2011 TOYOTA SEQUOIA wheel

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2-5. Driving information
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When driving
Winter driving tips
Carry out the necessary preparations and inspections before driving
the vehicle in winter. Always drive the vehicle in a manner appropri-
ate to the prevailing weather conditions.
■ Pre-winter preparations
●Use fluids that are appropriate to the prevailing outside tem-
peratures.
• Engine oil
• Engine coolant
• Washer fluid
● Have a service technician inspect the level and specific grav-
ity of battery electrolyte.
● Have the vehicle fitted with four snow tires or purchase a set
of tire chains for the rear tires.
Ensure that all tires are the same size and brand, and that chains
match the size of the tires.
■Before driving the vehicle
Perform the following according to the driving conditions.
●Do not try to forcibly open a window, scrape an outside rear
view mirror surface or move a wiper or outside rear view mir-
ror that is frozen. Pour warm water over the frozen area to
melt the ice. Wipe away the water immediately to prevent it
from freezing.
● To ensure proper operation of th e climate control system fan,
remove any snow that has accumulated on the air inlet vents
in front of the windshield.
● Remove any ice that has accumu lated on the vehicle chassis.
● Periodically check for and remove any excess ice or snow
that may have accumulated in the wheel well or on the
brakes.

254 2-5. Driving information
Selecting tire chainsUse the correct tire chain size when mounting the snow chains.
Chain size is regulated for each tire size.
Side chain
0.2 in. (5 mm) in diameter
Cross chain
0.25 in. (6.3 mm) in diameter
■When driving the vehicle
Accelerate the vehicle slowly and drive at a reduced speed suit-
able to road conditions.
■ When parking the vehicle
Park the vehicle and move the shift lever to P without setting the
parking brake. The parking brak e may freeze up, preventing it
from being released. If necessary , block the wheels to prevent
inadvertent sliding or creeping.
■ Refueling (Flex-fuel vehicles)
Observe the following precautions when switching fuels, in order
to maintain starting and driving performance.
●Do not change fuels when the fuel level is 1/4 or less.
● Always add at least 2.6 gal. (10 L) of fuel.
● After fulling up with fuel, warm up the engine or drive the vehi-
cle for at least 5 minutes or 7 miles (11 km).
● Do not accelerate rapidly immediately after refueling.

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When driving
Regulations on the use of snow chains
● Regulations regarding the use of tire chains vary according to loca-
tion and type of road. Always check local regu lations before install-
ing chains.
● Install the chains on the rear tires.
● Retighten the chains after drivi ng 1/4 - 1/2 mile (0.5 - 1.0 km).
■Snow chain installation
Observe the following precautions when installing and removing chains.
●Install and remove tire chains in a safe location.
● Install tire chains on the rear tires only. Do not install tire chains on the
front tires.
● Install tire chains following the instructions provided in the accompanying
instructions.
CAUTION
■Driving with snow tires
Observe the following precautions to reduce the risk of accidents.
Failing to do so may result in a loss of vehicle control and cause death or
serious injury.
●Use tires of the size specified for your vehicle.
● Maintain the recommended level of air pressure.
● Do not drive in excess of 75 mph (120 km/h) regardless of the type of
snow tires being used.
● Snow tires should be installed on all wheels.
● 4WD models:
Do not mix tires of different makes, models, tread patterns or treadwear.

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When driving
Trailer towing tips
Your vehicle will handle differently when towing a trailer. Help to avoid
an accident, death or serious injury, keep the following in mind when
towing:
● Speed limits for towing a trailer vary by state or province. Do not
exceed the posted towing speed limit.
● Toyota recommends that the vehicle-trailer speed limit is 65 mph
(104 km/h) on a flat, straight, dry road. Do not exceed this limit, the
posted towing speed limit or the speed limit for your trailer as set
forth in your trailer owner’s man ual, whichever is lowest. Instability
of the towing vehicle-trailer combin ation (trailer sway) increases as
speed increases. Exceeding speed limits may cause loss of con-
trol.
● Before starting out, check the trailer lights, tires and the vehicle-
trailer connections. Recheck after driving a short distance.
● Practice turning, stopping and reve rsing with the trailer attached in
an area away from traffic until you become accustomed to the feel
of the vehicle-trailer combination.
● Reversing with a trailer attached is difficult and requires practice.
Grip the bottom of the steering wheel and move your hand to the
left to move the trailer to the left. Move your hand to the right to
move the trailer to the right. (Thi s is generally opposite to reversing
without a trailer attached.) Avoid sharp or prolonged turning. Have
someone guide you when reversing to reduce the risk of an acci-
dent.
● As stopping distance is increased when towing a trailer, vehicle-to-
vehicle distance should be increased. For each 10 mph (16 km/h)
of speed, allow at least o ne vehicle and trailer length.
● Avoid sudden braking as you may skid, resulting in the trailer jack-
knifing and loss of vehicle control. This is especially true on wet or
slippery surfaces.

270 2-5. Driving information
●Avoid jerky starts or sudden acceleration.
● Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns, and slow down before mak-
ing a turn.
● Note that when making a turn, th e trailer wheels will be closer than
the vehicle wheels to the inside of the turn. Compensate by making
a wider than normal turning radius.
● Slow down before making a turn, in crosswinds, on wet or slippery
surfaces, etc.
Increasing vehicle speed c an destabilize the trailer.
● Take care when passing other v ehicles. Passing requires consider-
able distance. After passing a vehi cle, do not forget the length of
your trailer, and be sure you hav e plenty of room before changing
lanes.
● To maintain engine braking efficiency, do not use the transmission
in D.
Transmission shift range position must be in 5 in the S mode.
● Instability happens more frequently when descending steep or long
downhill grades. Before descending, slow down and downshift. Do
not make sudden downshifts while descending steep or long down-
hill grades.
● Avoid holding the brake pedal down too long or applying the
brakes too frequently. This could cause the brakes to overheat and
result in reduced braking efficiency.
● Due to the added load of the trailer, your vehicle’s engine may
overheat on hot days (at temper atures over 85°F [30°C]) when
driving up a long or steep grade. If the engine coolant temperature
gauge indicates overheating, immediately turn off the air condition-
ing (if in use), pull your vehicle off the road and stop in a safe spot.
(  P. 615)

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When driving
●
Always place wheel blocks under both the vehicle’s and the
trailer’s wheels when parking. Ap ply the parking brake firmly, and
put the transmission in P. Avoid pa rking on a slope, but if unavoid-
able, do so only after performing the following:
Apply the brakes and keep them applied.
Have someone place wheel blo cks under both the vehicle’s
and trailer’s wheels.
When the wheel blocks are in pl ace, release the brakes slowly
until the blocks absorb the load.
Apply the parking brake firmly.
Shift into P and turn off the engine.
● When restarting after parking on a slope:
With the transmission in P, start the engine. Be sure to keep
the brake pedal pressed.
Shift into D or R (if reversing).
Release the parking brake and brake pedal, and slowly pull or
back away from the wheel blocks. Stop and apply the brakes.
Have someone retrieve the blocks.

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When driving
■
AVS (adaptive variable suspension system) (if equipped)
The suspension can be switched for improvement in driveability. ( P. 228)
■ Break-in schedule
If your vehicle is new or equipped with any new power train components
(such as an engine, transmission, differential or wheel bearing), Toyota rec-
ommends that you do not tow a trailer until the vehicle has been driven \
for
over 500 miles (800 km).
After the vehicle has been driven for over 500 miles (800 km), you can s\
tart
towing. However, for the next 500 miles (800 km), drive the vehicle at a
speed of less than 50 mph (80 km/h) when towing a trailer, and avoid full
throttle acceleration.
■ Maintenance
●If you tow a trailer, your vehicle will require more frequent maintenance
due to the additional load. (See “Owner’s Warranty Information Booklet”
or “Scheduled Maintenance Guide/Owner’s Manual Supplement”.)
● Retighten the fixing bolts of the towing ball and bracket after approxi-
mately 600 miles (1000 km) of trailer towing.
■ If trailer sway occurs
One or more factors (crosswinds, passing vehicles, rough roads, etc.) can
adversely affect handling of your vehicle and trailer, causing instability.
●If trailer swaying occurs:
• Firmly grip the steering wheel. Steer straight ahead.
Do not try to control trailer swaying by turning the steering wheel.
• Begin releasing the accelerator pedal immediately but very gradually to reduce speed.
Do not increase speed. Do not apply vehicle brakes.
If you make no extreme correction with the steering or brakes, your vehicle
and trailer should stabilize.
● After the trailer swaying has stopped:
• Stop in a safe place. Get all occupants out of the vehicle.
• Check the tires of the vehicle and the trailer.
• Check the load in the trailer.
Make sure the load has not shifted.
Make sure the tongue weight is appropriate, if possible.
• Check the load in the vehicle. Make sure the vehicle is not overloaded after occupants get in.

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When driving
Dinghy towing
NOTICE
■To avoid serious damage to your vehicle
Do not tow your vehicle with four wheels on the ground.
Your vehicle is not designed to be dinghy towed (with 4 wheels on
the ground) behind a motor home.