2011 CHEVROLET CORVETTE fuel additives

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-1
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Racing or Other CompetitiveDriving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 9-10
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . 9-13
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . 9-14
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . 9-18
Front Air Dam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20 Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Shifting Into Park (Automatic Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Shifting Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Parking (Manual Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Parking Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . 9-28
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Manual Transmission
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . 9-32
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Active Handling System . . . . . 9-37
Competitive Driving Mode . . . 9-38
Limited-Slip Rear Axle . . . . . . . 9-42
Selective Ride Control . . . . . . . 9-42
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-44
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-48
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . 9-48
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . 9-49
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-49
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 9-49
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-54
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On ElectricalEquipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-54

Black plate (49,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-49
If the vehicle has the 6.2L V8 engine
(VIN Code T) or the 7.0L V8 engine
(VIN Code E), use premium
unleaded gasoline with a posted
octane rating of 91 or higher.
For best performance, use premium
unleaded gasoline with a posted
octane rating of 93. In an
emergency, you can use regular
unleaded gasoline with an octane
rating of 87 or higher. If 87 octane
fuel is used, do not perform any
aggressive driving maneuvers such
as wide open throttle applications.
You might also hear audible spark
knock during acceleration. Refill the
tank with premium fuel as soon as
possible to avoid damaging the
engine. If heavy knocking is heard
when using gasoline rated at
91 octane or higher, the engine
needs service.Gasoline Specifications
At a minimum, gasoline
should meet ASTM specification
D 4814 in the United States or
CAN/CGSB‐3.5 or 3.511 in Canada.
Some gasolines contain an
octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese
tricarbonyl (MMT). We recommend
against the use of gasolines
containing MMT. SeeFuel Additives
on page 9‑50 for additional
information.
California Fuel
Requirements
If the vehicle is certified to meet
California Emissions Standards,
it is designed to operate on fuels
that meet California specifications.
See the underhood emission control
label. If this fuel is not available in
states adopting California emissions
standards, the vehicle will operate
satisfactorily on fuels meeting
federal specifications, but emission
control system performance might be affected. The malfunction
indicator lamp could turn on and the
vehicle might fail a smog‐check test.
See
Malfunction Indicator Lamp on
page 5‑18. If this occurs, return to
your authorized dealer for diagnosis.
If it is determined that the condition
is caused by the type of fuel used,
repairs might not be covered by the
vehicle warranty.
Fuels in Foreign
Countries
If you plan on driving in another
country outside the United States or
Canada, the proper fuel might be
hard to find. Never use leaded
gasoline or any other fuel not
recommended in the previous text
on fuel. Costly repairs caused by
use of improper fuel would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
To check the fuel availability, ask
an auto club, or contact a major oil
company that does business in the
country where you will be driving.

Black plate (50,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
9-50 Driving and Operating
Fuel Additives
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines
in the United States are now
required to contain additives
that help prevent engine and fuel
system deposits from forming,
allowing the emission control
system to work properly. In most
cases, nothing should have to be
added to the fuel. However, some
gasolines contain only the minimum
amount of additive required to meet
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency regulations. To help keep
fuel injectors and intake valves
clean, or if the vehicle experiences
problems due to dirty injectors or
valves, look for gasoline that is
advertised as TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. Look for the TOP TIER
label on the fuel pump to ensure
gasoline meets enhanced
detergency standards developed
by the auto companies. A list of
marketers providing TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline can be found
at www.toptiergas.com.For customers who do not use
TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline
regularly, one bottle of GM Fuel
System Treatment PLUS, added
to the fuel tank at every engine oil
change, can help clean deposits
from fuel injectors and intake
valves. GM Fuel System Treatment
PLUS is the only gasoline additive
recommended by General Motors.
It is available at your dealer.
Gasolines containing oxygenates,
such as ethers and ethanol, and
reformulated gasolines might
be available in your area. We
recommend that you use these
gasolines, if they comply with the
specifications described earlier.
However, E85 (85% ethanol) and
other fuels containing more than
10% ethanol must not be used in
vehicles that were not designed for
those fuels.
Notice:
This vehicle was not
designed for fuel that contains
methanol. Do not use fuel
containing methanol. It can
corrode metal parts in the fuel
system and also damage plastic
and rubber parts. That damage
would not be covered under the
vehicle warranty.
Some gasolines that are
not reformulated for low
emissions can contain an
octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese
tricarbonyl (MMT); ask the attendant
where you buy gasoline whether the
fuel contains MMT. We recommend
against the use of such gasolines.
Fuels containing MMT can reduce
the life of spark plugs and the
performance of the emission
control system could be affected.
The malfunction indicator lamp
might turn on. If this occurs, return
to your dealer for service.

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
i-4 INDEX
E
Electrical Equipment,Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-54
Electrical System Engine CompartmentFuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-52
Fuses and Circuit
Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-51
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-55
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-50
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Check and Service EngineSoon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Compartment Overview . . . . . 10-10
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Coolant Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Cooling System . . . . . . 10-28, 10-29
Cooling System Messages . . . 5-39
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-5
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Oil Pressure Gauge . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Overheated Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35 Engine (cont.)
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-41
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 9-27
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Entry/Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . 13-17
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps Off Reminder . . . 6-2
Exterior Lighting Battery
Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
F
FeaturesMemory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Filter
Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 6-4
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-80
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-93 Fluid
Automatic Transmission . . . . 10-23
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Fog Lamps Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Front Air Dam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Front Fog Lamps Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-48 Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Filling a Portable Fuel
Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . 9-49
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . 9-49
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Recommended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-48
Requirements, California . . . . . 9-49
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-41