1996 CHEVROLET S10 wheel

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 kind
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.
A CAUTION:
0
Many hills are simply too steep for any vehicle,
If you drive up them, you will stall. If you drive
down them, you can’t control your speed.
If you
drive across them, you will roll over.
You could be
seriously injured or killed.
If you have any doubt
about the steepness, don’t drive the hill.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
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Is there a constant incline, or does the hill get sharply
steeper in places?
Is there good traction on the hillside, or will the
surface cause tire slipping?
Is there a straight path up or down the hill so you
won’t have to make turning maneuvers?
Are there obstructions on the hill that can block your
path (boulders, trees, logs or ruts)?
0 What’s beyond the hill? Is there a cliff, an
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.
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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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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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine &.’ 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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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
to REVERSE (R), release the parking brake, and
slowly back down the hill
in REVERSE (R).
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 (R), release the
parking brake, and slowly back down the hill as
straight as possible in REVERSE (R).
0 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.
Here are some things you
must not do if you stall, or are
about to stall, when going up a hill.
0 Never attempt to prevent a stall by shifting into
NEUTRAL
(N) (or depressing the clutch, if you
have a manual transmission)
to “rev-up” the engine
and regain forward momentum. This won’t work.
Your vehicle will roll backwards very quickly and
you could go out of control.
Instead, apply the regular brake
to stop the
vehicle. Then apply the parking brake. Shift to
REVERSE
(R), release the parking brake, and
slowly back straight down.
0 Never attempt to turn around if you are about to stall
when going up a hill.
If the hill is steep enough to
stall your vehicle, it’s steep enough to cause you to
roll over if you turn around. If you can’t make it up
the
hill, you must back straight down the hill.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Are there some things I should not do when
driving down a hill?
A: Yes! These are important because if you ignore them
a
a
you could lose control and have a serious accident.
When driving downhill, avoid turns that take you
across the incline of the hill.
A hill that’s not too
steep to drive down may be too steep to drive across.
You could roll over if you don’t drive straight down.
Never
go downhill with the transmission in
NEUTRAL
(N), or with the clutch pedal depressed
in a manual shift. This is called “free-wheeling.”
Your brakes will have to do all the work and could
overheat and fade.
Am I likely to stall when going downhill?
A: It’s much more likely to happen going uphill.
But
if it happens going downhill, here’s what to do.
Stop your vehicle by applying the regular brakes.
Shift to PARK (P) (or to NEUTRAL (N) with the
Apply the parking brake.
manual transmission) and, while still braking, restart the engine.
Shift back to a low gear, release the parking brake,
and drive straight down.
If the engine won’t start, get out and get help.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving Across an Incline
Sooner or later, an off-road trail will probably go across
the incline of a hill.
If this happens, you have to decide
whether to try to drive across the incline. Here are some
things to consider:
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A hill that can be driven straight up or down may be
too steep to drive across. When you
go straight up or
down a hill, the length of the wheel base (the
distance from the front wheels to the rear wheels)
reduces the likelihood the vehicle will tumble end
over end. But when you drive 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.
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.
0 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.
‘ A CAUTIC 7:
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Driving across an incline that’s too steep will
make your vehicle roll over. You could be
seriously injured or killed.
If you have any doubt
about the steepness of the incline, don’t drive
across it. Find another route instead.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
I A C. UTIC-T:
I
Driving on frozen lakes, ponds or rivers can be
dangerous. Underwater springs, currents under
the ice, or sudden thaws can weaken the ice. Your
vehicle could fall through the ice and you and
your passengers could drown. Drive your vehicle
on safe surfaces only.
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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
Driving through rushing water can be dangerous.
Deep water can sweep your vehicle downstream
and you and your passengers could drown.
If it’s
only shallow water, it can still wash away the
ground from under your tires, and you could lose
traction and roll the vehicle over. Don’t drive
through rushing water.
See “Driving Through Water” in the Index for more
information on driving through water.
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 bralung. Check the body structure,
steering, suspension, wheels, tires and exhaust system
for damage. Also, check the fuel lines and cooling
system for any leakage.
Your vehicle will require more frequent service due to
off-road use. Refer to the Maintenance Schedule for
additional information.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as “highway
hypnosis”?
Or is it just plain falling asleep at the wheel?
Call it highway hypnosis, lack of awareness, or
whatever.
There
is something about an easy stretch of road with the
same scenery, along with the hum of the tires
on the road,
the drone
of the engine, and the rush of the wind against
the
vehicle that can make you sleepy. Don’t let it happen
to
you! If it does, your vehicle can leave the road in less
than a second, and you could crash and be injured.
What can you do about highway hypnosis? First, be
aware that
it can happen.
Then here are some tips:
Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a
comfortably cool interior.
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and
to the sides. Check your mirrors and your
instruments frequently.
0 If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest, service
or parking area and take a nap, get some exercise, or
both. For safety, treat drowsiness
on the highway as
an emergency.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is different from
driving
in flat or rolling terrain.
If you drive regularly in steep country, or if you’re
planning to visit there, here are some tips that can make
your trips safer and more enjoyable. (See “Off-Road
Driving” in the Index for information about driving
off-road.)
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