Driving your vehicle
12
5
Downshifting
Downshift when you must slow down in
heavy traffic or drive up a steep hill to
prevent engine load.
Also, downshifting reduces the chance of
stalling and can accelerate when you
need to increase your speed again.
When the vehicle is going downhill,
downshifting helps maintain safe speed
by providing brake power from the engine
and enables less wear on the brakes. Good driving practices
Never take the vehicle out of gear and
coast down a hill. This is extremely
dangerous.
Don't "ride" the brakes. This can cause the brakes and related parts to over-heat and malfunction.
When you are driving down a long hill,
slow down and shift to a lower gear.
Engine braking will help slow down the
vehicle.
Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. This will help avoid over-revving
the engine, which can cause damage.
Slow down when you encounter cross winds. This gives you much better con-
trol of your vehicle.
Be sure the vehicle is completely stopped before you shift into R
(Reverse) to prevent damage to the
transaxle.
Exercise extreme caution when driving on a slippery surface. Be especially
careful when braking, accelerating or
shifting gears. On a slippery surface,
an abrupt change in vehicle speed can
cause the drive wheels to lose traction
and may cause loss of vehicle controlresulting in an accidentCAUTION
To prevent damage to the engine:
When downshifting from 5th gear to 4th gear, be careful not to inad-
vertently push the shift leversideways engaging the 2nd gear. A drastic downshift may cause
the engine speed to increase to the point the tachometer will enter the red-zone.
Do not downshift more than one gear at a time or downshift the
gear when the engine is runningat high speed (5,000 RPM or high-er).
Driving your vehicle
18
5
Parking
Always come to a complete stop and
continue to depress the brake pedal.
Move the shift lever into the P (Park)
position, apply the parking brake, and
place the ignition switch in the
LOCK/OFF position. Take the Key with
you when exiting the vehicle. Good driving practices
Never move the shift lever from P
(Park) or N (Neutral) to any other posi-
tion with the accelerator pedaldepressed.
Never move the shift lever into P (Park) when the vehicle is in motion.
Be sure the vehicle is completely stopped before you attempt to shift into
R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
Do not move the shift lever to N (Neutral) when driving. Doing so mayresult in an accident because of a loss
of engine braking and the transaxlecould be damaged.
Do not drive with your foot resting on the brake pedal. Even light, but consis-tent pedal pressure can result in the
brakes overheating, brake wear and
possibly even brake failure.
When driving in sports mode, slow down before shifting to a lower gear.
Otherwise, the lower gear may not be
engaged if the engine rpms are out-
side of the allowable range.
Always apply the parking brake when leaving the vehicle. Do not depend on
placing the transmission in P (Park) to
keep the vehicle from moving. Exercise extreme caution when driving
on a slippery surface. Be especially
careful when braking, accelerating or
shifting gears. On a slippery surface,
an abrupt change in vehicle speed can
cause the drive wheels to lose traction
and may cause loss of vehicle controlresulting in an accident
Optimum vehicle performance and economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the accelera-
tor.
WARNING
When you stay in the vehicle with
the engine running, be careful not
to depress the accelerator pedal for
a long period of time. The engine or
exhaust system may overheat and
start a fire.
The exhaust gas and the exhaust
system are very hot. Keep away
from the exhaust system compo-nents.
Do not stop or park over flammable
materials, such as dry grass, paper
or leaves. They may ignite and
cause a fire.
529
Driving your vehicle
Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) (if equipped)
Vehicle Stability Management (VSM)
helps ensure the vehicle stays stable
when accelerating or braking suddenly
on wet, slippery and rough roads where
traction over the four tires can suddenly
become uneven.VSM operation
VSM ON condition
The VSM operates when:
The Electronic Stability Control (ESC)is on.
Vehicle speed is approximately above 15 km/h (9mph) on curve roads.
Vehicle speed is approximately above 30 km/h (18mph) when the vehicle is
braking on rough roads. When operating
When the VSM is in operation, the ESC
indicator light ( ) blinks.
When you apply your brakes under con-
ditions which may activate the ESC, you
may hear sounds from the brakes, or feel
a corresponding sensation in the brake
pedal. This is normal and it means your
VSM is active.
✽✽
NOTICE
The VSM does not operate when:
Driving rearward.
ESC OFF ( ) indicator light is on.
EPS (Electric Power Steering) warn- ing light ( ) is on. WARNING
Take the following precautions
when using the Vehicle Stability
Management (VSM):
ALWAYS check the speed and the distance to the vehicle ahead. The
VSM is not a substitute for safedriving practices.
Never drive too fast for the road conditions. The VSM system will
not prevent accidents. Excessive
speed in bad weather, slippery
and uneven roads can result in
severe accidents.
745
Maintenance
Wheel alignment and tire balance
The wheels on your vehicle were aligned and balanced carefully at the
factory to give you the longest tire life
and best overall performance.
In most cases, you will not need to
have your wheels aligned again.
However, if you notice unusual tire
wear or your vehicle pulling one way
or the other, the alignment may needto be reset.
If you notice your vehicle vibrating
when driving on a smooth road, your
wheels may need to be rebalanced.Tire replacement
If the tire is worn evenly, a tread wear indicator will appear as a solid band
across the tread. This shows there isless than 1.6 mm (1/16 inch) of tread
left on the tire. Replace the tire when
this happens.
Do not wait for the band to appear
across the entire tread before replac-
ing the tire.
CAUTION
Improper wheel weights can
damage your vehicle's alu-minum wheels. Use only approved wheel weights.
OEN076053
Tread wear indicatorWARNING - Replacing
tires
To reduce the chance or serious
or fatal injuries from an acci-
dent caused by tire failure or
loss of vehicle control:
Replace tires that are worn, show uneven wear, or are
damaged. Worn tires can
cause loss of braking effec-
tiveness, steering control, andtraction.
Do not drive your vehicle with too little or too much pressure
in your tires. This can lead to
uneven wear and tire failure.
When replacing tires, never mix radial and bias-ply tires
on the same car. You must
replace all tires (including the
spare) if moving from radial to
bias-ply tires.
(Continued)
Maintenance
46
7
Wheel replacement
When replacing the metal wheels for
any reason, make sure the new
wheels are equivalent to the original
factory units in diameter, rim widthand offset. Tire traction
Tire traction can be reduced if you
drive on worn tires, tires that are
improperly inflated or on slippery
road surfaces. Tires should be
replaced when tread wear indicators
appear. Slow down whenever there
is rain, snow or ice on the road, toreduce the possibility of losing con-trol.
WARNING
A wheel that is not the correct
size may adversely affect wheel
and bearing life, braking and
stopping abilities, handling
characteristics, ground clear-
ance, body-to-tire clearance,
snow chain clearance,speedometer and odometer cal-
ibration, headlight aim and
bumper height.
(Continued)
Using tires and wheel other than the recommended sizes
could cause unusual handling
characteristics and poor vehi-
cle control, resulting in a seri-ous accident.
Wheels that do not meet HYUNDAI’s specifications
may fit poorly and result in
damage to the vehicle or
unusual handling and poor
vehicle control.
The ABS works by comparing the speed of the wheels. Tire
size can affect wheel speed.
When replacing tires, all 4
tires must use the same size
originally supplied with the
vehicle. Using tires of a differ-
ent size can cause the ABS
(Anti-lock Brake System) and
ESC (Electronic Stability
Control) (if equipped) to work
irregularly.
749
Maintenance
4. Tire ply composition and material
The number of layers or plies of rub-
ber-coated fabric are in the tire. Tire
manufacturers also must indicate the
materials in the tire, which include
steel, nylon, polyester, and others.
The letter "R" means radial ply con-
struction; the letter "D" means diago-
nal or bias ply construction; and theletter "B" means belted-bias ply con-
struction.
5. Maximum permissible inflationpressure
This number is the greatest amount of air pressure that should be put in
the tire. Do not exceed the maximum
permissible inflation pressure. Refer
to the Tire and Loading Information
label for recommended inflation
pressure.
6. Maximum load rating
This number indicates the maximum
load in kilograms and pounds that
can be carried by the tire. When
replacing the tires on the vehicle,
always use a tire that has the same
load rating as the factory installed
tire.
7. Uniform tire quality grading
Quality grades can be found where
applicable on the tire sidewall
between tread shoulder and maxi-
mum section width.
For example:
TREADWEAR 200
TRACTION AA
TEMPERATURE A
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a compara-
tive rating based on the wear rate ofthe tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified govern-
ment test course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one-and-a-
half times (1½) as well on the gov-
ernment course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual conditions
of their use, however, and may
depart significantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate.WARNING - Tire age
Tires degrade over time, even
when they are not being used.
Regardless of the remaining
tread, we recommend that tires
generally be replaced after six
(6) years of normal service.
Heat caused by not climates orfrequent high loading condi-
tions can accelerate the aging
process. Failure to follow this
Warning can result in sudden
tire failure, which could lead to
a loss of control and an acci-
dent involving serious injury ordeath.
Maintenance
50
7
These grades are molded on the
side-walls of passenger vehicle tires.
The tires available as standard or
optional equipment on your vehicles
may vary with respect to grade.
Traction - AA, A, B & C
The traction grades, from highest to
lowest, are AA, A, B and C. Those
grades represent the tires ability to
stop on wet pavement as measuredunder controlled conditions on spec-
ified government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire marked
C may have poor traction perform-
ance. Temperature -A, B & C
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B and C representing the
tire’s resistance to the generation ofheat and its ability to dissipate heatwhen tested under controlled condi-
tions on a specified indoor laboratorytest wheel.
Sustained high temperature can
cause the material of the tire to
degenerate and reduce tire life, and
excessive temperature can lead to
sudden tire failure. Grades B and A
represent higher levels of perform-
ance on the laboratory test wheel
than the minimum required by law.
WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is based on straight-ahead braking traction tests,
and does not include accelera-
tion, cornering, hydroplaning,
or peak traction characteristics.
WARNING - Tire temperature
The temperature grade for this
tire is established for a tire that
is properly inflated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed,
underinflation, or excessive
loading, either separately or in
combination, can cause heat
build-up and possible sudden
tire failure. This can cause loss
of vehicle control and serious
injury or death.