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

Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is a global tragedy. Warning Drinking and then driving is very dangerous. Your reflexes, perceptions, attentiveness, and judgment can be affec ...

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 ...

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Tire Rotation
Tires should be rotated every 12 000 km (7,500 mi). The first rotation is the most important. See Maintenance Schedule on page 11-3. Tires are rotated to achieve a more uniform wear for all tires. Anytime unusual wear is noticed, rotate the tires as soon as possible, check for proper tire inf ...

Ignition Positions
The ignition switch has four different positions. The uplevel key must be fully extended to start the vehicle. To shift out of P (Park), the ignition must be in ON/RUN and the regular brake pedal applied. 1 (STOPPING THE ENGINE/LOCK/ OFF): When the vehicle is stopped, turn the ignition sw ...

Charging System Light
This light will come on briefly when the ignition is turned on, and the engine is not running, as a check to show it is working. It should go out when the engine is started. If it stays on, or comes on while driving, there may be a problem with the electrical charging system. Have it checked ...