
Driving your vehicle
48
5
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. And,
because of 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 maneuvers. 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 authorized KIA dealer can assist you
in installing the wiring harness.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 70 km/h (45mph) to reduce 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 minimize heat build up
and extend the life of your transaxle.
WARNING
Failure to use an approved trailer wiring harness could result in dam-
age to the vehicle electrical system
and/or personal injury.
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549
Driving your vehicle
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 parking brake and shut off the vehicle.
4. Place chocks under the trailer wheels on the down hill side of the wheels. 5. Start the vehicle, hold the brakes, shift
to neutral, release the parking brake
and slowly release the brakes until the
trailer chocks absorb the load.
6. Reapply the brakes, reapply the park- ing brake and shift the vehicle to R
(Reverse) for manual transaxle or P
(Park) for automatic transaxle.
7. Shut off the vehicle and release the vehicle brakes but leave the parking
brake set.CAUTION
When towing a trailer on steep
grades (in excess of 6%) pay
close attention to the enginecoolant temperature gauge toensure the engine does not over- heat. If the needle of the coolant
temperature gauge moves acrossthe dial towards “130°C” (HOT),pull over and stop as soon as it is
safe to do so, and allow theengine to idle until it cools down.You may proceed once the enginehas cooled sufficiently.
You must decide the driving speed depending on trailerweight and uphill grade to reducethe possibility 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.
WARNING - Parking brake
It can be dangerous to get out of
your vehicle if the parking brake is
not firmly set.
If you have left the engine running,
the vehicle can move suddenly. You
or others could be seriously or
fatally injured.
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551
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 hitch dealer about sway control.
Do not do any towing with your car dur- ing its first 2,000 km (1,200 miles) in
order to allow the engine to properly
break in. Failure to heed this caution
may result in serious engine or
transaxle damage.
When towing a trailer, be sure to con- sult an authorized KIA dealer for fur-
ther information on additional require-
ments such as a towing kit, etc.
Always drive your vehicle at a moder- ate speed (less than 100 km/h / 60
mph). If your vehicle is a commercial
vehicle, drive less than 80 km/h.
On a long uphill grade, do not exceed 70 km/h (45 mph) or the posted towing
speed limit, whichever is lower.
The chart contains important consider- ations that have to do with weight:Engine
1.4/
1.6 2.0Engine
ItemEngineM/T A/T 1.6 Engine
Maximum
Without brake550 550 550 550
trailer System ( 1212) (1212) (1212) (1212)
weight With brake 1200 1500 1400 1400 kg (Ibs.) System (2645) (3307) (3086) (3086)
Maximum permissible
static vertical load on 55 75 75 75
the coupling device (121) (165) (165) (165) kg (Ibs.)
Recommended distance
from rear wheel center 5 Door : 820 (32.3)
to coupling point 5 Door wagon : 1055 (41.5)
mm (Inch) 3 Door : 825 (32.5)
Gasoline Engine
Diesel Engine
M/T : Manual transaxle
A/T : Automatic transaxle
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67
What to do in an emergency
IF YOU HAVE A FLAT TIRE (WITH SPARE TIRE, IF EQUIPPED)
Jack and tools
The jack, jack handle, wheel lug nut wrench are stored in the luggage
compartment.
Pull up the luggage box cover to reach this equipment.
(1) Jack handle
(2) Jack
(3) Wheel lug nut wrench
Jacking instructions
The jack is provided for emergency
tire changing only.
To prevent the jack from “rattling”
while the vehicle is in motion, store it
properly.
Follow jacking instructions to reduce
the possibility of personal injury.WARNING - Changing tires
Never attempt vehicle repairs in the traffic lanes of a public
road or highway.
Always move the vehicle com- pletely off the road and onto
the shoulder before trying to
change a tire. The jack should
be used on firm level ground.
If you cannot find a firm level
place off the road, call a tow-
ing service company for
assistance.
Be sure to use the correct front and rear jacking posi-
tions on the vehicle; never
use the bumpers or any other
part of the vehicle for jack
support.
(Continued)
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69
What to do in an emergency
4. Remove the wheel lug nut wrench,jack, jack handle, and spare tire
from the vehicle.
5. Block both the front and rear of wheel that is diagonally opposite
the jack position. 6. Loosen the wheel lug nuts coun-
terclockwise one turn each, but do
not remove any nut until the tire
has been raised off the ground.
WARNING - Changing a tire
To prevent vehicle movement
while changing a tire, always
set the parking brake fully,
and always block the wheel
diagonally opposite the wheel
being changed.
We recommend that the wheels of the vehicle be
chocked, and that no person
remain in a vehicle that is
being jacked.
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What to do in an emergency
10
6
7. Place the jack at the front or rear
jacking position closest to the tire
you are changing. Place the jackat the designated locations under
the frame. The jacking positions
are plates welded to the frame
with two tabs and a raised dot to
index with the jack. 8. Insert the jack handle into the jack
and turn it clockwise, raising the
vehicle until the tire just clears the
ground. This measurement is
approximately 30 mm (1.2 in).
Before removing the wheel lug
nuts, make sure the vehicle is sta-
ble and that there is no chance for
movement or slippage. 9. Loosen the wheel nuts and
remove them with your fingers.Slide the wheel off the studs and
lay it flat so it cannot roll away. To
put the wheel on the hub, pick up
the spare tire, line up the holeswith the studs and slide the wheel
onto them. If this is difficult, tip thewheel slightly and get the top holein the wheel lined up with the top
stud. Then jiggle the wheel back
and forth until the wheel can be
slid over the other studs.
WARNING - Jack location
To reduce the possibility of
injury, be sure to use only the
jack provided with the vehicle
and in the correct jack position;
never use any other part of the
vehicle for jack support.
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611
What to do in an emergency
10. To reinstall the wheel, hold it onthe studs, put the wheel nuts on the studs and tighten them finger
tight. Jiggle the tire to be sure it iscompletely seated, then tighten
the nuts as much as possible
with your fingers again.
11. Lower the vehicle to the ground by turning the wheel nut wrench
counterclockwise.
Then position the wrench as shown
in the drawing and tighten the wheel
nuts. Be sure the socket is seated
completely over the nut. Do not standon the wrench handle or use an
extension pipe over the wrench han-
dle. Go around the wheel tightening
every other nut until they are all tight.
Then double-check each nut for
tightness. After changing wheels,
have an authorized KIA dealer tight-
en the wheel nuts to their proper
torque as soon as possible.
Wheel nut tightening torque:
Steel wheel & aluminum alloy wheel:9~11 kg·m (65~79 lb·ft)
WARNING
Wheels and wheel covers may
have sharp edges. Handle them
carefully to avoid possible
severe injury. Before putting the
wheel into place, be sure thatthere is nothing on the hub or
wheel (such as mud, tar, gravel,
etc.) that interferes with the
wheel from fitting solidly
against the hub.
If there is, remove it. If there is not good contact on the mount-ing surface between the wheel
and hub, the wheel nuts couldcome loose and cause the loss
of a wheel. Loss of a wheel may
result in loss of control of the
vehicle. This may cause serious
injury or death.
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What to do in an emergency
12
6
If you have a tire gauge, remove the
valve cap and check the air pressure.
If the pressure is lower than recom-
mended, drive slowly to the nearest
service station and inflate to the cor-
rect pressure. If it is too high, adjust
it until it is correct. Always reinstall
the valve cap after checking or
adjusting tire pressure. If the cap is
not replaced, air may leak from the
tire. If you lose a valve cap, buyanother and install it as soon as pos-
sible.
After you have changed wheels,
always secure the flat tire in its place
and return the jack and tools to their
proper storage locations. To prevent the jack, jack handle,
wheel lug nut wrench and spare tire
from rattling while the vehicle is in
motion, store them properly.CAUTION
Your vehicle has metric threads
on the wheel studs and nuts.Make certain during wheel removal that the same nuts thatwere removed are reinstalled -or, if replaced, that nuts with metric threads and the samechamfer configuration are used.Installation of a non-metric thread nut on a metric stud orvice-versa will not secure thewheel to the hub properly andwill damage the stud so that it must be replaced.
Note that most lug nuts do nothave metric threads. Be sure touse extreme care in checking for thread style before installingaftermarket lug nuts or wheels.If in doubt, consult an author-ized KIA dealer.
WARNING - Wheel studs
If the studs are damaged, they
may lose their ability to retain
the wheel. This could lead to theloss of the wheel and a collisionresulting in serious injuries.
WARNING - Inadequate
spare tire pressure
Check the inflation pressures
as soon as possible after
installing the spare tire. Adjust
it to the specified pressure, if
necessary. Refer to “Tires and
wheels” in section 8.
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