2006 KIA Sportage Owner's Manual

537
Driving tips
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
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 trail-
er. 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.Backing up
Hold the bottom of the steering
wheel with one hand. Then, to move
the trailer to the left, just move your
hand to the left. To move the trailer to
the right, move your hand to the
right. Always back up slowly and, if
possible, have someone guide you.
Making turns
When you’re turning with a trailer,
make wider turns than normal. Do
this so your trailer won’t strike soft
shoulders, curbs, road signs, trees,
or other objects. Avoid jerky or sud-
den maneuvers. Signal well in
advance.Turn signals when towing a trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle
has to have a different turn signal
flasher and extra wiring. The green
arrows on your instrument panel will
flash whenever you signal a turn or
lane change. Properly connected,
the trailer lights will also flash to alert
other drivers you’re about to turn,
change lanes, or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green
arrows on your instrument panel will
flash for turns even if the bulbs on
the trailer are burned out. Thus, you
may think drivers behind you are
seeing your signals when, in fact,
they are not. It’s important to check
occasionally to be sure the trailer
bulbs are still working. You must also
check the lights every time you dis-
connect and then reconnect the
wires.
KM CAN (ENG) 5 new.qxd 7/29/05 9:38 AM Page 37

Driving tips38
5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Do not connect a trailer lighting sys-
tem directly to your vehicle’s lighting
system. Use only an approved trailer
wiring harness.
Your Authorized Kia Dealer can
assist you in installing the wiring har-
ness. Driving on grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower
gear before you start down a long or
steep downgrade. If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your
brakes so much that they would get
hot and no longer operate efficiently.
On a long uphill grade, shift down
and reduce your speed to around 70
km/h (45 mph) to reduce the possi-
bility of engine and transaxle over-
heating.
If your trailer weighs more than the
maximum trailer weight without trail-
er brakes and you have an automat-
ic transaxle, you should drive in D
(Drive) when towing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive)
when towing a trailer will minimize
heat build up and extend the life of
your transaxle.
✽ ✽
NOTICE When towing a trailer on steep
grades (in excess of 6%) pay close
attention to the engine coolant
temperature gauge to ensure the
engine does not overheat. If the
needle of the coolant temperature
gauge moves across the dial
towards “H” (HOT), pull over and
stop as soon as it is safe to do so,
and allow the engine to idle until it
cools down. You may proceed once
the engine has cooled sufficiently.
 You must decide driving speed depending on trailer weight and
uphill grade to reduce the possibil-
ity of engine and transaxle over-
heating.
CAUTION
Failure to use an approved trail-
er wiring harness could result in
damage to the vehicle electrical
system and/or personal injury.
KM CAN (ENG) 5 new.qxd 7/29/05 9:38 AM Page 38

539
Driving tips
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Parking on hills
Generally, you should not park your
vehicle, with a trailer attached, on a
hill. People can be seriously or fatal-
ly injured, and both your vehicle and
the trailer can be damaged if they
begin a downhill trajectory.However, if you ever have to park
your trailer on a hill, here’s how to do
it:
1. Apply your brakes, but don’t shift
into gear.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release the brakes until the
chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the brakes. Apply your parking brake, and then shift to R
(Reverse) for a manual transaxle
or P (Park) for an automatic
transaxle.
5. Release the brakes. When you are ready to leave after
parking on a hill
1. With the manual transaxle in
Neutral or automatic transaxle in P
(Park), apply your brakes and hold
the brake pedal down while you:
 Start your engine;
 Shift into gear; and
 Release the parking brake.
2. Slowly remove your foot from the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
WARNING
- Parking brake
It can be dangerous to get out of
your vehicle if the parking brake
is not firmly set.
If you have left the engine run-
ning, the vehicle can move sud-
denly. You or others could be
seriously or fatally injured.
WARNING
- Parking on a hill
Parking your vehicle on a hill
with a trailer attached could
cause serious injury or death,
should the trailer break lose.
KM CAN (ENG) 5 new.qxd 7/29/05 9:38 AM Page 39

Driving tips40
5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Maintenance when trailer tow-
ing Your vehicle will need service more
often when you regularly pull a trail-
er. Important items to pay particular
attention to include engine oil, auto-
matic transaxle fluid, axle lubricant
and cooling system fluid. Brake con-
dition is another important item to
frequently check. Each item is cov-
ered in this manual, and the Index
will help you find them quickly. If
you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to
review these sections before you
start your trip.
Don’t forget to also maintain your
trailer and hitch. Follow the mainte-
nance schedule that accompanied
your trailer and check it periodically.
Preferably, conduct the check at the
start of each day’s driving. Most
importantly, all hitch nuts and bolts
should be tight.
✽ ✽
NOTICE Due to higher load during trailer
usage, overheating might occur in
hot days or during uphill driving.
If the coolant gauge indicates
over-heating, switch off the A/C
and stop the vehicle in a safe area
to cool down the engine.
 When towing check transaxle fluid more frequently.
 If your vehicle is not equipped with the air conditioner, you
should install a condenser fan to
improve engine performance
when towing a trailer.
OVERLOADING
CAUTION -
Vehicle weight
The gross axle weight rating
(GAWR) and the gross vehicle
weight rating (GVWR) for your
vehicle are on the manufactur-
er's label attached to the dri-
ver's door. Exceeding these rat-
ings can cause an accident or
vehicle damage. You can calcu-
late the weight of your load by
weighing the items (and people)
before putting them in the vehi-
cle. Be careful not to overload
your vehicle.
KM CAN (ENG) 5 new.qxd 7/29/05 9:38 AM Page 40

541
Driving tips
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
VEHICLE LOAD LIMITTire and loading information
labelThe tire label located on the driver's
door sill gives the original tire size,
cold tire pressures recommended for
your vehicle, the number of people
that can be in your vehicle and vehi-
cle capacity weight.
Steps for determining correct
load limit1. Locate the statement "The com-bined weight of occupants and
cargo should never exceed XXX
kg or XXX lbs.'' on your vehicle's
placard.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers that will
be riding in your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers from
XXX kg or XXX lbs.
4. The resulting figure equals the available amount of cargo and lug-
gage load capacity. For example, if
the "XXX" amount equals 635 kg.
(1400 lbs), and there will be five
68 kg. (150 lbs) passengers in
your vehicle, the amount of avail-
able cargo and luggage load
capacity is 295 kg. (650 lbs).
(1400-750 (5 x 150) = 295 lbs. or
635-340 (5 x 68) = 650 kg) 5. Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded
on the vehicle. That weight may
not safely exceed the available
cargo and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trail- er, load from your trailer will be
transferred to your vehicle. Consult
this manual to determine how this
reduces the available cargo and
luggage load capacity of your
vehicle.
/
/
/ / /
/
psi
psi
psi
XXXX/XXXXX XXX XX
XXXX/XXXXX XXX XX
XXXX/XXXXX XXX XX
XX X
XX X
6KMN5003
KM CAN (ENG) 5 new.qxd 7/29/05 9:38 AM Page 41

Driving tips42
5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
C190F01JM
C190F02JM
C190F03JM
Example 1
ABC ABC ABC Example 2 Example 3
Item Description Total A Vehicle Capacity 1400 lbs
Weight (635 kg)
Subtract Occupant
B Weight 300 lbs
150 lbs (68 kg) × 2(136 kg)
C
Available Cargo and
1100 lbs
Luggage weight (499 kg)
Item Description Total
A Vehicle Capacity 1400 lbs
Weight (635 kg)
Subtract Occupant
B Weight 750 lbs
150 lbs (68 kg) × 5 (340 kg)
C
Available Cargo and
650 lbs
Luggage weight (295 kg)
Item Description Total
A Vehicle Capacity 1400 lbs
Weight (635 kg)
Subtract Occupant
B Weight 860 lbs
172 lbs (78 kg) × 5 (390 kg)
C
Available Cargo and
540 lbs
Luggage weight (245 kg)
KM CAN (ENG) 5 new.qxd 7/29/05 9:39 AM Page 42

543
Driving tips
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Refer to your vehicle's tire and load-
ing information label for specific
information about your vehicle's
capacity weight and seating posi-
tions. The combined weight of the
driver, passengers and cargo should
never exceed your vehicle's capacity
weight.
Compliance labelThe compliance label is located on
the driver's door sill.
The label shows the size of your orig-
inal tires and the inflation pressures
needed to obtain the gross weight
capacity of your vehicle. This is
called the GVWR (Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating). The GVWR includes
the weight of the vehicle, all occu-
pants, fuel and cargo.
This label also tells you the maxi-
mum weights that can be supported
by the front and rear axles, called
Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR).
To find out the actual loads on your
front and rear axles, you need to go
to a weigh station and weigh your
vehicle. Your dealer can help you with
this. Be sure to spread out your load
equally on both sides of the center-
line.
WARNING -
Over loading
 Never exceed the GVWR for
your vehicle, or the GAWR for
either the front or rear axle.
 Do not load your vehicle any
heavier than the GVWR, or
either the maximum front or
rear GAWR. If you do, parts on
your vehicle can break, and it
can change the way your vehi-
cle handles. This could cause
you to lose control and crash.
Also, overloading can shorten
the life of your vehicle.
KM CAN (ENG) 5 new.qxd 7/29/05 9:39 AM Page 43

Driving tips44
5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
✽ ✽
NOTICE Overloading your vehicle may
cause damage. Repairs would not
be covered by your warranty. Do
not overload your vehicle.
 Using heavier suspension compo- nents to get added durability
might not change your weight rat-
ings. Ask your dealer to help you
load your vehicle the right way.The label will help you decide how
much cargo and installed equipment
your vehicle can carry.
If you carry items inside your vehicle
- like suitcases, tools, packages, or
anything else - they are moving as
fast as the vehicle. If you have to stop
or turn quickly, or if there is a crash,
the items will keep going and can
cause an injury if they strike the driv-
er or a passenger.
WARNING -
Loose cargo
Items you carry inside your
vehicle can strike and injure
people in a sudden stop or turn,
or in a crash.
 Put things in the cargo area of
your vehicle. Try to spread the
weight evenly.
 Never stack items, like suit-
cases, inside the vehicle
above the tops of the seats.
 Do not leave an unsecured
child restraint in your vehicle.
 When you carry something
inside the vehicle, secure it.
 Do not drive with a seat folded
down unless necessary.
KM CAN (ENG) 5 new.qxd 7/29/05 9:39 AM Page 44