1994 Pontiac Bonneville Owner's Manual - Page 163

Your Driving andthe Road Driving with a Trailer (CONT.) Following Distance Stay at least twice as far behind the vehicle ahead as you would when driving your vehicle without a trailer. This can help you avoid situations that require heavy braking and sudden turns. Your vehicle has bulb warning lights. When you plug trailer lights into your When you're turning with a trailer, make vehicle's lighting system, its bulb warning wider turns than normal. Do this so your lights may not let you know if one of your trailer won't strike soft shoulders, curbs, lights goes out. So, when you have trailer road signs, trees, or other objects. Avoid lights plugged in, be sure to check your jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal well in vehicle and trailer lights from timeto time advance. to be sure they're all working. Onceyou disconnect the trailer lights, the bulb Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer warning lights again can tellyou if one of your vehicle lights is out. When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has to have a different turn signal flasher and Driving On Grades extra wiring. The green arrows on your instrument panel will flash whenever you Reduce speed and shiftto a lower gear signal a turn or lane change. Properly before you start down a long or steep hooked up, the trailer lights will also downgrade. If you don'tshift down, you flash, telling other drivers you're about to might have to use your brakes so much turn, change lanes or stop. that they would get hot and no longer When towing a trailer, the green arrows on your instrument panel will flash for turns even if the bulbs on the trailer are burned out. Thus, you may think drivers behind you are seeing your signal when they are not. It's important to check occasionally to be sure the trailer bulbs are still working. work well. On a long uphill grade, shift down to "D" (Drive) and reduce your speed to around 45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the possibility of engine and transaxle overheating. Making Turns Passing You'll need more passing distance up ahead when you're towing a trailer. And, because you're a good deal longer, you'll need to go much farther beyond the passed vehicle before you can return to your lane. Backing Up Hold the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand. Then, to move the trailer to the left, just move that hand to the left. To move the trailer to the right, move your hand to the right. Always back up slowly and, if possible, have someone guide you. Parking on Hills You really should not park your vehicle, with a trailer attached, on a hill. If something goes wrong, your rig could . 162