2005 Chevrolet Equinox Owner's Manual - Page 215
2005 Chevrolet Equinox Manual
Page 215 highlights
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