2008 Saturn SKY Owner's Manual - Page 185

Whatever the condition - smooth ice, packed, blowing, or loose snow - drive with caution. Traction control improves your ability to accelerate when driving on a slippery road. Even if your vehicle has the Traction Control System (TCS), slow down and adjust your driving to the road conditions. Under certain conditions, you might want to turn the TCS off, such as when driving through deep snow and loose gravel, to help maintain vehicle motion at lower speeds or if your vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow. See Traction Control System (TCS) on page 4-6, Electronic Stability Control (ESC) on page 4-8, If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow on page 4-22, and Winter Tires on page 5-51. 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. The Antilock Brake System (ABS) improves your vehicle's stability when you make a hard stop on a slippery road. Even though you have ABS, begin stopping sooner than you would on dry pavement. See Antilock Brake System (ABS) on page 4-4. If the ABS is ever disabled, 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. • 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 can appear in shaded areas where the sun cannot reach, such as around clumps of trees, behind buildings, or under bridges. Sometimes the surface of a curve or an overpass can 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. 4-19