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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 448.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 a couple of re ective
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.
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Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where the tires
meet the road probably have good traction.
However, if there is snow or ice between the 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.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.
The Traction Control System (TCS) improves your
ability to accelerate when driving on a slippery
road. If you are driving in deep snow, turn
your TCS to the TC2 mode. It will improve your
ability to accelerate. SeeIf Your Vehicle is
Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow on page 357.
Even though your vehicle has TCS, you will
want to slow down and adjust your driving to the
road conditions. Under certain conditions, you may
want to turn the TCS off, such as when driving
through deep snow and loose gravel, to help
maintain vehicle motion at lower speeds. See
Traction Control System (TCS) on page 309.
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The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) improve your
vehicle’s stability when you make a hard stop
on a slippery road. 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 307.
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.
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You can run the engine to keep warm, but be
careful.
{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.
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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.
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 vehicle’s 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 the wheels can destroy parts
of your vehicle as well as the tires. If you
spin the wheels too fast while shifting
the transmission back and forth, you can
destroy the transmission.
For information about using tire chains on your
vehicle, seeTire Chains on page 465.
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Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out
First, turn the steering wheel left and right.
That will clear the area around the front wheels.
Your vehicle has a traction control system that
will activate when the system senses that
the wheels are spinning. SeeTraction Control
System (TCS) on page 309for more information.
Then, with the wheels straight ahead, shift
back and forth between REVERSE (R) and a
forward gear, 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 the wheels in the forward and reverse
directions, you will cause a rocking motion
that may free your vehicle. If that does not get
your vehicle out after a few tries, it may need to
be towed out. Or, you can use the recovery loops.
If your vehicle does need to be towed out, see
Towing Your Vehicle on page 369.
Recovery Loops
{CAUTION:
These loops, when used, are under a lot
of force. Keep people away from the
vicinity of the loops and any chains or
cables during use. Always pull the vehicle
straight out. Never pull on the loops at a
sideways angle. The loops could break off
and you or others could be injured from
the chain or cable snapping back.
Notice:Never use the recovery loops to tow
the vehicle. Your vehicle could be damaged
and it would not be covered by warranty.
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Your vehicle may have
recovery loops at the
front and rear of the
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.
Front of Vehicle
Rear of Vehicle
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