1997 CHEVROLET MALIBU steering

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Fog Lamps (If Equipped)
The button for your fog
lamps is on the instrument
panel, to the left of the
steering wheel, beside
the instrument panel intensity control.
When using fog lamps, the parking lamps or low-beam
headlamps must be on.
Push the button to turn the fog lamps on. An indicator
light
on the button will glow when the fog lamps are on.
Push the button again to turn the fog lamps off.
The fog lamps will turn off whenever the high-beam
headlamps are turned on. When the high beams are
turned off, the fog lamps will come on again.
Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Intensity Control
You can brighten or dim
the instrument panel
cluster lights by rotating
the switch, located
on the
instrument panel, to the
left of the steering wheel.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Instrument Panel Cupholder
The instrument panel cupholder is located to the left of
the steering wheel.
To use it, pull it out until the rubber
insert
is revealed. The insert is removable for easy
cleaning.
To clean it, use spray window cleaner.
Center Console Cupholder
The console provides space for holding a cup or soft
drink container. The cupholder is located
at the rear of
the shifter.
Rear Seat Cupholder
Pull down the door on the rear of the center console to
use the rear seat cupholder. You can use it to hold cups
or juice boxes.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Section 4 Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find information about driving on different kinds of roads and in varying weather conditions. We’ve also
included many other useful tips on driving.
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4-1 1 4-12
4-13 Defensive Driving
Driving Drunk
Having Control of Your Vehicle
Your Braking System Information
Anti-Lock Brake Information
Braking in Emergencies
Steering Tips
Off-Road Recovery Tips
Passing Other Vehicles
Losing Control of Your Vehicle 4-
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4-32 Night Driving
Driving in Rain and on
Wet Roads
Tips Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Avoiding Highway Hypnosis
Driving on Hills and Mountains
Winter Driving
If You’re Caugh.t in a Blizzard
Recreational Vehicle Towing
Loading Your Vehicle
Helpful Hints for Towing a Trailer

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
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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 3/4 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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. Adding the sudden acceleration
can demand too
much of those places.
You can lose control.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
Off-Road Recovery
You may find sometime that your right wheels have
dropped off the edge
of a road onto the shoulder while
you’re driving.
OFF-ROAD RECOVERY -Ne -e* A RECOVER
edge of paved surface
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be fairly
easy. Ease off the
accelerator and then, if there is nothing
in the way, steer so
that your vehicle straddles the edge of the pavement. You
can
turn the steering wheel up to one-quarter turn until the
right front
tire contacts the pavement edge. .Then turn your
steering wheel to go straight down the roadway.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 0 Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and start your left lane change signal before moving out
of the right lane to pass. When you
are far enough
ahead of the passed vehicle to see its front in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal
and move back into the right lane. (Remember that
your right outside mirror is convex. The vehicle you
just passed may seem to be farther away from you
than it really is.)
0 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 lamps are not flashing, it may
be slowing down or starting to
turn.
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little to the right.
0 If you’re being passed, make it easy for the
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 trymg 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 Chevrolet’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.
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.
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