2009 CADILLAC DTS winter tires

Winter Driving
Driving on Snow or Ice
Drive carefully when there is snow or ice between the
tires and the road, creating less traction or grip. Wet ice
can occur at about 32°F (0°C) when freezing rain
begins to fall, resulting in even less traction. Avoid
driving on wet ice or in freezing rain until roads can be
treated with salt or sand.
Drive with caution, whatever the condition. Accelerate
gently so traction is not lost. Accelerating too quickly
causes the wheels to spin and makes the surface under
the tires slick, so there is even less traction.
Try not to break the fragile traction. If you accelerate too
fast, the drive wheels will spin and polish the surface
under the tires even more.
TheTraction Control System (TCS) on page 4-6
improves the ability to accelerate on slippery roads,
but slow down and adjust your driving to the road
conditions. When driving through deep snow, turn off
the traction control system to help maintain vehicle
motion at lower speeds.TheAntilock Brake System (ABS) on page 4-4improves
vehicle stability during hard stops on a slippery roads,
but apply the brakes sooner than when on dry
pavement.
Allow greater following distance on any slippery road
and watch for slippery spots. Icy patches can occur on
otherwise clear roads in shaded areas. The surface
of a curve or an overpass can remain icy when
the surrounding roads are clear. Avoid sudden steering
maneuvers and braking while on ice.
Turn off cruise control, if equipped, on slippery surfaces.
Blizzard Conditions
Being stuck in snow can be in a serious situation. Stay
with the vehicle unless there is help nearby. If possible,
use theRoadside Service on page 7-7. To get help and
keep everyone in the vehicle safe:
Turn on theHazard Warning Flashers on page 3-6.
Tie a red cloth to an outside mirror.
4-16

Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grades can be found where applicable on
the tire sidewall between tread shoulder and
maximum section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
The following information relates to the
system developed by the United States National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
which grades tires by treadwear, traction, and
temperature performance. This applies only to
vehicles sold in the United States. The grades are
molded on the sidewalls of most passenger car
tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG)
system does not apply to deep tread, winter-type
snow tires, space-saver, or temporary use spare
tires, tires with nominal rim diameters of
10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm), or to some
limited-production tires.
While the tires available on General Motors
passenger cars and light trucks may vary with
respect to these grades, they must also conform
to federal safety requirements and additional
General Motors Tire Performance Criteria (TPC)
standards.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based
on the wear rate of the tire when tested under
controlled conditions on a specied government
test course. For example, a tire graded 150 would
wear one and a half (1.5) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100. The
relative performance of tires depends upon the
actual conditions of their use, however, and may
depart signicantly from the norm due to variations
in driving habits, service practices, and differences
in road characteristics and climate.
Traction – AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are
AA, A, B, and C. Those grades represent the tire’s
ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under
controlled conditions on specied government test
surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C
may have poor traction performance.
5-70

Audio System.................................................3-95
Audio Steering Wheel Controls....................3-127
Navigation/Radio System,
see Navigation Manual............................3-116
Setting the Clock.........................................3-96
XM™ Satellite Radio Antenna System...........3-129
Audio System(s).............................................3-99
Audio Systems
Radio Reception........................................3-128
Theft-Deterrent Feature...............................3-127
Automatic Transmission
Fluid..........................................................5-19
Operation...................................................2-29
B
Backglass Antenna........................................3-129
Battery..........................................................5-36
Electric Power Management..........................3-36
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver......................3-34
Inadvertent Power Saver..............................3-37
Load Management.......................................3-36
Run-Down Protection...................................3-37
Belt Routing, Engine.......................................6-14
Bluetooth
®....................................................3-116
Brake
Emergencies................................................ 4-5
Brake Fluid....................................................5-33Brakes..........................................................5-33
Antilock....................................................... 4-4
Parking......................................................2-32
System Warning Light..................................3-56
Braking........................................................... 4-4
Braking in Emergencies..................................... 4-5
Break-In, New Vehicle.....................................2-24
Bulb Replacement
Fog Lamp ..................................................3-34
Headlamp Aiming........................................5-43
Headlamps.................................................5-46
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting...........5-46
Buying New Tires...........................................5-68
C
Calibration.............................................1-11, 2-38
California
Perchlorate Materials Requirements................. 5-4
California Fuel.................................................. 5-5
California Proposition 65 Warning....................... 5-4
Canadian Owners................................................ ii
Capacities and Specications..........................5-103
Carbon Monoxide
Engine Exhaust...........................................2-36
Trunk.........................................................2-13
Winter Driving.............................................4-16
2

W
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators...............3-50
Warnings
DIC Warnings and Messages........................3-73
Hazard Warning Flashers............................... 3-6
Safety and Symbols......................................... iii
Wheels
Alignment and Tire Balance..........................5-71
Different Size..............................................5-69
Replacement...............................................5-71
When It Is Time for New Tires..........................5-67
Where to Put the Child Restraint.......................1-42
Windows.......................................................2-15
Power ........................................................2-16
Windshield
Rainsense™ II Wipers..................................3-14
Washer......................................................3-15
Washer Fluid..............................................5-32Windshield (cont.)
Wiper Blade Replacement.............................5-46
Wiper Blades, Cleaning................................5-91
Wiper Fuses...............................................5-95
Wipers.......................................................3-13
Winter Driving................................................4-16
Wiper Activated Headlamps..............................3-32
X
XM Radio Messages.....................................3-115
XM™ Satellite Radio Antenna System..............3-129
Y
Your Vehicle and the Environment....................... 6-2
16