2005 CHEVROLET CORVETTE light

Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts — heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking — rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you are driving, brake
normally but do not pump your brakes. If you do,
the pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist.
But you will use it when you brake. Once the power
assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes. ABS is an advanced
electronic braking system that will help prevent a
braking skid.
When you start your engine and begin to drive away,
your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You
may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and you may even notice that your
brake pedal moves a little. This is normal.
If there is a problem with
the anti-lock brake system,
this warning light will
stay on. SeeAnti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light on page 3-39.
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The SERVICE TRACTION
SYSTEM message and
the TCS warning light will
come on to let you
know if there is a problem
with your TCS system.
SeeDIC Warnings
and Messages on
page 3-54.
When this light and the SERVICE TRACTION SYSTEM
message are on, the system will not limit wheel spin.
Adjust your driving accordingly.The TCS system automatically comes on whenever you
start your vehicle. To limit wheel spin, especially in
slippery road conditions, you should always leave the
system on. But you can turn the TCS system off if
you ever need to.
To turn the system off,
press the button located
on the console. You
can turn the system on or
off at any time by
pressing the ACTIVE
HANDLING button. The
DIC will display the
appropriate message when
you push the button.
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Active Handling System
The Active Handling System is a computer controlled
system that helps the driver maintain directional control
of the vehicle in difficult driving conditions. This is
accomplished by selectively applying any one of the
vehicle’s brakes.
When you rst start your vehicle during cold winter
weather and begin to drive away, the message ACTIVE
HANDLING WARMING UP may be displayed in the
DIC. This is normal. You can acknowledge this message
by pressing the RESET button. The Active Handling
System performance is affected until the message,
ACTIVE HANDLING READY, is displayed in the DIC.
The ACTIVE HANDLING CALIBRATING message may
be displayed in the DIC and the instrument panel
cluster light will be on after exceeding 18 mph (30 km/h)
for 10 seconds. The Active Handling System is off
until the ACTIVE HANDLING READY message
is displayed. This could take up to 15 minutes.
The ACTIVE HANDLING message will come on when
the system is operating. SeeDIC Warnings and
Messages on page 3-54for more information. You may
also feel or hear the system working. This is normal.The SERVICE ACTIVE
HANDLING message will
be displayed, the
instrument cluster light will
come on, and a chime
will sound to let you know
if there is a problem
with the system. SeeDIC
Warnings and Messages
on page 3-54for more
information.
When this light and the SERVICE ACTIVE HANDLING
message are on, the system is not operational.
Adjust your driving accordingly.
The Active Handling System comes on automatically
whenever you start your vehicle. To help maintain
directional control of the vehicle, you should always
leave the system on. You can turn the system off if you
ever need to. If you turn the Active Handling System
off, the Traction Control System will also be turned off.
Adjust your driving accordingly.
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To turn the system off,
press the ACTIVE
HANDLING button on the
console for ve seconds.
You can turn the
system on and off at any
time by pressing the
button. The DIC will display
the appropriate message
when you push the button.
If the Tire Pressure Monitor (TPM) system detects a at
tire and the Driver Information Center (DIC) displays
TIRE FLAT, or if the TPM system is malfunctioning and
the DIC displays SERVICE TIRE MONITOR, the
Active Handling System will be affected as follows:
The Active Handling System cannot be turned off by
the driver.
If the Active Handling System is off, it will be turned
on automatically.
Competitive Driving Mode is unavailable.
The Active Handling System will feel different in
aiding and maintaining directional control.
Competitive Driving Mode
The driver can select this optional handling mode by
pressing the ACTIVE HANDLING button on the console
two times within a ve second time period. A chime
will sound and COMPETITIVE DRIVING MODE will be
displayed in the DIC. Competitive Driving Mode
allows the driver to have full control of the rear wheels
while the Active Handling System helps steer the
vehicle by selective brake application. The instrument
cluster light will not be on. The Traction Control System
will not be operating. Adjust your driving accordingly.
When you press the ACTIVE HANDLING button again,
or turn the ignition to ACC, the Active Handling and
Traction Control Systems will be on. The TRACTION
SYSTEM AND ACTIVE HANDLING-ON message will be
displayed temporarily in the DIC and a chime will be
heard.
Limited-Slip Rear Axle
Your limited-slip rear axle can give you additional
traction on snow, mud, ice, sand or gravel. It works like
a standard axle most of the time, but when one of
the rear wheels has no traction and the other does, this
feature will allow the wheel with traction to move the
vehicle.
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SeeBraking on page 4-5. 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.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.
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Here are some tips on night driving.
Drive defensively.
Do not drink and drive.
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the
glare from headlamps behind you.
Since you cannot see as well, you may need to
slow down and keep more space between you
and other vehicles.
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlamps can light up only so much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you are tired, pull off the road in a safe place
and rest.
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime.
But as we get older these differences increase.
A 50-year-old driver may require at least twice as much
light to see the same thing at night as a 20-year-old.
What you do in the daytime can also affect your
night vision. For example, if you spend the day in bright
sunshine you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your
eyes will have less trouble adjusting to night. But if you
are driving, do not wear sunglasses at night. They
may cut down on glare from headlamps, but they also
make a lot of things invisible.You can be temporarily blinded by approaching
headlamps. It can take a second or two, or even several
seconds, for your eyes to re-adjust to the dark. When
you are faced with severe glare, as from a driver
who does not lower the high beams, or a vehicle with
misaimed headlamps, slow down a little. Avoid
staring directly into the approaching headlamps.
Keep your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle
clean — inside and out. Glare at night is made much
worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside of the glass
can build up a lm caused by dust. Dirty glass makes
lights dazzle and ash more than clean glass would,
making the pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that your headlamps light up far less of a
roadway when you are in a turn or curve. Keep
your eyes moving; that way, it is easier to pick out dimly
lighted objects. Just as your headlamps should be
checked regularly for proper aim, so should your eyes
be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from
night blindness — the inability to see in dim light — and
are not even aware of it.
4-18

Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads
Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet
road, you cannot stop, accelerate, or turn as well
because your tire-to-road traction is not as good as on
dry roads. And, if your tires do not have much tread
left, you will get even less traction. It is always wise to
go slower and be cautious if rain starts to fall while
you are driving. The surface may get wet suddenly when
your reexes are tuned for driving on dry pavement.
The heavier the rain, the harder it is to see.Even if your windshield wiper blades are in good shape,
a heavy rain can make it harder to see road signs
and traffic signals, pavement markings, the edge of the
road, and even people walking.
It is wise to keep your windshield wiping equipment in
good shape and keep your windshield washer tank lled
with washer uid. Replace your windshield wiper
inserts when they show signs of streaking or missing
areas on the windshield, or when strips of rubber start to
separate from the inserts.
Driving too fast through large water puddles or even
going through some car washes can cause problems,
too. The water may affect your brakes. Try to avoid
puddles. But if you cannot, try to slow down before you
hit them.
{CAUTION:
Wet brakes can cause accidents. They will not
work as well in a quick stop and may cause
pulling to one side. You could lose control of
the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle of water
or a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly
until your brakes work normally.
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Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the
water. This can happen if the road is wet enough and
you are going fast enough. When your vehicle is
hydroplaning, it has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning does not happen often. But it can if your
tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in
one or more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is
standing on the road. If you can see reections
from trees, telephone poles, or other vehicles, and
raindrops dimple the water’s surface, there could be
hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There
just is not a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning.
The best advice is to slow down when it is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
Notice:If you drive too quickly through deep
puddles or standing water, water can come in
through your engine’s air intake and badly damage
your engine. Never drive through water that is
slightly lower than the underbody of your vehicle. If
you cannot avoid deep puddles or standing water,
drive through them very slowly.
Driving Through Flowing Water
{CAUTION:
Flowing or rushing water creates strong forces.
If you try to drive through owing water, as you
might at a low water crossing, your vehicle can
be carried away. As little as six inches of
owing water can carry away a smaller vehicle.
If this happens, you and other vehicle
occupants could drown. Do not ignore police
warning signs, and otherwise be very cautious
about trying to drive through owing water.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when you
pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear
room ahead, and be prepared to have your
view restricted by road spray.
Have good tires with proper tread depth. SeeTires
on page 5-51.
4-20