1995 CHEVROLET TRACKER steering wheel

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.
Driving Guidelines
This multipurpose passenger vehicle is defined as a
utility vehicle
in Consumer Information Regulations
issued by the National Highway 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 more than
low-slung sports cars are designed
to perform
satisfactorily under off-road conditions. If at all
possible, avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneuvers.
As with
other vehicles of this type, failure
to operate this vehicle
correctly may result in loss of control or vehicle
rollover.
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Controlling your vehicle is the key to successful
off-road driving. One of the best ways to control your
vehicle is to control your speed.
Here are some things to
keep in mind. At higher speeds:
you approach things faster and you have less time to
scan the terrain for obstacles.
you have less time to react.
you have more vehicle bounce when you drive over
obstacles.
you’ll need more distance for braking, especially
since you’re on an unpaved surface.
Scanning the Terrain
Off-road driving can take you over many different kinds
of terrain. You need
to be familiar with the terrain and
its many different features. Here are some things to
consider.
Sugace Conditions. Off-roading can take you over
hard-packed dirt, gravel, rocks, grass, sand, mud, snow or
ice. Each
of these surfaces affects the steering,
acceleration, and braking of your vehicle in different ways.
Depending upon the kind of surface
you are on, you may
experience slipping, sliding, wheel spinning, delayed
acceleration, poor traction, and longer braking distances.
Surjke Obstacles. Unseen or hidden obstacles can be
hazardous. A rock, log,
hole, rut, or bump can startle
you if you’re not prepared for them. Often these
obstacles are hidden by grass, bushes, snow or even the
rise and fall of the terrain itself. Here are some things to
consider:
Is the path ahead clear?
Will the surface texture change abruptly up ahead?
Does the travel take you uphill or downhill? (There’s
more discussion of these subjects later.)
Will you have to stop suddenly or change direction
quickly?
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When you drive over obstacles or rough terrain, keep a
firm grip on the steering wheel. Ruts, troughs, or other
surface features can jerk the wheel out
of your hands if
you’re not prepared.
When you drive over bumps, rocks, or other obstacles,
your wheels can leave the ground.
If this happens, even
with one or two wheels, you can’t control the vehicle as
well or at all.
Because you will be on an unpaved surface, it’s
especially important to avoid sudden acceleration,
sudden turns,
or sudden braking.
In a way, off-road driving requires a different lund
of
alertness from driving on paved roads and highways.
There are no road signs, posted speed limits or signal
lights. You have to use your own good judgment about
what
is safe and what isn’t.
Drinking and driving can be very dangerous on any
road. And this
is certainly true for off-road driving. At
the very time you need special alertness and driving
skills, your reflexes, perceptions and judgment can be
affected by even a small amount
of alcohol. You could
have a serious
-- or even fatal -- accident if you drink
and drive or ride with a driver who has been drinking.
(See “Drunken Driving” in
the Index.)
Driving On Off-Road Hills
Off-road driving often takes you up, down, or across a
hill. Driving safely on hills requires good judgment and
an understanding
of what your vehicle can and can’t do.
There are some hills that simply can’t be driven, no
matter how well built the vehicle.
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Approaching a Hill
When you approach a hill, you need to decide if it’s one
of those hills that’s just too steep to climb, descend, or
cross. Steepness can be hard to judge. On a very small
hill, for example, there may be a smooth, constant
incline with only
a small change in elevation where you
can easily see all the way to the top. On a large hill, the
incline may get steeper as you near the top, but
you may
not see this because the crest
of the hill is hidden by
bushes, grass, or shrubs.
Here are some other things to consider as you approach
a hill.
0 Is there a constant incline, or does the hill get sharply
steeper in places?
Is there good traction on the hillside, or will the
Is there a straight path up or down the hill so you
0 Are there obstructions on the hill that can block your
surface cause
tire slipping?
won’t have
to make turning maneuvers?
path (boulders, trees, logs or ruts)?
embankment, a drop-off, a fence? Get out and walk
the hill if you don’t know. It’s the smart way
to find
out.
What’s beyond the hill? Is there a cliff, an
0 Is the hill simply too rough? Steep hills often have
ruts, gullies, troughs and exposed rocks because they
are more susceptible to the effects of erosion.
Driving Uphill
Once you decide you can safely drive up the hill, you
need to take some special steps.
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a
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Use a low gear and get a firm grip on the steering
wheel.
Get a smooth start up the hill and try to maintain
your speed. Don’t use more power than
you need,
because you don’t want your wheels to start spinning
or sliding.
Try to drive straight up the hill if at all possible.
If
the path twists and turns, you might want to find
another route.
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0 Ease up on your speed as you approach the top of the
hill.
Attach a flag to the vehicle to make you more visible
to approaching traffic on trails or hills.
0 Sound the horn as you approach the top of the hill to
let opposing traffic know you’re there.
Use your headlamps even during the day. They make
you more visible to oncoming traffic.
What should I do if my vehicle stalls, or is about
to stall, and
I can’t make it up the hill?
A: If this happens, there are some things you should
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0
0
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do, and there are some things you must not do.
First, here’s what you
should do:
Push the brake pedal
to stop the vehicle and keep it
from rolling backwards. Also, apply the parking brake.
If your engine is still running, shift the transmission
into reverse, release the parking brake, and slowly
back down the hill in reverse.
If your engine has stopped running, you’ll need to
restart it. With the brake pedal depressed and the
parking brake still applied, shift the transmission to
PARK
(P) (or, shift to NEUTRAL (N) if your
vehicle has a manual transmission) and restart the
engine. Then, shift to reverse, release the parking
brake, and slowly back down the hill
as straight as
possible in reverse.
As you are backing down the hill, put your left hand
on the steering wheel at the 12 o’clock position. This
way, you’ll be able to tell if your wheels are straight
and maneuver as you back down. It’s best that you
back down the hill with your wheels straight rather
than in the left or right direction. Turning the wheel
too far to the left or right will increase the possibility
of a rollover.
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Driving In Mud, Sand, Snow, Or Ice
When you drive in mud, snow or sand, your wheels
won’t get good traction. You can’t accelerate as quickly,
turning
is more difficult, and you’ll need longer braking
distances.
It’s best to use a low gear when you’re
in mud -- the
deeper the mud, the lower the gear. In really deep mud,
the idea is to keep your vehicle moving
so you don’t get
stuck.
When you drive on sand, you’ll sense
a change in wheel
traction. But
it will depend upon how loosely packed the
sand is. On loosely packed sand (as on beaches or sand
dunes) your tires will tend to sink into the sand. This has
an effect on steering, accelerating, and braking. You
may want to reduce the air pressure
in your tires slightly
when driving on sand. This will improve traction. Hard
packed snow and ice offer the worst tire traction.
On these surfaces, it’s very easy to lose control. On wet
ice, for example, the traction is
so poor that you will
have difficulty accelerating. And if you do get moving,
poor steering and difficult braking can cause you to slide
out of control.
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Driving In Water
Light rain causes no special off-road driving problems.
But heavy rain can mean flash flooding, and flood
waters demand extreme caution.
Find out how deep the water is before you drive through
it. If it’s deep enough
to cover your wheel hubs, axles,
or exhaust pipe, don’t try it
-- you probably won’t get
through. Also, water that deep can damage your axle
and other vehicle parts.
If the water isn’t too deep, then drive through it slowly.
At fast speeds, water splashes on your ignition system
and your vehicle can stall. Stalling can also occur if
you
get your tailpipe under water. And, as long as your
tailpipe is under water, you’ll never
be able to start your
engine. When you go through water, remember that
when your brakes get wet, it may take you longer
to
stop.
After Off-Road Driving
Remove any brush or debris that has collected on the
underbody, chassis or under the hood. These
accumulations can be
a fire hazard.
After operation in mud or sand, have the brake linings
cleaned and checked. These substances can cause
glazing and uneven braking. Check the body structure,
steering, suspension, wheels, tires, and exhaust system
for damage. Also, check the fuel lines and cooling
svstem for any leakage.
rour vehicle
will require more frequent service due to
off-road use. Refer to the Maintenance Schedule booklet
for additional information.
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What’s the worst time for this? “Wet ice.” Very cold
snow or ice can be slick and hard
to drive on. But wet
ice can be even more trouble because it may offer
the
least traction of all. You can get “wet ice” when it’s
about freezing (32” F; 0°C) and freezing rain begins to
fall. Try
to avoid driving on wet ice until salt and sand
crews can get there. Whatever
the condition
-- smooth ice, packed, blowing
or loose snow
-- drive with caution.
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 an
anti-lock braking system, you’ll want
to begin stopping
sooner than you would on dry pavement. See
“Anti-Lock”
in the Index.
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,
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