Chevrolet 2005 Equinox Owner's Manual page 215

If you have traction control, keep the system on. It will
improve your ability to accelerate when driving on a
slippery road. But you can turn the traction system off if
you ever need to. You should turn the system off if
your vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow.
See If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on
page 4-32. Even though your vehicle has a traction
system you will want to slow down and adjust your
driving to the road conditions. See Traction Control
System (TCS) on page 4-10.
If you do not have a traction system, accelerate gently.
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.
Unless you have the anti-lock braking system, you will
want to brake very gently, too. If you do have anti-lock,
see Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) on page 4-8.
This system improves your vehicle's stability when you
make a hard stop on a slippery road.) Whether you
have the anti-lock braking system or not, you will want
to begin stopping sooner than you would on dry
pavement. Without anti-lock brakes, if you feel your
vehicle begin to slide, let up on the brakes a little. Push
the brake pedal down steadily to get the most traction
you can.
Remember, unless you have anti-lock, if you brake so
hard that your wheels stop rolling, you will just slide.
Brake so your wheels always keep rolling and you can
still steer.
•
Whatever your braking system, allow greater
following distance on any slippery road.
•
Watch for slippery spots. The road might be fine
until you hit a spot that is covered with ice. On
an otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear in
shaded areas where the sun can not reach:
around clumps of trees, behind buildings, or under
bridges. Sometimes the surface of a curve or
an overpass may remain icy when the surrounding
roads are clear. If you see a patch of ice ahead
of you, brake before you are on it. Try not to brake
while you are actually on the ice, and avoid
sudden steering maneuvers.
4-29