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DRIVING TIPS
306Avoid jerky starts or sudden acceleration.
Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns. The trailer could hit
your vehicle in a tight turn. Slow down before making a turn
to avoid the need of sudden braking.
Remember that when making a turn, the trailer wheels will
be closer than the vehicle wheels to the inside of the turn.
Therefore, compensate for this by making a larger than
normal turning radius with your vehicle.
Crosswinds and rough roads will adversely affect handling
of your vehicle and trailer, causing sway. Pay attention to
the rear from time to time to prepare yourself for being
passed by large trucks or buses, which may cause your
vehicle and trailer to sway. If swaying happens, firmly grip
the steering wheel and reduce speed immediately but
gradually. Never increase speed. If it is necessary to
reduce speed, brake slowly. Steer straight ahead. If you
make no extreme correction with the steering or brakes,
your vehicle and trailer will stabilize.
Be careful when passing other vehicles. Passing requires
considerable distance. After passing a vehicle, do not forget
the length of your trailer and be sure you have plenty of room
before changing lanes.
In order to maintain efficient engine braking and electrical
charging performance, do not use overdrive.Because of the added load of the trailer, your vehicle's
engine may overheat on hot days (at temperatures over
30C [85F]) when going up a long or steep grade with a
trailer. If the engine coolant temperature gauge indicates
overheating, immediately turn off the air conditioning (if in
use), pull your vehicle off the road and stop in a safe spot.
See If your vehicle overheatsº on page 321.
Always place wheel blocks under both the vehicle and trailer
wheels when parking. Apply the parking brake firmly. Put
the transmission in Pº. Avoid parking on a slope with a
trailer, but if it cannot be avoided, do so only after performing
the following:
1. Apply the brakes and keep them applied.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks under both the vehicle
and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place, release your brakes
slowly until the blocks absorb the load.
4. Apply the parking brake firmly.
5. Shift into Pº and turn off the engine.
When restarting out after parking on a slope:
1. With the transmission in Pº position, start the engine. Be
sure to keep the brake pedal depressed.
2. Shift into the 3º, 2º, Lº or Rº position.
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DRIVING TIPS
307 3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal and slowly pull
or back away from the wheel blocks. Stop and apply your
brakes.
4. Have someone retrieve the blocks.
CAUTION
Do not exceed 72 km/h (45 mph) or the posted towing
speed limit, whichever is lower. Because instability
(swaying) of a towing vehicle-trailer combination
usually increases as the speed increases, exceeding
72 km/h (45 mph) may cause loss of control.
Slow down and downshift before descending steep
or long downhill grades. Do not make sudden
downshifts.
Avoid holding the brake pedal down too long or too
frequently. This could cause the brakes to overheat
and result in reduced braking efficiency.
HOW TO SAVE FUEL AND MAKE
YOUR VEHICLE LAST LONGER
Improving fuel economy is easy Ð just take it easy. It will help
make your vehicle last longer, too. Here are some specific tips
on how to save money on both fuel and repairs:
Keep your tires inflated at the correct pressure. Check
the pressure every two weeks, or at least once a month.
Underinflation causes tire wear and wastes fuel.
Do not carry unneeded weight in your vehicle. Excess
weight puts a heavier load on the engine, causing greater
fuel consumption.
Avoid lengthy warm-up idling. Once the engine is
running smoothly, begin driving Ð but gently. Remember,
however, that on cold winter days this may take a little
longer.
Always drive with the automatic transmission selector
lever in the Dº position when engine braking is not
required. Driving with the overdrive off will reduce the fuel
economy. (For details, see Automatic transmissionº on
page 272.)
Accelerate slowly and smoothly. Avoid jackrabbit starts.
Avoid long engine idling. If you have a long wait and you
are not in traffic, it is better to turn off the engine and start
again later.
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DRIVING TIPS
308Avoid engine over-revving. Use a gear position suitable
for the road on which you are traveling.
Avoid continuous speeding up and slowing down.
Stop-and-go driving wastes fuel.
Avoid unnecessary stopping and braking. Maintain a
steady pace. Try to time the traffic signals so you only need
to stop as little as possible or take advantage of through
streets to avoid traffic lights. Keep a proper distance from
other vehicles to avoid sudden braking. This will also
reduce wear on your brakes.
Avoid heavy traffic or traffic jams whenever possible.
Do not rest your foot on the brake pedal. This causes
premature wear, overheating and poor fuel economy.
Maintain a moderate speed on highways. The faster you
drive, the greater the fuel consumption. By reducing your
speed, you will cut down on fuel consumption.
Keep the front wheels in proper alignment. Avoid hitting
the curb and slow down on rough roads. Improper
alignment not only causes faster tire wear but also puts an
extra load on the engine, which, in turn, wastes fuel.
Keep the bottom of your vehicle free from mud etc. This
not only lessens weight but also helps prevent corrosion.Keep your vehicle tuned-up and in top shape. A dirty air
cleaner, improper valve clearance, dirty plugs, dirty oil and
grease, brakes not adjusted, etc. all lower engine
performance and contribute to poor fuel economy. For
longer life of all parts and lower operating costs, keep all
maintenance work on schedule, and if you often drive under
severe conditions, see that your vehicle receives more
frequent maintenance. (For scheduled maintenance
information, please refer to the Owner's Manual
Supplement/Scheduled Maintenanceº.)
CAUTION
Never turn off the engine to coast down hills. Your
power steering and brake booster will not function
without the engine running. Also, the emission control
system operates properly only when the engine is
running.
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IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
322
IF YOU HAVE A FLAT TIRE
1. Reduce your speed gradually, keeping a straight
line. Move cautiously off the road to a safe place
Ð well away from the traffic. Avoid stopping on the
center divider of a highway. Park on a level spot with
firm ground.
2. Stop the engine and turn on your emergency
flashers.
3. F i r m l y s e t t h e p a r k i n g b r a k e a n d p u t t h e
transmission in Pº.
4. Have everyone get out of the vehicle on the side
away from traffic.
5. Read the following instructions thoroughly.
CAUTION
When jacking, be sure to observe the following
to reduce the possibility of personal injury:
Follow jacking instructions.
Do not put any part of your body under a
vehicle supported by a jack. Otherwise,
personal injury may occur.
Do not start or run the engine while your
vehicle is supported by the jack.
Stop the vehicle on a level firm ground, firmly
set the parking brake and put the
transmission in Pº. Block the wheel
diagonally opposite to the one being changed
if necessary.
Make sure to set the jack properly in the jack
point. Raising the vehicle with jack
improperly positioned will damage the vehicle
or may allow the vehicle to fall off the jack
and cause personal injury.
Never get under the vehicle when the vehicle
is supported by the jack alone.
Use the jack only for lifting your vehicle
during wheel changing.
Do not raise the vehicle with someone in the
vehicle.
When raising the vehicle, do not place any
objects on top of or underneath the jack.
Raise the vehicle only high enough to remove
and change the tire.
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IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
323
NOTICE
Do not continue driving with a deflated tire.
Driving even a short distance can damage a tire
and wheel beyond repair.
1. Lift up the deck board and hang the deck board
hook on the right hinge of the trunk lid.
Make sure the board does not fall down.
When closing the board, replace the hook in its
original position.1 Spare tire 2 Jack handle 3 Wrench
4 Jack 5 Towing eyelet
2. Get the jack, wrench and spare tire.
To prepare yourself for an emergency, you should
familiarize yourself with the use of the jack and each
tool, and their storage locations. The jack handle and
wrench are attached at the reverse side of the cover.
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IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
324
1 Joint
2When removing the jack, turn the joint by hand
in the contractº direction until the jack is free.
3When storing, turn the joint by hand in the
expandº direction until the jack is firmly secured
to prevent it from flying forward during a collision
or sudden braking.
To remove the spare tire:
1Remove the spare tire cover.
2Loosen the bolt and remove it.
When storing the spare tire, place it with the inner
side of the wheel facing up. Then bolt the tire in place
and install the spare tire cover to prevent the tire from
flying forward during a collision or sudden braking.
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IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
325
3. Block the wheel diagonally opposite the flat tire
to keep the vehicle from rolling when it is jacked
up.
When blocking the wheel, place a wheel block in front
of one of the front wheels or behind one of the rear
wheels.4. Loosen all the wheel nuts.
Always loosen the wheel nuts before raising the
vehicle.
Turn the wheel nuts counterclockwise to loosen them.
To get maximum leverage, fit the wrench to the nut
so that the handle is on the right side, as shown
above. Grab the wrench near the end of the handle
and pull up on the handle. Be careful that the wrench
does not slip off the nut.
Do not remove the nuts yet Ð just unscrew them
about one-half turn.
CAUTION
Never use oil or grease on the bolts or nuts.
The nuts may loose and the wheels may fall off,
which could cause a serious accident.
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IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
327
7. Remove the wheel nuts and remove the flat tire.
Lift the flat tire straight off and put it aside.Before putting on the wheel, remove any corrosion
on the mounting surfaces with a wire brush or such.
Installation of wheels without good metal-to-metal
contact at the mounting surface can cause wheel nuts
to loosen and eventually cause a wheel to come off
while driving.