2007 CHEVROLET AVEO steering

While your vehicle is parked:
•Familiarize yourself with all of its controls.
•Familiarize yourself with its operation.
•Set up your audio system by presetting your
favorite radio stations, setting the tone, and
adjusting the speakers. Then, when driving
conditions permit, you can tune to your favorite
radio stations using the presets and steering
wheel controls if the vehicle has them.
Notice:Before adding any sound equipment
to your vehicle, such as an audio system,
CD player, CB radio, mobile telephone,
or two-way radio, make sure that it can be
added by checking with your dealer/retailer.
Also, check federal rules covering mobile radio
and telephone units. If sound equipment can
be added, it is very important to do it properly.
Added sound equipment can interfere with
the operation of your vehicle’s engine, radio,
or other systems, and even damage them. Your
vehicle’s systems can interfere with the
operation of sound equipment that has
been added.
AM-FM Radio (Single Display,
Base Level)
Playing the Radio
O
(Power):Press this knob to turn the system
on or off.
u(Volume):Turn this knob to increase or to
decrease the volume. VOL will appear on the
display.
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Audio Steering Wheel Controls
If your vehicle has this feature, some audio
controls can be adjusted at the steering wheel.
They include the following:
PWR (Power):Press and release this button to
turn the audio system on. Press and hold this
button for more than two seconds to turn the
system off.
When the system is on, press and release this
button to mute the system. Press and release
this button again to turn the sound back on.SEEK:Press and release this button within
0.5 seconds to go to the next preset station.
Press and hold this button for longer than
0.5 seconds to go to the next radio station.
The radio seeks stations only with a strong signal
that are in the selected band.
When playing a CD, press and release this button
within 0.5 seconds to go to the next track. Press
and hold this button for longer than 0.5 seconds to
fast forward through the tracks.
MODE:Press and release this button to select
FM1, FM2, FM-A, AM1, AM2, AM-A, or CD (MP3).
Press and release this button multiple times to
cycle through the audio playback options that are
available on your vehicle.
+ VOLUME−:Press the toggle bar located
below the + VOLUME−to adjust the volume.
Press the left side of the toggle bar, below the
+ (plus) sign to increase the volume. Press the
right side of the toggle bar, below the−(minus)
sign to decrease the volume.
Front View of the
Steering Wheel ControlsSide View of the Volume
Control
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Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle.... 220
Defensive Driving...................................... 220
Drunken Driving........................................ 221
Control of a Vehicle.................................. 224
Braking...................................................... 224
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS).................. 225
Braking in Emergencies............................. 227
Steering.................................................... 228
Off-Road Recovery.................................... 230
Passing..................................................... 230
Loss of Control.......................................... 232
Driving at Night......................................... 234
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads............ 235
City Driving............................................... 238Freeway Driving........................................ 239
Before Leaving on a
Long Trip............................................... 240
Highway Hypnosis..................................... 241
Hill and Mountain Roads........................... 241
Winter Driving........................................... 243
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud,
Ice, or Snow.......................................... 248
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out........... 249
Loading Your Vehicle................................ 249
Towing........................................................ 258
Towing Your Vehicle................................. 258
Recreational Vehicle Towing...................... 258
Towing a Trailer........................................ 260
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
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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 are driving on snow or
ice, it is easy to ask more of those control systems
than the tires and road can provide. That means
you can lose control of your vehicle.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your
vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modifications on page 264.
Braking
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 163.
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake
pedal. That is perception time. Then you have to
bring up your foot and do it. That is reaction time.Average reaction time is about three-fourths of a
second. But that is only an average. It might be less
with one driver and as long as two or three seconds
or more with another. Age, physical condition,
alertness, coordination, and eyesight all play a part.
So do alcohol, drugs, and frustration. But even in
three-fourths of a second, a vehicle moving at
60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That
could be a lot of distance in an emergency, so
keeping enough space between your vehicle and
others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary
greatly with the surface of the road, whether it is
pavement or gravel; the condition of the road,
whether it is wet, dry, or icy; tire tread; the condition
of the brakes; the weight of the vehicle; and the
amount of brake force applied.
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Remember: ABS does not 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 will not have
time to apply the brakes if that vehicle suddenly
slows or stops. Always leave enough room up
ahead to stop, even though you have ABS.
Using ABS
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold the brake
pedal down firmly and let anti-lock work for you.
You might 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 ABS, you can steer and brake at the
same time. However, if you do not have ABS, your
first reaction — to hit the brake pedal hard and
hold it down — might be the wrong thing to
do. Your wheels can stop rolling. Once they do,
the vehicle cannot 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 do not have ABS, use a “squeeze” 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 do have ABS, it is different. SeeAnti-Lock
Brake System (ABS) on page 225.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
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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
It is important to take curves at a reasonable
speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents
mentioned on the news happen on curves.
Here is 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 is
no traction, inertia will keep the vehicle going in the
same direction. If you have ever tried to steer a
vehicle on wet ice, you will understand this.
The traction you can get in a curve depends on
the condition of the tires and the road surface, the
angle at which the curve is banked, and your
speed. While you are in a curve, speed is the one
factor you can control.Suppose you are steering through a sharp curve.
Then you suddenly apply the brakes. 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 are 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.
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 will
want to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach
a curve, do it before you enter the curve, while
the front wheels are straight ahead.
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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.
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer accessories can
affect your vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories
and Modifications on page 264.
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 cannot; there is not room. That is the time for
evasive action — steering around the problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies
like these. First apply the brakes — but, unless you
have anti-lock brakes, not enough to lock the
wheels. SeeBraking on page 224. 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.
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Off-Road Recovery
You may find that your vehicle’s right wheels have
dropped off the edge of a road onto the shoulder
while you are 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 the 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.
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