Winter Driving
Driving on Snow or Ice
Drive carefully when there is snow or ice between thetires and the road, creating less traction or grip. Wet icecan occur at about 0°C (32°F) when freezing rainbegins to fall, resulting in even less traction. Avoiddriving on wet ice or in freezing rain until roads can betreated with salt or sand.
Drive with caution, whatever the condition. Accelerategently so traction is not lost. Accelerating too quicklycauses the wheels to spin and makes the surface underthe tires slick, so there is even less traction.
Try not to break the fragile traction. If you accelerate toofast, the drive wheels will spin and polish the surfaceunder the tires even more.
TheTraction Control System (TCS) on page 5-6improves the ability to accelerate on slippery roads, butslow down and adjust your driving to the roadconditions. When driving through deep snow, turn offthe traction control system to help maintain vehiclemotion at lower speeds.
TheAntilock Brake System (ABS) on page 5-4improvesvehicle stability during hard stops on a slippery roads,but apply the brakes sooner than when on drypavement.
Allow greater following distance on any slippery roadand watch for slippery spots. Icy patches can occur onotherwise clear roads in shaded areas. The surfaceof a curve or an overpass can remain icy whenthe surrounding roads are clear. Avoid sudden steeringmaneuvers and braking while on ice.
Turn off cruise control, if equipped, on slippery surfaces.
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Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grades can be found where applicable onthe tire sidewall between tread shoulder andmaximum section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
The following information relates to the systemdeveloped by the United States National HighwayTraffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), whichgrades tires by treadwear, traction, andtemperature performance. This applies only tovehicles sold in the United States. The grades aremolded on the sidewalls of most passenger cartires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG)system does not apply to deep tread, winter-typesnow tires, space-saver, or temporary usespare tires, tires with nominal rim diameters of10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm), or to somelimited-production tires.
While the tires available on General Motorspassenger cars and light trucks may vary withrespect to these grades, they must also conformto federal safety requirements and additionalGeneral Motors Tire Performance Criteria (TPC)standards.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative ratingbased on the wear rate of the tire when testedunder controlled conditions on a specifiedgovernment test course. For example, a tiregraded 150 would wear one and a half (1.5) timesas well on the government course as a tiregraded 100. The relative performance of tiresdepends upon the actual conditions of their use,however, and may depart significantly fromthe norm due to variations in driving habits, servicepractices, and differences in road characteristicsand climate.
Traction – AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, areAA, A, B, and C. Those grades represent the tire’sability to stop on wet pavement as measuredunder controlled conditions on specifiedgovernment test surfaces of asphalt and concrete.A tire marked C may have poor tractionperformance.
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Audio System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-88Audio Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-119Navigation/Radio System,see Navigation Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-108Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-120Setting the Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-89Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-119XM™ Satellite Radio Antenna System . . . . . . . . . . . 4-121Audio System(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-92Automatic TransmissionFluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-19Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27
B
Backglass Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-121Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-34Electric Power Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-33Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-30Inadvertent Power Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-33Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-32Run-Down Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-34Belt Routing, Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11Bluetooth®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-108BrakeEmergencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-32Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-52Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3Braking in Emergencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22Bulb ReplacementFog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-30Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-40Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-43High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . 6-43Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-64
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11, 3-36CaliforniaPerchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4California Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6Canadian Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iiiCapacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-109Carbon MonoxideEngine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
2
W
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-46WarningsDIC Warnings and Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-67Hazard Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3Safety and Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ivWheelsAlignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-68Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-66Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-68When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-64Where to Put the Child Restraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-44Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-14Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15
WindshieldWasher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-31Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-44Wiper Blades, Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-97Wiper Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-100Wipers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15Wiper Activated Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-29
X
XM Radio Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-107XM™ Satellite RadioAntenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-121
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