1998 BUICK REGAL change wheel

TILT-WHEEL TM Adjustable
Steering Column
A tilt steering wheel allows
you to adjust the steering
wheel before
you drive. You
can also raise it to the
highest level to give your
legs more room when you
exit and enter the vehicle.
To tilt the wheel, hold the steering wheel and pull the
lever. Move the steering wheel to a comfortable level,
then release the lever to lock the wheel into place.
Turn SignaYMultifunction Lever
The lever on the left side of the steering column
includes your:
0 Turn Signal and Lane Change Indicator
Headlamp High/Low Beam Changer
0 Windshield Wipers
Windshield Washer
Cruise Control (Option)
0 Flash-to-Pass
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Cruise Control (Option)
Cruise control can be dangerous whert: y’ou
can’t drive safely at a steady speed.
So,
don’t use your cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.
slippery roads.
On such roads, fast changes
in tire traction can cause needless wheel
spinning, and you could lose control.
Don’t
use cruise control on slippery roads.
Cruise control can be dangerous on
With cruise control, you can maintain a speed
of about
25 mph (40 kdh) or more without keeping your foot on
the accelerator. This can really help on long trips. Cruise
control does not work at speeds below about
25 mph
(40 km/h).
When you apply your brakes, the cruise control
shuts
off.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the optional
traction control system begins to limit wheel spin, the
cruise control will automatically disengage. (See
“Traction Control System” in the Index.) When
road
conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may turn
the cruise control back on.
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Control Buttons
I
RESET
The driver information center has three buttons that
control its functions.
EM, RESET AND MODE: The EnglishMetric, reset
and mode buttons
for the driver information center are
located
to the left of the steering wheel, just below the
instrument panel cluster.
EM: Press this button to change the display from
English to metric units
or metric to English.
RESET Press this button for one second to reset the
mode displayed
MODE: Press this button to change the mode
being displayed.
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To unlock a secured radio see “Unlocking the
Theft-Deterrent Feature After a Power
Loss” earlier in
this section.
Audio Steering Wheel Controls
(If Equipped)
If your vehicle has this feature, you can control certain
radio functions using the buttons on your steering wheel.
SEEK: Press the up or
down arrow to tune to
the next or previous
radio station.
SCAN: Press the SCAN button and SCAN will appear
on the display. SCAN works as the PSCAN button on
your radio.
It will scan through each of the preset radio
stations. If a preset radio station has weak reception, the
radio will not stop at the preset station. Press SCAN
again to stop scanning.
AM-FM: Press this button to choose AM, FM1 or FM2.
If a cassette tape or compact disc is playing, press this
button to stop it and the radio will play.
SRCE: Press this button to
change to the cassette tape,
compact disc function or
return to playing the radio.
If a cassette tape or compact disc is playing, the player
will advance to the next
or previous selection. MUTE: Press this button to silence the audio system.
Press it again to turn on the sound.
VOL: Press the up or down arrow to increase or
decrease volume.
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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
both rear wheels. The
anti-lock system can change the brake pressure faster
than any driver could. The computer is programmed to
make the most of available tire and road conditions.
You can steer around the obstacle while braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on
wheel speed and controls bralung pressure accordingly.
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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
firmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel a
slight brake pedal pulsation or 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
“Anti-Lock Brake System
Active Light”
in the Index.
Traction Control System
(With
3800 Supercharged Engine)
Your vehicle has a traction control system 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 front wheels are spinning or beginning to lose traction.
When this happens, the system works the front brakes and
reduces engine power to limit wheel spin.
LOW TRAC
This light will come on
when your traction control
system is limiting wheel
spin. See “Traction Control
System Active Light” in
the Index.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this
is normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the traction
control system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow
you to safely use it again, you may
reengage the cruise control. (See “Cruise Control’’
in the Index.)
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To turn the system on or
off, press the TRACTION
button on the black panel located directly behind
your automatic transaxle
shift lever.
When
you turn the system off, the Enhanced Traction
System warning light will come on and stay on. If the
Enhanced Traction System is limiting wheel spin when
you press the button to turn the system off, 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 button again. The Enhanced Traction System
warning light should go off.
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.
Magnetic Variable Effort Steering TM
This steering system provides lighter steering effort for
parking and when driving at low speeds. Steering effort
will increase at higher speeds for improved road feel.
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.
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0
0
0
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.)
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time
on two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the
next vehicle.
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.
If you’re being passed, make
it easy for the
following driver to get ahead
of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little to the right.
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 vehicle’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 and an acceleration skid
are 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.
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