1997 Oldsmobile Aurora traction control

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 trying
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 Aurora’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.
A cornering skid is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
Remember: Any traction control system helps avoid
only the acceleration skid. If
your traction control system is off, then an
acceleration skid is also best handled by easing your
foot off the accelerator pedal.
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.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, Ice,
gravel or other material is on the road. For safety, you’ll
want
to slow down and adjust your driving to these
conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration or
braking (including engine braking by shifting to a lower
gear).
Any sudden changes could cause the tires to slide.
You may not realize the surface is slippery until your
vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues
-- such as enough water, ice or packed snow on
the road to make a “mirrored surface’’
-- and slow down
when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system (ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.
4-15

Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where your tires meet the
road probably have good traction.
However, if there is snow or ice between your tires and the
road, you can have a very slippery situation. You’ll have a
lot less traction or “grip” and will need to be very careful.
A
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 OF; 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.
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.

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 ,A CAUTION: I
If you let your tires spin at high speed, they can
explode, and you or others could be injured.
And, the transaxle 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.
I 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 transaxle back and
forth, you can destroy your transaxle.
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 transaxle 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
Vehicle”
in the Index.
5-35

The tire has a puncture, cut or other damage that
can’t be repaired well because of the size or location
of the damage.
Buying New Tires
To find out what kind and size of tires you need, look at
the Tire-Loading Information label.
The tires installed on your vehicle when it was new had
a Tire Performance Criteria Specification (TPC Spec)
number on each tire’s sidewall. When you get new tires,
get ones with that same TPC Spec number. That way
your vehicle will continue to have tires that are designed
to give proper endurance, handling, speed rating,
traction, ride and other things during normal service on
your vehicle. If your tires have an all-season tread
design, the TPC number will be followed by an
“MS”
(for mud and snow).
If you ever replace your tires with those not having a
TPC Spec number, make sure they are the same size,
load range, speed rating and construction type (bias,
bias-belted or radial) as your original tires.
A CAUTION:
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.
It’s all right to drive with your compact spare,
though. It was developed for use on your vehicle.
6-48

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.
6-49

Vehicle Identification Number ................... 6-6 1
Lamps
........................................ 2-44
Courtesy
.................................... 2-47
Interior
..................................... 2-46
On Reminder
................................ 2-37
Panel
....................................... 2-46
Leaving Your Vehicle
............................. 2-8
Leaving Your Vehicle with the Engine Running
....... 2-30
Level Control. Electronic
......................... 4-31
Light Sensor. Twilight Sentinel
.................... 2-46
Lighter
....................................... 2-57
Lights Air Bag Readiness
....................... 1-20, 2-69
Battery Warning
.............................. 2-70
Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning
............ 2-72, 4-7
Brake System Warning
......................... 2-70
Engine Oil Pressure Light
...................... 2-77
Interior
..................................... 2-46
Parlung Brake Indicator
........................ 2-7 1
Safety Belt Reminder
...................... 1-7, 2-69
Service Engine Soon
.......................... 2-75
Traction Active
................................ 4-9
Traction Control System Active
.............. 2-73, 4-9
Traction Control System Warning
........... 2-72, 4-10
Traction Off Warning .......................... 4- 10
Loading Your Vehicle
........................... 4-30
Locks
......................................... 2-4
Anti-Lockout Feature
.......................... 2-8
Automatic Door
............................... 2-5
Cylinders
................................... 7-40
Door
........................................ 2-4
Ignition Transaxle Lock Check
.................. 7-42
Key Lock Cylinder Service
..................... 7-40
Delayed
Locking
............................. 2- 12 Memory Door
............................ 2.5, 2.11
PowerDoor
.................................. 2-5
Rear Door Security ............................. 2-7
Trunk
...................................... 2-15
Window
.................................... 2-34
Lubricants and Fluids
............................ 7-44
Lubrication Service, Body
........................ 7-40
Lumbar Controls
................................ 1-3
Magnasteer
TM ................................ 4-11
Maintenance, Normal Replacement
Parts ............ 6-74
Maintenance Record
............................ 7-46
Maintenance Schedule
............................ 7-1
Long Tripmighway Definition ................... 7-6
Long Trip/Highway Intervals
..................... 7-6
Owner Checks and Services
..................... 7-39
Periodic Maintenance Inspections
................ 7-43
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants
............. 7-44
Scheduled Maintenance Services
.................. 7-4
Short Trip/City Definition
....................... 7-5
Short Trip/City Intervals
........................ 7-5
Maintenance, Underbody
......................... 6-59
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
................. 4-38
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
...................... 2-75
MaxifuseRelay Center
.......................... 6-63
Memory Door Locks ........................ 2-5, 2-11
Memory Seat and Mirrors
........................ 2-11
Methanol
...................................... 6-4
Mirrors
....................................... 2-50
Convex Outside
.............................. 2-54
Electrochromic Daymight Rearview .............. 2-50
Heated Outside
............................... 2-54
Memory
.................................... 2-11
Parallel Park Assist
........................... 2-53
9-6

Storage. Vehicle ................................ 6-33
Stuck:
In Sand. Mud. Ice or Snow .................. 5-35
Sunvisors
.................................... 2-58
Sunroof
....................................... 2-60
Supplemental Restraint System
.................... 1- 19
Surge Tank. Coolant
............................. 5-19
Surge Tank Pressure Cap
......................... 6-23
Symbols. Vehicle
.................................. v
Tachometer
.................................. 2-68
Taillamp Bulb Replacement
....................... 6-39
TapePlayerCare
............................... 3-30
Temperature Control. Passenger
................... 3-10
Theater Dimming
............................... 2-47
Theft
......................................... 2-16
Theft-Deterrent Feature
.......................... 3-25
THEFTLOCK"
................................ 3-25
Thermostat
.................................... 6-25
Third Gear. Automatic Transaxle
................... 2-27
Tilt Steering Wheel
............................. 2-35
Time Out Feature
............................... 2-47
Time. Setting the
............................... 3-1.1
Tire-Loading Information Label
................... 4-30
Temperature Button. Climate Control System
.......... 3-3
1 Tires ......................................... 6-44
Alignment and Balance
........................ 6-50
BuyingNew
................................. 6-48
Chains
..................................... 6-52
ChangingaFlat
.............................. 5-24
Cleaning
.................................... 6-58
Compact Spare
............................... 5-34
Inflation
.................................... 6-45
Inflationcheck
............................... 7-39 Inspection and Rotation
........................ 6-46
Loading
Your Vehicle ......................... 4-30
Pressure
.................................... 6-45
Temperature
................................. 6-50
Traction
.................................... 6-49
Treadwe
ar ................................... 6-49
Uniform Quality Grading
....................... 6-49
Wear Indicators
.............................. 6-47
Wheel Replacement
........................... 6-50
When It's Time for New
....................... 6-47
TopStrap
..................................... 1-36
TorqueLock
................................... 2-31
Torque, Wheel Nut
......................... 5-31, 6-73
Towing
Your Vehicle ............................. 5-8
Active Light
.................................. 4-9
Control System
................................ 4-9
Control System Active Light
................ 2-73, 4-9
Control System Warning Light
............. 2-72, 4-10
Off Warning Light ............................ 4-10
Driving on Grades
............................ 4-37
Drivingwith
................................. 4-36
Maintenance When Towing
..................... 4-38
ParkingonHills
.............................. 4-37
SafetyChains
................................ 4-35
Tongueweight
............................... 4-34
Total Weight on Tires
.......................... 4-35
Turnsignals
................................. 4-37
TowingaTrailer
................................ 4-32
Traction
Trailer Brakes
..................................... 4-36
Hitches
..................................... 4-35
Towing
..................................... 4-32
Weight
..................................... 4-34
9-10