Chevrolet Spark Owners Manual: Braking

Chevrolet Spark Owners Manual / Driving and Operating / Driving Information / Braking

Braking action involves perception time and reaction time. Deciding to push the brake pedal is perception time. Actually doing it is reaction time.

Average driver reaction time is about three-quarters of a second. In that time, a vehicle moving at 100 km/h (60 mph) travels 20m (66 ft), which could be a lot of distance in an emergency.

Helpful braking tips to keep in mind include:

Keep enough distance between you and the vehicle in front of you.
Avoid needless heavy braking.
Keep pace with traffic.

If the engine ever stops while the vehicle is being driven, brake normally but do not pump the brakes. Doing so could make the pedal harder to push down. If the engine stops, there will be some power brake assist but it will be used when the brake is applied.

Once the power assist is used up, it can take longer to stop and the brake pedal will be harder to push.

Drunk Driving

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Steering

Electric Power Steering The vehicle has electric power steering. It does not have power steering fluid. Regular maintenance is not required. If power steering assist is lost due to a system malfun ...

Other materials:

Airbag System
The vehicle has the following airbags: A frontal airbag for the driver. A frontal airbag for the front outboard passenger. A knee airbag for the driver. A knee airbag for the front outboard passenger A seat-mounted side impact airbag for the driver. A seat-mounted side impact airbag fo ...

Tire Pressure Monitor
This vehicle may have a Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS). The low tire pressure warning light alerts to a significant loss in pressure of one of the vehicle's tires. If the warning light comes on, stop as soon as possible and inflate the tires to the recommended pressure shown on the T ...

Buying New Tires
GM has developed and matched specific tires for the vehicle. The original equipment tires installed were designed to meet General Motors Tire Performance Criteria Specification (TPC Spec) system rating. When replacement tires are needed, GM strongly recommends buying tires with the same TPC Sp ...