Winter Driving - Chevrolet B7 2001 Owner's Manual

Winter Driving

Here are some tips for winter driving:
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Be sure the vehicle is in good shape for winter.
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You may want to put winter emergency supplies
in your vehicle.
Include an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a supply
of windshield washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer
clothing, a small shovel, a flashlight, a red cloth and
reflective warning triangles. And, if you will be driving
under severe conditions, include a small bag of sand, a
piece of old carpet or a couple of burlap bags to help
provide traction. Be sure you properly secure these
items in your vehicle.
Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where your tires meet
the road probably have good traction.
However, if there is snow or ice between your tires
and the road, you can have a very slippery situation.
You'll have a lot less traction or "grip" and will
need to be very careful.
What's 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 may offer the
least traction of all. You can get wet ice when it's about
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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.
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Whatever the condition
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or loose snow drive with caution.
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.
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Your anti lock brakes improve your vehicle's stability
when you make a hard stop on a slippery road. Even
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though you have an anti lock braking system, you'll
want to begin stopping sooner than you would on dry
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pavement. See "Anti Lock" in the Index.
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Allow greater following distance on any slippery road.
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Watch for slippery spots. The road might be fine
until you hit a spot that's covered with ice. On an
otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear in
shaded areas where the sun can't 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're actually on the ice, and avoid sudden
steering maneuvers.
smooth ice, packed, blowing