2006 KIA Sorento ESP

Traveling to Remote Areas
It makes sense to plan your trip,
especially when going to a remote
area. Know the terrain and plan your
route. You are much less likely to
encounter unwanted surprises. Get
accurate maps of trails.
It’s also a good idea to travel with at
least one other vehicle. If something
happens to one of them, the other
can quickly help.Getting Familiar with Off-Road
Driving
It’s necessary for you to practice in an
area that’s safe and close to home
before you begin serious off-road
driving. Off-road driving requires new
and different driving skills.
You need to tune your senses to dif-
ferent kinds of signals. For example,
constantly sweep the terrain with
your eyes looking for unexpected
obstacles. Listen for unusual tire,
gear, or engine sounds. Feel and
respond to the vibrations of the vehi-
cle with your hands, feet, and body
while still carefully controlling your
vehicle. You’ll also need to adjust your
expectations and greatly lower the
number of miles you expect to cover
in an hour or a day.Controlling your vehicle is the key to
successful off-road driving. One of
the best ways to control your vehicle
is to control your speed. Here are
some things to keep in mind when
traveling at higher speeds:
 You approach things faster and you
have less time to scan the terrain
for obstacles.
 You have less time to react.
 You have much more vehicle
bounce when you drive over obsta-
cles, giving you less vehicle control.
 You’ll need more distance for brak-
ing, especially since you’re on an
unpaved surface. Such terrain will
always be more “slippery” than a
paved road.DRIVING TIPS5-18
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When you drive over bumps, rocks,
or other obstacles, your wheels can
leave the ground. If this happens,
even with one or two wheels, you
can’t control the vehicle as well or
perhaps at all. Because you will be on
an unpaved surface, it’s especially
important to avoid sudden accelera-
tion, sudden turns, or sudden brak-
ing. Any of these actions could cause
the center of gravity of the vehicle to
shift and destabilize the vehicle, lead-
ing to a collision or rollover accident.
Off-road driving requires a different
kind of alertness from driving on
paved roads and highways. There are
no road signs, posted speed limits or
signal lights. You have to use your
own judgment about what is safe and
what isn’t. Bad judgment in this
uncontrolled environment can be
fatal.Driving on Off-Road Hills
Off-road driving often takes you up,
down, or across a hill. Driving safely
on hills requires excellent judgment
and an understanding of what your
vehicle can and can’t do. There are
some hills that simply should not be
driven.DRIVING TIPS5-20
WARNING- Drinking & Driving
Drinking and driving, or drug
use and driving can be very
dangerous on any road. This
certainly remains true for off-
road driving. At the very time
you need special alertness and
driving skills, your reflexes, per-
ceptions and judgement can be
affected by even a small amount
of alcohol or drugs. You could
have a serious - or even fatal -
accident if you drink or take
drugs and drive or ride with a
driver who has been drinking or
taking drugs.
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Trailer brakes
If your trailer weighs more than 750
kg (1,650 pounds) loaded, then it
needs its own brakes – and they must
be adequate. Be sure to read and fol-
low the instructions for the trailer
brakes so you’ll be able to install,
adjust and maintain them properly.
 Don’t tap into your vehicle’s brake
system.
 Do not use a trailer with its own
brakes unless you are absolutely
certain that you have properly set
up the brake system. This is not a
task for amateurs. Use an experi-
enced, competent trailer shop for
this work.Driving with a trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount of experience. Before setting
out for the open road, you must get to
know your trailer. Acquaint yourself
with the feel of handling and braking
with the added weight of the trailer.
And always keep in mind that the
vehicle you are driving is now a good
deal longer and not nearly so respon-
sive as your vehicle is by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer
hitch and platform, safety chains,
electrical connector(s), lights, tires
and mirror adjustment. If the trailer
has electric brakes, start your vehicle
and trailer moving and then apply the
trailer brake controller by hand to be
sure the brakes are working. This lets
you check your electrical connection
at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally
to be sure that the load is secure, and
that the lights and any trailer brakes
are still working.Following distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the
vehicle ahead as you would when
driving your vehicle without a trailer.
This can help you avoid situations
that require heavy braking and sud-
den turns.
Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up
ahead when you’re towing a trailer.
And, because you’re a good deal
longer, you’ll need to go much farther
beyond the passed vehicle before
you can return to your lane.DRIVING TIPS5-38
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MAINTENANCE SERVICESYou should exercise the utmost care
to prevent both damage to your vehi-
cle and injury to yourself whenever
performing any maintenance or
inspection procedures.
Should you have any doubts con-
cerning the inspection or servicing of
your vehicle, we strongly recommend
that you have an authorized Kia
Dealer perform this work.
An authorized Kia dealer has factory-
trained technicians and genuine Kia
parts to service your vehicle properly.
For expert advice and quality service,
see an authorized Kia dealer.
Inadequate, incomplete or insufficient
servicing may result in operational
problems with your vehicle that could
lead to vehicle damage, an accident,
or personal injury.Owner’s Responsibility
You should retain documents that
show proper maintenance has been
performed on your vehicle in accor-
dance with the scheduled mainte-
nance service charts shown on the
following pages. You need this infor-
mation to establish your compliance
with the servicing and maintenance
requirements of your Kia warranties.Detailed warranty information is pro-
vided in your Warranty and
Consumer Information Manual.
Repairs and adjustments required as
a result of improper maintenance or a
lack of required maintenance are not
covered.
We strongly recommend that all vehi-
cle maintenance be performed by an
authorized Kia dealer using genuine
Kia parts.MAINTENANCE7-2
✽ ✽
NOTICEMaintenance Service and Record
Retention are the owner’s responsi-
bility.
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TIRES AND WHEELSTire Care
For proper maintenance, safety, and
maximum fuel economy, you must
always maintain the recommended
tire inflation pressures and stay with-
in the load limits and weight distribu-
tion recommended for your vehicle.
Inflation Pressures
All tire pressures (including the
spare) should be checked monthly
when the tires are cold.“Cold Tires”
means the vehicle has not been driv-
en for at least three hours or driven
less than one mile (1.6 km).
Recommended pressures must be
maintained for optimum vehicle han-
dling, and minimum tire wear.
The front and rear tires should be 30
psi (2.1 kg/cm²). The full-size spare
should be inflated to 30 psi (2.1
kg/cm²).MAINTENANCE7-26
S2BLD502A
WARNING
Severe underinflation (10 psi or
more) can lead to severe heat
build-up, especially on hot days
and when driving at high speed.
This can potentially cause tread
separation and other tire irregu-
larities to appear that can result
in the loss of vehicle control
leading to severe injury or
death.
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Tire Size Designation
A tire’s sidewall is marked with a tire
size designation. You will need this
information when selecting replace-
ment tires for your car. The following
explains what the letters and num-
bers
in the tire size designation mean.
Example tire size designation:
P245/70R16 106H (these numbers
are provided as an example only;
your tire size designator could vary
depending on your vehicle.)
P– Applicable vehicle type (tires
marked with the prefix “P’’are
intended for use on passenger
cars or light trucks; however, not
all tires have this marking).
245– Tire width in millimeters.
70 – Aspect ratio. The tire’s section
height as a percentage of its
width.
R – Tire construction code (Radial).
16– Rim diameter in inches.106– Load Index, a numerical code
associated with the maximum
load the tire can carry.
H– Speed Rating Symbol. See the
speed rating chart in this section
for additional information.
Wheel Size Designation
Wheels are also marked with impor-
tant information that you need if you
ever have to replace one. The follow-
ing explains what the letters and
numbers in the wheel size designa-
tion mean.
Example wheel size designation:
7.0JJ x 16
7.0– Rim width in inches.
J– Rim contour designation.
16– Rim diameter in inches.Tire Speed Ratings
The chart below shows many of the
different speed ratings currently
being used for passenger car and
light truck tires. The speed rating
symbol is part of the tire size desig-
nation on the sidewall of the tire. This
symbol corresponds to that tire’s
designed maximum safe operating
speed.MAINTENANCE7-30
S 180 km/h (112 mph)
T 190 km/h (118 mph)
H 210 km/h (130 mph)
V 240 km/h (149 mph)
Z Above 240 km/h (149 mph)
Maximum Speed Speed
Rating
Symbol
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Uniform Tire Quality Grading
The following information relates to
the tire grading system developed by
the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) for grading tires
by tread wear, traction and tempera-
ture performance.Tread Wear
The tread wear grade is a compara-
tive rating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified government
test course. For example, a tire grad-
ed 150 would wear one-and-a-half
times as well on the government
course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires
depends upon the actual conditions
of their use. However, performance
may differ from the norm because of
variations in driving habits, service
practices and differences in road
characteristics and climate.
These grades are molded on the
side-walls of passenger vehicle tires.
The tires available as standard or
optional equipment on Kia vehicles
may vary with respect to grade.Traction – A, B & C
The traction grades, from highest to
lowest, are A, B and C. The grades
represent the tire’s ability to stop on
wet pavement as measured under
controlled conditions on specified
government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete. A tire marked C may
have poor traction performance.
Temperature – A, B & C
The temperature grades are A (the
highest),
B and C. The grades represent the
tire’s resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled condi-
tions on a specified laboratory test
wheel. Sustained high temperature
can cause the material of the tire to
degenerate and reduce tire life, and
excessive temperature can lead to
sudden tire failure. Grades A and B
represent higher levels of perform-
ance on the laboratory test wheel
than the minimum required by the
law.
MAINTENANCE
7-31
S2BLD306 Tread wear XXX Traction X
Temperature X
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Recommended SAE Viscosity
Number
Engine oil viscosity (thickness) has
an effect on fuel economy and cold
weather operating (starting and oil
flow). Lower viscosity engine oils can
provide better fuel economy and cold
weather performance, however, high-
er viscosity engine oils are required
for satisfactory lubrication in hot
weather. Using oils of any viscosity
other than those recommended could
result in engine damage.MAINTENANCE7-42✽ ✽
NOTICEAlways be sure to clean the area
around any filler plug, drain plug,
or dipstick before checking or
draining any lubricant. This is
especially important in dusty or
sandy areas and when the vehicle is
used on unpaved roads. Cleaning
the plug and dipstick areas will pre-
vent dirt and grit from entering the
engine and other mechanisms that
could be damaged.
When choosing an oil, consider the range of temperature your vehicle will be
operated in before the next oil change. Proceed to select the recommended
oil viscosity from the chart.
Temperature Range for SAE Viscosity Numbers
Temperature
Gasoline
Engine Oil °C
(°F)
-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50
-10 0 20 40 60 80 100 120
10W-30
5W-20, 5W-30
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