Braking
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That is perception time. Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That is reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a second. But that
is only an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in 3/4 of a second, a vehicle moving
at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That
could be a lot of distance in an emergency, so keeping
enough space between your vehicle and others is
important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it is pavement
or gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of
the vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts — heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking — rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you are driving, brake
normally but do not pump your brakes. If you do,
the pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist.
But you will use it when you brake. Once the power
assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Anti-lock Brake System
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes. ABS is an advanced
electronic braking system that will help prevent a
braking skid.
When you start your engine and begin to drive away,
your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You
may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on. This is normal.
If there is a problem with
the anti-lock brake system,
this warning light will
stay on. See Anti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light on page 3-29.
4-6
Summary of Contents for Chevrolet SSR 2003
Page 5: ...These are some examples of symbols that may be found on the vehicle v...
Page 6: ...NOTES vi...
Page 60: ...NOTES 1 54...
Page 106: ...Instrument Panel Overview 3 2...
Page 186: ...NOTES 3 82...
Page 236: ...NOTES 4 50...
Page 248: ...Engine Compartment Overview When you open the hood on the engine you ll see 5 12...
Page 328: ...NOTES 5 92...
Page 346: ...Maintenance Record cont d Date Odometer Reading Serviced By Maintenance Record 6 18...
Page 347: ...Maintenance Record cont d Date Odometer Reading Serviced By Maintenance Record 6 19...
Page 348: ...Maintenance Record cont d Date Odometer Reading Serviced By Maintenance Record 6 20...
