Chevrolet Spark Owners Manual: Driving on Wet Roads
Rain and wet roads can reduce vehicle traction and affect your ability to stop and accelerate.
Always drive slower in these types of driving conditions and avoid driving through large puddles and deep-standing or flowing water.
Warning
Wet brakes can cause crashes.
They might not work as well in a quick stop and could cause pulling to one side. You could lose control of the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle of water or a car/vehicle wash, lightly apply the brake pedal until the brakes work normally.
Flowing or rushing water creates strong forces. Driving through flowing water could cause the vehicle to be carried away. If this happens, you and other vehicle occupants could drown. Do not ignore police warnings and be very cautious about trying to drive through flowing water.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. Water can build up under the vehicle's tires so they actually ride on the water. This can happen if the road is wet enough and you are going fast enough. When the vehicle is hydroplaning, it has little or no contact with the road.
There is no hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. The best advice is to slow down when the road is wet.
Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, other wet weather driving tips include:
- Allow extra following distance.
- Pass with caution.
- Keep windshield wiping equipment in good shape.
- Keep the windshield washer fluid reservoir filled.
- Have good tires with proper tread depth. See Tires on page 10-36.
- Turn off cruise control.
Loss of Control
Skidding
There are three types of skids that correspond to the vehicle's three control
systems:
Braking Skid - wheels are not rolling.
Steering or Cornering Skid - too much speed or steer ...
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or through mountains is different than driving on flat
or rolling terrain. Tips for driving in these conditions include:
Keep the vehicle serviced and in good shape.
Che ...
Other materials:
Checking Coolant
The vehicle must be on a level surface when checking the coolant level.
It is normal to see coolant moving in the upper coolant hose return line when
the engine is running.
Check to see if coolant is visible in the coolant surge tank. If the coolant
inside the coolant surge tank is boiling, do ...
Tire Pressure
Tires need the correct amount of air pressure to operate effectively.
Caution
Neither tire underinflation nor overinflation is good.
Underinflated tires, or tires that do not have enough air, can result in:
Tire overloading and overheating which could lead to a blowout.
Premature or irregul ...
Brakes
Disc brake pads have built-in wear indicators that make a high-pitched warning
sound when the brake pads are worn and new pads are needed.
The sound can come and go or be heard all the time when the vehicle is moving,
except when applying the brake pedal firmly.
Warning
The brake wear warning ...
