Page 44 of 447
Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
1 You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt.
In a crash, you wouldn’t have the full width of
the belt to spread impact forces.
If a belt is
twisted, make it straight so it can work
properly, or ask your dealer to fix it.
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Page 257 of 447

Q: Am I likely to stall when going downhill?
A: It’s much more likely to happen going uphill. But if it
happens going downhill, here’s what
to do.
Stop your vehicle by applying the regular brakes.
Apply the parking brake.
Shift to PARK (P) and, while still braking, restart the
Shift back to a low gear, release the parking brake,
If the engine won’t start, get out and get help.
engine.
and
drive straight down.
Driving Across an Incline
Sooner or later, an off-road trail will probably go across
the incline
of a hill. If this happens, you have to
decide whether
to try to drive across the incline. Here
are some things
to consider:
A hill that can be driven straight up or down may be
too steep to drive across. When you go straight up
or down a
hill, the length of the wheel base (the
distance from the front wheels
to the rear wheels)
reduces the likelihood the vehicle will tumble end
over end. But when you drive across an incline,
the much more narrow track width (the distance
between the left and right wheels) may not prevent
the vehicle from tilting and rolling over.
Also,
driving across an incline puts more weight on the
downhill wheels. This could cause a downhill
slide or a rollover.
Surface conditions can be a problem when you
drive across a hill.
Loose gravel, muddy spots,
or even wet grass can cause your tires
to slip
sideways, downhill.
If the vehicle slips sideways,
it can hit something that will trip
it (a rock, a rut, etc.)
and roll over.
Hidden obstacles can make the steepness of the
incline even worse. If you drive across a rock
with the uphill wheels, or
if the downhill wheels
drop into a rut or depression, your vehicle can tilt
even more.
For reasons like these, you need to decide carefully
whether to try to drive across an incline. Just because
the trail goes across the incline doesn’t mean you
have to drive it. The last vehicle to try it might have
rolled over.
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Page 348 of 447

Mixing tires could cause you to iose 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. If your vehicle has
17 inch road
tires (those originally installed
on your vehicle)
it is all right to drive with the 16 inch spare tire
that came with your vehicle. When new, your
vehicle included a spare tire and wheel
assembly with the same overall diameter as
your vehicle’s road tires and wheels. Because
this spare tire was developed for use on your
vehicle,
it will not affect vehicle handling or
cause damage to 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
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grades can be found where applicable on the
tire sidewall between tread shoulder and maximum
section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
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.
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Page 350 of 447

Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance
The wheels on your vehicle were aligned and balanced
carefully at the factory
to give you the longest tire life
and best overall performance.
Scheduled wheel alignment and wheel balancing are
not needed. However,
if you notice unusual tire wear or
your vehicle pulling one way or the other, the alignment
may need
to be reset. If you notice your vehicle
vibrating when driving on a smooth road, your wheels
may need
to be rebalanced.
Wheel Replacement
Replace any wheel that is bent, cracked, or badly rusted
or corroded.
If wheel nuts keep coming loose, the
wheel, wheel bolts and wheel nuts should be replaced.
If the wheel leaks air, replace it (except some
aluminum wheels, which can sometimes be repaired).
See your dealer
if any of these conditions exist.
Your dealer will know the kind of wheel you need.
Each new wheel should have the same load-carrying
capacity, diameter, width, offset and be mounted
the same way as the one it replaces.
If you need to replace any of your wheels, wheel bolts
or wheel nuts, replace them only with new
GM
original equipment parts. This way, you will be sure to
have the right wheel, wheel bolts and wheel nuts
for your vehicle. Using the wrong replacement wheels, wheel
bolts or wheel nuts on your vehicle can be
dangerous. It could affect the braking and handling
of your vehicle, make your tires lose
air and make you lose control. You could have
a collision in which you or others could be
injured. Always use the correct wheel, wheel
bolts and wheel nuts for replacement.
Notice: The wrong wheel can also cause problems
with bearing life, brake cooling, speedometer or
odometer calibration, headlamp aim, bumper height,
vehicle ground clearance and
tire clearance to the
body and chassis.
See
Changing a Flat Tire on page 5-63 for more
information.
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