2006 Pontiac Torrent Owner's Manual - Page 219

If you have the Traction Control System (TCS), it will improve your ability to accelerate when driving on a slippery road. But you can turn the TCS off if you ever need to. You should turn the TCS off if your vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow. See If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on page 4-30. Even though your vehicle has TCS, you will want to slow down and adjust your driving to the road conditions. Under certain conditions, you may want to turn the TCS off, such as when driving through deep snow and loose gravel, to help maintain vehicle motion at lower speeds. See Traction Control System (TCS) on page 4-9. If you do not have TCS, 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. 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 may offer the least traction of all. You can get wet ice when it is about 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. Unless you have the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), you will want to brake very gently, too. If you do have ABS, see Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) on page 4-7. ABS improves your vehicle's stability when you make a hard stop on a slippery road. Whether you have ABS or not, you will want to 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. 4-27