a gender difference, too. Women generally have a lower relative
percentage
of body water than men. Since alcohol is carried in body water,
this means that a woman generally will reach a higher BAC level than a
man of her same body weight when each has the same number
of drinks.
The law in many
U.S. states sets the legal limit at a BAC of 0.10 percent. In
a growing number of U.S. states, and throughout Canada, the limit is 0.08
percent. In some other countries it’s even lower. The BAC limit for all
commercial drivers in the
U.S. is 0.04 percent.
The BAC will be over 0.10 percent after three to six drinks (in one hour). Of
course, as we’ve seen, it depends on how much alcohol is in the drinks, and
how quickly the person drinks them.
But the ability to drive
is affected well below a BAC of 0.10 percent.
Research shows that the driving skills of many people are impaired at a
BAC approaching
0.05 percent, and that the effects are worse at night. All
drivers are impaired
at BAC levels above 0.05 percent. Statistics show that
the chance of being
in a collision increases sharply for drivers who have a
BAC
of 0.05 percent or above. A driver with a BAC level of 0.06 percent
has doubled his or her chance of having a collision. At a BAC level
of 0.10
percent, the chance
of this driver having a collision is twelve times greater;
at a
level of 0.15 percent, the chance is twenty-five times greater!
The body takes about an hour
to rid itself of the alcohol in one drink. No
amount of coffee or number of cold showers will speed that up. “1’11 be
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across an incline, the much more narrow track width (the distance
between the left and right wheels) may not prevent the vehicle from
tilting
and rolling over. Also, driving across an incline puts more
weight on the downhill wheels. This could cause a downhill slide or a
rollover.
0 Surface conditions can be a problem when you drive across a hill.
Loose gravel, muddy spots, or even wet grass can cause your tires to
slip sideways, downhill. If
the vehicle slips sideways, it can hit
something that will trip it (a rock, a rut, etc.) and roll over.
Hidden obstacles can make the steepness of the incline even worse. If
you drive across a rock with the uphill wheels, or if the downhill
wheels drop into a rut or depression, your vehicle can
tilt even more.
For reasons like these, you need to decide carefully whether to try to drive
across an incline. Just because the trail goes across the incline doesn’t mean
you have to drive it. The last vehicle to try it might have rolled over.
Q: What if I’m driving across an incline that’s not too steep, but I hit
some
loose gravel and start to slide downhill. What should I do?
A: If you feel your vehicle starting to slide sideways, turn downhill. This
should help straighten out the vehicle and prevent
the side slipping.
However,
a much better way to prevent this is to get out and “walk the
course”
so you know what the surface is like before you drive it.
Stalling on an Incline
If your vehicle stalls when you’re crossing an incline, be sure you (and your
passengers) get out on the uphill side, even
if the door there is harder to
open.
If you get out on the downhill side and the vehicle starts to roll over,
you’ll be right
in its path.
If you have to walk down the slope, stay out of the path the vehicle will take
if it does roll over.
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Loading Your Vehicle
I
PSI/KPA (COLD)
~ SEE OWNER'S MANUAL FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The CertificatiodTire label is found on the rear edge of the driver's door.
The label shows the size
of your original tires and the inflation pressures
needed to obtain the gross weight capacity of your vehicle. This is called the
GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating). The GVWR includes the weight of
the vehicle, all occupants, fuel and cargo.
The Certificatiodl'ire label
also tells you the maximum weights for the
front and rear axles, called Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR). To find
out
the actual loads on your front and rear axles, you need to go to a weigh
station and weigh your vehicle. Your dealer can help you with this. Be sure
to spread out your load equally on both sides
of the centerline.
Never exceed the GVWR
for your vehicle, or the GAWR for either the front
or rear axle.
And, if you do have a heavy load, you should spread it out.
.Using heavier suspension components to get added durability might not
change your weight ratings. Ask your dealer to help you load your vehicle
the right way.
If your vehicle is equipped for front-end equipment (a snow plow, for
example), the front suspension may have been adjusted (raised) to level the
vehicle when the equipment was installed. If the front suspension was
adjusted, you must re-adjust the front suspension after the equipment is
removed to avoid possible front suspension damage. Adjust the front
suspension
to original design specifications for your particular model.
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Three important considerations have to do with weight:
Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be?
It depends on how you plan
to use your rig. For example, speed, altitude,
road grades, outside temperature and how much your vehicle is used to pull
a trailer are all important. And, it can also depend on any special equipment
that you have on your vehicle.
You can ask your dealer for our trailering information or advice, or you can
write
us at the address listed in your Warranty and Owner Assistance
Information Booklet.
In Canada, write to:
General Motors
of Canada Limited
Customer Assistance Center
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario
L 1 H 8P7
Weight of the Trailer Tongue
The tongue load (A) of any trailer is an important weight to measure
because
it affects the total or gross weight of your vehicle. The gross vehicle
weight (GVW) includes the curb weight
of the vehicle, any cargo you may
carry in it, and
the people who will be riding in the vehicle. And if you will
tow a trailer,
you must add the tongue load to the GVW because your
vehicle will be carrying that weight, too. See “Loading Your Vehicle” in the
Index for more information about your vehicle’s maximum load capacity.
A B
If you’re using a “dead-weight” hitch, the trailer tongue (A) should weigh
10% of the total loaded trailer weight (B). If you have a
“weight-distributing” hitch, the trailer tongue (A) should weigh
12% of the
total loaded trailer weight
(B).
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After you’ve loaded your trailer, weigh the trailer and then the tongue,
separately, to see
if the weights are proper. If they aren’t, you may be able to
get them right simply by moving some items around in the trailer.
Total Weight on Your Vehicle’s Tires
Be sure your vehicle’s tires are inflated to the limit for cold tires. You’ll find
these numbers on the Certification label at the rear edge of the driver’s door
or see “Tire Loading”
in the Index. Then be sure you don’t go over the
GVW limit for your vehicle, including the weight of the trailer tongue.
Hitches
It’s important to have the correct hitch equipment. Crosswinds, large trucks
going by, and rough roads are a few reasons why
you’ll need the right hitch.
Here are some rules to follow:
If you use a step bumper hitch, and your trailer tongue has a V-shaped
foot, your bumper could be damaged in sharp turns. Check the distance
from the front edge
of the foot to the middle of the hitch ball socket. If
the distance is less than 12 inches, take the foot off the trailer tongue.
0 If you’ll be pulling a trailer with a utility model that, when loaded, will
weigh more then
3,000 pounds (2 250 kg) be sure to use a properly
mounted, weight-distributing hitch and sway control of the proper size.
This equipment is very important for proper vehicle loading and good
handling when you’re driving.
If you’ll be pulling
a trailer with a Suburban that, when loaded, will
weigh more than
4,000 pounds (1 8 14 kg) be sure to use a properly
mounted, weight-distributing hitch and sway control
of the proper size.
This equipment is very important for proper vehicle loading and good
handling when you’re driving.
Will you have to make any holes in the body of your vehicle when you
install
a trailer hitch? If you do, then be sure to seal the holes later
when you remove the
hitch. If you don’t seal them, deadly carbon
monoxide
(CO) from your exhaust can get into your vehicle (see
“Carbon Monoxide’’ in the Index). Dirt and water can, too.
Safety Chains
You should always attach chains between your vehicle and your trailer.
Cross the safety chains under the tongue of the trailer
so that the tongue will
not drop to the road if it becomes separated from the hitch. Instructions
about safety chains may be provided by the hitch manufacturer or by the
trailer manufacturer. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendation for
attaching safety chains and do
not attach them to the bumper. Always leave
just enough slack
so you can turn with your rig. And, never allow safety
chains to drag on the ground.
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