2008 Pontiac Solstice Owner's Manual - Page 186

Driving on Snow or Ice Most of the time, those places where the tires meet the road probably have good traction. However, if there is snow or ice between the tires and the road, you can have a very slippery situation. You have a lot less traction, or grip, and need to be very careful. What is the worst time for this? Wet ice. Very cold snow or ice can be slick and hard to drive on. But wet ice can be even more trouble because it can offer the least traction of all. You can get wet ice when it is about 4-20 freezing, 32°F (0°C), and freezing rain begins to fall. Try to avoid driving on wet ice until salt and sand crews can get there. Whatever the condition - smooth ice, packed, blowing, or loose snow - drive with caution. Traction control improves your ability to accelerate when driving on a slippery road. Even if your vehicle has the Traction Control System (TCS), slow down and adjust your driving to the road conditions. Under certain conditions, you might want to turn the TCS off, such as when driving through deep snow and loose gravel, to help maintain vehicle motion at lower speeds or if your vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow. See Traction Control System (TCS) on page 4-6, Electronic Stability Control (ESC) on page 4-9, If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow on page 4-23, and Winter Tires on page 5-52. Accelerate gently. Try not to break the fragile traction. If you accelerate too fast, the drive wheels will spin and polish the surface under the tires even more. Unless you have the Antilock Brake System (ABS), you will want to brake very gently, too. If you do have ABS, see Antilock Brake System (ABS) on page 4-4. ABS improves your vehicle's stability when you make a hard stop on a slippery road. Whether your vehicle has ABS or not, begin stopping sooner than you would on dry pavement. Without ABS, if you feel your vehicle begin to slide, let up on the brakes a little. Push the brake pedal down steadily to get the most traction you can.