2007 HUMMER H3 traction control

{CAUTION:
When you are driving off-road, bouncing
and quick changes in direction can easily
throw you out of position. This could cause
you to lose control and crash. So, whether
you are driving on or off the road, you and
your passengers should wear safety belts.
Scanning the Terrain
Off-road driving can take you over many different
kinds of terrain. You need to be familiar with
the terrain and its many different features.
Here are some things to consider.
Surface Conditions:Off-roading can take you
over hard-packed dirt, gravel, rocks, grass, sand,
mud, snow, or ice. Each of these surfaces affects
the steering, acceleration, and braking of your
vehicle in different ways. Depending upon the kind
of surface you are on, you may experience slipping,
sliding, wheel spinning, delayed acceleration,
poor traction, and longer braking distances.Surface Obstacles:Unseen or hidden obstacles
can be hazardous. A rock, log, hole, rut, or bump
can startle you if you are not prepared for them.
Often these obstacles are hidden by grass, bushes,
snow, or even the rise and fall of the terrain itself.
Here are some things to consider:
Is the path ahead clear?
Will the surface texture change abruptly
up ahead?
Does the travel take you uphill or downhill?
There is more discussion of these subjects
later.
Will you have to stop suddenly or change
direction quickly?
When you drive over obstacles or rough terrain,
keep a rm grip on the steering wheel. Ruts,
troughs, or other surface features can jerk
the wheel out of your hands if you are not
prepared.
When possible, it is a good practice to survey
the landscape ahead on foot prior to driving
to observe hidden obstacles.
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Driving on Off-Road Hills
Off-road driving often takes you up, down, or
across a hill. Driving safely on hills requires good
judgment and an understanding of what your
vehicle can and cannot do. There are some hills
that simply cannot be driven, no matter how
well built the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
Many hills are simply too steep for any
vehicle. If you drive up them, you will
stall. If you drive down them, you cannot
control your speed. If you drive across
them, you will roll over. You could be
seriously injured or killed. If you have
any doubt about the steepness, do not
drive the hill.
Approaching a Hill
When you approach a hill, you need to decide if it
is one of those hills that is just too steep to climb,
descend, or cross. Steepness can be hard to judge.
On a very small hill, for example, there may be a
smooth, constant incline with only a small change in
elevation where you can easily see all the way to
the top. On a large hill, the incline may get steeper
as you near the top, but you may not see this
because the crest of the hill is hidden by bushes,
grass, or shrubs.
Here are some other things to consider as you
approach a hill:
Is there a constant incline, or does the hill get
sharply steeper in places?
Is there good traction on the hillside, or will
the surface cause tire slipping?
Is there a straight path up or down the hill so
you will not have to make turning maneuvers?
Are there obstructions on the hill that can
block your path, such as boulders, trees, logs,
or ruts?
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What is beyond the hill? Is there a cliff, an
embankment, a drop-off, a fence? Get out and
walk the hill if you do not know. It is the smart
way to nd out.
Is the hill simply too rough? Steep hills often
have ruts, gullies, troughs, and exposed rocks
because they are more susceptible to the
effects of erosion.
Driving Uphill
Once you decide you can safely drive up the hill,
you need to take some special steps:
Use transmission and transfer case low gear
and get a rm grip on the steering wheel.
Get a smooth start up the hill and try to
maintain your speed. Do not use more power
than you need, because you do not want
your wheels to start spinning or sliding.
Let the traction system work to control any
wheel slippage. The traction control system
allows for moderate wheel spin with some
capability to dig in and power up the hill.
Do not continue if the vehicle shudders or
exhibits suspension hopping. This can
cause damage to the driveline or suspension
components. Improper driving technique is
not covered by your vehicle warranty.
Try to drive straight up the hill if at all possible.
If the path twists and turns, you might want
to nd another route.
{CAUTION:
Turning or driving across steep hills can
be dangerous. You could lose traction,
slide sideways, and possibly roll over.
You could be seriously injured or killed.
When driving up hills, always try to go
straight up.
Ease up on your speed as you approach the
top of the hill.
Attach a ag to the vehicle to make you more
visible to approaching traffic on trails or hills.
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Driving in Mud, Sand, Snow, or Ice
When you drive in mud, snow, or sand, your wheels
will not get good traction. You cannot accelerate as
quickly, turning is more difficult, and you will need
longer braking distances.
It is best to use a low gear when you are in
mud — the deeper the mud, the lower the gear.
In really deep mud, the idea is to keep your vehicle
moving so you do not get stuck. Be careful to
keep mud from building up and washing onto the
engine cooling system.
When you drive on sand, you will sense a change
in wheel traction. But it will depend upon how
loosely packed the sand is. On loosely packed
sand, such as on beaches or sand dunes,
your tires will tend to sink into the sand. This has
an effect on steering, accelerating, and braking.
Drive at a reduced speed and avoid sharp turns
or abrupt maneuvers.Hard packed snow and ice offer the worst tire
traction. On these surfaces, it is very easy to lose
control. On wet ice, for example, the traction is
so poor that you will have difficulty accelerating.
And if you do get moving, poor steering and
difficult braking can cause you to slide out of
control.
{CAUTION:
Driving on frozen lakes, ponds, or rivers
can be dangerous. Underwater springs,
currents under the ice, or sudden thaws
can weaken the ice. Your vehicle could
fall through the ice and you and your
passengers could drown. Drive your
vehicle on safe surfaces only.
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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. It will improve your ability to accelerate.
SeeIf Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud,
Ice, or Snow on page 286. 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 your traction system off, such as when
driving through deep snow and loose gravel,
to help maintain vehicle motion at lower speeds.
SeeTraction Control System (TCS) on page 241
andStabiliTrak
®System on page 244.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 239.
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.
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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 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 389.
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 241for more information.
Then, with the wheels straight ahead, 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.
286

Service
Your dealer knows your vehicle best and wants
you to be happy with it. We hope you will go
to your dealer for all your service needs. You will
get genuine GM parts and GM-trained and
supported service people.
We hope you will want to keep your GM vehicle all
GM. Genuine GM parts have one of these marks:
Accessories and Modications
When you add non-GM accessories to your vehicle
they can affect your vehicle’s performance and
safety, including such things as, airbags, braking,
stability, ride and handling, emissions systems,
aerodynamics, durability, and electronic systems
like anti-lock brakes, traction control and
stability control. Some of these accessories may
even cause malfunction or damage not covered by
warranty.
GM Accessories are designed to complement and
function with other systems on your vehicle.
Your GM dealer can accessorize your vehicle
using genuine GM Accessories. When you go to
your GM dealer and ask for GM Accessories,
you will know that GM-trained and supported
service technicians will perform the work using
genuine GM Accessories.
314

When It Is Time for New Tires
One way to tell when it
is time for new tires is
to check the treadwear
indicators, which will
appear when your tires
have only 1/16 inch
(1.6 mm) or less of tread
remaining. Some
commercial truck tires
may not have treadwear
indicators.
You need a new tire if any of the following
statements are true:
You can see the indicators at three or more
places around the tire.
You can see cord or fabric showing through
the tire’s rubber.
The tread or sidewall is cracked, cut or
snagged deep enough to show cord or fabric.
The tire has a bump, bulge, or split.
The tire has a puncture, cut, or other damage
that cannot be repaired well because of the
size or location of the damage.
Buying New Tires
GM has developed and matched specic tires
for your vehicle. The original equipment tires
installed on your vehicle, when it was new,
were designed to meet General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria Specication (TPC spec)
system rating. If you need replacement tires,
GM strongly recommends that you get tires with
the same TPC Spec rating. This way, your vehicle
will continue to have tires that are designed to
give the same performance and vehicle safety,
during normal use, as the original tires.
GM’s exclusive TPC Spec system considers over
a dozen critical specications that impact the
overall performance of your vehicle, including
brake system performance, ride and handling,
traction control, and tire pressure monitoring
performance. GM’s TPC Spec number is molded
onto the tire’s sidewall by the tire manufacturer.
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