2013 KIA VENGA Owners Manual

Driving your vehicle
54
5
Safety chains
You should always attach chains
between your vehicle and your trailer.
Cross the safety chains under the nose
of the trailer so that the nose will not drop
to the road if it becomes separated from
the towbar hitch.
Instructions about safety chains may be
provided by the towbar hitch manufactur-
er or by the trailer manufacturer. Follow
the manufacturer’s recommendation for
attaching safety chains. Always leave just
enough slack so you can turn with your
trailer. And, never allow safety chains
drag on the ground. Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking
system, make sure it conforms to your
country’s regulations and that it is prop-
erly installed and operating correctly.
If your trailer weighs more than the max-
imum trailer weight without trailer brakes
loaded, then it needs its own brakes and
they must be adequate. Be sure to read
and follow the instructions for the trailer
brakes so you’ll be able to install, adjust
and maintain them properly.
 Don’t tap into your vehicle's brake sys-
tem. Driving with a trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount of experience. Before setting out
for the open road, you must get to know
your trailer. Acquaint yourself with the
feel of handling and braking with the
added weight of the trailer. And always
keep in mind that the vehicle you are
driving is now a good deal longer and not
nearly so responsive as your vehicle is
by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer towbar
hitch and platform, safety chains, electri-
cal connector(s), lights, tyres and mirror
adjustment. If the trailer has electric
brakes, start your vehicle and trailer mov-
ing and then apply the trailer brake con-
troller by hand to be sure the brakes are
working. This lets you check your electri-
cal connection at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally to be
sure that the load is secure, and that the
lights and trailer brakes are still working.
WARNING
- Trailer brakes
Do not use a trailer with its own
brakes unless you are absolutely
certain that you have properly set
up the brake system. This is not a
task for amateurs. Use an experi-
enced, competent trailer shop for
this work.
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Driving your vehicle
Following distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the vehi-
cle ahead as you would when driving
your vehicle without a trailer. This can
help you avoid situations that require
heavy braking and sudden turns.
Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up
ahead when you’re towing a trailer. And,
because of the increased vehicle length,
you’ll need to go much farther beyond the
passed vehicle before you can return to
your lane.
Backing up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel
with one hand. Then, to move the trailer
to the left, just move your hand to the left.
To move the trailer to the right, move your
hand to the right. Always back up slowly
and, if possible, have someone guide
you.
Making turns
When you’re turning with a trailer, make
wider turns than normal. Do this so your
trailer won’t strike soft shoulders, curbs,
road signs, trees, or other objects. Avoid
jerky or sudden manoeuvres. Signal well
in advance.
Turn signals when towing a trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has
to have a different turn signal flasher and
extra wiring. The green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash whenever you
signal a turn or lane change. Properly
connected, the trailer lights will also flash
to alert other drivers you’re about to turn,
change lanes, or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green arrows
on your instrument panel will flash for
turns even if the bulbs on the trailer are
burned out. Thus, you may think drivers
behind you are seeing your signals
when, in fact, they are not. It’s important
to check occasionally to be sure the trail-
er bulbs are still working. You must also
check the lights every time you discon-
nect and then reconnect the wires.
Do not connect a trailer lighting system
directly to your vehicle’s lighting system.
Use only an approved trailer wiring har-
ness.We recommend that you contact an
authorised Kia dealer to assist you in
installing the wiring harness.
Driving on grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear
before you start down a long or steep
downgrade. If you don’t shift down, you
might have to use your brakes so much
that they would get hot and no longer
operate efficiently.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and
reduce your speed to around 70 km/h (45mph) to reduce the possibility of engine
and transaxle overheating.
If your trailer weighs more than the max-
imum trailer weight without trailer brakes
and you have an automatic transaxle,
you should drive in D (Drive) when tow-
ing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive) when
towing a trailer will minimize heat build up
and extend the life of your transaxle.
WARNING
Failure to use an approved trailer wiring harness could result in dam-
age to the vehicle electrical system
and/or personal injury.
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Driving your vehicle
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5
Parking on hills
Generally, if you have a trailer attached to
your vehicle, you should not park your
vehicle on a hill. People can be seriously
or fatally injured, and both your vehicle
and the trailer can be damaged if unex-
pectedly roll down hill.
However, if you ever have to park your
trailer on a hill, here's how to do it:
1. Pull the vehicle into the parking space.
Turn the steering wheel in the direction
of the curb (right if headed down hill,left if headed up hill).
2. If the vehicle has a manual transaxle, place the car in neutral. If the vehicle
has an automatic transaxle, place the
car in P (Park).
3. Set the parking brake and shut off the vehicle.
4. Place chocks under the trailer wheels on the down hill side of the wheels. 5. Start the vehicle, hold the brakes, shift
to neutral, release the parking brake
and slowly release the brakes until the
trailer chocks absorb the load.
6. Reapply the brakes, reapply the park- ing brake and shift the vehicle to R
(Reverse) for manual transaxle or P
(Park) for automatic transaxle.
7. Shut off the vehicle and release the vehicle brakes but leave the parking
brake set.CAUTION
 When towing a trailer on steep
grades (in excess of 6%) pay
close attention to the enginecoolant temperature gauge toensure the engine does not over- heat. If the coolant temperature
red warning light illuminates, pullover and stop as soon as it is safeto do so, and allow the engine to
idle until it cools down. You mayproceed once the engine hascooled sufficiently.
 You must decide the driving speed depending on trailer
weight and uphill grade to reduce the possibility of engine andtransaxle overheating.
WARNING - Parking on a
hill
Parking your vehicle on a hill with a
trailer attached could cause seri-
ous injury or death, should the trail-
er break loose.
WARNING - Parking brake
It can be dangerous to get out of
your vehicle if the parking brake is
not firmly set.
If you have left the engine running,
the vehicle can move suddenly. You
or others could be seriously or
fatally injured.
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557
Driving your vehicle
When you are ready to leave after park- ing on a hill
1. With the manual transaxle in Neutralor automatic transaxle in P (Park),
apply your brakes and hold the brake
pedal down whilst you:
 Start your engine;
 Shift into gear; and
 Release the parking brake.
2. Slowly remove your foot from the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks. Maintenance when trailer towing
Your vehicle will need service more often
when you regularly pull a trailer.
Important items to pay particular atten-tion to include engine oil, automatic
transaxle fluid, axle lubricant and cooling
system fluid. Brake condition is another
important item to frequently check. Each
item is covered in this manual, and the
Index will help you find them quickly. If
you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to review
these sections before you start your trip.
Don’t forget to also maintain your trailer
and towbar hitch. Follow the mainte-
nance schedule that accompanied your
trailer and check it periodically.
Preferably, conduct the check at the start
of each day’s driving. Most importantly,
all towbar hitch nuts and bolts should betight.CAUTION
 Due to higher load during trailer
usage, overheating might occur
in hot days or during uphill driv- ing. If the coolant gauge indicatesover-heating, switch off the A/Cand stop the vehicle in a safe area
to cool down the engine.
 When towing, check the transaxle fluid more frequently.
 If your vehicle is not equipped with an air conditioner, you
should install a condenser fan to improve engine performancewhen towing a trailer.
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Driving your vehicle
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5
If you do decide to pull a trailer
Here are some important points if you
decide to pull a trailer:
 Consider using a sway control. You can
ask a towbar hitch dealer about sway control.
 Do not do any towing with your car dur- ing its first 2,000 km (1,200 miles) in
order to allow the engine to properly
break in. Failure to heed this caution
may result in serious engine or
transaxle damage.
 When towing a trailer, we recommend that you consult an authorised Kiadealer on additional requirements such
as a towing kit, etc.
 Always drive your vehicle at a moder- ate speed (less than 100 km/h / 60
mph). If your vehicle is a commercial
vehicle, drive less than 80 km/h.
 On a long uphill grade, do not exceed 70 km/h (45 mph) or the posted towing
speed limit, whichever is lower.
 The chart contains important consider- ations that have to do with weight: M/T : Manual transaxle
A/T : Automatic transaxleEngine
Item Petrol Engine Diesel Engine
1.4
Engine
1.6 Engine1.4
Engine
1.6
EngineM/T A/T
Maximum trailer weight kg (Ibs.)
Without brakeSystem 550
(1213) 550
(1213)
550
(1213) 550
(1213) 550
(1213)
With brake System 1300
(2866) 1300
(2866)
1100
(2425) 1300
(2866) 1300
(2866)
Maximum permissible static
vertical load on the coupling
device kg (Ibs.) 75
(165)
Recommended distance
from rear wheel centre tocoupling point mm (inch) 768
(30.2)
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559
Driving your vehicle
Weight of the trailer
How heavy can a trailer be considered
safe? It should never weigh more than
the maximum trailer weight with trailer
brakes. But even that can be too heavy.
It depends on how you plan to use your
trailer. For example, speed, altitude, road
grades, outside temperature and how
often your vehicle is used to pull a trailer
are all important. The ideal trailer weight
can also depend on any special equip-
ment that you have on your vehicle.
Weight of the trailer nose
The nose weight of any trailer is an
important weight to measure because it
affects the total gross vehicle weight
(GVW) of your vehicle. This weight
includes the curb weight of the vehicle,
any cargo you may carry in it, and the
people who will be riding in the vehicle.
And if you tow a trailer, you must add the
nose weight to the GVW because your
vehicle will also be carrying that weight.The trailer nose should weigh a maxi-
mum of 10% of the total loaded trailer
weight, within the limits of the maximum
trailer nose weight permissible. After
you've loaded your trailer, weigh the trail-
er and then the nose, separately, to see
if the weights are proper. If they aren’t,
you may be able to correct them simply
by moving some items around in the trail-
er.
C190E01JM
Nose weight Total Trailer Weight
WARNING -
Trailer
 Never load a trailer with more weight in the rear than in the
front. The front should be loaded
with approximately 60% of the
total trailer load; the rear should
be loaded with approximately 40%of the total trailer load.
 Never exceed the maximum weight limits of the trailer or trail-
er towing equipment. Improper
loading can result in damage to
your vehicle and/or personal
injury. Check weights and loading
at a commercial scale or highway
patrol office equipped with scales.
 An improperly loaded trailer can cause loss of vehicle control.C190E02JM
Gross Axle WeightGross Vehicle Weight
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This section will guide you in the proper
loading of your vehicle and/or trailer, to
keep your loaded vehicle weight within its
design rating capability, with or without a
trailer. Properly loading your vehicle will
provide maximum return of the vehicle
design performance. Before loading your
vehicle, familiarize yourself with the fol-
lowing terms for determining your vehi-
cle's weight ratings, with or without a
trailer, from the vehicle's specifications
and the certification label: Base curb weight
This is the weight of the vehicle including a full tank of fuel and all standard equip-
ment. It does not include passengers,
cargo, or optional equipment.
Vehicle curb weight
This is the weight of your new vehicle
when you picked it up from your dealer
plus any aftermarket equipment.Cargo weight
This figure includes all weight added to
the Base Curb Weight, including cargoand optional equipment.
GAW (Gross axle weight)
This is the total weight placed on each
axle (front and rear) - including vehicle
curb weight and all payload.
GAWR (Gross axle weight rating)
This is the maximum allowable weight
that can be carried by a single axle (front
or rear). These numbers are shown on
the certification label.
The total load on each axle must never
exceed its GAWR.
GVW (Gross vehicle weight)
This is the Base Curb Weight plus actual
Cargo Weight plus passengers.
GVWR (Gross vehicle weight rating)
This is the maximum allowable weight of
the fully loaded vehicle (including all
options, equipment, passengers and
cargo). The GVWR is shown on the cer-
tification label located on the driver’s (or
front passenger’s) door sill. Overloading
VEHICLE WEIGHTWARNING -
Vehicle weight
The gross axle weight rating
(GAWR) and the gross vehicle
weight rating (GVWR) for your vehi-
cle are on the certification label
attached to the driver's (or front
passenger’s) door. Exceeding theseratings can cause an accident or
vehicle damage. You can calculate
the weight of your load by weighing
the items (and people) before put-
ting them in the vehicle. Be careful
not to overload your vehicle.
560
Driving your vehicle
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6
Road warning / 6-2 In case of an emergency whilst driving / 6-2If the engine will not start / 6-3Emergency starting / 6-4If the engine overheats / 6-6
If you have a flat tyre (with spare tyre) / 6-7
If you have a flat tyre (with Tyre Mobility Kit) / 6-15
Tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) / 6-20
Towing / 6-25
What to do in an emergency
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