2006 Chevrolet Cobalt Owner's Manual - Page 221

Whatever the condition - smooth ice, packed, blowing, or loose snow - drive with caution. If you have the Enhanced Traction System (ETS), keep the transaxle shift lever in AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D) so the system will be able to improve your ability to accelerate when driving on a slippery road. Even though your vehicle has this system, you will want to slow down and adjust your driving to the road conditions. Under certain conditions, you may want to turn the traction system off, such as when driving through deep snow and loose gravel, to help maintain vehicle motion at lower speeds. See Enhanced Traction System (ETS) on page 4-9. If you do not have ETS, 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. 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. This system 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