
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  lights  are 
not flashing, it may  be  slowing down or starting  to  turn. 
If you’re  being passed,  make it easy for the  following  driver  to  get 
ahead 
of you.  Perhaps  you can  ease a little to the right. 
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  vehicle’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. 
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: 
Any anti-lock  brake  system (ABS) helps avoid only the braking 
skid. 
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NOTICE: 
Don’t  let  anyone tell  you that  underinflation  or  overinflation  is 
all  right.  It’s  not. 
If’ your  tires  don’t  have  enough  air 
(underinflation) 
you can  get: 
0 Too much  flexing 
Too much  heat 
0 Tire  overloading 
Bad  wear 
Bad  handling 
0 Bad  fuel  economy. 
If your  tires  have  too  much  air  (overinflation), you can  get: 
Unusual wear 
Bad  handling 
Rough  ride 
Needless  damage from road  hazards. 
When to Check 
Check your tires once  a month or more. Also, check the  tire pressure  of the 
spare  tire. 
How to Check 
Use a good quality  pocket-type gage to check tire pressure. Simply looking 
at the tires  will not tell  you the pressure, especially 
if you have  radial  tires 
- which  may look properly inflated even  if they’re  underinflated. 
If  your tires have  valve  caps, be sure to put them back  on. They help prevent 
leaks  by keeping  out  dirt and moisture. 
Tire  Inspection  and  Rotation 
Tires should be  inspected  every 6,000 to 8,000 miles (10 000 to 13 000 km) 
for any signs of unusual  wear. If unusual wear  is present, rotate your tires as 
soon as possible  and check  wheel alignment.  Also  check  for  damaged  tires 
or  wheels.  See  “When  it’s Time  for  New Tires” and  “Wheel Replacement” 
later  in this  section  for more  information. 
If your vehicle has dual rear 
wheels,  also  see 
“Dual Tire Operation”  later in this section. 
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A CAUTION: 
If you operate your vehicle  with a tire  that is badly 
underinflated,  the  tire  can overheat. An overheated  tire 
can lose 
air suddenly or catch  fire. You or others  could be injured. Be 
sure  all tires  (including  the  spare, if any)  are properly  inflated. 
Buying New Tires 
To find out what  kind and size  of tires  you need, look  at the 
CertificationRire  label. 
The  tires  installed  on your  vehicle when 
it was new  a  Tire  Performance 
Criteria  Specification  (TPC Spec)  number  on  each  tire’s sidewall.  When you 
get  new  tires,  get  ones  with that same  TPC  Spec  number. That way, your 
vehicle will  continue to have tires that  are designed  to  give proper 
endurance,  handling,  speed rating, traction,  ride  and other  things  during 
normal  service on your  vehicle. 
If your tires have  an all-season  tread 
design,  the TPC  number  will  be followed  by an 
“MS” (for  mud  and snow). 
If  you  ever  replace  your tires with  those  not having  a TPC  Spec  number, 
make  sure they  are the  same.  size, load range,  speed  rating  and construction 
type  (bias,  bias-belted  or radial)  as your  original  tires. 
I A CAUTION: 
Mixing tires could cause you to lose  control  while  driving. If you 
mix  tires  of different  sizes or types  (radial  and  bias-belted  tires), 
the  vehicle  may  not handle properly,  and you could have 
a crash. 
Be sure  to  use the same  size and  type  tires  on all four  wheels. 
Uniform  Tire  Quality  Grading 
The  following  information  relates to the system  developed  by the United 
States  National  Highway Traffic  Safety Administration  which  grades tires 
by  treadwear, traction  and  temperature  performance. 
(This applies  only to 
vehicles  sold in the  United  States.) 
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Treadwear 
The treadwear  grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of the 
tire when tested under controlled conditions  on 
a specified government test 
course.  For  example, 
a tire graded  150 would wear  one and a half (1 1/2) 
times  as well on the government  course as  a tire graded 100. The relative 
performance 
of tires  depends  upon the actual  conditions of their use, 
however, and  may depart significantly  from the  norm  due to variations 
in 
driving  habits, service practices  and differences in road characteristics  and 
climate. 
Traction - A, B, C 
The  traction  grades, from highest to lowest  are: A, B, and C. They represent 
the tire’s ability to  stop on wet  pavement 
as measured under controlled 
conditions  on specified government test surfaces  of asphalt and  concrete. 
A 
tire marked C may have poor traction performance. 
Warning:  The traction grade assigned  to this tire 
is based  on braking 
(straight-ahead)  traction tests and  does not include cornering (turning) 
traction. 
Temperature - A, B, C 
The  temperature  grades are A (the highest), B, and C, representing the tire’s 
resistance  to the  generation 
of heat and its ability  to dissipate heat when 
tested  under controlled  conditions  on a specified indoor laboratory test 
wheel. Sustained high temperature  can  cause the material 
of the tire  to 
degenerate  and reduce tire life, and  excessive temperature can lead 
to 
sudden tire  failure.  The  grade C corresponds to a level  of  performance 
which all passenger  car tires  must  meet under the Federal Motor  Vehicle 
Safety  Standard 
No. 109. Grades B and A represent  higher levels  of 
performance 
on the laboratory test wheel than the minimum required  by 
law. 
Warning:  The temperature  grade  for this tire is established  for  a tire that is 
properly  inflated and 
not overloaded.  Excessive  speed,  underinflation, or 
excessive  loading,  either  separately or in combination,  can cause heat 
buildup  and possible  tire  failure. 
These  grades  are molded on the sidewalls  of passenger  car tires. 
While  the  tires available  as standard  or optional  equipment  on General 
Motors  vehicles  may  vary  with respect  to these  grades,  all  such tires meet 
General  Motors performance  standards and have been approved  for  use  on 
General  Motors  vehicles. 
All passenger type (P Metric) tires must  conform 
to Federal safety requirements in addition  to  these  grades. 
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0 
e 
0 
0 
0 
0 
C/eaning the Inside of Your Vehicle 
Use a vacuum cleaner often to get  rid of dust  and loose dirt. Wipe vinyl or 
leather  with a clean,  damp  cloth. 
Your 
GM dealer  has two CM cleaners,  a solvent-type  spot lifter and  a 
foam-type  powdered  cleaner. They  will clean normal spots and stains  very 
well.  Do 
not use them  on vinyl  or leather. 
Here  are  some  cleaning tips: 
Always read the instructions  on  the cleaner  label. 
Clean up stains as soon as you  can - before  they set. 
0 Use a clean  cloth or  sponge,  and change  to a clean area often. A soft 
brush  may  be  used 
if stains are  stubborn. 
0 Use solvent-type  cleaners in a well-ventilated  area only. If you use 
them,  don‘t  saturate  the  stained area. 
0 If a ring  forms after  spot  cleaning, clean the entire  area immediately  or 
it will set. 
Using  Foam-Type  Cleaner  on  Fabric 
Vacuum  and  brush the area to remove  any loose dirt. 
Always clean 
a whole  trim panel or section.  Mask surrounding trim 
along  stitch or welt lines. 
Mix Multi-Purpose  Powdered  Cleaner  following the directions on the 
container  label. 
Use  suds 
only and apply with a clean  sponge. 
Don’t saturate  the material. 
Don’t 
rub it roughly. 
As  soon as you’ve  cleaned the section,  use a  sponge  to  remove  the 
suds. 
Rinse the 
section with  a  clean, wet sponge. 
Wipe 
off what’s left with a slightly  damp paper  towel or  cloth. 
Then  dry 
it immediately with a blow dryer  or a heat lamp. 
NOTICE: 
Be  careful. A blow  dryer may scorch  the  fabric. 
~~  ~ 
0 Wipe  with a clean  cloth. 
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If your engine has more  than one  emissions  classification, the classification 
is determined by the Gross  Vehicle  Weight  Rating  (GVWR) of your  vehicle 
as shown  on  the Certification  Label.  See “Loading  Your  Vehicle” 
in the 
Index. 
Once  you’ve determined your  engine type and, 
if necessary, emissions 
classification,  you’ll need to  decide which  of  the  two schedules  is  right  for 
your vehicle.  See Definitions  for Maintenance  Schedule 
I and Maintenance 
Schedule 
I1 following. 
Schedule  I Definition - Gasoline  Engines  With  Light  Duty 
Emissions 
Follow Maintenance  Schedule I if any  one of these  is true for your vehicle: 
iII Most  trips are  less than 5 to 10 miles (8 to 16 km). This  is particularly 
important  when outside temperatures  are  below freezing. 
0 Most trips include  extensive idling (such as frequent driving in 
stop-and-go  traffic). 
You operate your vehicle in dusty  areas  or off-road  frequently. 
0 You frequently  tow a trailer. 
Schedule 
I should also be  followed if the  vehicle  is  used  for  delivery 
service,  police, taxi, or other commercial  application. 
Schedule I Intervals - Gasoline  Engines  With  Light  Duty 
Emissions 
Every 
3,000 Miles (5 000 km) or 3 Months,  Whichever Occurs First 
Engine Oil and Filter  Change 
Chassis  Lubrication 
Drive Axle Service 
At 6,000 Miles (10 000 km) - Then  Every 12,000 Miles (25 000 km) 
Tire  Rotation 
Every 75,000 Miles (25 000 km) 
Air Cleaner Filter Inspection, if driving in dusty  conditions 
Front Wheel Bearing Repack 
(or at each brake  relining)  (2WD  Only) 
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