2011 KIA Optima wheel alignment

541
Driving your vehicle
Your vehicle's fuel economy depends
mainly on your style of driving, where you
drive and when you drive.
Each of these factors affects how many
miles (kilometers) you can get from a gal-
lon (liter) of fuel. To operate your vehicle
as economically as possible, use the fol-
lowing driving suggestions to help save
money in both fuel and repairs:
Drive smoothly. Accelerate at a moder-ate rate. Don't make "jack-rabbit" starts
or full-throttle shifts and maintain a
steady cruising speed. Don't race
between stoplights. Try to adjust your
speed to the traffic so you don't have to
change speeds unnecessarily. Avoid
heavy traffic whenever possible.
Always maintain a safe distance from
other vehicles so you can avoid unnec-
essary braking. This also reduces
brake wear.
Drive at a moderate speed. The faster you drive, the more fuel your vehicle
uses. Driving at a moderate speed,
especially on the highway, is one of the
most effective ways to reduce fuel con-
sumption. Don't "ride" the brake pedal. This can
increase fuel consumption and also
increase wear on these components.
In addition, driving with your foot rest-
ing on the brake pedal may cause the
brakes to overheat, which reduces
their effectiveness and may lead to
more serious consequences.
Take care of your tires. Keep them inflated to the recommended pressure.
Incorrect inflation, either too much or
too little, results in unnecessary tire
wear. Check the tire pressures at least
once a month.
Be sure that the wheels are aligned correctly. Improper alignment can
result from hitting curbs or driving too
fast over irregular surfaces. Poor align-
ment causes faster tire wear and may
also result in other problems as well as
greater fuel consumption. Keep your vehicle in good condition.
For better fuel economy and reduced
maintenance costs, maintain your vehi-
cle in accordance with the mainte-
nance schedule in section 7. If you
drive your vehicle in severe conditions,
more frequent maintenance is required
(see section 7 for details).
Keep your vehicle clean. For maximum service, your vehicle should be kept
clean and free of corrosive materials. It
is especially important that mud, dirt,
ice, etc. not be allowed to accumulate
on the underside of the vehicle. This
extra weight can result in increased
fuel consumption and also contribute
to corrosion.
Travel lightly. Don't carry unnecessary weight in your vehicle. Weight reduces
fuel economy.
Don't let the engine idle longer than necessary. If you are waiting (and not
in traffic), turn off your engine and
restart only when you're ready to go.
ECONOMICAL OPERATION

Maintenance
67
At least monthly:
Check the coolant level in the enginecoolant reservoir.
Check the operation of all exterior lights, including the stoplights, turn sig-
nals and hazard warning flashers.
Check the inflation pressures of all tires including the spare.
At least twice a year (i.e., every Spring and Fall) :
Check the radiator, heater and air con- ditioning hoses for leaks or damage.
Check the windshield washer spray and wiper operation. Clean the wiper
blades with clean cloth dampened with
washer fluid.
Check the headlight alignment.
Check the muffler, exhaust pipes, shields and clamps.
Check the lap/shoulder belts for wear and function.
Check for worn tires and loose wheel lug nuts.
At least once a year :
Clean the body and door drain holes.
Lubricate the door hinges and checks,and hood hinges.
Lubricate the door and hood locks and latches.
Lubricate the door rubber weather- strips.
Check the air conditioning system.
Check the power steering fluid level.
Inspect and lubricate automatic transaxle linkage and controls.
Clean the battery and terminals.
Check the brake/clutch fluid level.

79
Maintenance
Chassis and body (Continued)
Kilometers or time in months, whichever comes first
× 1,000 km 8 16 24 32 40 48 56 64 72 80 88 96 104 112 120 128
# Months 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64
Automatic transaxle fluid* (1) R
Chassis & underbody bolts & nuts I I I I I I IIIIIII III
Tire condition & inflation pressure I I I I I I IIIIIII III
Wheel alignment (4)
Tire rotation
Steering operation & linkage I I I I I I IIIIIII III
Driveshaft dust boots I I I I I
Seat belts, buckles & anchors I I I I I I IIIIIII III
Lock, hinges & hood latch L L L L L L LLLLLLL LLL
MAINTENANCE
INTERVALS
MAINTENANCE
ITEM
Inspect when abnormal condition noted
Rotate the tires every 12,000 km
* if equipped

737
Maintenance
Tire rotation
To equalize tread wear, it is recom-
mended that the tires be rotated
every 12,000 km (7,500 miles) or
sooner if irregular wear develops.
During rotation, check the tires for
correct balance.
When rotating tires, check for uneven
wear and damage. Abnormal wear is
usually caused by incorrect tire pres-
sure, improper wheel alignment, out-
of-balance wheels, severe braking or
severe cornering. Look for bumps or
bulges in the tread or side of tire.
Replace the tire if you find either of
these conditions. Replace the tire if
fabric or cord is visible. After rotation,
be sure to bring the front and rear tire
pressures to specification and check
lug nut tightness.
Refer to “Tire and wheels” in section
8.
Disc brake pads should be inspectedfor wear whenever tires are rotated.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
Rotate radial tires that have an
asymmetric tread pattern only from
front to rear and not from right to
left.
WARNING
Do not use the compact spare
tire for tire rotation.
Do not mix bias ply and radial ply tires under any circum-
stances. This may cause
unusual handling characteris-
tics that could result in death,
severe injury, or property
damage.
S2BLA790A
CBGQ0707A
Without a spare tire
Directional tires (if equipped)

Maintenance
38
7
Wheel alignment and tire balance
The wheels on your vehicle were
aligned and balanced carefully at the
factory to give you the longest tire life
and best overall performance.
In most cases, you will not need to
have your wheels aligned again.
However, if you notice unusual tire
wear or your vehicle pulling one way
or the other, the alignment may need
to be reset.
If you notice your vehicle vibrating
when driving on a smooth road, your
wheels may need to be rebalanced. Tire replacement
If the tire is worn evenly, a tread wear
indicator will appear as a solid band
across the tread. This shows there is
less than 1.6 mm (1/16 inch) of tread
left on the tire. Replace the tire when
this happens.
Do not wait for the band to appear
across the entire tread before replac-
ing the tire.
CAUTION
Improper wheel weights can
damage your vehicle's alu-minum wheels. Use onlyapproved wheel weights.
OEN076053
Tread wear indicatorWARNING - Replacing tires
To reduce the chance or serious
or fatal injuries from an acci-
dent caused by tire failure or
loss of vehicle control:
Replace tires that are worn, show uneven wear, or are
damaged. Worn tires can
cause loss of braking effec-
tiveness, steering control, and
traction.
Do not drive your vehicle with too little or too much pressure
in your tires. This can lead to
uneven wear and tire failure.
When replacing tires, never mix radial and bias-ply tires
on the same car. You must
replace all tires (including the
spare) if moving from radial to
bias-ply tires.
(Continued)

Maintenance
40
7
Tire traction
Tire traction can be reduced if you
drive on worn tires, tires that are
improperly inflated or on slippery
road surfaces. Tires should be
replaced when tread wear indicators
appear. Slow down whenever there
is rain, snow or ice on the road, to
reduce the possibility of losing con-
trol of the vehicle.
Tire maintenance
In addition to proper inflation, correct
wheel alignment helps to decrease
tire wear. If you find a tire is worn
unevenly, have your dealer check the
wheel alignment.
When you have new tires installed,
make sure they are balanced. This
will increase vehicle ride comfort and
tire life. Additionally, a tire should
always be rebalanced if it is removed
from the wheel. Tire sidewall labeling
This information identifies and
describes the fundamental charac-
teristics of the tire and also provides
the tire identification number (TIN)
for safety standard certification. The
TIN can be used to identify the tire in
case of a recall.
1. Manufacturer or brand name
Manufacturer or Brand name is
shown.
2. Tire size designation
A tire’s sidewall is marked with a tire
size designation. You will need this
information when selecting replace-
ment tires for your car. The following
explains what the letters and num-
bers in the tire size designation
mean.
Example tire size designation:
(These numbers are provided as an
example only; your tire size designa-
tor could vary depending on your
vehicle.)
P205/65R16 94H
P - Applicable vehicle type (tires
marked with the prefix “P’’ are
intended for use on passenger
vehicles or light trucks; however,
not all tires have this marking).
205 - Tire width in millimeters.
65 - Aspect ratio. The tire’s section height as a percentage of its
width.
R - Tire construction code (Radial).
16 - Rim diameter in inches.
I030B04JM
1
1
23
4
5,6
7

Index
8I
Shift lock system ··················\
··················\
··················\
·····5-19
Side impact air bag ··················\
··················\
··················\
··3-56
Smart key ··················\
··················\
··················\
··················\
·4-5
Smooth cornering··················\
··················\
··················\
·····5-44
Snow tires ··················\
··················\
··················\
················5-47
Spare tireCompact spare tire ··················\
··················\
··················\
·6-13
Compact spare tire replacement ··················\
················7-39
Removing and storing the spare tire···········\
··················\
·6-8
Special driving conditions ··················\
··················\
·········5-43 Driving at night ··················\
··················\
··················\
·····5-44
Driving in flooded areas ··················\
··················\
··········5-45
Driving in the rain ··················\
··················\
··················\
·5-45
Hazardous driving conditions ··················\
··················\
··5-43
Highway driving ··················\
··················\
··················\
····5-46
Rocking the vehicle ··················\
··················\
·················5-43\
Smooth cornering ··················\
··················\
··················\
··5-44
Speedometer··················\
··················\
··················\
·············4-49
Sports mode ··················\
··················\
··················\
·············5-18
Starting difficulties, see engine will not start ··················\
6-3
Starting the engine ··················\
··················\
··················\
·····5-9
Steering wheel ··················\
··················\
··················\
·········4-36 Horn ··················\
··················\
··················\
··················\
·····4-37
Electric power steering ··················\
··················\
············4-36
Tilt steering ··················\
··················\
··················\
············4-37
Steering wheel audio control ··················\
··················\
···4-121 Storage compartment ··················\
··················\
···············4-113
Center console storage·············\
··················\
················4-113
Glove box ··················\
··················\
··················\
············4-113
Cool box ··················\
··················\
··················\
··············4-114
Sunglass holder··················\
··················\
··················\
····4-114
Sunroof, see panorama sunroof ··················\
··················\
·4-30
Sunvisor ··················\
··················\
··················\
·················4-11\
6
Tachometer··················\
··················\
··················\
···············4-49
Tether anchor system ··················\
··················\
·················3-36\
Theft-alarm system ··················\
··················\
··················\
··4-10
Tilt steering ··················\
··················\
··················\
··············4-37
Tire specification and pressure label ··················\
·············8-7
Tires and wheels ··················\
··················\
··················\
······7-34 Checking tire inflation pressure ··················\
················7-36
Compact spare tire replacement ··················\
················7-39
Recommended cold tire inflation pressures ················7-34
Tire care ··················\
··················\
··················\
·················7-34\
Tire maintenance ··················\
··················\
··················\
···7-40
Tire replacement ··················\
··················\
··················\
····7-38
Tire rotation ··················\
··················\
··················\
···········7-37
Tire sidewall labeling ··················\
··················\
··············7-40
Tire traction ··················\
··················\
··················\
···········7-40
Wheel alignment and tire balance ··················\
·············7-38
Wheel replacement ··················\
··················\
··················\
7-39
T

I9
Index
Tires and wheels ··················\
··················\
··················\
········8-3
Towing ··················\
··················\
··················\
··················\
···6-15
Trailer towing··················\
··················\
··················\
···········5-55
TransaxleAutomatic transaxle ··················\
··················\
·················5-15\
Manual transaxle ··················\
··················\
··················\
···5-12
Trip computer ··················\
··················\
··················\
··········4-51
Trunk ··················\
··················\
··················\
··················\
······4-18
Vehicle break-in process ··················\
··················\
··············1-4
Vehicle certification label ··················\
··················\
············8-6
Vehicle identification number (VIN) ··················\
·············8-6
Vehicle load limit ··················\
··················\
··················\
·····5-50 Certification label ··················\
··················\
··················\
··5-53
Vehicle option ··················\
··················\
··················\
··········4-57
Vehicle stability management ··················\
··················\
····5-33
Vehicle weight ··················\
··················\
··················\
·········5-55 Base curb weight ··················\
··················\
··················\
···5-55
Cargo weight ··················\
··················\
··················\
·········5-55
GAW (Gross axle weight) ··················\
··················\
·······5-55
GAWR (Gross axle weight rating) ··················\
············5-55
GVW (Gross vehicle weight) ··················\
··················\
··5-55
GVWR (Gross vehicle weight rating) ··················\
·······5-55 Warnings and indicators ··················\
··················\
············4-58
Washer fluid ··················\
··················\
··················\
·············7-21
Weight ··················\
··················\
··················\
··················\
····5-55
Base curb weight ··················\
··················\
··················\
···5-55
Cargo weight ··················\
··················\
··················\
·········5-55
GAW (Gross axle weight) ··················\
··················\
·······5-55
GAWR (Gross axle weight rating) ··················\
············5-55
GVW (Gross vehicle weight) ··················\
··················\
··5-55
GVWR (Gross vehicle weight rating) ··················\
·······5-55
Welcome system ··················\
··················\
··················\
······4-79
Wheel alignment and tire balance ··················\
···············7-38
Wheel replacement ··················\
··················\
··················\
··7-39
Windows ··················\
··················\
··················\
··················\
4-21 Auto down window ··················\
··················\
·················4-22\
Auto up/down window ··················\
··················\
············4-23
Power window lock button ··················\
··················\
······4-24
Windshield defrosting and defogging··················\
········4-109 Defogging logic ··················\
··················\
··················\
···4-111
Auto defogging system··················\
··················\
··········4-112
Winter driving ··················\
··················\
··················\
··········5-47 Snow tires ··················\
··················\
··················\
··············5-47
Wiper blades ··················\
··················\
··················\
············7-27
Wipers and washers ··················\
··················\
··················\
·4-85
V
W