2008 TOYOTA SOLARA towing

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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 349.
Total load capacity:
Coupe410 kg (900 lb.)
Convertible 342 kg (754 lb.)
Total load capacity means combined
weight of occupants, cargo and lug-
gage. Seating capacity:
CoupeTotal 5 (Front 2, Rear 3)
Convertible Total 4 (Front 2, Rear 2)
Seating capacity means the maximum
number of occupants whose esti-
mated average weight is supposed to
be 68 kg (150 lb.) per person. De-
pending on the weight of each person,
the seating capacity given may ex-
ceed the total load capacity.
NOTICE
Even if the number of occu-
pants are within the seating ca-
pacity, do not exceed the total
load capacity.
Towing capacity
Toyota does not recommend towing
a trailer with your vehicle. Your ve-
hicle is not designed for trailer towing.
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 distribu-
tion” 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.
Veh icle lo ad limit s

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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.
 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.
Cargo and luggage—
—Stowage precautions —Capacity and distribution

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(4) The resulting figure equals theavailable 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.
Toyota does not recommend towing
a trailer with your vehicle. Your ve-
hicle is not designed for trailer towing.
Cargo
capacity
Total load
capacity
Example on Your Vehicle
Coupe—In case that 2 people with the
combined weight of 166 kg (366 lb.)
are riding in your vehicle with the total
load capacity of 410 kg (900 lb.), the
available amount of cargo and lug-
gage load capacity will be as follows:
410 kg – 166 kg = 244 kg. ( 900 lb. – 366 lb. = 534 lb. ) Convertible—In case that 2 people
with the combined weight of 166 kg
(366 lb.) are riding in your vehicle with
the total load capacity of 342 kg (754
lb.), the available amount of cargo
and luggage load capacity will be as
follows:
342 kg – 166 kg = 176 kg.
( 754 lb. – 366 lb. = 388 lb. )
From this condition, if 2 more passen-
gers with the combined weight of 93
kg (205 lb.) get on , the av ailable car-
go and luggage load will be reduced
as follows:
Coupe 244 kg – 93 kg = 151 kg.
( 534 lb. – 205 lb. = 329 lb. )
Convertible 176 kg – 93 kg = 83 kg.
( 388 lb. – 205 lb. = 183 lb. )

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STARTING AND DRIVING
Starting and driving
Before starting the engine290
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How to start the engine 290
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Tips for driving in various conditions 291
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Driving in the rain 292
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Winter driving tips 293
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Dinghy towing 294
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Trailer towing 295
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How to save fuel and make your vehicle last longer 296
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SECTION 3

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NOTICE
Do not use engine antifreeze or any
other substitute because it may dam-
age your vehicle’s paint.
Do not use your parking brake when
there is a possibility it could freeze.
When parking, put the transmission into
“P” (automatic) or into first or reverse
(manual) and block the rear wheels. Do
not use the parking brake, or snow or
water accumulated in and around the
parking brake mechanism may freeze,
making it hard to release.
Keep ice and snow from accumulating
under the fenders.
Ice and snow built up under your fenders
can make steering difficult. During bad
winter driving, stop and check under the
fenders occasionally.
Depending on where you are driving,
we recommend you carry some emer-
gency equipment.
Some of the things you might put in the
vehicle are tire chains, window scraper,
bag of sand or salt, flares, small shovel,
jumper cables, etc.
Your vehicle is not designed to be
dinghy towed (with four wheels on the
ground) behind a motorhome.
NOTICE
Do not tow your vehicle with four
wheels on the ground. This may
cause serious damage to your vehicle.
Your vehicle can be dinghy towed (with
four wheels on the ground) from the
front behind a motorhome.
CAUTION
Dinghy towing requires special equip-
ment and accessories. Please refer to
your service outlet of the motorhome
manufacture for the recommended
equipment.
NOTICE
Dinghy towing does not eliminate the
possibility of damage to your vehicle.
Dinghy towing
(with automatic transmission)Dinghy towing
(with manual transmission)

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DINGHY TOWING TIPS
Before dinghy towing, be sure to ob-
serve the following in order to reduce
the damage to your vehicle.1. Put the shift lever in neutral.
2. Turn the engine switch to the “ACC” position. Make sure the audio is turned
off and any item is not plugged into
the power outlet.
NOTICE
To avoid the locking of the steering
wheel, turn the engine switch to the
“ACC” position.
3. Release the parking brake.
After dinghy towing, let the engine idle for
more than 3 minutes before driving the
vehicle.
NOTICE
Do not tow your vehicle from the
rear. This may cause serious damage
to your vehicle.
Toyota does not recommend towing a
trailer with your Toyota. Toyota also
does not recommend the installation of
a tow hitch or the use of a tow hitch
carrier for a wheelchair, scooter, bi-
cycle, etc. Your Toyota is not designed
for trailer towing or for the use of tow
hitch mounted carriers.
Trailer towing

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To avoid serious personal injury and
damage to your vehicle which might re-
sult from battery explosion, acid burns,
electrical burns, or damaged electronic
components, these instructions must be
followed precisely.
If you are unsure about how to follow this
procedure, we strongly recommend that
you seek the help of a competent me-
chanic or towing service.
CAUTION
Batteries contain sulfuric acid
which is poisonous and corrosive.
Wear protective safety glasses when
jump starting, and avoid spilling
acid on your skin, clothing, or ve-
hicle.
If you should accidentally get acid
on yourself or in your eyes, remove
any contaminated clothing and flush
the affected area with water imme-
diately. Then get immediate medical
attention. If possible, continue to
apply water with a sponge or cloth
while enroute to the medical office.
The gas normally produced by a
battery will explode if a flame or
spark is brought near. Use only
standardized jumper cables and do
not smoke or light a match while
jump starting.
NOTICE
The battery used for boosting must
be 12 V. Do not jump start unless you
are sure that the booster battery is
correct.
JUMP STARTING PROCEDURE1. If the booster battery is installed in another vehicle, make sure the vehicles
are not touching. Turn off all unneces-
sary lights and accessories.
When boosting, use the battery of
matching or higher quality. Any other
battery may be difficult to jump start
with.
If jump starting is difficult, charge the
battery for several minutes.
2. If required, remove all the vent plugs from the booster and discharged batter-
ies. Lay a cloth over the open vents
on the batteries. (This helps reduce the
explosion hazard, personal injuries and
burns.)
3. If the engine in the vehicle with the booster battery is not running, start it
and let it run for a few minutes. During
jump starting run the engine at about
2000 rpm with the accelerator pedal
lightly depressed.
(c) Jump starting

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If your vehicle becomes stuck in snow,
mud, sand, etc., then you may attempt
to rock the vehicle free by moving it
forward and backward.
Vehicles with traction control system—
Turn off the traction control system to
become unstuck to allow the tires to
spin enough to remove the vehicle from
the obstruction. (For details, see “Trac-
tion control system” on page 151 in
Section 17.)
CAUTION
Do not attempt to rock the vehicle
free by moving it forward and back-
ward if people or objects are any-
where near the vehicle. During the
rocking operation the vehicle may
suddenly move forward or backward
as it becomes unstuck, causing injury
or damage to nearby people or ob-
jects.
NOTICE
If you rock your vehicle, observe the
following precautions to prevent dam-
age to the transmission and other
parts.
Do not depress the accelerator ped-
al while shifting the selector lever
or before the transmission is com-
pletely shifted to forward or reverse
gear.
 Do not race the engine and avoid
spinning the wheels.
 If your vehicle remains stuck after
rocking the vehicle several times,
consider other ways such as tow-
ing.
(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck—
—From front
—From rear
(b) Using flat bed truck
If your vehicle becomes stuck If your vehicle needs to be
towed—