Driving On Snow Or Ice - Pontiac Solstice 2008 Owner's Manual

Driving on Snow or Ice

Most of the time, those places where the tires meet the
road probably have good traction.
However, if there is snow or ice between the tires and the
road, you can have a very slippery situation. You have a
lot less traction, or grip, and need to be very careful.
What is the worst time for this? Wet ice. Very cold snow
or ice can be slick and hard to drive on. But wet ice
can be even more trouble because it can offer the least
traction of all. You can get wet ice when it is about
4-20
freezing, 32°F (0°C), and freezing rain begins to fall.
Try to avoid driving on wet ice until salt and sand crews
can get there.
Whatever the condition — smooth ice, packed, blowing,
or loose snow — drive with caution.
Traction control improves your ability to accelerate when
driving on a slippery road. Even if your vehicle has the
Traction Control System (TCS), slow down and adjust
your driving to the road conditions. Under certain
conditions, you might want to turn the TCS off, such as
when driving through deep snow and loose gravel, to help
maintain vehicle motion at lower speeds or if your vehicle
ever gets stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow. See Traction
Control System (TCS) on page 4-6, Electronic Stability
Control (ESC) on page 4-9, If Your Vehicle is Stuck in
Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow on page 4-23, and Winter Tires
on page 5-52.
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 Antilock Brake System (ABS), you
will want to brake very gently, too. If you do have ABS,
see Antilock Brake System (ABS) on page 4-4. ABS
improves your vehicle's stability when you make a hard
stop on a slippery road. Whether your vehicle has ABS
or not, begin stopping sooner than you would on dry
pavement. Without ABS, 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.