2003 VOLVO XC90
Weight distribution affects handling
At the specified curb weight your vehicle has a tendency to understeer, \
which means that the steering
wheel has to be turned more than might seem appropriate for the curvatur\
e of a bend. This ensures good
stability and reduces the risk of rear wheel skid. Remember that these p\
roperties can alter with the
vehicle load. The heavier the load in the cargo area, the less the tende\
ncy to understeer.
WARNING!
Driving with the tailgate open: Driving with the tailgate open could lead to poisonous exhaust gases
entering the passenger compartment. If the tailgate must be kept open fo\
r any reason, proceed as
follows
- Close the windows
- Set the ventilation system control to air flow to floor, windshield an\
d side windows and blower
control to its highest setting.
CAUTION
Drive slowly and carefully if going through standing water (i.e. floode\
d roadways, etc.). Damage to
the engine could result if excess water is drawn in through the air inta\
ke system. Never drive the
vehicle in water deeper than 18 inches (48 cm).
pg. 90 Starting and driving
General information (contd)
Handling, roadholding
Vehicle load, tire design and inflation pressure all affect vehicle hand\
ling. Therefore, check that the tires
are inflated to the recommended pressure according to the vehicle load. \
See "Tire pressure" section.
Loads should be distributed so that capacity weight or maximum permissib\
le axle loads are not exceeded.
Driving on rough/unpaved surfaces
The Volvo XC90 is designed primarily for onroad driving, and it has exce\
llent handling characteristics
on very rough or unpaved roads.
When driving on poorly maintained or unpaved roads, please keep the foll\
owing in mind:
l Reduce speed on rough surfaces to minimize possible damage to the vehicl\
e's underbody.
l When driving on soft surfaces such as dry sand or snow, try to avoid sto\
pping if at all possible.
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2003 VOLVO XC90
to spin, an electronically controlled coupling distributes power to the \
wheels that have the best traction.
Tire dimensions
Volvo recommends that you always drive on tires of the same brand, size,\
construction (radial), tread
pattern, load-, speed-, traction-, temperature-, and treadwear rating. N\
ever drive on mixed tires, except
for brief periods when the temporary spare tire is in use. Always use pr\
operly inflated tires of correct
dimensions. Tire size and inflation pressures are shown on the tire pres\
sure label located inside the fuel
filler door.
Tire Rotation
Volvo recommends rotating the tires every 7,500 miles (12,000 km). Tir\
es should be rotated front-to-
back/back-to-front only. Tires must maintain the same direction of rotat\
ion throughout their lifetime, and
should never be rotated from one side of the vehicle to the other.
Temporary Spare
The temporary spare tire is for temporary, lowspeed, short-distance use \
only. Replace it with a full-sized
tire as soon as possible, in accordance with "Tire Rotation" in the prev\
ious paragraph. Do not drive on
the temporary spare at speeds above 50 m.p.h. (80km/h) or for distance\
s greater than 50 miles (80 km).
Never install snow chains on a temporary spare.
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