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Ti r e relat ed ter mMeaning
Passenger car tire
a tire intended for use on passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles,
and trucks, that have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,000 lb. or
less.
Plya layer of rubber−coated parallel cords
Ply separationa parting of rubber compound between adjacent plies
Pneumatic tire
a mechanical device made of rubber, chemicals, fabric and steel or other mate-
rials, that, when mounted on an automotive wheel, provides the traction and
contains the gas or fluid that sustains the load
Radial ply tirea pneumatic tire in which the ply cords that extend to the beads are laid at
substantially 90 degrees to the centerline of the tread
Reinforced tirea tire designed to operate at higher loads and at higher inflation pressures
than the corresponding standard tire
S ec t ion widt hthe linear distance between the exteriors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire,
excluding elevations due to labeling, decoration, or protective bands
Sidewallthat portion of a tire between the tread and bead
Sidewall separationthe parting of the rubber compound from the cord material in the sidewall
Snow tire
a tire that attains a traction index equal to or greater than 110, compared to
the ASTM −E 1136 Standard Reference Test Tire, when using the snow traction
test as described in ASTM F −1805 −00, Standard Test Method for Signal Wheel
Driving Traction in a Straight Line on Snow −and Ice −Cov er ed Sur f ac es , and
which is marked with an Alpine Sym bol ( ) on at least one sidewall
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Ti r e relat ed ter mMeaning
Te s t r i mthe rim on which a tire is fitted for testing, and may be any rim listed as appropri-
ate for use with that tire
Treadthat portion of a tire that comes into contact with the road
Tread riba tread section running circumferentially around a tire
Tread separationpulling away of the tread from the tire carcass
Treadwear indicators (TWI)the projections within the principal grooves designed to give a visual indication
of the degrees of wear of the tread
Wheel−holding fixturethe fixture used to hold the wheel and tire assembly securely during testing
Table 1—Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for various designated seating capacities
Designated seating capacity,number of occupants
Vehicle normal load, number of occupantsOccupant distribution in a normallyloaded vehicle
2 through 422 in front
5 through 1032 in front, 1 in second seat
11 through 1552 in front, 1 in second seat, 1 in third
seat, 1 in fourth seat
16 through 2072 in front, 2 in second seat, 2 in third
seat, 1 in fourth seat
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Vehicle load limits include total load
capacity, seating capacity, towing ca-
pacity and cargo capacity. Follow the
load limits shown below. Total load ca-
pacity and seating capacity are also
described on the tire and loading in-
formation label. For location of the tire
and loading information label, see
“Checking tire inflat ion pr es s ur e” on
page 267.
Total load capacity:
385 kg (850 lb.)
Total load capacity means combined
weight of occupants, cargo and lug-
gage. Tongue load is included when
trailer towing.
Seating capacity: Total 5 (Front 2, Rear 3)
Seating capacity means the maximum
number of occupants whose esti-
mated average weight is 68 kg (150
lb.) per person. Depending on the
weight of each person, the seating ca-
pacity given may exceed the total
load capacity.NOTICE
Even if the number of occupants are
within the seating capacity, do not ex-
ceed the total load capacity.
Towing capacity: 680 kg (1500 lb.)
Towing capacity means the maximum
gross trailer weight (trailer weight plus
its cargo weight) that your vehicle is
able to tow.
Cargo capacity
Cargo capacity may increase or de-
crease depending on the size (weight)
and the number of occupants. For de-
tails, see “Capacity and distribution”
that follows.
CAUTION
Do not apply the load more than
each load limit. That may cause
not only damage to the tires, but
also deterioration to the steering
ability and braking ability, which
may cause an accident.
When stowing cargo and luggage in
the vehicle, observe the following: Put cargo and luggage in the trunk
when at all possible. Be sure all
items are secured in place.
Be careful to keep the vehicle bal-
anced. Locating the weight as far
forward as possible helps maintain
balance.
For better fuel economy, do not
carry unneeded weight.
CAUTION
To prevent cargo and l uggage
from sliding forward during
braking, do not stack anything
in the enlarged trunk. Keep car-
go and luggage low, as close
to the floor as possible.
Veh icle lo ad limit s Cargo and luggage—
—Stowage precautions
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Never allow anyone to ride in
the enlarged trunk. It is not de-
signed for passengers. They
should ride in their seats with
their seat belts properly fas-
tened. Otherwise, they are
much more likely to suffer
death or serious bodily injury
in the event of sudden braking
or a collision.
Do not place anything on the
package tray behind the rear
seatback. Such items may be
thrown about and possibly in-
jure people in the vehicle dur-
ing sudden braking or an acci-
dent.
Do not drive with objects left
on top of the instrument panel.
They may interfere with the
driver’s field of view. Or they
may move during sharp vehicle
acceleration or turning, and im-
pair the driver’s control of the
vehicle. In an accident they
may injure the vehicle occu-
pants.Cargo capacity depends on the to-
tal weight of the occupants.
(Cargo capacity) = (Total load capac-
ity) – (Total weight of occupants)
Steps for Determining Correct
Load Limit—
(1) 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
luggage load capacity. For exam-
ple, if the “XXX” amount equals
1400 lbs. and there will be five
150 lb passengers in your ve-
hicle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load capacity
is 650 lbs. (1400–750
(5x150)=650 lbs.)
(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 trailer, 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.
For details about trailer towing, see
page 211.
—Capacity and distribution
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Cargo
capacity
Total load
capacity
Example on Your Vehicle
In case that 2 people with the com-
bined weight of 166 kg (366 lb.) are
riding in your vehicle with the total
load capacity of 385 kg (850 lb.), the
available amount of cargo and lug-
gage load capacity will be as follows:
385 kg – 166 kg = 219 kg.
( 850 lb. – 366 lb. = 484 lb. )
From this condition, if 3 more passen-
gers with the combined weight of 176
kg (388 lb.) get on , the av ailable car-
go and luggage load will be reduced
as follows: 219 kg – 176 kg = 43 kg.
( 484 lb. – 388 lb. = 96 lb. )
As shown in the above example, if the
number of occupants increases, the
cargo and luggage load equaling the
combined weight of occupants who
got on later must be reduced. In other
words, if the incr
ease in the number
of occupants causes the excess of
the total load capacity (combined
weight of occupants plus cargo and
luggage load), you have to reduce the
cargo and luggage on your vehicle.
For details about total load capacity,
see “Vehicle load limits” on page 201.
CAUTION
Even if the total load of occu-
pant’s weight and the cargo load
is less than the total load capac-
ity, do not apply the load uneven-
ly. That may cause not only dam-
age to the tire but also deteriora-
tion to the steering ability due to
unbalance of the vehicle, causing
an accident.
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Determine what kind of tires your
vehicle is originally equipped with.1. Summer tires
Summer tires are high −speed capabil-
ity tires best suited to highway driving
under dry conditions.
Since summer tires do not have the
same traction performance as snow
tires, summer tires are inadequate for
driving on snow −covered or icy roads.
For driving on snow −covered or icy
roads, we recommend using snow
tires. If installing snow tires, be sure
to replace all four tires.
2. All season tires
All season tires are designed to pro-
vide better traction in snow and to be
adequate for driving in most winter
conditions, as well as for use all year
round. All season tires, however, do not have
adequate traction performance
compared with snow tires in heavy or
loose snow. Also, all season tires fall
short in acceleration and handling
performance compared with summer
tires in highway driving.
The details about how to distinguish
summer tires from all season tires are
described on page 188.
CAUTION
Do not mix summer and all sea-
son tires on your vehicle as
this can cause dangerous han-
dling characteristics, resulting
in loss of control.
Do not use tires other than the
manufacturer’s designated
tires, and never mix tires or
wheels of the sizes different
from the originally equipped
tires and wheels.
Types of tires
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STARTING AND DRIVING
Starting and driving
Before starting the engine206
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How to start the engine 206
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. .
Tips for driving in various conditions 207
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Driving in the rain 208
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . .
Winter driving tips 209
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . .
Dinghy towing 210
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . . . . .
Trailer towing 211
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . . . . .
How to save fuel and make your vehicle last longer 216
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 3
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1. Check the area around the vehicle be-fore entering it.
2. Adjust seat position, seatback angle, seat cushion height, head restraint
height and steering wheel angle.
3. Adjust the inside and outside rear view mirrors.
4. Lock all doors.
5. Fasten seat belts. 1. Apply the parking brake firmly.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and acces-
sories.
3. Manual transmission: Press the clutch
pedal to the floor and shift the trans-
mission into neutral. Hold the clutch
pedal to the floor until the engine is
started. A starter safety device will pre-
vent the starter from operating if the
clutch pedal is not fully depressed.
Automatic transmission: Put the se-
lector lever in “P”. If you need to re-
start the engine while the vehicle is
moving, put the selector lever in “N”.
A starter safety device will prevent the
starter from operating if the selector
lever is in any drive position.
4. Automatic transmission only: De-
press the brake pedal and hold it to
the floor until driving off. Before starting the engine, be sure to fol-
low the instructions in “(a) Before crank-
ing”.
Normal starting procedure
The multiport fuel injection system/sequen-
tial multiport fuel injection system in your
engine automatically controls the proper
air
−fuel mixture for starting. You can start
a cold or hot engine as follows:
With your foot off the accelerator pedal,
crank the engine by turning the key to
“START”. Release it when the engine
starts.
Engine should be warmed up by driving,
not in idle. For warming up, drive with
smoothly turning engine until engine cool-
ant temperature is within normal range.
If the engine stalls...
Simply restart it, using the correct proce-
dure given in normal starting.
If the engine will not start...
See “If your vehicle will not start” on page
220 in Section 4.
Before starting the engine How to start the engine—
(a) Before cranking
(b) Starting the engine