2008 CADILLAC ESCALADE EXT wheel

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 may interfere
with the operation of your vehicle’s engine, radio, or
other systems, and even damage them. Your
vehicle’s systems may interfere with the operation
of sound equipment that has been added.
Notice:The chime signals related to safety belts,
parking brake, and other functions of your vehicle
operate through the radio/entertainment system.
If that equipment is replaced or additional equipment
is added to your vehicle, the chimes may not
work. Make sure that replacement or additional
equipment is compatible with your vehicle before
installing it. SeeAccessories and Modifications
on page 5-3.Your vehicle may have a feature called Retained
Accessory Power (RAP). With RAP, the audio system
can be played even after the ignition is turned off.
SeeRetained Accessory Power (RAP) on page 2-32for
more information.
Setting the Clock
1. Press thew(tune/select) knob (the passenger
side knob) to enter the main menu.
2. Turn the same knob until SET CLOCK displays.
3. Press this knob to select SET CLOCK.
4. Turn this knob to adjust the time.
5. Press the same knob to update the time.
VEHICLE TIME UPDATED displays.
If the CLOCK/RADIO DISP (display) is programmed into
one of the congurable keys, pressing the key switches
the display back to the clock set function. The time
and date always appears on the radio display.
See “Congurable Radio Display Keys” later in this
section for more information on conguring the keys.
3-67

Audio Steering Wheel Controls
Your vehicle has audio
steering wheel controls,
they may differ depending
on your vehicle’s options.
Some audio controls can be adjusted at the steering
wheel. They include the following:
xw(Next/Previous):Press the down or up arrow to
go to the next or to the previous radio station stored
as a favorite.When a CD/DVD is playing, press the down or up arrow
to go to the next or to the previous track or chapter.
g(Mute/Voice Recognition):Press and release
this button to silence the vehicle speakers only.
The audio of the wireless and wired headphones,
if your vehicle has these features, does not mute.
Press and release this button again, to turn the
sound on.
If your vehicle has the navigation system, press and
hold this button for longer than one second to initiate
voice recognition. See “Voice Recognition” in the
Navigation System manual for more information.
Press and hold this button for longer than one second
to interact with the OnStar
®system. If your vehicle
also has the navigation system, press and hold
this button for longer than one second to initiate
voice recognition and say “OnStar” to enter OnStar
®
mode. See theOnStar®System on page 2-56in
this manual for more information.
3-103

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunk Driving.................................................4-2
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-3
Braking.........................................................4-3
Antilock Brake System (ABS)...........................4-4
Braking in Emergencies...................................4-5
Locking Differential.........................................4-5
Road Sensing Suspension...............................4-6
StabiliTrak
®System........................................4-6
All-Wheel Drive (AWD) System.........................4-8
Steering........................................................4-9
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-11
Passing.......................................................4-11
Loss of Control.............................................4-11
Off-Road Driving...........................................4-12
Driving at Night............................................4-27
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-27Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-28
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-28
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-29
Winter Driving..............................................4-30
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud,
Ice, or Snow.............................................4-33
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out.................4-33
Recovery Hooks...........................................4-34
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-35
Truck-Camper Loading Information..................4-41
Towing..........................................................4-42
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-42
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-42
Autoride
®.....................................................4-42
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-43
Trailer Recommendations...............................4-55
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

Let us say the road is wet and you are driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam
on the brakes and continue braking. Here is what
happens with ABS:
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If
one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer
will separately work the brakes at each front wheel
and at both rear wheels.
ABS can change the brake pressure faster than any
driver could. The computer is programmed to make the
most of available tire and road conditions. This can help
you steer around the obstacle while braking hard.
As you brake, the computer keeps receiving updates on
wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly.
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 rmly and let antilock work for you. You might
feel the brakes vibrate or notice some noise, but this
is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
With ABS, you can steer and brake at the same time. In
many emergencies, steering can help you more than
even the very best braking.
Locking Differential
If your vehicle has this feature, your locking differential
can give you additional traction on snow, mud, ice,
sand or gravel. It works like a standard axle most of the
time, but when one of the wheels has no traction and
the other does, this feature will allow the wheel with
traction to move the vehicle.
4-5

Road Sensing Suspension
The Road Sensing Suspension (RSS) feature provides
superior vehicle ride and handling under a variety of
passenger and loading conditions.
The system is fully automatic and uses a computer
controller to continuously monitor vehicle speed, wheel
to body position, lift/dive and steering position of the
vehicle. The controller then sends signals to each shock
absorber to independently adjust the damping level to
provide the optimum vehicle ride.
RSS also interacts with the tow/haul mode that, when
engaged, will provide additional control of the shock
absorbers. This additional control results in better ride
and handling characteristics when the vehicle is loaded
or towing a trailer. See “Tow/Haul Mode” underTowing a
Trailer on page 4-43.
StabiliTrak®System
Your vehicle may be equipped with the StabiliTrak®
system which combines antilock brake, traction and
stability control systems and helps the driver maintain
directional control of the vehicle in most driving
conditions.When you rst start your vehicle and begin to drive
away, the system performs several diagnostic checks to
ensure there are no problems. You may hear or feel the
system working. This is normal and does not mean there
is a problem with your vehicle. The system should
initialize before the vehicle reaches 20 mph (32 km/h).
In some cases, it may take approximately two miles of
driving before the system initializes.
If the system fails to turn on or activate, the StabiliTrak
®
light along with one of the following messages will be
displayed on the Driver Information Center (DIC):
TRACTION CONTROL OFF, SERVICE TRACTION
CONTROL, STABILITRAK OFF, SERVICE
STABILITRAK. If these DIC messages appear, make
sure the StabiliTrak
®system has not been turned off
using the StabiliTrak®on/off button. Then turn the
steering wheel clockwise from the nine o’clock position to
the three o’clock position. If this clears the message(s),
your vehicle does not need servicing. If this does not
clear the message(s), then turn the vehicle off, wait
15 seconds, and then turn it back on again to reset the
system. If any of these messages still appear on the
Driver Information Center (DIC), your vehicle should be
taken in for service. For more information on the DIC
messages, seeDriver Information Center (DIC)
on page 3-45.
4-6

The StabiliTrak®light will
ash on the instrument
panel cluster when the
system is both on and
activated.
You may also feel or hear the system working; this is
normal.
The traction control disable
button is located on the
instrument panel below the
climate controls.
The traction control part of StabiliTrak
®can be turned
off by pressing and releasing the StabiliTrak®button if
both systems (traction control and StabiliTrak®) were
previously on. To disable both traction control and
StabiliTrak
®, press and hold the button for ve seconds.Traction control and StabiliTrak
®can be turned on by
pressing and releasing the StabiliTrak®button if not
automatically shut off for any other reason.
When the TCS or StabiliTrak
®system is turned off, the
StabiliTrak®light and the appropriate TCS off or
StabiliTrak®off message will be displayed on the DIC to
warn the driver. Your vehicle will still have brake-traction
control when traction control is off, but will not be able to
use the engine speed management system. See
“Traction Control Operation” next for more information.
When the traction control system has been turned off,
you may still hear system noises as a result of the
brake-traction control coming on.
It is recommended to leave the system on for normal
driving conditions, but it may be necessary to turn the
system off if your vehicle is stuck in sand, mud, ice or
snow, and you want to “rock” your vehicle to attempt to
free it. It may also be necessary to turn off the system
when driving in extreme off-road conditions where high
wheel spin is required. SeeIf Your Vehicle is Stuck in
Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow on page 4-33.
4-7

Traction Control Operation
The traction control system is part of the StabiliTrak®
system. Traction control limits wheel spin by reducing
engine power to the wheels (engine speed
management) and by applying brakes to each
individual wheel (brake-traction control) as necessary.
The traction control system is enabled automatically
when you start your vehicle. It will activate and the
StabiliTrak
®light will ash if it senses that any of the
wheels are spinning or beginning to lose traction while
driving. If you turn off traction control, only the
brake-traction control portion of traction control will work.
The engine speed management will be disabled. In this
mode, engine power is not reduced automatically and the
driven wheels can spin more freely. This can cause the
brake-traction control to activate constantly.
Notice:If you allow the wheel(s) of one axle to spin
excessively while the StabiliTrak
®, ABS and brake
warning lights and the SERVICE STABILITRAK
message are displayed, you could damage the
transfer case. The repairs would not be covered by
your warranty. Reduce engine power and do not
spin the wheel(s) excessively while these lights and
this message are displayed.The traction control system may activate on dry or
rough roads or under conditions such as heavy
acceleration while turning or abrupt upshifts/downshifts
of the transmission. When this happens, you may
notice a reduction in acceleration, or may hear a noise
or vibration. This is normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the system
activates, the StabiliTrak
®light will ash and the
cruise control will automatically disengage. When
road conditions allow you to use cruise again, you may
re-engage the cruise control. SeeCruise Control
on page 3-11.
StabiliTrak
®may also turn off automatically if it
determines that a problem exists with the system. If the
problem does not clear itself after restarting the vehicle,
you should see your dealer for service.
All-Wheel Drive (AWD) System
With this feature, engine power is sent to all four wheels
at all times. This is like four-wheel drive, but there is no
separate lever or switch to engage or disengage the front
axle. It is fully automatic, and adjusts itself as needed for
road conditions. SeeStabiliTrak
®System on page 4-6for
more information.
4-8

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 accelerate. Both control
systems — steering and acceleration — have to do their
work where the tires meet the road. Adding the sudden
acceleration can demand too much of those places. You
can lose control. SeeStabiliTrak
®System on page 4-6.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on
the 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 5-3.
4-9