Driving tips
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SPECIAL DRIVING CONDITIONS
Hazardous driving conditions
When hazardous driving conditions are
encountered such as water, snow, ice,
mud, sand, or similar hazards, follow
these suggestions:
• Drive cautiously and allow extra dis-
tance for braking.
• Avoid sudden movements in braking or
steering.
• When braking with non-ABS brakes
pump the brake pedal with a light up-
and-down motion until the vehicle is
stopped.• If stalled in snow, mud, or sand, use
second gear. Accelerate slowly to
avoid spinning the drive wheels.
• Use sand, rock salt, tire chains, or
other non-slip material under the drive
wheels to provide traction when stalled
in ice, snow, or mud.
Rocking the vehicle
If it is necessary to rock the vehicle to
free it from snow, sand, or mud, first turn
the steering wheel right and left to clear
the area around your front wheels. Then,
shift back and forth between 1 (First) and
R (Reverse) in vehicles equipped with a
manual transaxle or R (Reverse) and any
forward gear in vehicles equipped with
an automatic transaxle. Do not race the
engine, and spin the wheels as little as
possible. If you are still stuck after a few
tries, have the vehicle pulled out by a tow
vehicle to avoid engine overheating and
possible damage to the transaxle.
✽
NOTICE
Prolonged rocking may cause engine
over-heating, transaxle damage or fail-
ure, and tire damage.
CAUTION-ABS
Do not pump the brake pedal on a
vehicle equipped with ABS.
WARNING - Downshifting
Downshifting with an automatic
transaxle, while driving on slippery
surfaces can cause an accident.
The sudden change in tire speed
could cause the tires to skid. Be
careful when downshifting on slip-
pery surfaces.
WARNING- Spinning tires
Do not spin the wheels,especially
at speeds more than 56 km/h (35
mph). Spinning the wheels at high
speeds when the vehicle is station-
ary could cause a tire to overheat,
explode and injure bystanders.
In case of an emergency
18 6
Important - use of compact spare
tire
your vehicle is equipped with a compact
spare tire. This compact spare tire takes
up less space than a regular-size tire.
This tire is smaller than a conventional
tire and is designed for temporary use
only.
The compact spare should be inflated to
60 psi (420 kPa).
✽
NOTICE
Check the inflation pressure after
installing the spare tire. Adjust it to the
specified pressure, as necessary.
When using a compact spare tire,
observe the following precautions:
• Under no circumstances should you
exceed 80 km/h (50 mph); a higher
speed could damage the tire.
• Ensure that you drive slowly enough
for the road conditions to avoid all haz-
ards. Any road hazard, such as a pot-
hole or debris, could seriously damage
the compact spare.
• Any continuous road use of this tire
could result in tire failure, loss of vehi-
cle control, and possible personal
injury.
• Do not exceed the vehicle’s maximum
load rating or the load-carrying capaci-
ty shown on the sidewall of the com-
pact spare tire.
• Avoid driving over obstacles. The com-
pact spare tire diameter is smaller than
the diameter of a conventional tire and
reduces the ground clearance approxi-
mately 25 mm (1 inch), which could
result in damage to the vehicle.• Do not take this vehicle through an
automatic car wash.
• Do not use tire chains on this tire.
Because of the smaller size, a tire
chain will not fit properly. This could
damage the vehicle and result in loss
of the chain.
• This tire should not be installed on the
front axle if the vehicle must be driven
in snow or on ice.
• Do not use the compact spare tire on
any other vehicle because this tire has
been designed especially for your vehi-
cle.
• The compact spare tire’s tread life is
shorter than a regular tire. Inspect your
compact spare tire regularly and
replace worn compact spare tires with
the same size and design, mounted on
the same wheel.
CAUTION
• You should drive carefully when
the compact spare is in use. The
compact spare should be
replaced by the proper conven-
tional tire and rim at the first
opportunity.
• The operation of this vehicle is
not recommended with more than
one compact spare tire in use at
the same time.
CAUTION
This spare tire should be used only
for VERY short distances. Compact
spares should NEVER be used for
long drives or extended distances.
