1998 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE traction control

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.
1
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.
If you have traction control, keep the system on. It will
improve 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.
If
you don’t have the traction control system, accelerate
gently. Try not
to break the fragile traction. If you
accelerate too fast,
the drive wheels will spin and polish
the surface under the tires even more.
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.
A 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 firont wheels. If your vehicle
has traction control, you should turn the 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
Ygw Vehicle” in the Index.
5-38

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.
I a CAUTION:
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.
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
(PC) standards.
6-45

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.
The grade
C corresponds to a level of performance
which
all passenger car tires must meet under the
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
No. 109. Grades
B and A represent higher levels of performance on the
laboratory test wheel
than the minimum required by law.
Warning: The temperature grade for this tire is
established for a tire that is properly inflated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed, underinflation, or
excessive loading, either separately or in combination,
can cause heat buildup and possible tire failure.
6-46

Inspections (Continued) Throttle System
.............................. 7-35
CaliperKnuckle
.............................. 7-36
Instrument Panel ............................... 2-56
Brightness Control
............................ 2-46
Cleaning
.................................... 6-5 1
Cluster ........................... 2.58.2.59. 2.60
InteriorLamps
................................. 2-46
Jack, Tire
.................................... 5-27
Key Lock Cylinders Service
..................... 7-32
Jumpstarting ................................... 5-3
Key Reminder Warning
..................... 2- 15. 2-2 1
KeylessEn try ......................................
Instant Alarm ................................ 2-11
Personalization Features
....................... 2- 11
Resynchronization ............................ 2- 11
Security Feedback ............................ 2-12
Keys .......................................... 2-2
Labels Certification
................................. 4-30
Certificatioflire
............................. 4- 30
Service
Parts Identification ..................... 6-57
Tire-Loading Information
...................... 4-29
Vehicle Identification Number
................... 6-57
Lamps
........................................ 2-43
Interior ..................................... 2-46
Monitor Message
............................. 2-78
%Reminder
................................ 2-43
Leaving Your Vehicle ............................. 2-9
Level Control. Electronic
......................... 4-31
Light Sensor. Twilight Sentinel
.................... 2-45
Leaving Your Vehicle with the Engine Running ....... 2-31
Lighter
....................................... 2-53
Lights
Air Bae Readiness ....................... 1.20. 2.63 ~~ ~
Anti-Gck Brake System Warning ............ 2.66. 4.7
Battery
Warning .............................. 2-64
Brake System Warning
......................... 2-65
Check Engine ................................ 2-68
Check Gages
................................ 2-72
Interior
..................................... 2-46
Low Coolant Warning
......................... 2-67
Low Washer
Fluid ............................ 2-72
Oil Level Warning
............................ 2-72
Safety Belt Reminder ...................... 1-6, 2-63
Traction Control System Warning
............ 2-66, 4-9
Traction
Off Warning ...................... 2-66. 4-9
Loading
Your Vehicle ........................... 4-29
Locks
......................................... 2-4
Anti-LockoutFeature
.......................... 2-9
Automatic Door
............................... 2-5
Door
........................................ 2-4
FuelDoor
.................................... 6-6
Ignition Transaxle Lock Check
.................. 7-34
Key Lock Cylinder Service
..................... 7-32
Trunk ...................................... 2-14
Automatic Door. Customizing
.................... 2-6
Low Coolant Message
........................... 2-78
Low Coolant Warning Light
...................... 2-67
PowerDoor
.................................. 2-5
RearDoorSec
urity ............................. 2-8
9-6

Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster ..................... 1-12
Sidemarker Lamp Bulb Replacement
............... 6-35
Signaling Turns
................................ 2-37
Skidding ...................................... 4-14
Sound Equipment. Adding
........................ 3-28
Spare Tire. Compact
............................. 5-37
Specifications and Capacities
...................... 6-65
Specifications. Engine
........................... 6-66
Speech Impaired. Customer Assistance
............... 8-5
Speedometer ................................... 2-61
SRS ......................................... 1-18
Stains. Cleaning
................................ 6-50
Starter Switch Check
............................ 7-33
Starting
Your Engine ....................... 2-21. 2-22
Steam
........................................ 5-15
Steering
...................................... 4-10
In Emergencies
............................... 4- 1 1
Magnasteer
TM ................................ 4- 10
Power
...................................... 4-10
Tips
........................................ 4-10
Wheel. Tilt
.................................. 2-36
Wheel Touch Controls
......................... 3-26
Storage Compartments
........................... 2-5 1
Storage. Vehicle
................................ 6-32
Stuck:
In Sand. Mud. Ice or Snow .................. 5-38
Sun Visors .................................... 2-53
Sunglasses Storage
.............................. 2-5 1
Sunroof ....................................... 2-55
Supercharged Engine ............................ 6- 13
Supercharger Oil
............................... 6- 19
Symbols. Vehicle .................................. v
Supplemental Restraint System .................... 1 - 18 Tachometer
.................................. 2-62
Taillamp Bulb Replacement
....................... 6-37
Tape Player Care
............................... 3-28
Temperature Control. Climate Control System
..... 3.2. 3.3
Theater Dimming ............................... 2-47
Theft
......................................... 2-15
Theft-Deterrent
Alarm System .................... 2-16
Theft-Deterrent Feature. CD Player
................ 3-24
THEFTLOCK
TM ................................ 3-24
Thermostat
.................................... 6-26
Tilt Steering Wheel
............................. 2-36
Time. Setting
the ................................ 3-9
Tire Chains
.................................... 6-48
Tirehading
................................... 4-29
Tire-Loading Information Label
................... 4-29
Tires ......................................... 6-41
Alignment and Balance
........................ 6-47
Buying New
................................. 6-44
Chains ..................................... 6-48
Changing a Flat
.............................. 5-25
Cleaning .................................... 6-54
Compact Spare
............................... 5-37
Inflation
.................................... 6-41
Inflationcheck
............................... 7-31
Inspection and Rotation
........................ 6-43
Loading
.................................... 4-29
Pressure
..................................... 6-41
Temperature
................................. 6-46
Traction
.................................... 6-46
Treadwe
ar ................................... 6-46
Wear Indicators
.............................. 6-44
Wheel Replacement
........................... 6-47
When It’s Time for New
....................... 6-44
Uniform Quality Grading ....................... 6-45
9-10

TopStrap ................................... 1-39
TorqueLock ................................... 2-32
Torque, Wheel Nut ......................... 5-33, 6-65
Towing a Trailer ................................ 4-31
Towing Your Vehicle ............................. 5-8
Control System Warning Light ............ 2-66, 4-9
Off Warning Light ........................ 2-66, 4-9
Traction Control Svstem .......................... 4-9
Traction
I
Trailer
Brakes
................................... 4-35
Driving with ................................. 4-35
Engine Cooling When Towing ................... 4-38
Maintenance When Towing ..................... 4-38
Parking on Hills .............................. 4-37
Safety Chains ................................ 4-35
Total Weight on Tires .......................... 4-34
Turn Signals ................................. 4-37
Transaxle Fluid, Automatic ....................... 6-20
Transmitters, Matching to Your Vehicle ............. 2- 12
Transmitters, Remote Keyless Entry ................ 2-10
Transportation, Courtesy .......................... 8-8
Trip Odometer ................................. 2-61
Ajar Message ................................ 2-78
Release Lockout, Remote ...................... 2-14
Release, Remote .............................. 2-14
Driving on Grades ........... ............ 4-37
Hitches ..................................... 4-34
Tongueweight ............................... 4-33
Towing ..................................... 4-31
Weight ..................................... 4-33
Trunk
Lock ....................................... 2-14
SecurityOverride ............................. 2-14
TTY Users ..................................... 8-5
Turn Signal and Lane Change Signals ............... 2-37
Turn Signal On Chime ........................... 2-37
Turn Signal On Message ......................... 2-79
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever ................... 2-36
Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer ................ 4-37
"light Sentinel ............................... 2-45
Underbody Flushing Service ..................... 7-34
Underbody Maintenance ......................... 6-55
Universal Theft-Deterrent System .................. 2-16
Vehicle
Control
...................................... 4-6
Damage Warnings .............................. iv
Dimensions
................................. 6-66
Identification Number ......................... 6-57
Loading .................................... 4-29
Storage ..................................... 6-32
Ventilationsystem ............................... 3-6
Visor Vanity Mirrors ............................ 2-53
Visors, Sun .................................... 2-53
Voltmeter ..................................... 2-64
warning Devices ............................... 5-3
Warning Lights. Gages and Indicators ............... 2-62
Warranty Information ............................ 8-10
Washer Fluid Message ........................... 2-78
Washer muid. Windshield ........................ 6-27
Washing Your Vehicle ........................... 6-52
Weatherstrips .................................. 6-52
9-11