2003 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX wheel

The Enhanced Traction System operates in all transaxle
shift lever positions. But the system can upshift the
transaxle only as high as the shift lever position you’ve
chosen,
so you should use the lower gears only
when necessary. See Automatic Transaxle Operation
on page
2-24.
TRAC
OFF
This TRAC OFF
warning light will come
on to let you know
if
there’s a problem.
See Enhanced Traction System Warning Light on
page
3-30. When this warning light is on, the system will
not limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery road
conditions, you should always leave the Enhanced
Traction System on. But you can turn the system
off if
you ever need to. You should turn the system off if your
vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud or snow and
rocking the vehicle is required. See “Rocking Your
Vehicle To Get It Out” under If
You Are Stuck: In Sand,
Mud, Ice or Snow on page 4-32.
To turn the system on or
off, press the TCS button
on the far right end of
the Driver Information
Center (DIG) or the
trip computer
(if equipped).
When you turn the system
off, the Enhanced Traction
System warning light will come on and stay on.
If the Enhanced Traction 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 Enhanced Traction
System warning light should go
off.
4-1 2

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.
Variable Effort Steering
If your vehicle has this steering system, the system
provides less steering effort for parking and when driving
at speeds below
20 mph (32 km/h). Steering effort will
increase at higher speeds for improved road feel.
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 braking
- 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
- steering and acceleration - can
overwhelm those places where the tires meet the
road and make you lose control. See Traction Control
System (TCS) on page
4- 10 or Enhanced Traction
System (ETS)
on page 4- I 1.
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.
4-1 3

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 “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.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and find
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
- if you can stop in time. But
sometimes you can’t; there isn’t room. That’s the time
for evasive action
- steering around the problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes.
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. 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.
4-1 4

Off-Road Recovery
You may find 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.
Passing
The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a
two-lane highway waits for just the right moment,
accelerates, moves around the vehicle ahead, then
goes back into the right lane again.
A simple maneuver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on a two-lane
highway
is a potentially dangerous move, since the
passing vehicle occupies the same lane as oncoming
traffic for several seconds.
A miscalculation, an error in
judgment, or a brief surrender to frustration or anger
can suddenly put the passing driver face to face with the
worst of all traffic accidents
- the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:
“Drive ahead.’’ Look down the road, to the sides
and to crossroads for situations that might affect
your passing patterns. If you have any doubt
whatsoever about making a successful pass,
wait for a better time.
Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings and
lines.
If you can see a sign up ahead that might
indicate a turn or an intersection, delay your pass.
A broken center line usually indicates it’s all
right to pass (providing the road ahead is clear).
Never cross a solid line on your side of the lane or
a double solid line, even
if the road seems empty
of approaching traffic.
4-1 5

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 do not have the Enhanced Traction System or the
Traction Control System, or
if the 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.
If you have the anti-lock braking system, remember:
It helps avoid only the braking skid.
If you do not have
anti-lock, then in a braking skid (where the wheels
are no longer rolling), release enough pressure on the
brakes to get the wheels rolling again. This restores
steering control. Push the brake pedal down steadily
when you have to stop suddenly. As long as the wheels
are rolling, you will have steering control.
4-1 7

Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as “highway hypnosis”?
Or is it just plain falling asleep at the wheel? Call it
highway hypnosis: lack of awareness; or whatever.
There is something about an easy stretch of road with
the same scenery, along with the hum
of the tires on the
road, the drone of the engine, and the rush of the
wind against the vehicle that can make you sleepy.
Don’t let it happen to you! If
it does, your vehicle can
leave the road in
less than a second, and you could
crash and be injured.
What can you do about highway hypnosis? First,
be aware that it can happen.
Then here are some tips:
0 Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a
comfortably cool interior.
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and
to the sides. Check your rearview mirrors and your
instruments frequently.
If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest,
service or parking area and take a nap, get some
exercise, or both. For safety, treat drowsiness
on the highway as an emergency.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is different from
driving in flat or rolling terrain.
4-25

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.
I I
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 or enhanced traction, 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 (TCS) on page
4- 10.
If you don’t have a traction control or enhanced traction
system, accelerate gently. Try not to break the gentle
traction. If you accelerate too fast, the drive wheels will
spin and polish the surface under the tires even more.
Unless you have the anti-lock braking system, you’ll
want to brake very gently, too.
(If you do have
anti-lock, see Braking on
page 4-6. This system
improves your vehicle’s stability when you make a hard
stop on a slippery road.) Whether you have the
anti-lock braking system or not, you’ll want to begin
stopping sooner than you would on dry pavement.
4-28

Without anti-lock brakes, if you feel your vehicle
begin to slide, let up on the brakes a little. Push the
brake pedal down steadily to get the most
traction you can.
Remember, unless you have anti-lock,
if you brake so
hard that your wheels stop rolling, you’ll just slide. Brake
so your wheels always keep rolling and you can still steer.
Whatever your braking system, allow greater
following distance on any slippery road.
0 Watch for slippery spots. The road might be fine until
you hit a spot that’s covered with ice. On an
otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear in
shaded areas where the sun can’t reach: around
clumps
of trees, behind buildings or under bridges.
Sometimes the surface of a curve or an overpass
may remain icy when the surrounding roads are
clear. If you see a patch of ice ahead of you, brake
before you are on
it. Try not to brake while you’re
actually on the ice, and avoid sudden steering
maneuvers.
If You’re Caught in a Blizzard
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you could be in a
serious situation. You should probably stay with
your vehicle unless you know for sure that you are
near help and you can hike through the snow.
4-29