
A computer senses that the rear wheels are slowing
down.
If one of the rear wheels is about to stop rolling,
the computer will work the brakes at the rear wheels. It
is programmed to make the most
of available tire and
road conditions.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates
on
rear 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 Anti-Lock
Use rear-wheel anti-lock like regular brakes. You may
feel the brakes; vibrate, or you may notice some noise
outside your vehicle, but this is normal. Let anti-lock
work for
you, but remember: Your front wheels can still
stop rolling.
If that happens, release enough pressure on
the brakes to get the wheels rolling again
so that you can
steer.
With the four-wheel drive option, you won’t have
anti-lock brak.ing when
you shift into four-wheel drive.
But
you will have regular braking. When you shift back
into two-wheel drive,
you will have anti-lock again.
4-7
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Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation
that requires hard braking.
You have the rear-wheel anti-lock braking system. Your
front wheels can stop rolling when
you brake very hard.
Once they do, the vehicle can’t respond to your steering.
Momentum will carry it in whatever direction it was
headed when the front wheels stopped rolling. That
could be
off the road, into the very thing you were trying
to avoid, or into traffic.
So, use a “squeeze” braking technique. This will give
you maximum braking while maintaining steering
control. You
do this by pushing on the brake pedal with
steadily increasing pressure. When
you do, it will help
maintain steering control.
In many emergencies, steering
can help you more than even the very best braking.
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.
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Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and
start your left lane change signal before moving out
of the right lane to pass. When you are far enough
ahead
of the passed vehicle to see its front in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal
and move back into the right lane. (Remember that
your right outside mirror is convex. The vehicle
you
just passed may seem to be farther away from you
than it really is.)
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on
two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the
next
vehicle.
0 Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps are not flashing, it may
be slowing down
or starting to turn.
following driver to get ahead
of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little to the right.
If you’re being passed, make it easy for the
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 Geo’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.
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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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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.
0
a
0
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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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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Your vehicle can tow a trailer. 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, 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
0
0
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.
Consider using a sway control. You
can ask a hitch
dealer about sway controls.
Don’t tow a trailer at all during the first
500 miles
(800 km) your new vehicle is driven. Your engine,
axle or other parts could be damaged.
Then, during the first
500 miles (800 km) that you
tow a trailer, don’t drive over
50 mph (80 km/h) and
don’t make starts at full throttle. This helps your
engine and other parts of your vehicle wear
in at the
heavier loads.
If
you have an automatic transmission, you should use
DRIVE (D) (or, as
you need to, a lower gear) when
towing
a trailer. Operating your vehicle in DRIVE (D)
when towing a trailer will minimize heat build-up and
extend the
life of your transmission. If you have a
manual transmission and
you are towing a trailer, it’s
better
not to use FIFTH (5) gear. Just drive in
FOURTH (4) gear (or, as you need to, a lower gear).
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