2006 MAZDA MODEL RX 8 brake

Black plate (140,1)
WARNING
Sudden Engine-Braking:
Shifting down while driving on wet,
snowy, or frozen roads, or while
driving at high speeds causes sudden
engine braking, which is dangerous.
The sudden change in tire speed could
cause the tires to skid. This could lead
to loss of vehicle control and an
accident. Do not use sudden engine
braking on slippery road surfaces or at
high speeds.
CAUTION
lKeep your foot off the clutch pedal
except when shifting gears. Also,
don't use the clutch to hold the
vehicle on an upgrade. Riding the
clutch will cause needless clutch
wear and damage.
lMake sure the vehicle comes to a
complete stop before shifting to R.
Shifting to R while the vehicle is still
moving may damage the
transmission.
NOTE
If shifting to R is difficult, shift back
into neutral, release the clutch pedal,
and try again.
qRecommendations for Shifting
Upshifting
For normal acceleration, we recommend
these shift points.
Gear Vehicle speed
1 to 2 23 km/h (14 mph)
2 to 3 35 km/h (22 mph)
3 to 4 47 km/h (29 mph)
4 to 5 58 km/h (36 mph)
5 to 6 74 km/h (46 mph)
For cruising
Gear Vehicle speed
1 to 2 23 km/h (14 mph)
2 to 3 34 km/h (21 mph)
3 to 4 45 km/h (28 mph)
4 to 5 56 km/h (35 mph)
5 to 6 68 km/h (42 mph)
Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy
traffic or on a steepupgrade, downshift
before the engine starts to overwork. This
reduces the chance of stalling and gives
better acceleration when you need more
speed.
On a steepdowngrade, downshifting
helps maintain safe speed and prolongs
brake life.
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Driving Your Mazda
Starting and Driving
RX-8_8U58-EA-05J_Edition1 Page140
Thursday, August 25 2005 4:54 PM
Form No.8U58-EA-05J

Black plate (141,1)
Automatic Transmission Controls
Indicates that you must depress the brake pedal to shift (The ignition
switch must be in the ACC or ON position).
Indicates the shift lever can be shifted freely into any position.
Various Lockouts:
qTransmission Ranges
The shift lever must be in P or N to
operate the starter.
P (Park)
P locks the transmission and prevents the
rear wheels from rotating.
WARNING
Holding the Vehicle with P:
Only setting the shift lever to the P
position without using the parking
brake to hold the vehicle is dangerous.
If P fails to hold, the vehicle could
move and cause an accident. To hold
the vehicle, set the shift lever to P AND
set the parking brake.
CAUTION
lShifting into P, N or R while the
vehicle is moving can damage your
transmission.
lShifting into a driving gear or
reverse when the engine is running
faster than idle can damage the
transmission.
R (Reverse)
In position R, the vehicle moves only
backward. You must be at a complete stop
before shifting to or from R, except under
rare circumstances as explained in
Rocking the Vehicle (page 4-9).
Driving Your Mazda
Starting and Driving
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Form No.8U58-EA-05J

Black plate (142,1)
N (Neutral)
In N, the wheels and transmission are not
locked. The vehicle will roll freely even
on the slightest incline unless the parking
brake or brakes are on.
WARNING
Shifting from N or P:
It's dangerous to shift from N or P
into a driving gear when the engine is
running faster than idle. If this is
done, the vehicle could move suddenly,
causing an accident or serious injury.
If the engine is running faster than
idle, don't shift from N or P into a
driving gear.
Shifting into N while Driving:
Shifting into N while driving is
dangerous. Engine braking cannot be
applied when decelerating which
could lead to an accident or serious
injury. Do not shift into N when
driving the vehicle.
CAUTION
Do not shift into N when driving the
vehicle. Doing so can cause
transmission damage.
D (Drive)
D is the normal driving position. From a
stop, the transmission will automatically
shift through a 6-gear sequence.
M (Manual)
M is the manual shift mode position.
Gears can be shifted up or down by
operating the shift lever or steering shift
switches.
Refer to Manual Shift Mode (page 5-13).
qActive Adaptive Shift (AAS)
Active Adaptive Shift (AAS)
automatically controls the transmission
shift point best suited to road conditions
and driver input to optimize engine
performance and improve drive comfort.
When cornering the vehicle, AAS mode
will hold the transmission in the gear the
vehicle was in before entering the curve,
allowing the vehicle to be accelerated
from the same gear after exiting the curve.
If the driver accelerates rapidly, or
accelerates and decelerates rapidly by
operating the accelerator and brake pedal
for a certain period of time while the
selector lever is in the D position, AAS
mode could activate. When this occurs,
AAS mode will maintain the transmission
in the optimum gear and the driver may
sense that the transmission is not shifting,
however this does not indicate an
abnormality.
qShift-Lock System
The shift-lock system prevents shifting
out of P unless the brake pedal is
depressed.
To shift from P:
1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine.
3. Move the shift lever.
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Driving Your Mazda
Starting and Driving
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Form No.8U58-EA-05J

Black plate (147,1)
If the vehicle is kicked down at the
following speeds or lower, the gears shift
down automatically:
Gear Vehicle speed
M6→M5 210 km/h (130 mph)
M6→M4 175 km/h (108 mph)
M5→M4 175 km/h (108 mph)
Recommendations for shifting
Upshifting
For normal acceleration and cruising, we
recommend these shift points.
Gear Vehicle speed
M1 to M2 19 km/h (12 mph)
M2 to M3 35 km/h (22 mph)
M3 to M4 47 km/h (29 mph)
M4 to M5 58 km/h (36 mph)
M5 to M6 78 km/h (49 mph)
For cruising
Gear Vehicle speed
M1 to M2 5 km/h (3 mph)
M2 to M3 30 km/h (19 mph)
M3 to M4 40 km/h (25 mph)
M4 to M5 50 km/h (31 mph)
M5 to M6 67 km/h (42 mph)
Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy
traffic or on a steepupgrade, downshift
before the engine starts to overwork. This
gives better acceleration when you need
more speed.
On a steepdowngrade, downshifting
helps maintain safe speed and prolongs
brake life.
qDriving Tips
Passing
For extra power when passing another
vehicle or climbing steep grades, depress
the accelerator fully. The transmission will
shift to a lower gear, depending on vehicle
speed.
Climbing steep grades from a stop
To climb a steep grade from a stopped
position:
1. Depress the brake pedal.
2. Shift to D or M1, depending on the
load weight and grade steepness.
3. Release the brake pedal while
gradually accelerating.
Descending steep grades
When descending a steep grade, shift to
lower gears, depending on load weight
and grade steepness. Descend slowly,
using the brakes only occasionally to
prevent them from overheating.
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Starting and Driving
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Form No.8U58-EA-05J

Black plate (151,1)
NOTE
Accelerate if you want to speed up
temporarily when the cruise control is
on. Greater speed will not interfere with
it or change the set speed.
Take your foot off the accelerator to
return to the set speed.
qTo Decrease Cruising Speed
Press the SET/COAST button and hold it.
The vehicle will gradually slow.
Release the button at the speed you want.
Your vehicle has a tap-down feature that
allows you to decrease your current speed
in decrements of 1.6 km/h (1 mph) by a
momentary tap of the SET/COAST
button. Multiple taps will decrease your
vehicle speed 1.6 km/h (1 mph) for each
tap.
qTo Resume Cruising Speed at
More Than 30 km/h (19 mph)
If some other method besides the ON/
OFF switch was used to cancel cruising
speed and the system is still activated, the
most recent set speed will automatically
resume when the RES/ACCEL button is
pressed.
If vehicle speed is below 30 km/h (19
mph), increase the vehicle speed up to 30
km/h (19 mph) and press the RES/
ACCEL button.
qTo Cancel
To turn off the system, useoneof these
methods:
lPress the ON/OFF switch.
lSlightly depress the brake pedal.
lDepress the clutch pedal (Manual
transmission only).
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Starting and Driving
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Black plate (152,1)
lPress the CANCEL button.
The system is off when the ignition is off.
NOTE
Cruise control will cancel at about 15
km/h (9 mph) below the preset speed or
below 30 km/h (19 mph).
Traction Control System
(TCS)
í
The Traction Control System (TCS)
enhances traction and safety by
controlling engine torque and braking.
When the TCS detects driving wheel
slippage, it lowers engine torque and
operates the brakes to prevent loss of
traction.
This means that on a slick surface, the
engine adjusts automatically to provide
optimum power to the drive wheels
without causing them to spin and lose
traction.
WARNING
TCS and Unsafe Driving:
The traction control system (TCS)
cannot compensate for unsafe and
reckless driving, excessive speed,
tailgating (following another vehicle
too closely), and hydroplaning
(reduced tire friction and road contact
because of water on the road surface).
You can still have an accident. So
don't rely on the traction control
system as a substitute for safe driving.
TCS and Snow and Ice:
Driving without proper traction
devices on snow and/or ice-covered
roads is dangerous. The traction
control system (TCS) alone cannot
provide adequate traction and you
could still have an accident. Use snow
tires or tire chains and drive at
reduced speeds when roads are
covered with ice and/or snow.
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Driving Your Mazda
íSome models.
Starting and Driving
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Form No.8U58-EA-05J

Black plate (155,1)
NOTE
If the battery is disconnected or a fuse is
replaced, the DSC will be inoperable. In
this case, the DSC OFF indicator light
flashes and the TCS/DSC indicator light
illuminates.
To make the DSC operable, do the
following procedure with the battery
connected.
1. Turn the ignition switch to the ON
position.
2. Turn the steering clockwise fully,
then turn it counterclockwise fully.
3. Make sure the DSC OFF indicator
goes off.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the OFF
position, then turn it to the ON
position again.
5. Make sure the TCS/DSC indicator
light goes off.
If the TCS/DSC indicator light and the
DSC OFF indicator light remain
illuminated even after turning the
ignition switch to the ON position,
consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer.
qDSC OFF Switch
Press the DSC OFF switch to turn off the
TCS/DSC. The DSC OFF indicator light
will illuminate.
Press the switch again to turn the TCS/
DSC back on. The DSC OFF indicator
light will go out.
NOTE
lWhen DSC is on and you attempt to
free the vehicle when it is stuck, or
drive it out of freshly fallen snow,
the TCS (part of the DSC system)
will activate. Depressing the
accelerator will not increase engine
power and freeing the vehicle may
be difficult.
When this happens, turn off the TCS/
DSC.
lIf the TCS/DSC is off when the
engine is turned off, it automatically
activates when the ignition switch is
turned on.
lLeaving the TCS/DSC on will
provide the best stability. When the
TCS/DSC is off, the TCS/DSC does
not activate but the brake LSD
(Limited Slip Differentials) function
remains.
Driving Your Mazda
Starting and Driving
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Form No.8U58-EA-05J

Black plate (166,1)
qFuel Gauge
The fuel gauge shows approximately how
much fuel is in the tank. We recommend
keeping the tank over 1/4 full. When the
low fuel warning light illuminates or
when the needle is near E, refuel as soon
as possible.
Low fuel warning light
NOTE
The direction of the arrow () shown
that the fuel-filler lid is on the left side
of the vehicle.
qEngine Oil Pressure Gauge
Engine oil pressure is normal when the
engine oil pressure gauge needle points
halfway between L and H with the engine
running.
If the needle on the gauge doesn't move
after starting the engine, follow steps 1
through 3.
If the engine oil pressure gauge moves to
L (low) while you are driving, drive to the
side of the road and park off the right-of-
way. Set the parking brake. Then follow
steps 1 through 3.
1. Turn off the engine and inspect the
engine oil level (page 8-13). If it's low,
add oil.
2. Start the engine.
3. If the needle still doesn't move, have
your vehicle checked at an Authorized
Mazda Dealer.
CAUTION
Don't run the engine if the oil pressure
is low. It could result in extensive
engine damage.
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Driving Your Mazda
Instrument Cluster and Indicators
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Form No.8U58-EA-05J