2012 KIA Optima Hybrid tires

Driving your vehicle
34
5
Smooth cornering
Avoid braking or gear changing in cor-
ners, especially when roads are wet.
Ideally, corners should always be taken
under gentle acceleration. If you follow
these suggestions, tire wear will be held
to a minimum.
Driving at night
Because night driving presents more
hazards than driving in the daylight, here
are some important tips to remember:
Slow down and keep more distance
between you and other vehicles, as it
may be more difficult to see at night,
especially in areas where there may
not be any street lights.
Adjust your mirrors to reduce the glare from other driver's headlights.
OBH058035LOMC035004
WARNING - Sudden
vehicle movement
Do not attempt to rock the vehicle if
people or objects are nearby. The
vehicle may suddenly move for-
ward or backwards as it becomes
unstuck.
CAUTION - Spinning tires
Do not spin the wheels, especially
at speeds more than 56 km/h (35mph). Spinning the wheels at highspeeds when the vehicle is station-ary could cause a tire to overheat which could result in tire damage.

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Driving your vehicle
Keep your headlights clean and prop-erly aimed on vehicles not equipped
with the automatic headlight aiming
feature. Dirty or improperly aimed
headlights will make it much more diffi-
cult to see at night.
Avoid staring directly at the headlights of oncoming vehicles. You could be
temporarily blinded, and it will take
several seconds for your eyes to read-
just to the darkness.
Driving in the rain
Rain and wet roads can make driving
dangerous, especially if you’re not pre-
pared for the slick pavement. Here are a
few things to consider when driving in the
rain:
A heavy rainfall will make it harder tosee and will increase the distance
needed to stop your vehicle, so slow
down.
Keep your windshield wiping equip- ment in good shape. Replace your
windshield wiper blades when they
show signs of streaking or missing
areas on the windshield. If your tires are not in good condition,
making a quick stop on wet pavement
can cause a skid and possibly lead to
an accident. Be sure your tires are in
good shape.
Turn on your headlights to make it eas- ier for others to see you.
Driving too fast through large puddles can affect your brakes. If you must go
through puddles, try to drive through
them slowly.
If you believe you may have gotten your brakes wet, apply them lightly
while driving until normal braking oper-
ation returns.
Driving in flooded areas
Avoid driving through flooded areas
unless you are sure the water is no high-
er than the bottom of the wheel hub.
Drive through any water slowly. Allow
adequate stopping distance because
brake performance may be affected.
After driving through water, dry the
brakes by gently applying them several
times while the vehicle is moving slowly.
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Driving your vehicle
36
5
Highway driving
Tires
Adjust the tire inflation pressures to
specification. Low tire inflation pressures
will result in overheating and possible
failure of the tires.
Avoid using worn or damaged tires which
may result in reduced traction or tire fail-
ure.
Never exceed the maximum tire inflation
pressure shown on the tires.
Driving off-road
Drive carefully off-road because your
vehicle may be damaged by rocks of
roots of trees. Become familiar with the
off-road conditions where you are going
to drive before you begin driving.
Fuel, engine coolant and engine oil
High speed travel consumes more fuel
than urban motoring. Do not forget to
check both the engine coolant and
engine oil.
Drive belt
A loose or damaged drive belt may over-
heat the engine.
WARNING - Under/over
inflated tires
Always check the tires for proper
inflation before driving.
Underinflated or overinflated tires
can cause poor handling, loss of
vehicle control, and sudden tire fail-
ure leading to accidents, injuries,
and even death. For proper tire
pressures, refer to “Tires and
wheels” in section 8.
WARNING - Tire tread
Always check the tire tread before
driving your vehicle. Worn-out tires
can result in loss of vehicle control.
Worn-out tires should be replaced
as soon as possible. For further
information and tread limits, refer
to "Tires and wheels" in section 7.

537
Driving your vehicle
Severe weather conditions in the winter
result in greater wear and other prob-
lems. To minimize the problems of winter
driving, you should follow these sugges-
tions:
Snowy or Icy conditions
To drive your vehicle in deep snow, it may
be necessary to use snow tires on your
tires. If snow tires are needed, it is nec-
essary to select tires equivalent in size
and type of the original equipment tires.
Failure to do so may adversely affect the
safety and handling of your car.
Furthermore, speeding, rapid accelera-
tion, sudden brake applications, and
sharp turns are potentially very haz-
ardous practices.
During deceleration, use engine braking
to the fullest extent. Sudden brake appli-
cations on snowy or icy roads may cause
skids. You need to keep sufficient dis-
tance between the vehicle in operation in
front and your vehicle. Also, apply the
brake gently.
Snow tires
If you mount snow tires on your vehicle,
make sure they are radial tires of the
same size and load range as the original
tires. Mount snow tires on all four wheels
to balance your vehicle’s handling in all
weather conditions. Keep in mind that the
traction provided by snow tires on dry
roads may not be as high as your vehi-
cle's original equipment tires. You should
drive cautiously even when the roads are
clear. Check with the tire dealer for max-
imum speed recommendations.
Do not install studded tires without firstchecking local, state and municipal regu- lations for possible restrictions againsttheir use.
WINTER DRIVING
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Driving your vehicle
44
5
✽
✽
NOTICE
Overloading your vehicle may cause
damage. Repairs would not be cov-
ered by your warranty. Do not over-
load your vehicle.
WARNING - Over
loading
Do not overload your vehicle.
Overloading your vehicle can
cause heat buildup in your vehi-
cle's tires and possible tire fail-
ure, increased stopping dis-
tances and poor vehicle han-
dling--all of which may result in
a crash.
WARNING - Loose
cargo
Do not travel with unsecured
blunt objects in the passenger
compartment of your vehicle
(e.g. suit cases or unsecured
child seats). These items may
strike occupant during a sud-
den stop or crash.

What to do in an emergency
86
TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM (TPMS)
(1) Low tire pressure telltale /
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 combined with
the low tire pressure telltale. When
the system detects a malfunction,
the telltale will flash for approximate-
ly one minute and then remain con-
tinuously illuminated. This sequence
will continue upon subsequent vehi-
cle start-ups as long as the malfunc-
tion exists. When the malfunction
indicator is illuminated, the system
may not be able to detect or signal
low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety
of reasons, 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.
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69
What to do in an emergency
If the TPMS indicator does not illumi-
nate for 3 seconds when the ignition
switch is turned to the ON position or
engine is running, or If it comes on
after blinking for approximately one
minute, take your car to your nearest
authorized Kia dealer and have the
system checked.Low tire pressure tell-tale
When the tire pressure monitoring
system warning indicator is illuminat-
ed, one or more of your tires is sig-
nificantly under-inflated.
If the telltale illuminates, immediately
reduce your speed, avoid hard cor-
nering and anticipate increased stop-
ping distances. You should stop and
check your tires as soon as possible.
Inflate the tires to the proper pres-
sure as indicated on the vehicle’s
placard or tire inflation pressure label
located on the driver’s side center pil-
lar 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 spare tire.
Then the Low Tire Pressure telltale
may flash for approximately one
minute and then remain continuously
illuminated after restarting and about
20 minutes of continuous driving
before you have the low pressure tire
repaired and replaced on the vehicle. In winter or cold weather, the low tire
pressure telltale may be illuminated if
the tire pressure was adjusted to the
recommended tire inflation pressure
in warm weather. It does not mean
your TPMS is malfunctioning
because the decreased temperature
leads to a proportional lowering of
tire pressure.
When you drive your vehicle from a
warm area to a cold area or from a
cold area to a warm area, or the out-
side temperature is greatly higher or
lower, you should check the tire infla-
tion pressure and adjust the tires to
the recommended tire inflation pres-
sure.

What to do in an emergency
10
6
TPMS (Tire Pressure
Monitoring System)malfunction indicator
The TPMS malfunction indicator will
illuminate after it blinks for approxi-
mately one minute when there is a
problem with the Tire Pressure
Monitoring System. If the system is
able to correctly detect an under
inflation warning at the same time as
system failure then it will illuminate
the TPMS malfunction indicator.
Have the system checked by an
authorized Kia dealer as soon as
possible to determine the cause of
the problem.
The TPMS malfunction indicator may
be illuminated if the vehicle is moving
around electric power supply cables
or radios transmitter such as at
police stations, government and pub-
lic offices, broadcasting stations, mil-
itary installations, airports, or trans-
mitting towers, etc. This can interfere
with normal operation of the Tire
Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS). The TPMS malfunction indicator may
illuminate if snow chains or some
separately purchased devices such
as notebook computers, mobile
charger, remote starter, navigation
etc. are used in the vehicle. This can
interfere with normal operation of the
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS).
WARNING
- Low pressure damage
Do not drive on low pressure
tires. Significantly low tire pres-
sure can cause the tires to over-
heat and fail making the vehicle
unstable resulting in increased
braking distances and a loss of
vehicle control.