1998 PONTIAC FIREBIRD change wheel

Tilt Steering Wheel Turn SignaVMultifunction Lever
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
in place. The lever on the left
side
of the steering column
includes
your:
0 Turn Signal and Lane Change Indicator
0 Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer and
Passing Signal
0 Windshield Wipers
0 Windshield Washer
Cruise Control (Option)
2-46

When you apply your brakes or push the clutch pedal
(manual transmission), the cruise control shuts off.
Setting Cruise Control
A CAUTION:
- -
Cruise control can be dangerous where you
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
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.
If you leave your cruise control switch on when
you’re not using cruise, you might hit
a button
and
go into cruise when you don’t want to. You
could be startled and even lose control. Keep the
cruise control switch off until you want to use it.
1. Move the cruise control switch to ON.
2. Get up to the speed you want.
3. Push in the SET button at the end of the lever and
release it.
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
2-50

Section 3 Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
In this section, you’ll find out how to operate the comfort control and audio systems offered with your vehicle. Be
sure to read about the particular systems supplied with your v\
ehicle.
3-2
3-3
3-4
3-4
3-5
3-6
3-7
3-7
3-8 3-11 Comfort Controls
Air Conditioning
Heating
Defogging and Defrosting
Rear Window Defogger
Ventilation System
Setting the Clock
AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape Player and
Equalizer (If Equipped)
Monsoonm
AM-FM Stereo with Cassette
Tape Player and Equalizer (If Equipped)
AM-€34 Stereo with Compact Disc Player and
Equalizer (If Equipped)
3-12
3-14
3-17
3-19
3-20
3
-20
3-21
3-22
3-22
3-22
MonsoonTM AM-FM Stereo with Compact
Disc Player and Equalizer
(If Equipped)
Trunk Mounted CD Changer (If Equipped)
Theft-Deterrent Feature
Audio Steering Wheel Controls (If Equipped)
Understanding Radio Reception
Tips About Your Audio System
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
Care of Your Compact Discs
Care of Your Compact Disc Player
Power Antenna Mast Care
3-1

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 and compact disc functions using
the buttons on
your steering wheel.
VOLUME: Press the up or down arrow to increase or
decrease volume.
PLAY: Press this button to play a cassette tape or
compact disc when the radio is playing.
MUTE: Press this button to silence the system. Press
it again to turn on the sound.
SEEK: Press the up arrow to tune to the next radio
station and the down arrow to tune to the previous radio
station.
If a cassette tape or compact disc is playing, the
player will advance with the up arrow and rewind with
the down arrow.
PRESET: Press this button to hear the radio stations
that are set on
your pushbuttons. Pressing this button
while playing a tape
will cause the tape to change sides.
If it is pressed while playing a CD, the CD random
feature can be turned
off and on.
AM-FM: Press this button to select AM, FM1 or FM2.
If a cassette tape or compact disc is playing, the tape or
disc will stop playing
and the radio will play. If this
button is pressed with a
CD in the CD changer, the disc
will go to the next selection.
3-19

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 braking pressure accordingly. 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 kont
of you, you won’t have time to apply you 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
finnly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel a slight
brake
pedal pulsation or notice some noise, but this is normal.
LOW
TRAC
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking
skid,
this light will come on. See
“Low Traction Light” in
the Index.
naction Control System (Option: V8 Engine)
Your vehicle may have 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 rear wheels are spinning or beginning to
lose traction. When
this happens, the system works the
rear brakes and reduces engine power (by closing the
throttle and managing engine spark) to limit wheel
spin.
4-8

L
To turn the system off, press
the
TCS switch located at
the front
of the console.
The light on
the switch will go off, and the traction
control system warning light in
the cluster will come on
and stay on.
If the traction control system is limiting
wheel spin when you press the switch, the light on the switch will
go off and 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 switch again. The light on the switch should come
on,
and the traction control 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.
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.
4- 10

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 tryins 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 is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
If
you have the traction control system, remember: It
helps avoid only the acceleration skid.
4-14

Towing a Trailer
A CAUTION:
F-
If you don’t use the correct equipment and drive
properly, you can lose control when you
pull a
trailer. For example, if the trailer is too heavy, the
brakes may not work well
-- or even at all. You
and your passengers could be seriously injured.
You may also damage your vehicle; the resulting
repairs would not be covered
by your warranty.
Pull a trailer
only if you have followed all the
steps in this section.
Ask your dealer for advice
and information about towing a trailer with
your vehicle.
Your vehicle can tow a trailer if it is equipped with the
proper trailer towing equipment. To identify what the
vehicle trailering capacity
is for your vehicle, you
should read the information in “Weight of the Trailer”
that appears later
in this section. But trailering is
different than just driving your vehicle by itself.
Trailering means changes in handling, durability and
fuel economy. Successful, safe trailering takes correct
equipment, and it has to be used properly.
That’s the reason for
this part. In it are many
time-tested, important trailering tips and
safety rules.
Many
of these are important for your safety and that of
your passengers. So please read this section carefully
before
you pull a trailer.
Load-pulling components such
as the engine,
transmission, rear axle, wheel assemblies
and tires are
forced to work harder against the drag
of the added
weight.
The engine is required to operate at relatively
higher speeds and under greater loads, generating extra
heat. What’s more,
the trailer adds considerably to wind
resistance, increasing the pulling requirements.
4-32 ..