2007 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX steering

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle.... 288
Defensive Driving...................................... 288
Drunken Driving........................................ 289
Control of a Vehicle.................................. 292
Braking...................................................... 292
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS).................. 293
Braking in Emergencies............................. 295
Traction Control System (TCS).................. 295
Enhanced Traction System (ETS).............. 297
Steering.................................................... 299
Off-Road Recovery.................................... 302
Passing..................................................... 302
Loss of Control.......................................... 304
Competitive Driving................................... 305
Driving at Night......................................... 306
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads............ 307City Driving............................................... 311
Freeway Driving........................................ 312
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.................. 313
Highway Hypnosis..................................... 314
Hill and Mountain Roads........................... 315
Winter Driving........................................... 317
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand,
Mud, Ice, or Snow................................. 322
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out........... 323
Loading Your Vehicle................................ 324
Towing........................................................ 330
Towing Your Vehicle................................. 330
Recreational Vehicle Towing...................... 330
Towing a Trailer........................................ 333
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
287

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
Modications on page 344.
Braking
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 206.
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.
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. The brakes may not have time to
cool between hard stops. The 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.
292

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 rst 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 293.
In many emergencies, steering can help you
more than even the very best braking.
Traction Control System (TCS)
Your vehicle may have a Traction Control System
(TCS) that limits wheel spin. This is especially
useful in slippery road conditions. The system
operates only if it senses that one or both of
the front wheels are spinning or beginning to
lose traction. When this happens, the system
reduces engine power and may also upshift
the transmission to limit wheel spin. Also, the
traction control system activates the appropriate
corner brakes to gain even quicker control to
limit wheel spin.
295

Steering
Electric Power Steering
If your vehicle has the electric power steering
system and the engine stalls while you are driving,
the power steering assist system will continue to
operate until you are able to stop your vehicle. If
you lose power steering assist because the electric
power steering system is not functioning, you can
steer, but it will take more effort.
If you turn the steering wheel in either direction
several times until it stops, or hold the steering
wheel in the stopped position for an extended
amount of time, you may notice a reduced amount
of power steering assist. The normal amount of
power steering assist should return shortly after
a few normal steering movements.
The electric power steering system does not
require regular maintenance. If you suspect
steering system problems, contact your
dealer/retailer for service repairs. SeeDIC
Warnings and Messages on page 222.
Hydraulic Power Steering
If your vehicle has the hydraulic power steering
system and you lose power steering assist
because the engine stops or the power steering
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.
299

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. SeeTraction Control System (TCS) on
page 295orEnhanced Traction System (ETS)
on page 297.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.
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 Modications on page 344.
300

Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more
effective than braking. For example, you come
over a hill and nd 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 292. 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.
301

Off-Road Recovery
You may nd 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.
302

Check your vehicle’s mirrors, glance over your
shoulder, and start your left lane change signal
before moving out of the right lane to pass.
When you are far enough ahead of the passed
vehicle to see its front in your vehicle’s inside
mirror, activate the right lane change signal and
move back into the right lane. Remember that
your vehicle’s passenger side outside mirror is
convex. The vehicle you just passed may seem
to be farther away from you than it really is.
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time
on two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing
the next vehicle.
Do not overtake a slowly moving vehicle
too rapidly. Even though the brake lamps are
not ashing, it may be slowing down or starting
to turn.
If you are being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps
you can ease a little to the right.
Loss of Control
Let us review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems — brakes,
steering, and acceleration — do not have enough
friction where the tires meet the road to do what the
driver has asked.
In any emergency, do not give up. Keep trying to
steer and constantly seek an escape route or
area of less danger.
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,
the wheels are not 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.
304