2013 KIA VENGA Owners Manual

Driving your vehicle
46
5
 Adjust your mirrors to reduce the glare
from other driver's headlights.
 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 dan-
gerous, especially if you’re not prepared
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 need-
ed to stop your vehicle, so slow down.
 Keep your windscreen wiping equip- ment in good shape. Replace your
windscreen wiper blades when they
show signs of streaking or missingareas on the windscreen.
 If your tyres 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 tyres 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
whilst driving until normal braking
operation 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. Allowadequate stopping distance because
brake performance may be affected.
After driving through water, dry the
brakes by gently applying them several
times whilst the vehicle is moving slowly.
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.
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Driving your vehicle
Highway driving
Tyres
Adjust the tyre inflation pressures to
specification. Low tyre inflation pressures
will result in overheating and possible
failure of the tyres.
Avoid using worn or damaged tyres
which may result in reduced traction or
tyre failure.
✽✽NOTICE
Never exceed the maximum tyre infla-
tion pressure shown on the tyres.
Fuel, engine coolant and engine oil
High speed travel consumes more fuel
than urban motoring. Do not forget to
check both engine coolant and engineoil.
Drive belt
A loose or damaged drive belt may result
in overheating of the engine.
WARNING
 Underinflated or overinflated tyres can cause poor handling,
loss of vehicle control, and sud-den tyre failure leading to acci-
dents, injuries, and even death.
Always check tyres for proper
inflation before driving. For prop-
er tyre pressures, refer to “Tyres
and wheels” in section 8.
 Driving on tyres with no or insuf- ficient tread is dangerous. Worn-out tyres can result in loss of
vehicle control, collisions, injury,
and even death. Worn-out tyresshould be replaced as soon as
possible and should never be
used for driving. Always check
the tyre tread before driving your
car. For further information and
tread limits, refer to “Tyres and
wheels” in section 7.
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Driving your vehicle
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More weather conditions of winter result
in greater wear and other problems. To
minimize winter driving problem, you
should follow these suggestions: Snowy or icy conditions
To drive your vehicle in deep snow, it may
be necessary to use snow tyres or to
install tyre chains on your tyres. If snow
tyres are needed, it is necessary to
select tyres equivalent in size and type of
the original equipment tyres. Failure to do
so may adversely affect the safety and
handling of your car. Furthermore,
speeding, rapid acceleration, sudden
brake applications, and sharp turns are
potentially very hazardous practices.
During deceleration, use engine braking
to the fullest extent. Sudden brake appli-
cations on snowy or icy roads may cause
skids to occur. You need to keep suffi-
cient distance between the vehicle in
operation in front and your vehicle. Also,
apply the brake gently. It should be notedthat installing tyre chains on the tyre will
provide a greater driving force, but will
not prevent side skids.
✽✽
NOTICE
Tyre chains are not legal in all countries.
Check the country laws before fitting
tyre chains.
Snow tyres
If you mount snow tyres on your vehicle,
make sure they are radial tyres of the
same size and load range as the original
tyres. Mount snow tyres on all four
wheels to balance your vehicle’s han-
dling in all weather conditions. Keep in
mind that the traction provided by snow
tyres on dry roads may not be as high as
your vehicle's original equipment tyres.
You should drive cautiously even when
the roads are clear. Check with the tyre
dealer for maximum speed recommen-
dations.
Do not install studded tyres without first checking local, state and municipal regu-lations for possible restrictions against their use.
WINTER DRIVING
WARNING - Snow tyre size
Snow tyres should be equivalent in
size and type to the vehicle's stan-
dard tyres. Otherwise, the safety
and handling of your vehicle may
be adversely affected.
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Driving your vehicle
Tyre chains
Since the sidewalls of radial tyres are
thinner, they can be damaged by mount-
ing some types of snow chains on them.
Therefore, the use of snow tyres is rec-
ommended instead of snow chains. Do
not mount tyre chains on vehicles
equipped with aluminum wheels; snow
chains may cause damage to the wheels.
If snow chains must be used, use wire-
type chains with a thickness of less than
15 mm (0.59 in). Damage to your vehicle
caused by improper snow chain use is
not covered by your vehicle manufactur-
ers warranty.
Install tyre chains only on the front tyres.Chain installation
When installing chains, follow the manu-
facturer's instructions and mount them as
tightly as you can. Drive slowly with
chains installed. If you hear the chains
contacting the body or chassis, stop and
tighten them. If they still make contact,
slow down until it stops. Remove the
chains as soon as you begin driving on
cleared roads.
CAUTION
 Make sure the snow chains are
the correct size and type for your
tyres. Incorrect snow chains can cause damage to the vehicle bodyand suspension and may not becovered by your vehicle manufac-
turer warranty. Also, the snowchain connecting hooks may be damaged from contacting vehicle
components causing the snow chains to come loose from the tyre. Make sure the snow chainsare SAE class “S” certified.
 Always check chain installation for proper mounting after drivingapproximately 0.5 to 1 km (0.3 to 0.6 miles) to ensure safe mount-
ing. Retighten or remount thechains if they are loose.
WARNING
- Mounting chains
When mounting snow chains, park
the vehicle on level ground away
from traffic. Turn on the vehicle
Hazard Warning flashers and place
a triangular emergency warning
device behind the vehicle if avail-
able. Always place the vehicle in P
(Park), apply the parking brake and
turn off the engine before installing
snow chains.OED050200
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Driving your vehicle
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Use high quality ethylene glycol coolant
Your vehicle is delivered with high quality
ethylene glycol coolant in the cooling
system. It is the only type of coolant that
should be used because it helps prevent
corrosion in the cooling system, lubri-
cates the water pump and prevents
freezing. Be sure to replace or replenish
your coolant in accordance with themaintenance schedule in section 7.
Before winter, have your coolant tested toassure that its freezing point is sufficient
for the temperatures anticipated during
the winter.
Check battery and cables
Winter puts additional burdens on the
battery system. Visually inspect the bat-
tery and cables as described in section
7. We recommend that the level of
charge in your battery be checked by an
authorised Kia dealer. Change to "winter weight" oil if
necessary In some climates it is recommended that
a lower viscosity "winter weight" oil be
used during cold weather. See section 8
for recommendations. If you aren't sure
what weight oil you should use, we rec-
ommend that you consult an authorised
Kia dealer.
Check spark plugs and ignition system
Inspect your spark plugs as described in
section 7 and replace them if necessary.
Also check all ignition wiring and compo-
nents to be sure they are not cracked,
worn or damaged in any way.
WARNING
- Tyre chains
 The use of chains may adversely affect vehicle handling.
 Do not exceed 30 km/h (20 mph) or the chain manufacturer’s rec-
ommended speed limit, whichev-
er is lower.
 Drive carefully and avoid bumps, holes, sharp turns, and other
road hazards, which may cause
the vehicle to bounce.
 Avoid sharp turns or locked- wheel braking.
CAUTION
 Chains that are the wrong size or
improperly installed can damage
your vehicle's brake lines, sus-pension, body and wheels.
 Stop driving and retighten the chains any time you hear themhitting the vehicle.
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Driving your vehicle
To keep locks from freezing
To keep the locks from freezing, squirt an
approved de-icer fluid or glycerine into
the key opening. If a lock is covered with
ice, squirt it with an approved de-icing
fluid to remove the ice. If the lock is
frozen internally, you may be able to thaw
it out by using a heated key. Handle the
heated key with care to avoid injury.
Use approved window washer
anti-freeze in system
To keep the water in the window washer
system from freezing, add an approved
window washer anti-freeze solution in
accordance with instructions on the con-
tainer. Window washer anti-freeze is
available from an authorised Kia dealer
and most auto parts outlets. Do not useengine coolant or other types of anti-
freeze as these may damage the paintfinish.Don't let your parking brake
freeze
Under some conditions your parking
brake can freeze in the engaged position.
This is most likely to happen when there
is an accumulation of snow or ice around
or near the rear brakes or if the brakes
are wet. If there is a risk the parking
brake may freeze, apply it only temporar-
ily whilst you put the shift lever in P (auto-
matic transaxle) or in first or reverse gear
(manual transaxle) and block the rear
wheels so the vehicle cannot roll. Then
release the parking brake.
Don't let ice and snow accumu- late underneath
Under some conditions, snow and ice
can build up under the fenders and inter-
fere with the steering. When driving in
severe winter conditions where this may
happen, you should periodically check
underneath the car to be sure the move-
ment of the front wheels and the steering
components is not obstructed.Carry emergency equipment
Depending on the severity of the weath-
er, you should carry appropriate emer-
gency equipment. Some of the items you
may want to carry include tyre chains,
tow straps or chains, flashlight, emer-
gency flares, sand, shovel, jumper
cables, window scraper, gloves, ground
cloth, coveralls, blanket, etc.
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Driving your vehicle
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If you are considering towing with your
vehicle, you should first check with your
country's Department of Motor Vehicles
to determine their legal requirements.
Since laws vary the requirements for tow-
ing trailers, cars, or other types of vehi-
cles or apparatus may differ. We recom-
mend that you ask an authorised Kia
dealer.✽✽
NOTICE - For Europe

553
Driving your vehicle
Towbar hitches
It's important to have the correct towbar
hitch equipment. Crosswinds, large
trucks going by, and rough roads are a
few reasons why you’ll need the right
towbar hitch. Here are some rules to fol-
low:
 Do you have to make any holes in thebody of your vehicle when you install a
trailer towbar hitch? If you do, then be
sure to seal the holes later when you
remove the towbar hitch.
If you don’t seal them, deadly carbon
monoxide (CO) from your exhaust can
get into your vehicle, as well as dirt and
water.
 The bumpers on your vehicle are not intended for towbar hitches. Do not
attach rental towbar hitches or other
bumper-type towbar hitches. Use only
a frame-mounted towbar hitch that
does not attach to the bumper.
 We recommend that you contact an authorised Kia dealer for the Kia trailer
hitch accessory.
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