2009 Hyundai Elantra weight

539
Driving your vehicle
Towbars
It's important to have the correct towbar
equipment. Crosswinds, large trucks
going by, and rough roads are a few rea-
sons why you’ll need the right towbar.
Here are some rules to follow:
Will you have to make any holes in thebody of your vehicle when you install a
trailer towbar? If you do, then be sure
to seal the holes later when you
remove the towbar.
If you don’t seal them, deadly carbon
monoxide (CO) from your exhaust can
get into your vehicle, as well as dirt and
water.
The bumpers on your vehicle are not intended for towbars. Do not attach
rental towbars or other bumper-type
towbars to them. Use only a frame-
mounted towbar that does not attach to
the bumper.
✽✽ NOTICE
We recommend only genuine Hyundai
towbars (the towbars are made and test-
ed in Australia/NZ for local conditions).
Safety chains
You should always attach chains
between your vehicle and your trailer.
Cross the safety chains under the tongue
of the trailer so that the tongue will not
drop to the road if it becomes separated
from the towbar.
Instructions about safety chains may be
provided by the towbar manufacturer or
by the trailer manufacturer. Follow the
manufacturer’s recommendation for
attaching safety chains. Always leave just
enough slack so you can turn with your
trailer. And, never allow safety chains to
drag on the ground. Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking
system, make sure it conforms to your
country’s regulations and that it is prop-
erly installed and operating correctly.
If your trailer weighs more than the max-
imum trailer weight without trailer brakes
loaded, then it needs its own brakes and
they must be adequate. Be sure to read
and follow the instructions for the trailer
brakes so you’ll be able to install, adjust
and maintain them properly.
Don’t tap into your vehicle's brake sys-
tem.
WARNING - Trailer brakes
Do not use a trailer with its own
brakes unless you are absolutely
certain that you have properly set
up the brake system. This is not a
task for amateurs. Use an experi-
enced, competent trailer shop for
this work.

Driving your vehicle
40
5
Driving with a trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount of experience. Before setting out
for the open road, you must get to know
your trailer. Acquaint yourself with the
feel of handling and braking with the
added weight of the trailer. And always
keep in mind that the vehicle you are
driving is now a good deal longer and not
nearly so responsive as your vehicle is
by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer towbar
and platform, safety chains, electrical
connector(s), lights, tyres and mirror
adjustment. If the trailer has electric
brakes, start your vehicle and trailer mov-
ing and then apply the trailer brake con-
troller by hand to be sure the brakes are
working. This lets you check your electri-
cal connection at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally to be
sure that the load is secure, and that the
lights and any trailer brakes are still work-ing.Following distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the vehi-
cle ahead as you would when driving
your vehicle without a trailer. This can
help you avoid situations that require
heavy braking and sudden turns.
Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up
ahead when you’re towing a trailer. Due
to the increased vehicle length, you’ll
need to go much farther beyond the
passed vehicle before you can return to
your lane.
Backing up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel
with one hand. Then, to move the trailer
to the left, just move your hand to the left.
To move the trailer to the right, move your
hand to the right. Always back up slowly
and, if possible, have someone guide
you.
Making turns
When you’re turning with a trailer, make
wider turns than normal. Do this so your
trailer won’t strike soft shoulders, curbs,
road signs, trees, or other objects. Avoid
jerky or sudden manoeuvres. Signal well
in advance.
Turn signals when towing a trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has
to have a different turn signal flasher and
extra wiring. The green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash whenever you
signal a turn or lane change. Properly
connected, the trailer lights will also flash
to alert other drivers you’re about to turn,
change lanes, or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green arrows
on your instrument panel will flash for
turns even if the bulbs on the trailer are
burned out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you are seeing your signals
when, in fact, they are not. It’s important
to check occasionally to be sure the trail-
er bulbs are still working. You must also
check the lights every time you discon-
nect and then reconnect the wires.
Do not connect a trailer lighting system
directly to your vehicle’s lighting system.
Use only an approved trailer wiring har-
ness.
An authorised Hyundai dealer can assist
you in installing the wiring harness.
WARNING
Failure to use an approved trailer wiring harness could result in dam-
age to the vehicle electrical system
and/or personal injury.

541
Driving your vehicle
Driving on grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear
before you start down a long or steep
downgrade. If you don’t shift down, you
might have to use your brakes so much
that they would get hot and no longer
operate efficiently.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and
reduce your speed to around 30 km/h toreduce the possibility of engine and
transaxle overheating.
If your trailer weighs more than the max-
imum trailer weight without trailer brakes
and you have an automatic transaxle,
you should drive in D (Drive) when tow-
ing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive) when
towing a trailer will minimise heat build up
and extend the life of your transaxle.
Parking on hills
Generally, if you have a trailer attached to
your vehicle, you should not park your
vehicle on a hill. People can be seriously
or fatally injured, and both your vehicle
and the trailer can be damaged if unex-
pectedly roll down hill.
However, if you ever have to park your
trailer on a hill, here's how to do it:
1. Pull the vehicle into the parking space.Turn the steering wheel in the direction
of the curb (right if headed down hill,left if headed up hill).
2. If the vehicle has a manual transaxle, place the car in neutral. If the vehicle
has an automatic transaxle, place the
car in P (Park).
3. Set the hand brake and shut off the vehicle.
4. Place chocks under the trailer wheels on the down hill side of the wheels.CAUTION
When towing a trailer on steep
grades (in excess of 8%) payclose attention to the enginecoolant temperature gauge to
ensure the engine does not over- heat. If the needle of the coolanttemperature gauge moves across the dial towards “H” (HOT), pull
over and stop as soon as it is safe to do so, and allow the engine toidle until it cools down. You may proceed once the engine has
cooled sufficiently.
You must decide driving speed depending on trailer weight anduphill grade to reduce the possi-
bility of engine and transaxle overheating.
WARNING - Parking on a
hill
Parking your vehicle on a hill with a
trailer attached could cause seri-
ous injury or death, should the trail-
er break loose.

543
Driving your vehicle
If you do decide to pull a trailer
Here are some important points if you
decide to pull a trailer:
Consider using a sway control. You canask a towbar dealer about sway con- trol.
Do not do any towing with your car dur- ing its first 2,000 km in order to allow
the engine to properly break in. Failure
to heed this caution may result in seri-
ous engine or transaxle damage.
When towing a trailer, be sure to con- sult an authorised Hyundai dealer for
further information on additional
requirements such as a towing kit, etc.
Always drive your vehicle at a moder- ate speed (less than 100 km/h).
On a long uphill grade, do not exceed 30 km/h with 2 people in the car or the
posted towing speed limit, whichever is
lower.
The important considerations have to do with weight:
500 (1102)
1200 (2645)
75 (165)
1085 (42.7)Maximum trailer weight kg (lbs.)
Maximum permissible static vertical load on
the coupling device kg (lbs.)
Recommended distance from rear wheel centre to coupling point mm (inch)
Without brake System
With brake System

Driving your vehicle
44
5
Weight of the trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be? It
should never weigh more than the maxi-
mum trailer weight with trailer brakes. But
even that can be too heavy.
It depends on how you plan to use your
trailer. For example, speed, altitude, road
grades, outside temperature and how
often your vehicle is used to pull a trailer
are all important. The ideal trailer weight
can also depend on any special equip-
ment that you have on your vehicle.
Weight of the trailer tongue
The tongue load of any trailer is an
important weight to measure because it
affects the total gross vehicle weight
(GVW) of your vehicle. This weight
includes the curb weight of the vehicle,
any cargo you may carry in it, and the
people who will be riding in the vehicle.
And if you will tow a trailer, you must addthe tongue load to the GVW because
your vehicle will also be carrying that
weight.
The trailer tongue should weigh a maxi-
mum of 10% of the total loaded trailer
weight, within the limits of the maximum
trailer tongue load permissible. After
you've loaded your trailer, weigh the trail-
er and then the tongue, separately, to
see if the weights are proper. If they
aren’t, you may be able to correct them
simply by moving some items around in
the trailer.
Tongue loads can be increased or
decreased by redistributing the load in
the trailer. This can be verified by check-
ing the total weight of the loaded trailer
and then checking the load on the
tongue.
WARNING - Trailer
Never load a trailer with more weight in the rear than in the
front. The front should be loaded
with approximately 60% of the
total trailer load; the rear should
be loaded with approximately40% of the total trailer load.
(Continued)
C190E02JM
Gross Axle WeightGross Vehicle Weight
C190E01JM
Tongue Load Total Trailer Weight

545
Driving your vehicle
(Continued)
Never exceed the maximumweight limits of the trailer or trail-
er towing equipment. Improper
loading can result in damage to
your vehicle and/or personal
injury. Check weights and loading
at a commercial scale or highway
patrol office equipped withscales.
An improperly loaded trailer can cause loss of vehicle control.

Driving your vehicle
46
5
This section will guide you in the proper
loading of your vehicle and/or trailer, to
keep your loaded vehicle weight within its
design rating capability, with or without a
trailer. Properly loading your vehicle will
provide maximum return of the vehicle
design performance. Before loading your
vehicle, familiarise yourself with the fol-
lowing terms for determining your vehi-
cle's weight ratings, with or without a
trailer, from the vehicle's specificationsand the compliance plate: Base curb weight
This is the weight of the vehicle including a full tank of fuel and all standard equip-
ment. It does not include passengers,
cargo, or optional equipment.
Vehicle curb weight
This is the weight of your new vehicle
when you picked it up from your dealer
plus any aftermarket equipment.
Cargo weight
This figure includes all weight added to
the Base Curb Weight, including cargoand optional equipment. GAW (Gross axle weight)
This is the total weight placed on each
axle (front and rear) - including vehicle
curb weight and all payload.
GAWR (Gross axle weight rating)
This is the maximum allowable weight
that can be carried by a single axle (front
or rear). These numbers are shown on
the compliance plate.
The total load on each axle must never
exceed its GAWR.
GVW (Gross vehicle weight)
This is the Base Curb Weight plus actual
Cargo Weight plus passengers.
GVWR (Gross vehicle weight rating)
This is the maximum allowable weight of
the fully loaded vehicle (including all
options, equipment, passengers and
cargo). The GVWR is shown on the com-pliance plate located inside boot.
Overloading
WEIGHT OF THE VEHICLE
WARNING -
Vehicle weight
The gross axle weight rating
(GAWR) and the gross vehicle
weight rating (GVWR) for your vehi-
cle are on the manufacturer's plate
located to the boot. Exceedingthese ratings can cause an acci-
dent or vehicle damage. You can
calculate the weight of your load byweighing the items (and people)
before putting them in the vehicle.
Be careful not to overload your
vehicle.

Maintenance
32
7
TYRES AND WHEELS
Tyre care
For proper maintenance, safety, and
maximum fuel economy, you must
always maintain recommended tyre infla-
tion pressures and stay within the load
limits and weight distribution recom-
mended for your vehicle. Recommended cold tyre inflation pressures All tyre pressures (including the spare)
should be checked every day when the
tyres are cold. “Cold Tyres” means the
vehicle has not been driven for at least
three hours or driven less than 1.6 km(one mile).
Recommended pressures must be main-
tained for the best ride, top vehicle han-
dling, and minimum tyre wear. All specifications (sizes and pressures)
can be found on a label attached to the
vehicle.
WARNING - Tyre underin-
flation
Severe underinflation (70 kPa (10
psi) or more) can lead to severe
heat build-up, causing blowouts,tread separation and other tyre fail-ures that can result in the loss of
vehicle control leading to severe
injury or death. This risk is much
higher on hot days and when driv-
ing for protracted periods at highspeeds.
OHD086003R