1996 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine maintain brake application. Then press the shift lever
button and move the shift lever into the gear you wish.
See “Shifting Out
of PARK (P)” in the Index.
REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
NOTICE:
Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle is
moving forward could damage your
transmission. Shift to REVERSE (R) only after
your vehicle
is stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice or sand without damaging your transmission, see
“Stuck:
In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow” in the Index.
NEUTRAL (N): In this position, your engine doesn’t
connect with the wheels.
To restart when you’re already
moving, use NEUTRAL
(N) only. Also, use
NEUTRAL (N) when your vehicle is being towed.
Shifting out’of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) while
your engine
is “racing” (running at high speed) is
dangerous. Unless your foot is firmly on the
brake pedal, your vehicle could move very
rapidly. You could lose control and hit people or
objects. Don’t shift out of PARK
(P) or
NEUTRAL
(N) while your engine is racing.
I NOTICE:
I
~~~ ~
Damage to your transmission caused by shifting
out of PARK
(P) or NEUTRAL (N) with the
engine racing isn’t covered
by your warranty.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (0): This position is for
normal driving.
If you need more power for passing, and
you’re:
Going less than about 35 mph (56 km/h), push your
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
Going about 35 mph (56 km/h) or more, push the
accelerator all the way down.
You’ll shift down to the next gear and have more power.
DRIVE (D): This position is also used for normal
driving, however, it offers more power and lower fuel
economy than AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(0).
Here are some times you might choose DRIVE (D)
instead
of AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (0):
0 When driving on hilly, winding roads
When going down a steep hill
SECOND (2): This position gives you more power but
lower fuel economy. You can use SECOND
(2) on hills.
It can help control your speed as you go down steep
mountain roads, but then you would also want to use
your brakes off and on.
FIRST (1): This position gives you even more power
(but lower fuel economy) than SECOND
(2). You can
use it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If the
selector lever is put in
FIRST (I), the transmission
won’t shift into first gear until the vehicle is going
slowly enough.
I NOTICE:
If your rear wheels can’t rotate, don’t try to
drive. This might happen
if you were stuck in
very deep sand or mud or were up against a solid
object.
You could damage your transmission.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transmission. Use your brakes or shift into
PARK (P) to hold your vehicle in position
on a hill.
Maximum engine speed is limited to protect driveline
components from improper operation.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Manual Transmission
6-Speed
This is your shift pattern.
Here’s how to operate your
transmission:
5 3
FIRST (1): Press the clutch pedal and shift into
FIRST (1). Then slowly let up on the clutch pedal as
you press the accelerator pedal.
You can shift into FIRST
(1) when you’re going less
than
40 mph (64 km/h). If you’ve come to a complete
stop and it’s hard to shift into HRST
(I), put the shift
lever in NEUTRAL (N) and let up on the clutch. Press
the clutch pedal back down. Then shift into FIRST (1).
SECOND (2): Press the clutch pedal as you let up on
the accelerator pedal and shift into
SECOND (2). Then,
slowly let up on the clutch pedal as you press the
accelerator pedal.
THIRD(3),FOURTH(4),FIFTH(S)ANDSIXTH(6):
Shift into THIRD (3)’ FOURTH (4), F’IFTH (5) and
SIXTH (6) the same way you do for SECOND (2). Slowly
let up on the clutch pedal as you press the accelerator pedal.
TO STOP: Let up on the accelerator pedal and press the
brake pedal. Just before the vehicle stops, press the
clutch pedal and the brake pedal, and shift to
NEUTRAL
(N).
NEUTRAL (N): Use this position when you start or
idle your engine. Your shift lever is in NEUTRAL (N)
when it is centered in the shift pattern, not in any other
gear.
REVERSE (R): To back up, press down the clutch
pedal and shift into REVERSE (R). Just apply pressure
to get the lever past FIFTH
(5) and SIXTH (6) into
REVERSE
(R). Let up on the clutch pedal slowly while
pressing the accelerator pedal.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Shift Speeds (Manual Transmission)
This chart shows when to shift to the next higher gear
for best fuel economy.
Manual Transmission Recommended
Shift Speeds in mph (km/h)
Acceleration Shift Speed
lto212to313to414to515to6
Engine -
All
(80) (72) (64) (40) (24) Engines
50 45 40 25 15
I NOTICE:
When you are shifting gears, don’t move the gear
shift lever around needlessly. This can damage
parts of the transmission and may require costly repair. Shift directly into the next appropriate
I gear.
One to Four Light (Manual Transmission)
If your engine speed drops below 900 rpm, or if the
engine is not running smoothly, you should downshift to
the next lower gear.
You may have to downshift two or
more gears to keep the engine running smoothly or for
good performance.
ONE TO
FOUR
When this light comes on,
you can only shift from
FIRST
(1) to FOURTH (4)
instead of FIRST (1) to
SECOND (2). You must
complete the shift into
FOURTH
(4) to deactivate
this feature. This helps you
get the best possible fuel
economy.
After shifting to FOURTH
(4), you may shift down to a
lower gear if you prefer.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine NOTICE:
Do not try to force the shift lever into
SECOND (2) or THIRD (3) when the ONE TO
FOUR light comes on. Do not try to re-engage
FIRST (1) after starting to shift into FOURTH (4).
You will damage your transmission. Shift only
from FIRST
(1) to FOURTH (4) when the light
comes on.
This light will come on when:
The engine coolant temperature is higher than 120 OF
(49 O C).
0 You are going 15 to 19 mph (24 to 3 1 km/h), and
You are at 21 percent throttle or less.
Downshifting (Manual Transmission)
Do not downshift into the gear shown below at a speed
greater than shown in the table:
FIRST
(1) .......... :. ........ 44 mph (71 km/h)
SECOND (2) ................ 64 mph (103 km/h)
THIRD (3) .................. 90 mph (145 km/h)
FOURTH (4) ............... 116 mph (187 kmk)
If you skip more than one gear when you
downshift, you could lose control of your vehicle.
And you could injure yourself or others. Don’t
shift from SIXTH
(6) to THIRD (3), FIFTH (5) to
SECOND (2) or FOURTH (4) to FIRST (1).

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine NOTICE:
If you skip more than one gear when you
downshift, or if you race the engine when you
downshift, you can damage the clutch or
transmission.
The six-speed transmission has a spring that centers the
shift lever near THIRD
(3) and FOURTH (4). This
spring helps you know which gear you
are in when you
are shifting. Be careful when shifting from FIRST
(1) to
SECOND
(2) or downshifting from SIXTH (6) to
FIFTH
(5). The springs will try to pull the gear shift
lever toward FOURTH
(4) and THIRD (3). Make sure
you move the lever into SECOND
(2) or FIFTH (5). If
you let the lever move in the direction of the pulling,
you may end up shifting from FIRST
(1) to
FOURTH
(4) or from SIXTH (6) to THIRD (3).
Ride Control (Option)
You may have a ride control system on your Corvette
called Real Time Damping (RTD). The system provides
the following performance benefits:
Reduced impact harshness
0 Improved road isolation
0 Improved high-speed stability
0 Improved handling response
RIDE CONTROL
SPORT
This knob is on the center console. Turn it to select the
ride control
of your choice.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine TOUR: Use for city and highway driving. Provides a
smooth, soft ride. Parking Brake
SPORE Use where road conditions or personal
preference demand more control. Provides more “feel,”
or response to the road conditions.
PERF’: Use for performance driving. Provides a tight,
firm ride and precise response to road conditions.
You can select a setting at any time. Based on road
conditions and your vehicle speed, the system
automatically adjusts to provide the best ride and
handling. Select a new setting whenever driving
conditions change.
The SERVICE RIDE CONTROL light monitors the
system. Refer to “Service Ride Control Light” in
the Index.
Limited-Slip Rear Axle
Your rear axle can give you additional traction on snow,
mud, ice, sand
or gravel. It works like a standard axle
most
of the time, but when one of the rear wheels has no
traction and the other does, the limited-slip feature will
allow the wheel with traction to move the vehicle. To
set the parking brake, hold the brake pedal down.
Pull the parking brake lever up, then move it back down.
This sets your parking brake, even though the lever is
down. If the ignition is on, the parking brake indicator
light will come on.
2-28

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Shifting Into PARK (P) (Automatic
Transmission
Mode’ 0 ly)
To release the parking brake, hold the brake pedal down.
Pull the parking brake lever up until you can push in the
release button. Hold the release button in as you move
the brake lever all the way down.
NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on can cause
your rear brakes to overheat. You may have to
replace them, and you could also damage other
parts
of your vehicle.
It can be dangerous to get out of yqur vehicle if
the shift lever
is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
If you have left the engine running, the vehicle
can move suddenly. You or others could be
injured.
To be sure your vehicle won’t move, even
when you’re on fairly level ground, use the steps
that follow.
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