
5-52
Driving your vehicle
Hydroplaning
If the road is wet enough and you are
going fast enough, your vehicle may
have little or no contact with the road
surface and actually ride on the
water. The best advice is SLOW
DOWN when the road is wet. The
risk of hydroplaning increases as the
depth of tire tread decreases, refer to
“Tire Tread” in chapter 7.
Driving in flooded areas
Avoid driving through flooded areas
unless you are sure the water is nohigher than the bottom of the wheel
hub. Drive through any water slowly.
Allow adequate stopping distance
because brake performance may bereduced.
After driving through water, dry the
brakes by gently applying them sev-
eral times while the vehicle is moving
slowly.
Reducing the risk of a rollover
Your multi-purpose passenger vehi-
cle is defined as a Sports Utility
Vehicle (SUV). SUV’s have higher
ground clearance and a narrower
track to make them capable of per-
forming in a wide variety of off-road
applications. The specific design
characteristics give them a higher
center of gravity than ordinary vehi-
cles making them more likely to roll
over if you make abrupt turns. Utility
vehicles have a significantly higher
rollover rate than other types of vehi-
cles. Due to this risk, driver and pas-sengers are strongly recommended
to buckle their seat belts. In a rollover
crash, an unbelted person is signifi-
cantly more likely to die than a per-
son wearing a seat belt.
There are steps that a driver can
make to reduce the risk of a rollover.
If at all possible, avoid sharp turns or
abrupt maneuvers, do not load your
vehicle with heavy cargo on the roof,
and never modify your vehicle in any
way.Utility vehicles have a signifi-
cantly higher rollover rate than
other types of vehicles. To pre-
vent rollovers or loss of control:
Take corners at slower speeds
than you would with a passen-
ger vehicle.
Avoid sharp turns and abrupt
maneuvers.
Do not modify your vehicle in
any way that you would raise
the center of gravity.
Keep tires properly inflated.
Do not carry heavy cargo on
the roof.
WARNING
In a rollover crash, an unbelted
person is significantly more
likely to die than a person wear-
ing a seat belt. Make sure all
passengers are wearing theirseat belts.
WARNING

5-53
Driving your vehicle
5
Snow or icy conditions
You need to keep sufficient distance
between your vehicle and the vehicle
in front of you.
Apply the brakes gently. 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 applications on snowy or icy
roads may cause skids to occur.To drive your vehicle in deep snow, it
may be necessary to use snow tires
or to install tire chains on your tires.
Always carry emergency equipment.
Some of the items you may want to
carry include tire chains, tow straps
or chains, a flashlight, emergency
flares, sand, a shovel, jumper cables,
a window scraper, gloves, ground
cloth, coveralls, a blanket, etc.
Snow tires
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OLMB053045
Snow tires should be equivalent
in size and type to the vehicle's
standard tires. Otherwise, the
safety and handling of your
vehicle may be adversely affect-ed.
WARNING

5-54
Driving your vehicle
If you mount snow tires on your vehi-
cle, make sure to use radial tires of
the same size and load range as the
original tires. Mount snow tires on all
four wheels to balance your vehicle’s
handling in all weather conditions.
The traction provided by snow tires
on dry roads may not be as high as
your vehicle's original equipment
tires. Check with the tire dealer for
maximum speed recommendations.
✽✽NOTICE
Do not install studded tires without
first checking local, state and munic-
ipal regulations for possible restric-
tions against their use.
Tire chains
Since the sidewalls of radial tires are
thinner than other types of tires, they
may be damaged by mounting sometypes of tire chains on them.
Therefore, the use of snow tires is
recommended instead of tire chains.
Do not mount tire chains on vehicles
equipped with aluminum wheels; if
unavoidable use a wire type chain. If
tire chains must be used, use gen-
uine HYUNDAI parts and install the
tire chain after reviewing the instruc-
tions provided with the tire chains.
Damage to your vehicle caused by
improper tire chain use is not cov-
ered by your vehicle manufacturer’s
warranty. The use of tire chains may
adversely affect vehicle han-dling:
Drive less than 20 mph (30
km/h) or the chain manufac-
turer’s recommended speed
limit, whichever 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.
WARNING
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5-55
Driving your vehicle
5
✽✽NOTICE
Install tire chains on the front tires for 2WD vehicles or on all four
tires for AWD vehicles. It should
be noted that installing tire chains
on the tires will provide a greater
driving force, but will not prevent
side skids.
Do not install studded tires with- out first checking local, state and
municipal regulations for possible
restrictions against their use. Chain installation
When installing tire chains, follow the
manufacturer's instructions and
mount them as tightly possible. Drive
slowly (less than 20 mph (30 km/h))
with chains installed. If you hear thechains contacting the body or chas-
sis, stop and tighten them. If they still
make contact, slow down until the
noise stops. Remove the tire chains
as soon as you begin driving on
cleared roads.
When mounting snow chains, park
the vehicle on level ground away
from traffic. Turn on the vehicle
Hazard Warning Flasher and place a
triangular emergency warning device
behind the vehicle (if available).
Always place the vehicle in P (Park),
apply the parking brake and turn off
the engine before installing snow
chains. When using tire chains:
Wrong size chains or improp-
erly installed chains can dam-
age your vehicle's brake lines,
suspension, body and wheels.
Use SAE “S” class or wire
chains.
If you hear noise caused by
chains contacting the body,
retighten the chain to prevent
contact with the vehicle body.
To prevent body damage,
retighten the chains after driv-ing 0.3~0.6 miles (0.5~1.0 km).
Do not use tire chains on
vehicles equipped with alu-
minum wheels. If unavoidable,
use a wire type chain.
Use wire chains less than 0.59
inch (15 mm) wide to prevent
damage to the chain’s con-nection.
CAUTION

5-58
Driving your vehicle
If you are considering to tow with
your vehicle, you should first check
with your state's Department of
Motor Vehicles to determine legal
requirements. Since laws vary from
state to state the requirements for
towing trailers, vehicles, or other
types of vehicles or apparatus may
differ. Ask an authorized HYUNDAI
dealer for further details before tow-ing.Remember that trailering is different
than just driving your vehicle by itself.
Trailering means changes in han-
dling, durability, and fuel economy.
Successful, safe trailering requirescorrect equipment, and it has to be
used properly. Damage to your vehi-
cle caused by improper trailer towing
is not covered by your vehicle manu-
facturer’s warranty.
This section contains many time-
tested, important trailering tips and
safety rules. Many of these are
important for your safety and that of
your passengers. Please read this
section carefully before you pull a
trailer.
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Take the following precautions:
If you don't use the correct equipment and/or drive
improperly, you can lose con-
trol of the vehicle when you
are pulling a trailer. For exam-
ple, if the trailer is too heavy,
the braking performance may
be reduced. You and your pas-
sengers could be seriously or
fatally injured. Pull a trailer
only if you have followed allthe steps in this section.
Before towing, make sure the
total trailer weight, GCW
(Gross Combination Weight),
GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight),
GAW (Gross Axle Weight ) andtrailer tongue load are all with-in the limits.
WARNING

5-60
Driving your vehicle
Reference weight when towing a trailer
Take the following precautions:
Never load a trailer with more weight in the rear than in the
front. The front should be
loaded with approximately60% of the total trailer load;the rear should be loaded with
approximately 40% of the totaltrailer load.
Never exceed the maximum weight limits of the trailer or
trailer towing equipment.
Improper loading can result in
damage to your vehicle and/or
personal injury. Checkweights and loading at a com-
mercial scale or highway
patrol office equipped withscales.
WARNING
ItemIbs. (kg)
Maximum trailer weight
Without brake System 1000 (454)
With brake System 2000 (907)
Maximum permissible static
vertical load on the coupling device (Tongue weight) 200 (91)

5-61
Driving your vehicle
5
Trailer towing equipment
Hitches
It's important to have the correct
hitch equipment. Crosswinds, large
trucks going by, and rough roads are
a few reasons why you’ll need the
right hitch. Here are some rules to
follow:
Do you have to make any holes inthe body of your vehicle when you
install a trailer hitch? If you do, thenbe sure to seal the holes later
when you remove the hitch. If you
don’t seal them, 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 hitches. Do notattach rental hitches or other
bumper-type hitches to them. Use
only a frame-mounted hitch that
does not attach to the bumper.
A HYUNDAI trailer hitch accessory is available at an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer.
Safety chains
You should always attach chains
between your vehicle and your trail-
er. Cross the safety chains under the
tongue of the trailer so that thetongue will not drop to the road if it
becomes separated from the hitch.
Instructions about safety chains may
be provided by the hitch manufactur-
er or 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 to drag on the ground.
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a brak-
ing system, make sure it conforms to
federal and/or local regulations and
that it is properly installed and oper-
ating correctly.
If your trailer weighs more than the
maximum trailer weight without trail-
er brakes loaded, then it needs its
own brakes and they must be ade-
quate. Be sure to read and follow the
instructions for the trailer brakes so
you’ll be able to install, adjust and
maintain them properly. Be sure not
to tap into your vehicle's brake sys-tem.
Do not use a trailer with its own
brakes unless you are absolute-
ly certain that you have proper-
ly set up the brake system. Use
an experienced, competent
trailer shop for this work.
WARNING

5-63
Driving your vehicle
5
Turn signals
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 trailer
bulbs are still working. You must also
check the lights every time you dis-connect and then reconnect the
wires.
Driving on hills
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
overheated and may not operate effi-
ciently.
On a long uphill grade, shift down
and reduce your speed to around 45mph (70 km/h) to reduce the possi-
bility of engine and transaxle over-heating.
If your trailer weighs more than the
maximum trailer weight without trail-
er brakes and you have an automat-
ic transaxle , you should drive in D
(Drive) when towing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive)
when towing a trailer will minimize
heat build-up and extend the life of
your transaxle .
Do not connect a trailer lighting
system directly to your vehi-
cle’s lighting system. Use an
approved trailer wiring harness.
Failure to do so could result in
damage to the vehicle electrical
system and/or personal injury.
Consult an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer for assistance.WARNING