2009 HUMMER H3 winter tires

Driving Your
Vehicle
Your Driving, the Road,
and the Vehicle
Driving for Better Fuel
Economy...........................4-1
Defensive Driving................4-2
Drunk Driving.....................4-2
Control of a Vehicle............4-3
Braking...............................4-3
Antilock Brake
System (ABS)...................4-5
Braking in Emergencies......4-6
StabiliTrak®System............4-6
Traction Control
System (TCS)...................4-7
Locking Rear Axle..............4-8
Locking Front Axle..............4-9
Steering............................4-10
Off-Road Recovery............4-11
Passing.............................4-12
Loss of Control.................4-12
Off-Road Driving...............4-13
Assist Steps......................4-28
Driving at Night.................4-28
Driving in Rain and on
Wet Roads......................4-29
Before Leaving on a
Long Trip........................4-30
Highway Hypnosis.............4-30
Hill and Mountain Roads. . .4-30
Winter Driving...................4-31
If Your Vehicle is
Stuck in Sand, Mud,
Ice, or Snow
...................4-33
Rocking Your Vehicle to
Get It Out.......................4-34
Recovery Loops................4-34
Loading the Vehicle..........4-35
Truck-Camper Loading
Information......................4-39
Towing
Towing Your Vehicle.........4-40
Recreational Vehicle
Towing............................4-40
Towing a Trailer................4-42
Trailer
Recommendations...........4-53
Your Driving, the
Road, and the Vehicle
Driving for Better Fuel
Economy
Driving habits can affect fuel
mileage. Here are some driving tips
to get the best fuel economy
possible.
Avoid fast starts and accelerate
smoothly.
Brake gradually and avoid abrupt
stops.
Avoid idling the engine for long
periods of time.
When road and weather
conditions are appropriate, use
cruise control, if equipped.
Always follow posted speed limits
or drive more slowly when
conditions require.
Keep vehicle tires properly
inated.
Driving Your Vehicle 4-1

{CAUTION
Coasting downhill in N (Neutral)
or with the ignition off is
dangerous. The brakes will have
to do all the work of slowing down
and they could get so hot that
they would not work well. You
would then have poor braking or
even none going down a hill. You
could crash. Always have the
engine running and the vehicle in
gear when going downhill.
Stay in your own lane. Do not
swing wide or cut across the
center of the road. Drive at
speeds that let you stay in your
own lane.
Top of hills: Be alert — something
could be in your lane (stalled car,
accident).
Pay attention to special road
signs (falling rocks area, winding
roads, long grades, passing or
no-passing zones) and take
appropriate action.
SeeOff-Road Driving on page 4-13
for information about driving
off-road.
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 wheelsto 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 4-7improves 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 4-5improves vehicle
stability during hard stops on a
slippery roads, but apply the brakes
sooner than when on dry pavement.
Driving Your Vehicle 4-31

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.
5-62 Service and Appearance Care