Cadillac 2005 SRX, Owner'S Manual

Page: 275 / 442

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.
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.
See Stabilitrak
®
System on page 4-10 and Rocking
Your Vehicle to Get It Out on page 4-44. Also see
“Winter Tires” under Tires on page 5-52.
Your anti-lock brakes improve your vehicle’s stability
when you make a hard stop on a slippery road.
Even though you have an anti-lock braking system,
you will want to begin stopping sooner than you would
on dry pavement. See Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS) on page 4-7.
•
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 may appear
in shaded areas where the sun cannot reach:
around clumps of trees, behind buildings, or under
bridges. Sometimes the surface of a curve or
an overpass may 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.
4-41