1998 Oldsmobile Aurora traction control

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 to!,
much of those places. You can lose control. Refer to
“Traction Control System” in the Index,
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 shou1.d
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 approxh 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.

Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vel-ucle.
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 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.

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. 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; OOC) 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.
4-26

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.
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.
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 fiont 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.
5-34
I
I

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. 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.
If you use bias-ply tires on your vehicle, the
wheel rim flanges could develop cracks after
many miles of driving.
A tire and/or wheel could
fail suddenly, causing a crash. Use only radial-ply
tires with the wheels on your vehicle.
6-47

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 (straight ahead) traction tests and does not
include cornering (turning) traction.
Temperature -- A, B, C
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C,
representing the tire’s resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability
to dissipate heat when tested under
controlled conditions on a specified indoor laboratory
test wheel. Sustained high temperature can cause the
material of the tire to degenerate and reduce tire life, and
excessive temperature can lead to sudden tire failure.
6-48

Exhaust Systems ............................. 7- 18
Front-Wheel-Drive Axle Boot and Seal
........... 7- 18
Steering
.................................... 7-18
Suspension
.................................. 7-18
Throttle System
.............................. 7- 19
InstrumentPanel ............................... 2-60
Brightness Control
............................ 2-45
Cleaning
.................................... 6-53
Cluster
..................................... 2-62
FuseBlock
.................................. 6-62
Interior Lamps
................................. 2-45
Bulb Replacement
............................ 6-42
.................................... J ack. Tire 5-26
Jump Starting
................................... 5-3
Key Lock Cylinders Service ..................... 7-15
Key Reminder Warning .......................... 2-21
Keyless Entry
................................... 2-9
Keys
.......................................... 2-2
Labels Certification
................................. 4-30
Service Parts Identification
..................... 6-59
Tire-Loading Information
...................... 4-29
Vehicle Identification Number
................... 6-59
Lamps
........................................ 2-42
Cornering
................................... 2-44
Courtesy
.................................... 2-45
Interior
..................................... 2-45 OnReminder
................................ 2-36
Panel
....................................... 2-45
Leaving Your Vehicle
............................. 2-9
Level Control. Electronic
......................... 4-31
Light Sensor. Twilight Sentinel
.................... 2-44
Lighter ....................................... 2-54
Lights Air Bag Readiness
....................... 1-22. 2-65
Battery Warning
.............................. 2-66
Brake System Warning
......................... 2-66
Engine Oil Pressure Light
...................... 2-73
Interior
..................................... 2-45
Parking Brake Indicator
........................ 2-67
Safety Belt Reminder
...................... 1.8. 2.65
Service Engine Soon
.......................... 2-71
Traction Active
................................ 4-9
Traction Control System Active
.............. 2.69. 4.9
Traction Off Warning
........................... 4-9
Loading Your Vehicle
........................... 4-29
Anti-Lockout Feature
.......................... 2-9
Automatic Door
............................... 2-5
Cylinders ................................... 7-15
DelayedLocking .............................. 2-6
Door
........................................ 2-4
Ignition Transaxle Lock Check
.................. 7-17
Key Lock Cylinder Service
..................... 7-15
Memory Door ............................ 2.5. 2.11
PowerDoor
.................................. 2-5
Leaving Your Vehicle with the Engine Running ....... 2-29
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning
............ 2.68. 4.7
Traction Control System Warning
............ 2.68. 4.9
Locks
......................................... 2-4

.
Tilt Steering Wheel ............................. 2-34
Time. Setting the
............................... 3-1 1
Tire-Loading Information Label
................... 4-29
Tires
......................................... 6-43
Alignment and Balance
........................ 6-49
BuyingNew
................................. 6-47
Chains
..................................... 6-50
Cleaning
.................................... 6-56
Compact Spare
............................... 5-33
Inflation
.................................... 6-44
Inflation Check
............................... 7- 14
Inspection and Rotation
........................ 6-45
Loading Your Vehicle
......................... 4-29
Pressure
.................................... 6-44
Temperature
................................. 6-48
Traction
.................................... 6-48
Treadwear
................................... 6-48
Uniform Quality Grading
....................... 6-48
Wear Indicators
.............................. 6-46
Wheel Replacement
........................... 6-49
When It’s Time
for New ....................... 6-46
TopStrap
..................................... 1-42
TorqueLock
................................... 2-30
Torque. Wheel Nut
......................... 5-30. 6-71
TowingaTrailer
................................ 4-31
Towing Your Vehicle
............................. 5-8
Traction ActiveLight
.................................. 4-9
Control System
................................ 4-8
Control System Active Light
................ 2-69. 4-9
Changing a Flat
.............................. 5-24
Control
System Warning Light
.............. 2.68. 4.9
Off Warning Light
............................. 4-9
Brakes
..................................... 4-34
Driving on Grades
............................ 4-36
Drivingwith
................................. 4-35
Engine Cooling
.............................. 4-37
Hitches
..................................... 4-34
Maintenance When Towing
..................... 4-37
Parking on Hills
.............................. 4-36
Safety Chains
................................ 4-34
Tongueweight
............................... 4-33
Total Weight on Tires
.......................... 4-34
Towing
..................................... 4-31
Turnsignals
................................. 4-36
Weight
..................................... 4-32
Transaxle Fluid. Automatic
....................... 6-18
Transaxle Fluid Life
............................. 2-77
Transmitter
.................................... 2-56
Remote Lock Control
........................... 2-9
Universal
................................... 2-56
Transportation. Courtesy
.......................... 8-6
Trip Odometer
................................. 2-63
Trunk Lock
....................................... 2-14
Release. Remote
.............................. 2-14
Security Override
............................. 2-14
Trunk Mounted Compact Disc Changer
............. 3-18
TTYUsers
..................................... 8-4
Turn Signal and Lane Change Signals
............... 2-35
Turn Signal On Chime
........................... 2-35
Trailer
9-11