
4-13DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
85Z14-03E
 As you go over the top of a hill, be alert.
There could be something in your lane,
like a stalled car or an accident.
 You may see highway signs on moun-
tains that warn of special problems.
Examples are long grades, passing or
no-passing zones, a falling rocks area or
winding roads. Be alert to these and take
appropriate action.Winter DrivingHere are some tips for winter driving:
 Have your vehicle in good shape for win-
ter.
 You may want to put winter emergency
supplies in your trunk.Include an ice scraper, a small brush or
broom, a supply of windshield washer fluid,
a rag, some winter outer clothing, a small
shovel, a flashlight, a red cloth and a cou-
ple of reflective warning triangles. And, if
you will be driving under severe conditions,
include a small bag of sand, a piece of old
carpet or a couple of burlap bags to help
provide traction. Be sure you properly
secure these items in your vehicle.
Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where your
tires meet the road probably have good
traction.
However, if there is snow or ice between
your tires and the road, you can have a
very slippery situation. You’ll have a lot
less traction or “grip” and will need to be
very careful.Very cold snow or ice can be slick and hard
to drive on. But wet ice can be even more
trouble because it may offer the least trac-
tion of all. You can get wet ice when it’s
about freezing (32°F; 0°C) and freezing
rain begins to fall. Try to avoid driving on
wet ice until salt and sand crews can get
there.
Whatever the condition – smooth ice,
packed, blowing or loose snow – drive with
caution.
Accelerate gently. Try not to break the frag-
ile traction. If you accelerate too fast, the
drive wheels will spin and polish the sur-
face under the tires even more.
Unless you have an anti-lock braking sys-
tem, you’ll want to brake very gently, too. (If
you do have anti-lock, see “Braking” in this
section. This system improves your vehi-
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle:  

5-37SERVICE AND APPEARANCE CARE
85Z14-03E
Uniform Tire Quality GradingQuality grades can be found where appli-
cable on the tire sidewall between the
tread shoulder and the maximum section
width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature
A
The following information relates to the
system developed by the United States
National Highway Traffic Safety Adminis-
tration, which grades tires by treadwear,
traction and temperature performance.
(This applies only to vehicles sold in the
United States.) The grades are molded on
the sidewalls of most passenger car tires.
The Uniform Tire Quality Grading system
does not apply to deep tread, winter-type
snow tires, space-saver or temporary use
spare tires, tires with nominal rim diame-
ters of 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm), or to
some limited-production tires. 
While the tires available on SUZUKI vehi-
cles may vary with respect to these grades,they all conform to federal safety require-
ments.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rat-
ing based on the wear rate of the tire when
tested under controlled conditions on a
specified government test course. For
example, a tire graded 150 would wear one
and a half (1.5) times as well on the gov-
ernment course as a tire graded 100. The
relative performance of tires depends upon
the actual conditions of their use, however,
and may depart significantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits, service
practices and differences in road charac-
teristics and climate.
Traction – AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to low-
est, are AA, A, B, and C. Those 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 perfor-
mance.Temperature – A, B, C
The temperature grades are A (the high-
est), B, and C, representing the tire’s resis-
tance to the generation of heat and its
ability to dissipate heat when tested under
controlled conditions on a specified indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained high tem-
perature can cause the material of the tire
to degenerate and reduce tire life, and
excessive temperature can lead to sudden
tire failure. The grade C corresponds to a
level of performance which all passenger
car tires must meet under the Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No.109.
Grades B and A represent higher levels of
performance on the laboratory test wheel
than the minimum required by law.
Wheel Alignment and Tire BalanceThe wheels on your vehicle were aligned
and balanced carefully at the factory to
give you the longest tire life and best over-
all performance.
Scheduled wheel alignment and wheel bal-
ancing are not needed. However, if you
notice unusual tire wear or your vehicle
CAUTION
Replacing the original tires with tires
of a different size may result in false
speedometer or odometer readings.
Check with your SUZUKI dealer
before purchasing replacement tires
that differ in size from the original
tires.
WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this
tire is based on straight-ahead brak-
ing traction tests, and does not
include acceleration, cornering,
hydroplaning, or peak traction char-
acteristics.
WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is
established for a tire that is properly
inflated and not overloaded. Exces-
sive speed, underinflation, or exces-
sive loading, either separately or in
combination, can cause heat buildup
and possible tire failure.
Tires:  

8-5
INDEX85Z14-03E
Tail/Stop Lamps and Rear Turn Signal Lamps
 .................5-25
Theft-Deterrent Systems
 .....................................................2-8
Tilt Wheel
 ..............................................................................3-3
Tire Chains ...........................................................................5-38
Tire Inflation Pressure
 .........................................................5-34
Tire Inspection and Rotation
 ..............................................5-35
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
 ......................................5-32
Tire Pressure Monitoring System Warning Light
 .............3-27
Tire Sidewall Labeling
 .........................................................5-28
Tire Size
 ................................................................................5-29
Tires
 ......................................................................................5-28
Top Strap
 ..............................................................................1-20
Top Strap Anchor Location
 ................................................1-21
Towing
 ..................................................................................4-16
Towing a Trailer
 ...................................................................4-19
Towing Your Vehicle
 ...........................................................4-16
Trip Odometer
 ......................................................................3-18
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
 .........................................3-3
UUnderbody Maintenance
 .....................................................5-47
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
 .............................................5-37
VVehicle Care/Appearance Materials
 ...................................5-47
Vehicle Identification
 ...........................................................5-48
Vehicle Identification Number
 ............................................7-1
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
 ...................................5-48
Vehicle Loading
 ...................................................................5-35
WWarning Lights, Gauges and Indicators
 ............................3-18
Warranties
 ............................................................................7-2
Weatherstrips .......................................................................5-45What Makes an Air Bag Inflate?
 ........................................ 1-32
What Will You See After an Air Bag Inflates?
 .................. 1-32
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance
 ................................... 5-37
Wheel Replacement
 ............................................................ 5-38
When It Is Time for New Tires
 ............................................ 5-36
When Should an Air Bag Inflate?
 ...................................... 1-31
When to Add Engine Oil
 ..................................................... 5-7
Where Are the Air Bags? .................................................... 1-29
Where to Put the Restraint ................................................. 1-20
Windows
 .............................................................................. 2-7
Windshield Washer Fluid
 ................................................... 5-18
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
 .............................. 5-27
Windshield Wiper Fuses
 .................................................... 5-48
Windshield Wiper/Washer Lever
 ....................................... 3-4
Winter Driving
 ..................................................................... 4-13
YYour Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
 ........................ 4-1