2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA steering

Audio Steering Wheel Controls
If your vehicle has this feature, you can control certain
radio functions using the buttons on your steering
wheel.
QSEEKR:Press the up or the down arrow to seek
to the next or to the previous radio station.
If a cassette tape or compact disc is playing, the player
will advance with the up arrow and reverse with the
down arrow. Holding SEEK for three seconds or more
will activate the PSCAN mode.SEEK TYPE:Press this button to go to a station with
the last selected PTY TYPE and the last selected
PTY will appear on the display, if it is not already
showing. If a station with the selected PTY is not found,
the radio will return to the original station. If both
SEEK by TYPE and TRAF are on, the radio will search
for stations with the selected PTY and traffic
announcements.
PRESET:Press this button to play a station you have
programmed on the radio preset pushbuttons.
MODE:Press this button to choose AM, FM1, FM2, or
XM1, or XM2, (USA only, if equipped). If a cassette
tape or compact disc is playing, it will stop and the radio
will play.
MUTE:Press this button to silence the system. Press it
again to turn on the sound.QVOL (Volume)R:Press the up or the down arrow
to increase or to decrease volume.
3-90

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunken Driving.............................................4-2
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-5
Braking.........................................................4-6
Traction Control System (TCS) (3800 V6
Engine).....................................................4-9
Steering......................................................4-10
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-12
Passing.......................................................4-13
Loss of Control.............................................4-14
Driving at Night............................................4-16
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-17City Driving..................................................4-20
Freeway Driving...........................................4-21
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-22
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-23
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-23
Winter Driving..............................................4-25
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow . . .4-30
Towing..........................................................4-31
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-31
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-31
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-32
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-34
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

{CAUTION:
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
Your re¯exes, perceptions, attentiveness
and judgment can be affected by even a
small amount of alcohol. You can have a
serious Ð or even fatal Ð collision if you drive
after drinking. Please don't drink and drive or
ride with a driver who has been drinking. Ride
home in a cab; or if you're with a group,
designate a driver who will not drink.
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go
where you want it to go. They are the brakes, the
steering and the accelerator. All three systems have to do
their work at the places where the tires meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you're driving on snow or ice, it's
easy to ask more of those control systems than the
tires and road can provide. That means you can lose
control of your vehicle. Also see
Traction Control System
(TCS) (3800 V6 Engine) on page 4-9.
4-5

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
®rmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel a
slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise, but
this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation
that requires hard braking.If you have anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the
same time. However, if you don't have anti-lock,
your ®rst reaction Ð to hit the brake pedal hard and
hold it down Ð may be the wrong thing to do. Your
wheels can stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle can't
respond to your steering. Momentum will carry it in
whatever direction it was headed when the wheels
stopped rolling. That could be off the road, into the
very thing you were trying to avoid, or into traffic.
If you don't have anti-lock, use a ªsqueezeº braking
technique. This will give you maximum braking while
maintaining steering control. You can do this by pushing
on the brake pedal with steadily increasing pressure.
In an emergency, you will probably want to squeeze the
brakes hard without locking the wheels. If you hear or
feel the wheels sliding, ease off the brake pedal.
This will help you retain steering control. If you
dohave
anti-lock, it's different. See ªAnti-Lock Brake Systemº
in this section.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more than
even the very best braking.
4-8

To turn the system on or
off, press the TRAC OFF
button on the left side
of the instrument panel.
When you turn the system off, a chime will sound and
the TRAC OFF warning light will come on and stay on.
If the traction control system is limiting wheel spin
when you press the button to turn the system off, the
warning light will come on and the system will turn
off right away.
You can turn the system back on at any time by
pressing the button again. The TRAC OFF warning light
should go off.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 ªdriver lost controlº 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.
4-10

Suppose you're steering through a sharp curve.
Then you suddenly apply the brakes. Both control
systems Ð steering and braking Ð have to do their
work where the tires meet the road. Unless you
have four-wheel anti-lock brakes, adding the hard
braking can demand too much of those places. You
can lose control.
The same thing can happen if you're steering through
a sharp curve and you suddenly accelerate. Those
two control systems Ð steering and acceleration Ð can
overwhelm those places where the tires meet the
road and make you lose control.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on
the brake or accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way
you want it to go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should
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 approach a
curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed so you can ªdriveº 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.Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and ®nd
a truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls
out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between
parked cars and stops right in front of you. You
can avoid these problems by braking Ð if you can stop
in time. But sometimes you can't; there isn't room.
That's the time for evasive action Ð steering around
the problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes Ð but, unless you
have anti-lock, not enough to lock your wheels.
See
Braking on page 4-6. It is better to remove as much
speed as you can from a possible collision. Then
steer around the problem, to the left or right depending
on the space available.
4-11

An emergency like this requires close attention and a
quick decision. If you are holding the steering wheel at
the recommended 9 and 3 o'clock positions, you
can turn it a full 180 degrees very quickly without
removing either hand. But you have to act fast, steer
quickly, and just as quickly straighten the wheel
once you have avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a good reason to practice defensive driving
at all times and wear safety belts properly.
Off-Road Recovery
You may ®nd that your right wheels have dropped off
the edge of a road onto the shoulder while you're
driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease off the
accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way,
steer so that your vehicle straddles the edge of
the pavement. You can turn the steering wheel up to
one-quarter turn until the right front tire contacts
the pavement edge. Then turn your steering wheel to go
straight down the roadway.
4-12

·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 ¯ashing, 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.
4-14