1997 CHEVROLET CAMARO Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A CAUTION:
I
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
Your reflexes, perceptions, attentiveness and
judgment can be affected by even a small amount
of alcohol. You can have a serious
-- or even
fatal
-- collision if you drive after drinking.
Please don’t drink and drive
or ride with a driver
who has been drinking. Ride home in a cab; or
if you’re with a group, designate a driver who
will not drink.
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work
at the places where the tires meet the road. Sometimes, as when
you’re driving on snow or ice, it’s
easy to ask more
of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
of your vehicle.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Braking
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That’s
perception time. Then you have to bring up
your foot and do it. That’s
reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 314 of a second. But
that’s only an average.
It might be less with one
driver and as long
as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play a part.
So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in
3/4 of a second, a vehicle
moving at
60 mph ( 100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m).
That could be a lot
of distance in an emergency, so
keeping enough space between your vehicle and
others
is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface
of the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of the
vehicle and the amount
of brake force applied. Avoid
needless heavy braking. Some people drive
in spurts
-- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster if you do a lot
of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. That
means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
normally but don’t pump your brakes.
If you do, the
pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But
you will use it when you brake. Once the power assist
is used up, it may take longer
to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder
to push.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
When you start your engine, or when you begin to drive
away, your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You
may hear
a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and
you may even notice that your
brake pedal moves a little. This
is normal.
ABS
INOP
If there’s a problem with the
anti-lock brake system, this
warning light will stay
on or
flash. See “Anti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light” in the Index.
Here’s how anti-lock works. Let’s say the road is wet.
You’re driving safely. Suddenly an animal jumps out in
front of you.
You slam on the brakes. Here’s what happens with ABS.
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If one
of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer will
separately work the brakes at each front wheel and at the
rear wheels.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The anti-lock system can change the brake pressure faster As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on
than any driver could. The computer is programmed to wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly.
make the most
of available tire and road conditions.
Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. 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.
You can steer around the obstacle while braking hard.
Using Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal
down and
let anti-lock work for you. You may feel
the system working, or you may notice some noise,
but this is normal.
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid, this light will come on.
See “Low Traction Light” in the Index.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine ASR (Acceleration Slip Regulation) System
(Option:
LTl V8 Engine)
Your vehicle may have a traction control system called
ASR that limits wheel spin. This is especially useful in
slippery road conditions. The system operates only if it
senses that one or both of the rear wheels are spinning
or beginning to lose traction. When this happens, the
system works the rear brakes and reduces engine power
(by closing the throttle and managing engine spark)
to
limit wheel spin.
This light will come on
when your ASR system is
limiting wheel spin. See
“Low Traction Light” in
the Index. You may feel or
hear the system working,
but this is normal.
LOW TRAC
Examples of these conditions include a hard acceleration
in a turn, or an abrupt upshift or downshift. Also, when
the compact spare tire is on the rear axle, the ASR
system will cycle and limit acceleration for about the
first
15 seconds of driving after each engine start.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the ASR
system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise control
will automatically disengage. When road conditions
allow you
to safely use it again, you may re-engage
the cruise control. (See “Cruise Control”
in the Index.)
ASR
OFF
When the system is on,
this warning light will
come on
to let you know
if there’s a problem with
your ASR system. See
“ASR System Warning
Light” in the Index.
The
ASR system may operate on dry roads under some
conditions, and you may notice a reduction in
acceleration when this happens. This is normal and
doesn’t mean there’s a problem with your vehicle. When
this warning light is on, the system will not limit
wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The ASR system automatically comes on whenever you
start your vehicle. To limit wheel spin, especially in
slippery road conditions,
you should always leave the
system on. But you can turn the ASR system off if
you
ever need to. (You should turn the system off if your
vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud, ice or snow. See
“Rocking Your Vehicle” in the Index.)
To turn the system off, press
the switch
on the instrument
panel. The light on the
switch will
go out. The
ASR system warning light will come on and stay
on. If the
ASR system is limiting wheel spin when you
press the switch, the warning light will come
on -- but
the system won’t turn off right away. It will wait until
there’s no longer a current need
to limit wheel spin.
You can turn the system back on at any time by pressing
the switch again. The ASR system warning light should
go off and the light on the switch will come on.
If your car is equipped with P245/5OZR16 tires, the
ASR system will automatically turn off at speeds above
108 mph
(174 kmh). (The ASR system warning light
will not come
on.) When the vehicle speed drops below
103 mph (166 kmh) the system will automatically come
on again.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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. Suppose
you’re steering through a sharp curve.
Then
you suddenly accelerate. Both control
systems
-- steering and acceleration -- have to do
their work where the tires meet the road. Unless you
have
ASR and the system is on, adding the sudden
acceleration can demand too much
of those places.
You
can lose control.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on
the accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you
want it to go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should
adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speeds are
based on good weather and road conditions. Under
less
favorable conditions you’ll want to go slower.
If you need
to reduce your speed as you approach a
curve, do it before
you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead.
Try
to adjust your speed so you can “drive” through the
curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until you are out of the curve, and then
accelerate gently into the straightaway.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example,
you come over a hill and
find a truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly
pulls out from nowhere, or a child darts
out from
between parked cars and stops right in front
of you.
You can avoid these problems by braking -- if you
can stop in time. But sometimes you can’t; there isn’t
room. That’s the time for evasive action
-- steering
around the problem.
Your Chevrolet can perform very well in emergencies
like these. First apply your brakes. (See “Braking in
Emergencies” earlier
in this section.) It is better to
remove as much speed
as you can from a possible
collision. Then steer around the problem,
to the left
or right depending
on the space available. An
emergency like this requires close attention
and a
quick decision. If you are holding the steering wheel at
the recommended 9 and 3 o’clock positions, you can
turn it a full 180 degrees very quickly without removing
either hand. But you have
to act fast, steer quickly, and
just as quickly straighten the wheel once you have
avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a good reason
to practice defensive driving at
all times and wear safety belts properly.
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