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:
Engine Oil Life System
The engine oil life system calculates engine oil life based on vehicle use and
displays %CHANGE DIC message when it
is necessary to change the engine oil and filter.
The oil life system should be reset to 100% only following an oil change.
Resetting the Oil Life System
Display %on the DI ...
Instrument Panel, Leather, Vinyl, Other Plastic Surfaces, Low Gloss Paint Surfaces
and Natural Open Pore Wood Surfaces
Use a soft microfiber cloth dampened with water to remove dust and loose dirt.
For a more thorough cleaning, use a soft microfiber cloth dampened with a mild soap
solution.
Caution
Soaking or saturating leather, especially perforated leather,
as well as other interior surfaces, may cause per ...
Reclining Seatbacks
Warning
If either seatback is not locked, it could move forward in a sudden
stop or crash. That could cause injury to the person sitting there.
Always push and pull on the seatbacks to be sure they are locked.
To recline the seatback:
Lift the lever.
Move the seatback to the desired p ...
