Buick Winter Driving

State-of-the-art built-in technologies that help tackle winter driving

You know what you can do to help make winter driving safer: put on winter tires, check road conditions, slow down, etc. But you’re not all alone out there in the ice and snow. Today’s Buicks have impressive, built-in features to help you tackle winter driving conditions. Our accident-avoidance technologies include sensors – that continually assess surface, wheel and engine conditions you may not even be aware of – and systems that address the problems automatically. Operating like your vehicle’s brain, they analyze, interpret and act on input.

Currently available on the 2013 Verano and Enclave, the Rear Cross Traffic Alert system makes backing out of tight parking spaces easier and keeps you safe when you’re reversing onto roadways.

When backing out of a parking spot or driveway, knowing what is coming behind you is extremely important. A car speeding by can quickly fill the empty space behind you; this is where the Rear Cross Traffic Alert can be the difference between a close call and a collision. When it detects a vehicle approaching, an audio signal is activated to alert you to the potential threat. Cameras placed at the rear of your vehicle and two sensors on your rear bumper work together to act as an extra set of eyes.

Available on 2013 Verano, LaCrosse and Enclave, Side Blind Zone Alert uses radar technology to detect vehicles that may be out of your field of vision. You’ll be alerted to the presence of another vehicles in your blind spot with a visual indication in your exterior rear-view mirrors.

Though not a substitute for checking your blind spots, this feature minimizes the time your eyes are diverted away from the road and gives you twice the assurance that your path is clear.

The All-Wheel Drive (AWD) system on your Buick helps you confidently negotiate winter road surfaces and other surfaces – like gravel, grass or broken pavement – that might cause wheel slippage.

You don’t have to do anything – the AWD system is automatic, based on surface conditions and other factors such as wheel speed and throttle position. In normal conditions, the AWD system sends most of its torque (power) to the wheels with the most grip. However, when it detects wheel slippage, the system automatically adjusts torque distribution to each wheel, to maximize the available grip. The result? Again, increased control and confidence in winter driving conditions, automatically.

Have you ever started to drift across highway lanes and panicked as you realized you were steering in one direction but moving in another?

StabiliTrak^® is all about direction – keeping your vehicle in the direction you want to take when driving conditions are difficult. StabiliTrak^® compares your steering input with the direction your vehicle is actually taking. It intervenes automatically whenever it detects any of the following:

• A loss of lateral traction (sideslip)
• Understeer (plowing)
• Oversteer (fishtailing)

If StabiliTrak^® detects a difference between your steering input and where you’re headed, it applies brake pressure to the appropriate wheel, helping direct your vehicle back to the path you’re steering. If necessary, it may also reduce engine torque to help get you back on track. StabiliTrak^® is standard on all Buick vehicles.

And it works: electronic stability control systems like StabiliTrak^® have been proven to reduce the risk of a fatal single-vehicle crash by 36 percent in cars.*

Traction Control engages when you’re accelerating from a stop on slippery surfaces such as wet or icy roads.

Using sensors to monitor your wheels’ rotational speed, the Traction Control system can tell if one or more of your wheels is slipping and has lost traction. If one wheel is spinning more quickly than the others, the system applies hydraulic pressure to the brake and shifts power to the wheel(s) that has the best traction. The traction control system may also reduce engine power to help lessen any wheel spin. While Traction Control helps prevent wheel spin, it isn’t designed to keep you from getting stuck in the snow. Traction Control helps you “get a grip” and start without slipping, and is standard on all Buick vehicles.

Available on most Buick vehicles, Intelligent Brake Assist activates when your vehicle detects that you’re making an emergency braking manoeuvre – such as suddenly taking your foot off the gas. The system automatically develops additional brake pressure in order to more quickly engage your anti-lock braking system.

Panic Brake Assist speeds up the application of brake pressure. It helps reduce the overall stopping distance by reducing the delay that can happen if you don’t brake hard enough and/or soon enough, and providing more control in helping to avoid a crash. In winter driving conditions, that’s a serious advantage.

Standard on all Buick vehicles, your four-wheel anti-lock brake system (ABS) is designed to help you maintain steering control under extreme braking conditions, even on mostly slippery surfaces. Here’s how it works:

• A wheel sensor indicates that a wheel is decelerating so rapidly that lock-up may occur.
• The Electro-Hydraulic Control Unit is activated.
• The control unit adjusts brake pressure in the appropriate brake line.
• If necessary, the control unit will release and reapply the pressure to help prevent wheel lock-up.

The great thing about ABS is that it’s automatic – the system activates whenever it senses that wheel lock-up is about to occur, and you don’t have to do anything to make it start. During ABS activation, you’ll feel a slight pulsation through the brake pedal. Don’t pump the brakes! Just maintain constant pressure on the brake pedal as you slow down. If you’re new to ABS, you might want to try it out in a snow-covered parking lot or on another slick surface in an isolated area. It helps to get used to the pulsing and shuddering sensation you may experience. And remember – don’t pump the brakes.

With ABS, extreme braking conditions don’t result in out-of-control steering – your vehicle’s ABS system helps you come to a stop and maintain steering control, giving you confidence on slippery surfaces.

The technical innovation in the automatic systems that operate in your vehicle helps give you control in winter driving situations – from countering slippery surfaces to helping you avoid accidents. It’s a shot of confidence to know that constant monitoring is helping to keep you on the road and safe.

^{*According to information published by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, July 2007.}