1998 Chevrolet Cavalier Owner's Manual - Page 198

Driving Through Deep Standing Water Wet brakes can cause accidents. They won't work as well in a quick stop and may cause pulling to one side.You could losecontrol of the vehicle. After driving through a large puddle of water or a car wash, applyyour brake pedal lightlyuntil your brakes work normally. i NOTICE: If you drive too quicklythrough deep puddlesor standing water, water can come in through your engine's air intake and badly damage your engine. Neverdrive through water that is slightly lower than the underbody of your vehicle. If you can't avoid deep puddles standing water, drive or through them very slowly. Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up under your tires that they can actually ride on the water. This canhappen if the road is enough and you're wet going fastenough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning, it has little or no contact with the road. Hydroplaning doesn't happen often. But it can if your tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in one or more is low. It can happen a lot of water is standing on if the road. If you can seereflections from trees, telephone poles or other vehicles, and raindrops "dimple" the water's surface, there could be hydroplaning. Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There just isn't a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. The best advice isto slow down when it israining. Some Other Rainy Weather Tips Besides slowing down, allow some extra following distance. And be especially careful when you pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more clearroom ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted by road spray. Have good tires with proper tread depth. (See "Tires" in the Index.) 4-18