2005 CHEVROLET SILVERADO Owners Manual

{CAUTION:
Coasting downhill in NEUTRAL (N) or with the
ignition off is dangerous. Your brakes will have
to do all the work of slowing down. They could
get so hot that they would not work well.
You would then have poor braking or even
none going down a hill. You could crash.
Always have your engine running and your
vehicle in gear when you go downhill.
Know how to go uphill. You may want to shift down
to a lower gear. The lower gears help cool your
engine and transmission, and you can climb the
hill better.
Stay in your own lane when driving on two-lane
roads in hills or mountains. Do not swing wide
or cut across the center of the road. Drive at speeds
that let you stay in your own lane.
As you go over the top of a hill, be alert. There
could be something in your lane, like a stalled car or
an accident.
You may see highway signs on mountains that
warn of special problems. Examples are long
grades, passing or no-passing zones, a falling rocks
area, or winding roads. Be alert to these and take
appropriate action.
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Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your vehicle in good shape for winter.
You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
your vehicle.
Also seeTires on page 5-73.Include an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a
supply of windshield washer uid, a rag, some winter
outer clothing, a small shovel, a ashlight, a red
cloth, and reective warning triangles. And, if you will be
driving under severe conditions, include a small bag
of sand, a piece of old carpet, or a couple of burlap bags
to help provide traction. Be sure you properly secure
these items in your vehicle.
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 will have a lot less traction, or grip, and will need to
be very careful.
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What is 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 is about
freezing, 32°F (0°C), 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 the traction assist system (TAS), it will
improve your ability to accelerate when driving on a
slippery road. But you can turn the TAS off if you ever
need to. You should turn the TAS off if your vehicle ever
gets stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow. SeeIf Your
Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on
page 4-48. Even though your vehicle has TAS, you will
want to slow down and adjust your driving to the
road conditions. Under certain conditions, you may want
to turn the TAS off, such as when driving through
deep snow and loose gravel, to help maintain vehicle
motion at lower speeds. SeeTraction Assist System
(TAS) on page 4-8.
If you do not have TAS, accelerate gently. Try not to
break the fragile traction. If you accelerate too fast,
the drive wheels will spin and polish the surface under
the tires even more.
Your anti-lock brake system (ABS) improves your
vehicle’s stability when you make a hard stop on a
slippery road.
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Even though you have ABS, you will want to begin
stopping sooner than you would on dry pavement.
SeeAnti-Lock Brake System (ABS) on page 4-7.
Allow greater following distance on any
slippery road.
Watch for slippery spots. The road might be ne
until you hit a spot that is covered with ice.
On an otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear
in shaded areas where the sun cannot reach,
such as 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 are actually on the ice, and
avoid sudden steering maneuvers.
If You Are 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. Here are
some things to do to summon help and keep yourself
and your passengers safe:
Turn on your hazard ashers.
Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert police that
you have been stopped by the snow.
Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket around you.
If you do not have blankets or extra clothing, make
body insulators from newspapers, burlap bags,
rags, oor mats — anything you can wrap around
yourself or tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
You can run the engine to keep warm, but be careful.
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{CAUTION:
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your
vehicle. This can cause deadly CO (carbon
monoxide) gas to get inside. CO could
overcome you and kill you. You cannot see it
or smell it, so you might not know it is in your
vehicle. Clear away snow from around the
base of your vehicle, especially any that is
blocking your exhaust pipe. And check around
again from time to time to be sure snow does
not collect there.
Open a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle that is away from the wind. This will
help keep CO out.Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a little
faster than just idle. That is, push the accelerator
slightly. This uses less fuel for the heat that you get and
it keeps the battery charged. You will need a
well-charged battery to restart the vehicle, and possibly
for signaling later on with your headlamps. Let the
heater run for a while.
Then, shut the engine off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine
again and repeat this only when you feel really
uncomfortable from the cold. But do it as little as
possible. Preserve the fuel as long as you can. To help
keep warm, you can get out of the vehicle and do
some fairly vigorous exercises every half hour or so until
help comes.
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If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand,
Mud, Ice or Snow
In order to free your vehicle when it is stuck, you will
need to spin the wheels, but you do not want to
spin your wheels too fast. The method known as rocking
can help you get out when you are stuck, but you
must use caution.
{CAUTION:
If you let your tires spin at high speed, they can
explode, and you or others could be injured.
And, the transmission or other parts of the
vehicle can overheat. That could cause an
engine compartment re or other damage.
When you are stuck, spin the wheels as little as
possible. Do not spin the wheels above 35 mph
(55 km/h) as shown on the speedometer.
Notice:Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of
your vehicle as well as the tires. If you spin the
wheels too fast while shifting your transmission back
and forth, you can destroy your transmission.
For more information about using tire chains on your
vehicle, seeTire Chains on page 5-89.
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear the area around your front wheels. If you have a
four-wheel-drive vehicle, shift into 4HI. If your vehicle
has the traction assist system, you should turn it off by
pressing the TAS on/off button. Then shift back and
forth between REVERSE (R) and a forward gear,
or with a manual transmission, between FIRST (1) or
SECOND (2) and REVERSE (R), spinning the wheels as
little as possible. Release the accelerator pedal while
you shift, and press lightly on the accelerator pedal
when the transmission is in gear. By slowly spinning
your wheels in the forward and reverse directions,
you will cause a rocking motion that may free your
vehicle. If that does not get you out after a few tries,
you may need to be towed out. If your vehicle is not an
SS model, you can use your recovery hooks if your
vehicle has them. If you do need to be towed out,
seeTowing Your Vehicle on page 4-63.
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Recovery Hooks (Except SS Model)
Notice:SS Models have recovery hooks that are
concealed by the front bumper trim covering. Use of
the recovery hooks could cause damage to your
vehicle. If you have the SS Model, do not use the
recovery hooks.
Your vehicle may be equipped with recovery hooks. The
hooks are provided at the front of your vehicle. You may
need to use them if you are stuck off-road and need to be
pulled to some place where you can continue driving.{CAUTION:
These hooks, when used, are under a lot of
force. Always pull the vehicle straight out.
Never pull on the hooks at a sideways angle.
The hooks could break off and you or others
could be injured from the chain or cable
snapping back.
Notice:Never use recovery hooks to tow the
vehicle. Your vehicle could be damaged and it
would not be covered by warranty.
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Loading Your Vehicle
It is very important to know how much weight your
vehicle can carry. This weight is called the vehicle
capacity weight and includes the weight of all occupants,
cargo and all nonfactory-installed options. Two labels
on your vehicle show how much weight it was designed
to carry, the Tire and Loading Information label and
the Certication/Tire label.
{CAUTION:
Do not load your vehicle any heavier than the
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), or either
the maximum front or rear Gross Axle Weight
Rating (GAWR). If you do, parts on your
vehicle can break, and it can change the way
your vehicle handles. These could cause you
to lose control and crash. Also, overloading
can shorten the life of your vehicle.
Tire and Loading Information Label
A vehicle specic Tire and Loading Information label is
attached to the center pillar (B-pillar). With the driver’s
door open, you will nd the label attached below
the door lock post (striker). The tire and loading
information label shows the number of occupant seating
positions (A), and the maximum vehicle capacity
weight (B) in kilograms and pounds.Label Example
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