Page 265 of 434

Safe driving techniques 6-4 Driving safety
6
Replace your tires before they are heavily worn out. As your vehicle is equipped with a tire pres- sure monitoring system, there is a risk ofdamage to the tire inflation pressure sensors when the tire is replaced on the rim. Tire replacement should, therefore, be performedonly by an authorized Mitsubishi Motors dealer. Have someone watch while you turn all the exterior lights on and off. Also check the turn signal indicators and high-beam indicators on the instrument panel. Check the ground under the vehicle after parking overnight, for fuel, water, oil, orother leaks. Make sure all the fluid levels are correct. Also, if you can smell fuel, you need to find out why immediately and have itfixed.
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Even this vehicle’s safety equipment, andyour safest driving, cannot guarantee that you
can avoid an accident or injury. However, if you give extra attention to the following areas, you can better protect yourself and your passengers: Drive defensively. Be aware of traffic, road and weather conditions. Leave plenty of stopping distance between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead. Before changing lanes, check your mir- rors and use your turn signal light. While driving, watch the behavior of other drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Always obey applicable laws and regula- tions. Be a polite and alert driver. Always leave room for unexpected events, such assudden braking. If you plan to drive in another country, obey their vehicle registration laws andmake sure you will be able to get the right fuel.
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Check the battery, including terminals and cables. During extremely cold weather,the battery will not be as strong. Also, the battery power level may drop because more power is used for cold starting anddriving. Before driving the vehicle, check to see if the engine runs at the proper speed and ifthe headlights are as bright as normally.Charge or replace the battery if necessary. During extreme cold weather, it is possi- ble that a very low battery could freeze. Warm the engine sufficiently. After start- ing the engine, allow a short warm-up time to distribute oil
to all cylinders and
turbocharger. Then drive your vehicleslowly.
Lights Fluid leaks Safe driving techniques
Driving during cold weather
WA R N I N G The battery gives off explosive hydrogen gas. Any spark or flame can cause the bat-tery to explode, which could cause serious injury or death. Always wear protective clothes and a facemask when working with your battery, or let a skilled mechanic do it.
Page 266 of 434

Braking
Driving safety 6-5
6
Stay at low speeds at first so that the transaxle, transfer case and rear axle oil have time to spread to all the lubrication points. Manual transaxle can be harder to shift in cold weather conditions. This is normal and shifting will get easier as the transaxlewarms up. Check the engine antifreeze. If there is not enough coolant because of aleak or from engine overheating, add Mit-subishi Motors Genuine Super Long Life Coolant Premium or equivalent. Please read this section in conjunctionwith the “Engine coolant” on page 9-8.
[For RALLIART vehicles sold in U.S.A.] Mitsubishi Motors recommends that the standard equipment tires be replaced with winter tires when the vehicle is going to be used in winter.The standard equipment tires provided with this vehicle are summer tires and use a high-grip compound that provides supe-rior grip. The road grip, however, is reduced in win- ter.When replacing the standard equipmenttires with winter tires, all four tires must be replaced using radial identicalsize win- ter tires.
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All the parts of the brake system are criticalto safety. Have the vehicle serviced by anauthorized Mitsubishi Motors dealer or a repair facility of your choice at regular inter- vals according to the “WARRANTY ANDMAINTENANCE MANUAL”. Check the brake system while driving at a low speed immediately after starting, espe-cially when the brakes are wet, to confirm they work normally. A film of water can be formed on the brakediscs or brake drums and prevent normal braking after driving in heavy rain or through large puddles, or after the vehicle is washed.If this occurs, dry the brakes out by driving slowly while lightly depressing the brake pedal. On snowy roads, ice can form on the braking system, making the brakes less effective.While driving in such conditions, pay close attention to preceding and following vehicles and to the condition of
the road surface. From
WA R N I N GNever open the radiator cap when the radiator is hot. You could be seriously burned.
NOTE
As your vehicle is equipped with a tire pres- sure monitoring system, there is a risk of damage to the tire inflation pressure sensorswhen the tire is replaced on the rim. Tire replacement should, therefore, be performed only by an authorized Mitsubishi Motorsdealer. If you use new wheels w
ith new tire inflation
pressure sensors, their ID codes must be pro- grammed into the tire pressure monitoringsystem. Refer to “Whenever the tires and wheels are replaced with new ones” on page 5-108.
Braking When brakes are wet When driving in cold weather
Page 267 of 434

Parking 6-6 Driving safety
6
time to time, lightly depress the brake pedal and check how effective the brakes are. It is important to take advantage of the engine braking by shifting to a lower gear while driving on steep downhill roads in order to prevent the brakes from overheating.
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When parking on a hill, set the parking brake, and turn the front wheels toward the curb on a downhill, or away from the curb on an uphill.If necessary, apply chocks to wheels. Place the gearshift lever into the “R” (Reverse) position when parking on a down-hill slope, into the 1s
t position when parking
on an uphill slope.
Be sure that the parking brake is firmly set when parked and that the selector lever (CVT) or gearshift lever (Twin Clutch SST) is in the “P” (PARK) position.When parking on a hill, it is important to set the parking brake before moving the selector lever (CVT) or gearshift lever (Twin ClutchSST) to the “P” (PARK) position. This pre-vents loading the parking brake against the transaxle gear. When this happens, it is diffi- cult to move the selector lever (CVT) or gear-shift lever (Twin Clutch SST) out of the “P” (PARK) position. Never leave the engi
ne running while you
take a short sleep/rest. Also, never leave theengine running in a closed or poorly venti- lated place.
Your front bumper can be damaged if you scrape it over curbs or parking stop blocks.Be careful when traveling up or down steep slopes where your bumper can scrape the road. When leaving the vehicle unattended, always carry the key and lock all doors.Always try to park your vehicle in a well lit area.
When driving downhill Parking Parking on a hill For vehicles with manual trans- axle
For vehicles with continuously variable transmission (CVT) or Twin Clutch SST Parking with the engine run- ning
WA R N I N G Leaving the engine running risks injury or death from accidentally moving the gear- shift lever (manual transaxle or Twin Clutch SST) or the selector lever (CVT) or from the accumulation of toxic exhaustfumes in the passenger compartment.
Where you park
WA R N I N G Do not park your vehicle in areas where combustible materials such as dry grass or leaves can come in contact with a hotexhaust, since a fire could occur.
When leaving the vehicle
Page 268 of 434

Loading information Driving safety 6-7
6
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It is very importan
t to know how much
weight your vehicle can carry. This weight iscalled the vehicle capacity weight and includes the weight of all occupants, cargo and non-factory-installed options. The tireand loading information placard located on the driver’s door sill of your vehicle will show how much weight it may properly carry. It is important to fami
liarize yourself with the
following terms before loading your vehicle: Vehicle maximum load on the tire: load on an individual tire that is determined by distributing to each axle its share of the maximum loaded vehicle weight anddividing by two. Vehicle normal load on the tire: load on an individual tire that is determined by dis-tributing to each axle its share of the curb weight, accessory weight, and normal occupant weight and dividing by two.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight: the sum of - (a) Curb weight; (b) Accessory weight;(c) Vehicle capacity weight; and (d) Production options weight. Curb weight: the weight of a motor vehi- cle with standard equipment including the maximum capacity of fuel, oil, and cool- ant. Accessory weight: the combined weight (in excess of those standard items which may be replaced) of automatic transmis- sion, power steering, power brakes, powerwindows, power seats, radio, and heater, to the extent that these items are available as factory- installed equipment (whetherinstalled or not). Vehicle capacity weight: the rated cargo and luggage load plus 150 lbs (68 kg)
*
times the vehicle’s designated seating capacity. Production options weight: the combined weight of those installed regular produc- tion options weighing over 5 lbs (2.3 kg) in excess of those standard items whichthey replace, not previously considered in curb weight or accessory weight, includ- ing heavy duty brakes, ride levelers, roofrack, heavy duty battery, and special trim.
Normal occupant weight: 150 lbs (68 kg)
*
times the number of specified occupants. (In your vehicle the number is 3) Occupant distribution: distribution of occupants in a vehicle as specified. (In your vehicle the distribution is 2 in front, 1 in second row seat)
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The tire and loading information placard islocated on the driver’s door sill. This placard shows the maximum number of occupants permitted to ride in your vehicle as
Loading information
WA R N I N G Never overload your vehicle. Overloading can damage your vehicle, adversely affectvehicle performance, including handling and braking, cause tire failure, and result in an accident.
* :150 lbs (68 kg) is the weight of one per- son as defined by U.S.A. and Canadian regulations.
Tire and loading information placard
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Loading information 6-8 Driving safety
6
well as “the combined weight of occupants and cargo” (A), which is called the vehicle capacity weight. The weight of roof road is included in the definition of “cargo” whendetermining the vehicle capacity weight. This placard also tells you the size and recom- mended inflation pressure for the originalequipment tires on your vehicle. For more information, refer to “Tires” on page 9-17. Ty p e 1
Ty p e 2
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1.Locate the statement “The com- bined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed XXX kg or XXX lbs.” on your vehicle’splacard.2.Determine the combined weightof the driver and passengers thatwill be riding in your vehicle.3.Subtract the combined weight ofthe driver and passengers fromXXX kg or XXX lbs.
4.The resulting figure equals the available amount of cargo and luggage load capacity. For exam- ple, if the “XXX” amount equals 1400 lbs. and there will be five150 lbs. passengers in your vehi- cle, the amount of available cargo and luggage load capacity is 650lbs. (1400 - 750 (5 x 150) =650 lbs.)5.Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on the vehicle. That weight may not safely exceed the availablecargo and luggage load capacity calculated in Step 4.
Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit
Page 270 of 434
Loading information Driving safety 6-9
6
6.If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer will be transferred to your vehicle. Consult this manual to determine how this reduces the availablecargo and luggage load capacity of your vehicle.NOTE
The above steps for determiningcorrect load limit were written in accordance with U.S.A. regula-tions. Your vehicle cannot tow a trailer, so step 6 is irrelevant.
Page 271 of 434
Loading information 6-10 Driving safety
6
NOTE
The following table shows examples on how
to calculate total cargo/load cap
acity of your vehicle with varying
seating configurations and number and size of occupants.
This table is for illustration purposes only and may not
be accurate for the seating and lo
ad capacity of your vehicle.
For the following example the combined weight of oc
cupants and cargo should never exceed 865 lbs (392 kg).
Under a maximum loaded vehicle condition, gross axle
weight ratings (GAWR’s) for the front and rear axles
must not be exceeded. For further information on GAWR
’s, vehicle loading, see the “Specifications” section of
this manual.
Page 272 of 434

Cargo loads
Driving safety 6-11
6
N00629700464
To determine the cargo load capacity for your vehicle, subtract the weight of all vehicleoccupants from the vehicle capacity weight. For added information, if needed, refer to “Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit”on page 6-8.DO NOT USE the Gross Vehicle Weight Rat- ing and Gross Axle Weight Rating numbers listed on the safety certification label (A)located on the inside sill of the driver’s door as the guide for passengers and/or cargo weight.
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Cargo loads Cargo load precautions
WA R N I N G To reduce the risk of serious injury or death, the combined weights of the driver, passengers and cargo and must never exceed the vehicle capacity weight. Exceeding the vehicle capacity weight will adversely affect vehicle performance, including handling and braking, and maycause an accident. Do not load cargo or luggage higher than the top of the seatback. Be sure that your cargo or luggage cannot move when your vehicle is in motion.Having either the rear view blocked, or your cargo being thrown inside the cabin if you suddenly have to brake can cause aserious accident or injury or death. Put cargo or luggage in the cargo area of your vehicle. Try to spread the weight evenly.
Loading cargo on the roof
WA R N I N G Weight placed on the roof of the vehicle will raise the vehicle’s center of gravity and adversely affect its handling charac-teristics. As a result, driving errors or emergency maneuvers could lead to a loss of control and result in an accident. Driveslowly and avoid excessive maneuvers such as sudden braking or quick turning.
Make sure that the weight of luggage and the roof carrier do not exceed the maxi- mum roof load, 110 lb (50 kg). If the maxi- mum roof load is exceeded, this could cause damage to the vehicle or result in anaccident. The total weight of all occupants and lug- gage, including your roof load, must not exceed the vehicle capacity weight. For more information, refer to “Tire and load-ing information placard” on page 11-3. Roof load is determined by adding the weight of the roof carrier and the weight of the luggage placed on the roof carrier. For additional information, refer to “Maximum roof load” on page 11-4.CAUTION Do not load luggage directly onto the roof. Use a roof carrier th
at properly fits your
vehicle. For installation, refer to the instruction man- ual provided with the roof carrier. Place the luggage on the carrier so that its weight is distributed evenly with the heaviest items on the bottom. Do not load items that are wider than the roof carrier.WA R N I N G