2009 SATURN ASTRA winter tires

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.
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.
TheAntilock Brake System (ABS)
on page 8-18improves 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.
Driving and Operating 8-27
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Vehicle Service
and Care
Service
Service...............................9-2
Accessories and
Modications.....................9-3
California Proposition 65
Warning............................9-3
California Perchlorate
Materials Requirements.....9-3
Doing Your Own
Service Work....................9-4
Adding Equipment to the
Outside of the Vehicle......9-4
Owner Checks
Owner Checks....................9-4
Hood Release.....................9-5
Engine Compartment
Overview...........................9-6
Engine Oil..........................9-7
Engine Oil Life System.......9-9
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter. . .9-11
Automatic Transmission
Fluid................................9-12
Manual Transmission
Fluid................................9-12
Hydraulic Clutch................9-12
Cooling System.................9-12
Engine Coolant.................9-16
Pressure Cap....................9-18
Engine Overheating...........9-18
Power Steering Fluid.........9-20
Windshield Washer
Fluid................................9-20
Windshield Wiper Blade
Replacement...................9-21
Brakes..............................9-22
Battery..............................9-25
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming..............9-26
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement.............9-28
Halogen Bulbs..................9-28
Front Turn Signal
Lamps.............................9-28
Center High-Mounted
Stoplamp (CHMSL).........9-29
Taillamps (Five-Door
Hatchback)......................9-30
Taillamps (Three-Door
Hatchback)......................9-32
License Plate Lamp..........9-33
Replacement Bulbs...........9-34
Electrical System
Add-On Electrical
Equipment.......................9-34
Headlamp Wiring..............9-34
Fuses...............................9-35
Engine Compartment
Fuse Block......................9-35
Rear Compartment Fuse
Block...............................9-37
Tires
Tires.................................9-40
Winter Tires......................9-41
Tire Sidewall Labeling.......9-42
Tire Terminology and
Denitions.......................9-44
Ination - Tire Pressure. . . .9-47
High-Speed Operation.......9-48
Tire Pressure Monitor
System............................9-49
Tire Pressure Monitor
Operation........................9-51
Tire Inspection and
Rotation..........................9-52
Vehicle Service and Care 9-1
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Low-Prole Tires
If the vehicle has 225/40ZR18 or
215/45R18 size tires, they
are classied as low-prole
performance tires. These tires
are designed for very responsive
driving on wet or dry pavement.
You may also notice more
road noise with low-prole
performance tires and that they
tend to wear faster.
Notice:If the vehicle has
low-prole tires, they are more
susceptible to damage from
road hazards or curb impact
than standard prole tires.
Tire and/or wheel assembly
damage can occur when
coming into contact with road
hazards like, potholes, or
sharp edged objects, or when
sliding into a curb. The vehicle
warranty does not cover this
type of damage. Keep tires
set to the correct inationpressure and, when possible
avoid contact with curbs,
potholes, and other road
hazards.
Winter Tires
If the vehicle has 225/40ZR18 or
215/45R18 size tires, they are
classied as low-prole performance
tires. These tires are designed for
very responsive driving on wet or dry
pavement. If you expect to drive
on snow or ice covered roads often,
you may want to get winter tires
for your vehicle. All season tires
provide good overall performance on
most surfaces but they may not
offer the traction you would like or
the same level of performance
as winter tires on snow or ice
covered roads.
Winter tires, in general, are
designed for increased traction
on snow and ice covered roads.With winter tires, there may be
decreased dry road traction,
increased road noise, and shorter
tire tread life. After switching to
winter tires, be alert for changes in
vehicle handling and braking.
See your dealer/retailer for details
regarding winter tire availability
and proper tire selection. Also, see
Buying New Tires on page 9-54.
If you choose to use winter tires:
Use tires of the same brand and
tread type on all four wheel
positions.
Use only radial ply tires of the
same size, load range, and
speed rating as your original
equipment tires.
Winter tires with the same speed
rating as the original equipment tires
may not be available for H, V, W,
Y and ZR speed rated tires.
If you choose winter tires with a
lower speed rating, never exceed
the tire’s maximum speed capability.
Vehicle Service and Care 9-41
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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.
Vehicle Service and Care 9-57
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T
Tachometer.........................4-13
Taillamps....................9-30, 9-32
Theft-Deterrent, Radio...........6-23
Theft-Deterrent Systems......... 2-8
Content Theft-Deterrent....... 2-9
Immobilizer........................ 2-8
Immobilizer Operation......... 2-8
Tilt Wheel............................. 4-4
Tire
Pressure Light..................4-18
Tires..................................9-40
Buying New Tires.............9-54
Chains............................9-60
Changing a Flat Tire.........9-61
Compact Spare Tire..........9-68
Different Size...................9-56
High-Speed Operation.......9-48
If a Tire Goes Flat............9-60
Ination - Tire Pressure.....9-47
Inspection and Rotation.....9-52
Installing the Spare Tire.....9-63
Pressure Monitor
Operation.....................9-51
Pressure Monitor
System........................9-49
Removing the Flat Tire......9-63Tires (cont.)
Removing the Spare Tire
and Tools.....................9-62
Storing a Flat or Spare
Tire and Tools...............9-66
Tire Sidewall Labeling.......9-42
Tire Terminology and
Denitions....................9-44
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading.......................9-57
Wheel Alignment and
Tire Balance.................9-58
Wheel Replacement..........9-59
When It Is Time for
New Tires....................9-54
Winter Tires.....................9-41
Towing
Recreational Vehicle..........9-73
Towing a Trailer................9-73
Your Vehicle.....................9-73
Traction
StabiliTrak
®System..........8-19
Transmission
Fluid, Automatic................9-12
Fluid, Manual...................9-12
Transmission Operation,
Automatic.......................... 8-6
Transmission Operation,
Manual............................. 8-9Trip Odometers....................4-13
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals............................. 4-8
Turn Signal/Multifunction
Lever................................ 4-4
U
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading...........................9-57
V
Vehicle
Control............................8-17
Loading...........................8-30
Parking Your....................8-13
Running While Parked.......8-14
Service Soon Light...........4-23
Symbols.............................. iii
Vehicle Data Recording and
Privacy..........................12-16
Vehicle Identication
Number (VIN)...................10-1
Service Parts Identication
Label...........................10-1
Ventilation Adjustment............. 7-4
Visors.................................2-11
INDEX i-9
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W
Warning Lights, Gages and
Indicators........................4-11
Warnings
DIC Warnings and
Messages....................4-36
Hazard Warning Flashers.... 4-4
Wheels
Alignment and Tire
Balance.......................9-58
Different Size...................9-56
Replacement....................9-59
Where to Put the Restraint....1-44
Windows.............................2-10
Power .............................2-10Windshield
Washer............................. 4-9
Washer Fluid....................9-20
Wiper Blade
Replacement................9-21
Wipers.............................. 4-8
Windshield, Rear Washer/
Wiper............................... 4-9
Winter Driving......................8-27
Winter Driving Mode Light.....4-22
Winter Tires........................9-41
Y
Your Vehicle and the
Environment.....................11-2
i-10 INDEX
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