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Driving recommendations
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271
Handling, roadholdingVehicle load, tire design and inflation pres- sure all affect vehicle handling. Therefore,check that the tires are inflated to the recom-mended pressure according to the vehicleload. See the "Tire pressure" section. Loadsshould be distributed so that capacity weightor maximum permissible axle loads are notexceeded.
Driving through water
•The vehicle can be driven through water up to a depth of approximately 10 in.(25 cm), at a maximum speed of 6 mph(10 km/h).
• Take particular care when driving throughflowing water.
• Clean the electrical connections for trailerwiring after driving in mud or water.
• When driving through water, maintain lowspeed and do not stop in the water.
WARNING
•Avoid driving through standing or rushing water. Doing so can be dan-gerous and it may also be difficult todetermine the actual depth of thewater.
• If water cannot be avoided, after driv-ing through the water, press lightly onthe brake pedal to ensure that thebrakes are functioning normally. Wateror mud can make the brake liningsslippery, resulting in delayed brakingeffect.
CAUTION
• Engine damage will occur if water is drawn into the air cleaner.
• If the vehicle is driven through waterdeeper than 10 in (25 cm), water mayenter the differential and the transmis-sion. This reduces the oil's lubricatingcapacity and may shorten the servicelife of these components.
• Do not allow the vehicle to stand inwater up to the door sills longer thanabsolutely necessary. This could resultin electrical malfunctions.
• If the engine has been stopped whilethe vehicle is in water, do not attemptto restart it. Have the vehicle towedout of the water.
Engine and cooling systemUnder special conditions, for example when driving in hilly terrain, extreme heat or withheavy loads, there is a risk that the engineand cooling system will overheat. Proceed asfollows to avoid overheating the engine. •
Maintain a low speed when driving with a trailer up long, steep hills.
• Do not turn the engine off immediatelywhen stopping after a hard drive.
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Refueling
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275
Octane rating
Minimum octane
G028920
Typical pump octane labelVolvo recommends premium fuel for best performance, but using 87 octane 1
or above
will not affect engine reliability.
Demanding drivingIn demanding driving conditions, such as operating the vehicle in hot weather, towing atrailer, or driving for extended periods athigher altitudes than normal, it may be advis-able to switch to higher octane fuel (91 orhigher) or to change gasoline brands to fullyutilize your engine's capacity, and for thesmoothest possible operation.
NOTE
When switching to higher octane fuel or changing gasoline brands, it may be nec-essary to fill the tank more than oncebefore a difference in engine operation isnoticeable.
Fuel FormulationsDo not use gasoline that contains lead as a knock inhibitor, and do not use lead addi-tives. Besides damaging the exhaust emis-sion control systems on your vehicle, leadhas been strongly linked to certain forms ofcancer. Many fuels contain benzene as a solvent. Unburned benzene has been strongly linkedto certain forms of cancer. If you live in anarea where you must fill your own gas tank,take precautions. These may include:
• standing upwind away from the filler noz- zle while refueling
• refueling only at gas stations with vaporrecovery systems that fully seal themouth of the filler neck during refueling
• wearing neoprene gloves while handling afuel filler nozzle.
Use of AdditivesWith the exception of gas line antifreeze dur- ing winter months, do not add solvents, thick-eners, or other store-bought additives to yourvehicle's fuel, cooling, or lubricating systems.Overuse may damage your engine, and someof these additives contain organically volatilechemicals. Do not needlessly expose yourselfto these chemicals.
WARNING
Never carry a cell phone that is
switched
on while refueling your vehicle. If the
phone rings, this may cause a spark that could ignite gasoline fumes, resulting infire and injury.
WARNING
Carbon monoxide is a poisonous, color- less, and odorless gas. It is present in allexhaust gases. If you ever smell exhaustfumes inside the vehicle, make sure thepassenger compartment is ventilated, andimmediately return the vehicle to a trainedand qualified Volvo service technician forcorrection.
1 AKI (ANTI KNOCK INDEX) is an average of the Research Octane Number (RON) and the Motor Octane Number (MON), MON+RON/2.
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Towing a trailer
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Introduction
Volvo recommends the use of Volvo trailer hitches that are specially designed for thevehicle.
NOTE
See page 364 for the maximum trailer and tongue weights recommended by Volvo.
•Observe the legal requirements of the state/province in which the vehicles are
• All Volvo models are equipped withenergy-absorbing shock-mounted bump-ers. Trailer hitch installation should notinterfere with the proper operation of thisbumper system.
Trailer towing does not normally present any particular problems, but take into considera-tion: • Increase tire pressure to recommended full pressure. See the tire inflation tableon page 296.
• When your vehicle is new, avoid towingheavy trailers during the first 620 miles(1,000 km).
• Maximum speed when towing a trailer:50 mph (80 km/h).
• Engine and transmission are subject toincreased loads. Therefore, engine cool-ant temperature should be closely watched when driving in hot climates orhilly terrain. Use a lower gear and turn offthe air conditioner if the temperaturegauge needle enters the red range.
• If the automatic transmission begins tooverheat, a message will be displayed inthe text window.
• Avoid overload and other abusive opera-tion.
• Hauling a trailer affects handling, durabil-ity, and economy.
• It is necessary to balance trailer brakeswith the towing vehicle brakes to providea safe stop (check and observe state/local regulations).
• Do not connect the trailer's brake systemdirectly to the vehicle's brake system.
• More frequent vehicle maintenance isrequired.
• Remove the ball holder when the hitch isnot being used.
WARNING
• Bumper-attached trailer hitches must not be used on Volvos, nor shouldsafety chains be attached to thebumper.
• Trailer hitches attaching to the vehiclerear axle must not be used.
• Never connect a trailer's hydraulicbrake system directly to the vehiclebrake system, nor a trailer's lightingsystem directly to the vehicle lightingsystem. Consult your nearest author-ized Volvo retailer for correct installa-tion.
• When towing a trailer, the trailer'ssafety wire must be correctly fastenedto the hole or hook provided in thetrailer hitch on the vehicle. The safetywire should never be fastened to orwound around the drawbar ball.
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Towing a trailer
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283
NOTE
•When parking the vehicle with a trailer on a hill, apply the parking brakebefore putting the gear selector in
P.
Always follow the trailer manufactur-er's recommendations for wheelchocking.
• When starting on a hill, put the gearselector in
D before releasing the park-
ing brake. See also page 133 for moredetailed information about starting offon a hill while towing a trailer.
• If you use the manual (Geartronic) shiftpositions while towing a trailer, makesure the gear you select does not puttoo much strain on the engine (usingtoo high a gear).
• The drawbar assembly/trailer hitchmay be rated for trailers heavier thanthe vehicle is designed to tow. Pleaseadhere to Volvo's recommended trailerweights.
• Avoid driving with a trailer on inclinesof more than 15%.
Trailer cableAn adapter is required if the vehicle's trailer hitch has a 13-pin connector and the trailerhas 7 pins. Use an adapter cable approved by Volvo. Make sure the cable does not dragon the ground.
Trailer Stability Assist (TSA)
Trailer Stability Assist is a system designed to help stabilize a vehicle that is towing a trailerwhen the vehicle and trailer have begun tosway and is part of the Dynamic Stability andTraction Control system (DSTC). See page138 for information on DSTC.
FunctionA vehicle towing a trailer may begin to swayfor various reasons. Normally this only occursat high speeds but, for example, if the traileris overloaded or if the load is unevenly dis-tributed in the trailer, there is risk of swayingat speeds between approximately 45-55 mph(70-90 km/h). Swaying may be caused by factors such as: •
The vehicle and trailer are hit by a sud- den, strong crosswind
• The vehicle and trailer are traveling on anuneven road surface or drive over a bump
• Sudden movements of the steering wheel
Facts about TSA
•
TSA intervenes at speeds above approxi-mately 40 mph (60 km/h)
• The DSTC symbol (
) in the instru-
ment panel will flash when TSA is working
• If the driver switches off the DSTC sys- tem's Spin Control function, TSA will alsobe switched off (but will be on again thenext time the engine is started)
• TSA may not intervene when the vehicleand trailer begin to sway if the driver triesto compensate for the swaying motion bymoving the steering wheel rapidly
How TSA worksOnce swaying has begun, it can be very diffi- cult to stop, which makes it difficult to controlthe vehicle and trailer. The TSA system continuously monitors the vehicle's movements, particularly lateralmovement. If the system detects a tendencyto sway, the brakes are applied individuallyon the front wheels, which has a stabilizingeffect on the vehicle and trailer. This is oftenenough to enable the driver to regain controlof the vehicle. If this is not adequate to stop the swaying motion, the brakes are applied to all of thewheels on the vehicle and on the trailer if it isequipped with brakes, and engine power is
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Towing a trailer
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284
temporarily reduced. As the swaying motion begins to decrease and the vehicle-trailerhave once again become stable, TSA will nostop regulating the brakes/engine power andthe driver regains control of the vehicle.
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Emergency towing
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285
Towing eyelet
Location of the towing eyelet
Removing the front/rear covers
Attaching the towing eyeletThe towing eyelet is located under the floor of the trunk. This eyelet must bescrewed into the positions provided onthe right sides of either the front or rearbumper (see illustration).
There are two different types of covers over the openings for the towing eyeletand they have to be opened differently.
• If the cover has a notch, insert a coin, etc., into the notch and pry open theedge of the cover. Open the covercompletely and remove it.
• If the cover has a mark along one edgeor in a corner, press the mark whileprying out the opposite side/cornerusing a coin, etc. Open the cover andremove it.
Screw the towing eyelet in place, first by hand and then using the tire iron until it issecurely in place. After the vehicle has been towed, the eyelet should be removed and returned to its stor-age location. Press the cover for the attachment point back into position.
WARNING
• When the vehicle is being towed, the ignition should be in mode
II (in mode
I , all of the vehicle's airbags are deac-
tivated). See page 87 for more infor-mation about ignition modes.
• Never remove the remote key from theignition slot when the vehicle is beingtowed. For vehicles with keyless drive,the remote key must remain inside thevehicle.
• The power brakes and power steeringwill not function when the engine is notrunning. Approximately 5 times morepressure will be required on the brakepedal and the steering wheel will beconsiderably harder to turn.
• The towing eyelets must not be usedfor pulling the vehicle out of a ditch orfor any similar purpose involvingsevere strain.
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Emergency towing
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Towing the vehicle
1. With the remote key fully pressed into theignition slot 1
, press START/STOP
ENGINE for approximately 2 seconds to
activate ignition mode II.
2. The remote key must remain in the igni- tion slot 2
for the entire time that the vehi-
cle is being towed.
3. Keep the tow rope taut when the towing vehicle slows down by applying light pressure on the brake pedal. This willhelp prevent jarring movements of thevehicle being towed.
4. Be prepared to apply the brakes to stop the vehicle being towed.CAUTION
General towing precautions:
• Please check with state and local authorities before attempting this typeof towing, as vehicles being towed aresubject to regulations regarding maxi-mum towing speed, length and type oftowing device, lighting, etc.
• If the vehicle's battery is dead, attachjumper cables (see page 121) to pro-vide current for releasing the electricparking brake and to move the gearselector from the
P position to N. If
this is not possible, see page 126 forinformation about manually overridingthe shiftlock system to move the gearselector from P to N.
• Maximum speed: 50 mph (80 km/h).Do not exceed the maximum allowabletowing speed.
• Maximum distance with front wheelson ground: 50 miles (80 km).
• The vehicle should only be towed inthe forward direction.
Having the vehicle towed by a tow truck
Call for professional help from an authorized towing company.Volvo recommends the useof flat bed equipment. The towing eyelet may be used to pull the vehicle onto a flatbed tow truck if:
• The angle of the tow truck’s ramp is not more than 12 degrees from a horizontalplane
• The vehicle’s wheels rotate freely and rollstraight ahead
WARNING
No person or object should be behind the tow truck while the vehicle is being pulledup onto the flatbed.
1
Not necessary in vehicles with the optional keyless drive.
2 For vehicles with the the optional keyless dirive, the remote key must be in the vehicle.
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Emergency towing
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* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.287
CAUTION
• The vehicle should always be towed in the forward direction.
• Vehicles with All Wheel Drive (AWD)*that are being towed with the frontwheels off the ground should not betowed at a speed above approx.45 mph (70 km/h) and should not betowed farther than 30 miles (50 km).
• If the vehicle is being towed on a flatbed truck, the towing eyelet must notbe used to pull the vehicle up onto theflat bed or to secure the vehicle on theflat bed. Consult the tow truck opera-tor.