2009 KIA AMANTI tires

519
Driving tips
Load-pulling components such as the
engine, transaxle, wheel assemblies, and
tires are forced to work harder against
the load of the added weight. The engine
is required to operate at relatively higher
speeds and under greater loads. This
additional burden generates extra heat.
The trailer also adds considerably to
wind resistance, increasing the pulling
requirements.
If you do decide to pull a trailerHere are some important points if you
decide to pull a trailer:
Consider using a sway control. You canask a hitch dealer about sway control.
After your odometer indicates 500 miles (800 km) or more, you can tow a
trailer. For the first 500 miles (800 km)
that you tow a trailer, don’t drive over
50 mph (80 km/h) and don’t make
starts at full throttle. This helps your
engine and other parts of your vehicle
“wear” in at the heavier loads.
Always drive your vehicle at a moder- ate speed (Less than 100 km/h).
The important considerations have to do with weight: Weight of the trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be? It
should never weigh more than 2000 lbs.
(908 kg) 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
much 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.

521
Driving tips
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 hitch.
Instructions about safety chains may be
provided by the hitch manufacturer or by
the trailer manufacturer. Follow the man-
ufacturer’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 weighs more than 1000 lbs.
(454 kg) 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 proper-
ly.
Don’t tap into your vehicle's brake sys-tem.
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 hitch
and platform, safety chains, electrical
connector(s), lights, tires 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.
WARNING
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.

6
Road warning / 6-2
In case of an emergency while driving / 6-2
Overheating / 6-3
Emergency starting / 6-4
Electrical circuit protection / 6-6
Towing / 6-13
Tires pressure monitoring system (TPMS) / 6-17
If you have a flat tire / 6-22
In case of an emergency

In case of an emergency16
6 Use a towing strap less than 16 feet (5
m) long. Attach a white or red cloth
(about 12 inches (30 cm) wide) in the
middle of the strap for easy visibility.
Drive carefully so that the towing strap is not loosened during towing.
When your vehicle is being towed
by another vehicle other than a
tow truck (In case of an emer-
gency) Turn the ignition switch to ACC so thesteering wheel isn’t locked.
Place the transaxle shift lever in N (Neutral).
Release the parking bake.
Vehicle equipped with automatic transaxles should not exceed 28 mph
(45 km/h) and should not be towed
more than 50 miles (80 km).
Press the brake pedal with more force than normal since you will have
reduced brake performance.
More steering effort will be required because the power steering system
will be disabled.
If you are driving down a long hill, the brakes may overheat and brake per-
formance will be reduced. Stop often
and let the brakes cool off.
Tips for towing a stuck vehicleThe following methods are effective
when your vehicle is stuck in mud, sand
or similar substances that prevent the
vehicle from being driven out under its
own power.
Remove the soil and sand, etc. fromthe front and the back of the tires.
Place a stone or wood under the tires.
1GHA4107
CAUTION
To prevent internal damage to the transaxle, never tow your vehiclefrom the rear (backwards) with allfour tires in contact with the sur- face.

617
In case of an emergency
TIRES PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM (TPMS) (IF EQUIPPED)
➀
Low Tire Pressure Telltale
➁
TPMS Malfunction Indicator
Each tire, including the spare (if pro-
vided), should be checked monthly
when cold and inflated to the inflation
pressure recommended by the vehi-
cle manufacturer on the vehicle plac-
ard or tire inflation pressure label. (If
your vehicle has tires of a different
size than the size indicated on the
vehicle placard or tire inflation pres-
sure label, you should determine the
proper tire inflation pressure for
those tires.) As an added safety feature, your
vehicle has been equipped with a tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
that illuminates a low tire pressure
telltale when one or more of your
tires is significantly under-inflated.
Accordingly, when the low tire pres-
sure telltale illuminates, you should
stop and check your tires as soon as
possible, and inflate them to the
proper pressure. Driving on a signifi-
cantly under-inflated tire causes the
tire to overheat and can lead to tire
failure. Under-inflation also reduces
fuel efficiency and tire tread life, and
may affect the vehicle’s handling and
stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a
substitute for proper tire mainte-
nance, and it is the driver’s responsi-
bility to maintain correct tire pres-
sure, even if under-inflation has not
reached the level to trigger illumina-
tion of the TPMS low tire pressure
telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped
with a TPMS malfunction indicator to
indicate when the system is not
operating properly. The TPMS mal-
function indicator is provided by a
separate telltale, which displays the
symbol "TPMS" when illuminated.
When the malfunction indicator is
illuminated, the system may not be
able to detect or signal low tire pres-
sure as intended. TPMS malfunc-
tions may occur for a variety of rea-
sons, including the installation of
replacement or alternate tires or
wheels on the vehicle that prevent
the TPMS from functioning properly.
Always check the TPMS malfunction
telltale after replacing one or more
tires or wheels on your vehicle to
ensure that the replacement or alter-
nate tires and wheels allow the
TPMS to continue to function proper-
ly.
OGH049436N➀
➁

In case of an emergency18
6Low tire pressure tell-
tale
When the tire pressure monitoring
system warning telltale is illuminat-
ed, one or more of your tires is sig-
nificantly under-inflated.
Immediately reduce your speed,
avoid hard cornering and anticipate
increased stopping distances. You
should stop and check your tires as
soon as possible when the tires are
cool. And inflate the tires to the prop-
er pressure as indicated on the vehi-
cle’s placard or tire inflation pressure
label located on the driver’s side cen-
ter pillar outer panel. If you cannot
reach a service station or if the tire
cannot hold the newly added air,
replace the low pressure tire with the
temporary spare tire.
Then the TPMS malfunction indicator
or the Low Tire Pressure telltale may
turn on after restarting and about 20
minutes of continuous driving before
you have the low-pressure tire
repaired and reinstalled on the vehi-
cle.
CAUTION
In winter or cold weather, the
low tire pressure telltale may beilluminated if the tire pressurewas adjusted to the recom-mended tire inflation pressurein warm weather. It does notmean your TPMS is malfunction-ing because the decreased tem-perature leads to a proportionallowering of tire pressure.
When you drive your vehiclefrom a warm area to a cold areaor from a cold area to a warmarea, or the outside temperaturesignificantly increases ordecreases, you should checkthe tire inflation pressure andadjust the tires to the recom-mended tire inflation pressure.
WARNING
- Low tire pres- sure
Significantly low tire pressure
makes the vehicle unstable and
can contribute to loss of vehicle
control and increased braking
distances.
Continued driving on low pres-
sure tires will cause the tires to
overheat and fail.

In case of an emergency20
6Changing a tire with TPMS
If you have a flat tire, the Low Tire
Pressure telltale will turn on. Have
the flat tire repaired by an authorized
KIA dealer as soon as possible or
replace the flat tire with the spare
tire.
NEVER use a puncture-repairing
agent to repair and/or inflate a low
pressure tire. If used, you will have to
replace the tire pressure sensor.
Each wheel is equipped with a tire
pressure sensor mounted inside the
tire behind the valve stem. You must
use TPMS specific wheels. It is rec-
ommended that you always have
your tires serviced by an authorized
KIA dealer as soon as possible.
After you replace the low pressure
tire with the spare tire, the TPMS
malfunction indicator or the Low Tire
Pressure telltale may illuminate after
restarting and driving about 20 min-
utes of continuous driving. Once the low pressure tire is re-
inflated to the recommended pres-
sure and installed on the vehicle, the
TPMS malfunction indicator and the
low tire pressure telltale will extin-
guish.
If the low pressure and TPMS mal-
function indicators are not extin-
guished after about 20 minutes of
continuous driving, please visit an
authorized Kia dealer.
You may not be able to identify a low
tire by simply looking at it. Always
use a good quality tire pressure
gauge to measure the tire's inflation
pressure. Please note that a tire that
is hot (from being driven) will have a
higher pressure measurement than a
tire that is cold (from sitting station-
ary for at least 3 hours and driven
less than 1 mile (1.6km) during that 3
hour period). Allow the tire to cool
before measuring the inflation pres-
sure.
Always be sure the tire is cold before
inflating to the recommended pres-
sure.
A cold tire means the vehicle has
been sitting for 3 hours and driven for
less than 1 mile (1.6km) in that 3
hour period.

621
In case of an emergency
This device complies with Part 15
of the FCC rules.Operation is sub-
ject to the following two conditions:
1. This device may not cause harm- ful interference, and
2. This device must accept any inter- ference received, including inter-
ference that may cause undesired
operation.
WARNING - TPMS
The TPMS cannot alert you tosevere and sudden tire dam-
age caused by external fac-
tors.
If you feel any vehicle instabil- ity, immediately take your foot
off the accelerator and slowly
move to a safe position off the
road.
WARNING
Tampering with, modifying, or
disabling the Tire Pressure
Monitoring System (TPMS)
components may interfere with
the system's ability to warn the
driver of low tire pressure con-
ditions and/or TPMS malfunc-
tions. Tampering with, modify-
ing, or disabling the Tire
Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS) components may void
the warranty for that portion of
the vehicle.
WARNING
Changes or modifications not
expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance
could void the user's authority
to operate the equipment.
CAUTION
Do not use any tire sealant if your vehicle is equipped witha Tire Pressure MonitoringSystem. The liquid sealant candamage the tire pressure sen-sors.
In order for the system to cor- rectly monitor tires for under-inflation, there should be atotal of exactly 4 sensors fit-ted to each of the four drivenwheel positions. There shouldbe no other sensors in thevehicle include spare tireposition since this couldcause the system to monitorthe wrong sensors.