2009 SATURN VUE traction control

Scanning the Terrain
Off-road driving can take you over
many different kinds of terrain.
Be familiar with the terrain and its
many different features.
Surface Conditions:Off-roading
surfaces can be hard-packed dirt,
gravel, rocks, grass, sand, mud,
snow, or ice. Each of these surfaces
affects the vehicle’s steering,
acceleration, and braking in different
ways. Depending on the surface,
slipping, sliding, wheel spinning,
delayed acceleration, poor traction,
and longer braking distances can
occur.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.
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?
Will you have to stop suddenly or
change direction quickly?
When driving 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.When driving over bumps, rocks, or
other obstacles, the wheels can
leave the ground. If this happens,
even with one or two wheels, you
cannot control the vehicle as well or
at all.
Because you will be on an unpaved
surface, it is especially important
to avoid sudden acceleration,
sudden turns, or sudden braking.
Off-roading requires a different kind
of alertness from driving on paved
roads and highways. There are no
road signs, posted speed limits, or
signal lights. Use good judgment
about what is safe and what is not.
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Driving on 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 the 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, decide if it
is 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 might
not see this because the crest of the
hill is hidden by bushes, grass, or
shrubs.
Consider this 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?
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.
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If you feel the vehicle starting to slide
sideways, turn downhill. This should
help straighten out the vehicle and
prevent the side slipping. The best
way to prevent this is to “walk the
course” rst, so you know what the
surface is like before driving it.
Stalling on an Incline
{CAUTION
Getting out on the downhill (low)
side of a vehicle stopped across
an incline is dangerous. If the
vehicle rolls over, you could be
crushed or killed. Always get out
on the uphill (high) side of the
vehicle and stay well clear of the
rollover path.
If the vehicle stalls when crossing
an incline, be sure you, and any
passengers, get out on the uphill
side, even if the door there is harder
to open. If you get out on the downhill
side and the vehicle starts to roll
over, you will be right in its path.If you have to walk down the slope,
stay out of the path the vehicle
will take if it does roll over.
Driving in Mud, Sand, Snow,
or Ice
When you drive in mud, snow, or
sand, the wheels do not get good
traction. Acceleration is not as quick,
turning is more difficult, and braking
distances are longer.
It is best to use a low gear when in
mud — the deeper the mud, the
lower the gear. In really deep mud,
keep the vehicle moving so it does
not get stuck.
When driving on sand, wheel
traction changes. On loosely packed
sand, such as on beaches or sand
dunes, the tires will tend to sink
into the sand. This affects 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 the vehicle does
get moving, poor steering and
difficult braking can cause it 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.
Driving Your Vehicle 4-21
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Avoid staring directly into
approaching headlamps.
Keep the windshield and all glass
on your vehicle clean — inside
and out.
Keep your eyes moving,
especially during turns or curves.
No one can see as well at night as
in the daytime. But, as we get
older, these differences increase.
A 50-year-old driver might need
at least twice as much light to
see the same thing at night as
a 20-year-old.
Driving in Rain and on
Wet Roads
Rain and wet roads can reduce
vehicle traction and affect your
ability to stop and accelerate.
Always drive slower in these types
of driving conditions and avoid
driving through large puddles and
deep-standing or owing water.
{CAUTION
Wet brakes can cause crashes.
They might not work as well in a
quick stop and could cause
pulling to one side. You could
lose control of the vehicle.
After driving through a large
puddle of water or a car/vehicle
wash, lightly apply the brake
pedal until the brakes work
normally.
Flowing or rushing water creates
strong forces. Driving through
owing water could cause your
vehicle to be carried away. If this
happens, you and other vehicle
occupants could drown. Do not
ignore police warnings and be
very cautious about trying to drive
through owing water.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. Water
can build up under your vehicle’s
tires so they actually ride on the
water. This can happen if the road is
wet enough and you are going fast
enough. When your vehicle is
hydroplaning, it has little or no
contact with the road.
There is no hard and fast rule about
hydroplaning. The best advice is
to slow down when the road is wet.
Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, other wet
weather driving tips include:
Allow extra following distance.
Pass with caution.
Keep windshield wiping
equipment in good shape.
Keep the windshield washer uid
reservoir lled.
Have good tires with proper tread
depth. SeeTires on page 5-43.
Turn off cruise control.
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{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.
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 4-6improves 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 Your Vehicle 4-25
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Service
For service and parts needs,
visit your dealer/retailer. You will
receive genuine Saturn parts and
Saturn-trained and supported service
people.
Genuine Saturn parts have one of
these marks.
Accessories and
Modications
When non-dealer/non-retailer
accessories are added to the vehicle,
they can affect vehicle performance
and safety, including such things
as airbags, braking, stability, ride
and handling, emissions systems,
aerodynamics, durability, and
electronic systems like antilock
brakes, traction control, and stability
control. Some of these accessories
could even cause malfunction or
damage not covered by the vehicle
warranty.
Damage to vehicle components
resulting from the installation or use
of non-GM certied parts, including
control module modications, are
not covered under the terms of the
vehicle warranty and may affect
remaining warranty coverage for
affected parts.GM Accessories are designed to
complement and function with other
systems on the vehicle. Your GM
dealer/retailer can accessorize the
vehicle using genuine GM
Accessories. When you go to your
GM dealer/retailer and ask for GM
Accessories, you will know that
GM-trained and supported service
technicians will perform the work
using genuine GM Accessories.
Also, seeAdding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on
page 1-57.
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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 pressuremonitoring performance. GM’s
TPC Spec number is molded
onto the tire’s sidewall near the
tire size. If the tires have an
all-season tread design, the TPC
Spec number will be followed by
an MS for mud and snow. See
Tire Sidewall Labeling on
page 5-44for additional
information.
GM recommends replacing tires
in sets of four. This is because
uniform tread depth on all tires
will help keep your vehicle
performing most like it did when
the tires were new. Replacing
less than a full set of tires can
affect the braking and handling
performance of your vehicle. See
Tire Inspection and Rotation on
page 5-56for information on
proper tire rotation.{CAUTION
Mixing tires could cause you
to lose control while driving. If
you mix tires of different sizes,
brands, or types (radial and
bias-belted tires), the vehicle
may not handle properly, and
you could have a crash. Using
tires of different sizes, brands,
or types may also cause
damage to your vehicle. Be
sure to use the correct size,
brand, and type of tires on all
wheels. It is all right to drive
with your compact spare
temporarily, as it was
developed for use on your
vehicle. SeeCompact Spare
Tire on page 5-71.
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{CAUTION
If you use bias-ply tires on the
vehicle, the wheel rim anges
could develop cracks after
many miles of driving. A tire
and/or wheel could fail
suddenly, causing a crash.
Use only radial-ply tires with
the wheels on the vehicle.
If you must replace your vehicle’s
tires with those that do not have
a TPC Spec number, make sure
they are the same size, load
range, speed rating, and
construction type (radial and
bias-belted tires) as your
vehicle’s original tires.
Vehicles that have a tire pressure
monitoring system could give an
inaccurate low-pressure warning
if non-TPC Spec rated tires
are installed on your vehicle.Non-TPC Spec rated tires may
give a low-pressure warning that
is higher or lower than the proper
warning level you would get with
TPC Spec rated tires. SeeTire
Pressure Monitor System on
page 5-51.
Your vehicle’s original equipment
tires are listed on the Tire and
Loading Information Label.
SeeLoading the Vehicle on
page 4-28, for more information
about the Tire and Loading
Information Label and its location
on your vehicle.
Different Size Tires and
Wheels
If you add wheels or tires that are
a different size than your original
equipment wheels and tires,
this may affect the way your vehicle
performs, including its braking,
ride and handling characteristics,
stability, and resistance to rollover.Additionally, if your vehicle has
electronic systems such as, anti-lock
brakes, rollover airbags, traction
control, and stability control, the
performance of these systems can
be affected.
{CAUTION
If you add different sized wheels,
your vehicle may not provide an
acceptable level of performance
and safety if tires not
recommended for those wheels
are selected. You may increase
the chance that you will crash and
suffer serious injury. Only use
Saturn specic wheel and tire
systems developed for your
vehicle, and have them properly
installed by a Saturn certied
technician.
SeeBuying New Tires on page 5-58
andAccessories and Modifications
on page 5-3for additional
information.
Service and Appearance Care 5-59
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