1997 CADILLAC CATERA traction control

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
Keep your traction control system on.
It improves your
ability to accelerate when driving on a slippery road.
Even though your vehicle has a traction control system,
you’ll want to slow down and adjust your driving to the
road conditions. See “Traction Control System” in the
Index. Also, see “Third Gear Start” in the Index. Your
anti-lock brakes improve your vehicle’s stability
when you make a hard stop on a slippery road. Even
though you have the 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.
4-27

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow
What you don’t want to do when your vehicle is stuck is
to spin your wheels too
fast. The method known as
“rocking” can help you get out when you’re stuck, but
you must use caution.
I
L
If you let your tires spin at hig: ;peed, they can
explode, and you or others could be injured.
And, the transmission or other parts of the
vehicle can overheat. That could cause an engine
compartment fire or other damage. When you’re
stuck, spin the wheels as little
as possible. Don’t
spin the wheels above
35 mph (55 km/h) as shown
on the speedometer.
NOTICE: -
Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of your
vehicle
as well as the tires. If you spin the wheels
too fast while shifting your transmission back
and forth, you can destroy your transmission.
For information about using tire chains on your vehicle,
see “Tire Chains” in the Index.
Rocking Your Vehicle To Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear the area around your front wheels. You should turn
your traction control system
off. (See “Traction Control
System” in the Index.) Then shift back and forth
between
REVERSE (R) and a forward gear, spinning the
wheels as little as possible. Release the accelerator pedal
while you shift, and press lightly
on the accelerator
pedal when the transmission is in gear. If that doesn’t
get
you out after a few tries, you may need to be towed
out. If you do need to be towed out, see “Towing Your
Catera”
in the Index.
5-33

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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. Using tires
of different sizes may also cause
damage to your vehicle. Be sure to use the same
size and type tires on all 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.)
The grades are molded on the sidewalls of most
passenger car tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading
system does not apply to deep tread, winter-type snow
tires, space-saver or temporary use spare tires, tires with
nominal rim diameters
of 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm),
or to some limited-production tires.
While the tires available on General Motors passenger
cars and light trucks may vary with respect to these grades,
they must also conform to Federal safety
requirements and additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria
(TPC) standards.
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, and 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 (straightahead) traction tests and does not
include cornering (turning) traction.
6-42

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Tires ......................................... 6-38
Alignment and Balance
........................ 6-43
Buying New
................................. 6-41
Chains
..................................... 6-45
ChangingaFlat
.............................. 5-23
Cleaning
.................................... 6-52
Inflation
.................................... 6-38
Inspection and Rotation
........................ 6-40
Loading Information Label
..................... 4-30
Pressure
.................................... 6-38
Temperature
................................. 6-43
Traction
.................................... 6-42
Treadwe ar
................................... 6-42
Uniform Quality Grading
....................... 6-42
Wear Indicators .............................. 6-41
Wheel Replacement
........................... 6-43
When It's Time for New
....................... 6-41
TopStrap
..................................... 1-38
TorqueLock
................................... 2-2 6
Torque, Wheel Bolt
........................ 5-31, 6-63
Towing a Trailer
................................ 4-32
Towing Your Catera
.............................. 5-8
Control System ................................ 4-9
Control System Warning Light
.............. 2-67. 4-9
Traction Engaged
............................... 2-67
Brakes
..................................... 4- 36
Driving on Grades ............................ 4-37
Traction
Trailer Driving with
................................. 4-36
Hitches
..................................... 4-35
Maintenance When Towing
..................... 4-38
Parking
on Hills .............................. 4-38
Safety Chains
................................ 4-36
Tongueweight
............................... 4-34
Total Weight
on Tires .......................... 4-35
Towing
..................................... 4-32
Turnsignals
................................. 4-37
Weight
..................................... 4-34
Transmission Fluid. Automatic
.................... 6-18
Transmitter. Universal
........................... 2-54
Transportation. Gold Key Courtesy
.................. 7-8
Trip Odometer
................................. 2-61
Ajar Light ................................... 2-74
Mounted CD Changer
......................... 3-17
Release
..................................... 2-10
TTYUsers
..................................... 7-4
Turn and Lane Change Signals
.................... 2-32
Turn SignaUMultifunction Lever ................... 2-32
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
................ 4-37
Twilight Sentinel
............................... 2-43
Transmitters. Remote Keyless Entry System
........... 2-6
Trunk
Underbody Maintenance
........................ 6-53
Understanding
Radio Reception ................... 3-21
Universal Transmitter
............................ 2-54
8-10