2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid wheel alignment

Driving your vehicle
28
5
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 that of the other traffic so you
don't have to change speeds unneces-
sarily. Avoid heavy traffic whenever
possible. Always maintain a safe dis-
tance from other vehicles so you can
avoid unnecessary braking. This also
reduces brake wear.
Drive at a moderate speed. The faster you drive, the more fuel your car uses.
Driving at a moderate speed, especial-
ly on the highway, is one of the most
effective ways to reduce fuel consump-
tion. 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 car in good condition. For
better fuel economy and reduced
maintenance costs, maintain your car
in accordance with the maintenance
schedule in section 7. If you drive your
car in severe conditions, more frequent
maintenance is required (see section 7
for details).
Keep your car 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 car. This extra
weight can result in increased fuel con-
sumption and also contribute to corro-
sion.
Travel lightly. Don't carry unnecessary weight in your car. 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 coolant level in the enginecoolant reservoir and inverter coolant.
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 radiator, heater and air condi- tioning hoses for leaks or damage.
Check windshield washer spray and wiper operation. Clean wiper blades
with clean cloth dampened with wash-
er fluid.
Check headlight alignment.
Check 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 body and door drain holes.
Lubricate door hinges and checks, andhood hinges.
Lubricate door and hood locks and latches.
Lubricate door rubber weatherstrips.
Check the air conditioning system.
Inspect and lubricate automatic transaxle linkage and controls.
Clean battery and terminals.
Check the brake fluid level.
Check the drive belt.

739
Maintenance
Remove the valve cap from the tire
valve stem. Press the tire gage firm-
ly onto the valve to get a pressure
measurement. If the cold tire inflation
pressure matches the recommended
pressure on the tire and loading
information label, no further adjust-
ment is necessary. If the pressure is
low, add air until you reach the rec-
ommended amount.
If you overfill the tire, release air by
pushing on the metal stem in the
center of the tire valve. Recheck the
tire pressure with the tire gage. Be
sure to put the valve caps back on
the valve stems. They help prevent
leaks by keeping out dirt and mois-
ture.Tire rotation
To equalize tread wear, it is recom-
mended that the tires be rotated
every 7,500 miles (12,000 km) 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.
WARNING
Inspect your tires frequently
for proper inflation as well as
wear and damage. Always use
a tire pressure gauge.
Tires with too much or too little pressure wear unevenly caus-
ing poor handling, loss of vehi-
cle control, and sudden tire
failure leading to accidents,
injuries, and even death. The
recommended cold tire pres-
sure for your vehicle can be
found in this manual and on
the tire label located on the dri-
ver's side center pillar.
Worn tires can cause acci- dents. Replace tires that are
worn, show uneven wear, or
are damaged.
Remember to check the pres- sure of your spare tire.
HYUNDAI recommends that
you check the spare every
time you check the pressure
of the other tires on your vehi-
cle.

Maintenance
40
7
Disc brake pads should be inspected
for 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.
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.
OBH078040
Without a spare tire
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.
CAUTION
Improper wheel weights candamage your vehicle's alu-minum wheels. Use onlyapproved wheel weights.

Maintenance
42
7
Compact spare tire replacement
A compact spare tire has a shorter
tread life than a regular size tire.
Replace it when you can see the
tread wear indicator bars on the tire.
The replacement compact spare tire
should be the same size and design
tire as the one provided with your
new vehicle and should be mounted
on the same compact spare tire
wheel. The compact spare tire is not
designed to be mounted on a regular
size wheel, and the compact spare
tire wheel is not designed for mount-
ing a regular size tire. Wheel replacement
When replacing the metal wheels for
any reason, make sure the new
wheels are equivalent to the original
factory units in diameter, rim width
and offset.
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. To reduce the possibility of
losing control, slow down whenever
there is rain, snow or ice on the road.
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.
WARNING
A wheel that is not the correct
size may adversely affect wheel
and bearing life, braking and
stopping abilities, handling char-
acteristics, ground clearance,
body-to-tire clearance, snow
chain clearance, speedometer
and odometer calibration, head-
light aim and bumper height.

Index
8I
Seatback pocket··················\
··················\
··················\
···3-10
Shift lock system ··················\
··················\
··················\
·····5-12
Side impact air bag ··················\
··················\
··················\
··3-52
Smart key ··················\
··················\
··················\
··················\
·4-3
Smooth cornering··················\
··················\
··················\
·····5-31
Snow tires ··················\
··················\
··················\
················5-34
Spare tire Compact spare tire ··················\
··················\
················6-14
Compact spare tire replacement ··················\
··············7-42
Removing and storing the spare tire ··················\
·······6-14
Special driving conditions ··················\
··················\
·········5-30 Driving at night ··················\
··················\
··················\
···5-31
Driving in flooded areas··················\
··················\
········5-32
Driving in the rain ··················\
··················\
·················5-32\
Hazardous driving conditions ··················\
·················5-30\
Highway driving··················\
··················\
··················\
··5-33
Rocking the vehicle··················\
··················\
···············5-30
Smooth cornering ··················\
··················\
··················\
5-31
Speedometer··················\
··················\
··················\
·············4-42
Sports mode ··················\
··················\
··················\
·············5-11
Starting difficulties, see engine will not start ··················\
6-3
Starting the hybrid system ··················\
··················\
···········5-6
Steering wheel···············\
··················\
··················\
·············4-29 Electric power steering··················\
··················\
··········4-29
Horn··················\
··················\
··················\
··················\
···4-30
Tilt steering ··················\
··················\
··················\
·········4-30
Steering wheel audio control ··················\
··················\
···4-111
Storage compartment ··················\
··················\
···············4-105 Center console storage ··················\
··················\
········4-105
Glove box ··················\
··················\
··················\
··········4-105
Multi box ··················\
··················\
··················\
···········4-106
Sunglass holder ··················\
··················\
··················\
·4-106
Sunglass holder ··················\
··················\
··················\
······4-106
Sunvisor ··················\
··················\
··················\
·················4-10\
7
Technical data (tire mobility kit) ··················\
·················6-26\
Tether anchor system ··················\
··················\
·················3-31\
Theft-alarm system ··················\
··················\
··················\
····4-9
Tilt steering ··················\
··················\
··················\
··············4-30
Tire chains··················\
··················\
··················\
················5-35
Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) ··················\
·····6-8
Tire specification and pressure label ··················\
·············8-8
Tires and wheels ··················\
··················\
··················\
······7-37 Checking tire inflation pressure ··················\
··············7-38
Compact spare tire replacement ··················\
··············7-40
Recommended cold tire inflation pressures ··············7-37
Tire care··················\
··················\
··················\
···············7-37
Tire maintenance ··················\
··················\
··················\
·7-42
Tire replacement ··················\
··················\
··················\
··7-39
Tire rotation ··················\
··················\
··················\
·········7-38
Tire sidewall labeling ··················\
··················\
············7-43
Tire traction ··················\
··················\
··················\
·········7-43
Wheel alignment and tire balance ··················\
···········7-40
Wheel replacement ··················\
··················\
················7-42
T

I9
Index
Tires and wheels ··················\
··················\
··················\
········8-4
Towing ··················\
··················\
··················\
··················\
···6-27
Trailer towing ··················\
··················\
··················\
··········5-44
TransaxleAutomatic transaxle ··················\
··················\
················5-9
Trip computer ··················\
··················\
··················\
··········4-44
Trunk ··················\
··················\
··················\
··················\
······4-15
Trunk overview ··················\
··················\
··················\
··········2-5
Using the tire mobility kit ··················\
··················\
·········6-24
Vehicle break-in process ··················\
··················\
··············1-5
Vehicle certification label ··················\
··················\
············8-7
Vehicle data collection and event data recorders (EDR)·1-6
Vehicle identification number (VIN) ··················\
·············8-7
Vehicle load limit ··················\
··················\
··················\
·····5-38 Certification label ··················\
··················\
··················\
5-41
Vehicle weight ··················\
··················\
··················\
·········5-43 Base curb weight ··················\
··················\
··················\
·5-43
Cargo weight ··················\
··················\
··················\
·······5-43
GAW (Gross axle weight) ··················\
··················\
·····5-43
GAWR (Gross axle weight rating)··················\
··········5-43
GVW (Gross vehicle weight)··················\
··················\
5-43
GVWR (Gross vehicle weight rating) ··················\
····5-43 Warning and indicators ··················\
··················\
··············4-53
Washer fluid ··················\
··················\
··················\
·············7-28
Weight ··················\
··················\
··················\
··················\
····5-43
Base curb weight ··················\
··················\
··················\
·5-43
Cargo weight ··················\
··················\
··················\
·······5-43
GAW (Gross axle weight) ··················\
··················\
·····5-43
GAWR (Gross axle weight rating)··················\
··········5-43
GVW (Gross vehicle weight)··················\
··················\
5-43
GVWR (Gross vehicle weight rating) ··················\
····5-43
Wheel alignment and tire balance ··················\
···············7-40
Wheel replacement ··················\
··················\
··················\
··7-42
Windows ··················\
··················\
··················\
··················\
4-17 Auto down window ··················\
··················\
···············4-18
Auto up/down window ··················\
··················\
··········4-19
Power window lock button ··················\
··················\
···4-20
Windshield defrosting and defogging··················\
········4-102 Defogging logic··················\
··················\
··················\
·4-104
Winter driving ··················\
··················\
··················\
··········5-34 Snow tires ··················\
··················\
··················\
············5-34
Tire chains ··················\
··················\
··················\
···········5-35
Wiper blades ··················\
··················\
··················\
············7-32
Wipers and washers ··················\
··················\
··················\
·4-74
U
V
W