2015 KIA Optima Eco

Driving your vehicle
54
5
Driving off-road
Drive carefully off-road because your
vehicle may be damaged by rocks or
roots of trees. Become familiar with
the off-road conditions where you
are going to drive before you begin
driving.
Highway driving
Tires
Adjust the tire inflation pressures to
specification. Low tire inflation pres-
sures will result in overheating and
possible failure of the tires.
Avoid using worn or damaged tires
which may result in reduced traction
or tire failure.
Never exceed the maximum tire
inflation pressure shown on the tires.
Fuel, engine coolant and engine
oil
High speed travel consumes more
fuel than urban motoring. Do not for-
get to check both the engine coolant
and engine oil.
Drive belt
A loose or damaged drive belt may
overheat the engine.
WARNING - Tire tread
Always check the tire tread
before driving your vehicle.
Worn-out tires can result in loss
of vehicle control. Worn-out
tires should be replaced as
soon as possible. For further
information and tread limits,
refer to "Tires and wheels" in
chapter 7.
WARNING- Under/Over Inflated Tires
Always check the tires for prop-
er inflation before driving.
Underinflated or overinflated
tires can cause poor handling,
loss of vehicle control, and sud-
den tire failure leading to acci-
dents, injuries, and even death.

555
Driving your vehicle
Severe weather conditions in the
winter result in greater wear and
other problems. To minimize the
problems of winter driving, you
should follow these suggestions:
Snowy or Icy conditions
To drive your vehicle in deep snow, it
may be necessary to use snow tires
on your tires. If snow tires are need-
ed, it is necessary to select tires
equivalent in size and type of the
original equipment tires. Failure to do
so may adversely affect the safety
and handling of your car.
Furthermore, speeding, rapid accel-
eration, 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. You need to
keep sufficient distance between the
vehicle in operation in front and your
vehicle. Also, apply the brake gently.
Snow tires
If you mount snow tires on your vehi-
cle, make sure they are 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.
Keep in mind that the traction provid-
ed by snow tires on dry roads may
not be as high as your vehicle's orig-
inal equipment tires. You should drive
cautiously even when the roads are
clear. Check with the tire dealer for
maximum speed recommendations.
Do not install studded tires withoutfirst checking local, state and munic-ipal regulations for possible restric-tions against their use.
WINTER DRIVING
1JBB3305

Driving your vehicle
56
5
Use high quality ethylene gly-
col coolant
Your vehicle is delivered with high
quality ethylene glycol coolant in the
cooling system. It is the only type of
coolant that should be used because
it helps prevent corrosion in the cool-
ing system, lubricates the water
pump and prevents freezing. Be sure
to replace or replenish your coolant
in accordance with the maintenance
schedule in chapter 7. Before winter,
have your coolant tested to assure
that its freezing point is sufficient for
the temperatures anticipated during
the winter.
Check battery and cables
Winter puts additional burdens on
the battery system. Visually inspect
the battery and cables as described
in chapter 7. The level of charge in
your battery can be checked by an
authorized Kia dealer or a service
station.
Change to "winter weight" oil
if necessary
In some climates it is recommended
that a lower viscosity "winter weight"
oil be used during cold weather. See
chapter 8 for recommendations. If
you aren't sure what weight oil you
should use, consult an authorized
Kia dealer.
Check spark plugs and igni-
tion system
Inspect your spark plugs as
described in chapter 7 and replace
them if necessary. Also check all
ignition wiring and components to be
sure they are not cracked, worn or
damaged in any way.
To keep locks from freezing
To keep the locks from freezing,
squirt an approved de-icer fluid or
glycerine into the key opening. If a
lock is covered with ice, squirt it with
an approved de-icing fluid to remove
the ice. If the lock is frozen internally,
you may be able to thaw it out by
using a heated key. Handle the heat-
ed key with care to avoid injury.
Use approved window washer
anti-freeze in system
To keep the water in the window
washer system from freezing, add an
approved window washer anti-freeze
solution in accordance with instruc-
tions on the container. Window wash-
er anti-freeze is available from an
authorized Kia dealer and most auto
parts outlets. Do not use engine
coolant or other types of anti-freeze
as these may damage the paint fin-
ish.

557
Driving your vehicle
Don't let your parking brake
freeze
Under some conditions your parking
brake can freeze in the engaged
position. This is most likely to hap-
pen when there is an accumulation
of snow or ice around or near the
rear brakes or if the brakes are wet.
If there is a risk the parking brake
may freeze, apply it only temporarily
while you put the shift lever in P
(automatic transaxle) and block the
rear wheels so the vehicle cannot
roll. Then release the parking brake.
Don't let ice and snow accu-
mulate underneath
Under some conditions, snow and
ice can build up under the fenders
and interfere with the steering. When
driving in severe winter conditions
where this may happen, you should
periodically check underneath the
car to be sure the movement of the
front wheels and the steering com-
ponents is not obstructed.
Carry emergency equipment
Depending on the severity of the
weather you should carry appropri-
ate emergency equipment. Some of
the items you may want to carry
include tow straps or chains, flash-
light, emergency flares, sand, a
shovel, jumper cables, a window
scraper, gloves, ground cloth, cover-
alls, a blanket, etc.
TRAILER TOWING
We do not recommend using this
vehicle for trailer towing.

Driving your vehicle
58
5
Tire and loading information
label
The label located on the driver's door
sill gives the original tire size, cold
tire pressures recommended for your
vehicle, the number of people that
can be in your vehicle and vehicle
capacity weight.
Vehicle capacity weight:
410 kg (904 lbs.)
Vehicle capacity weight is the maxi-
mum combined weight of occupants
and cargo. If your vehicle is equipped
with a trailer, the combined weight
includes the tongue load.
VEHICLE LOAD LIMIT
OTF054040N/OTF054041N/OTF050042N/OTF054043N/OTF054044N/OTF054045N

559
Driving your vehicle
Seating capacity:
Total : 5 persons (Front seat : 2 persons, Rear seat : 3 persons)
Seating capacity is the maximum
number of occupants including a
driver, your vehicle may carry.
However, the seating capacity may
be reduced based upon the weight of
all of the occupants, and the weight
of the cargo being carried or towed.
Do not overload the vehicle as there
is a limit to the total weight, or load
limit including occupants and cargo,
the vehicle can carry.
Towing capacity:
We do not recommend using this
vehicle for trailer towing.
Cargo capacity:
The cargo capacity of your vehicle
will increase or decrease depending
on the weight and the number of
occupants and the tongue load, if
your vehicle is equipped with a trail-
er.
Steps For Determining Correct Load Limit -
1.Locate the statement "The com- bined weight of occupants and
cargo should never exceed XXX kg
or XXX lbs.'' on your vehicle's plac-
ard.
2.Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers that will
be riding in your vehicle.
3.Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers from
XXX kg or XXX lbs.
4.The resulting figure equals the available amount of cargo and lug-
gage load capacity. For example, if
the "XXX" amount equals 635 kg
(1400 lbs.) and there will be five 68
kg (150 lbs.) passengers in your
vehicle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load capacity is
295 kg (650 lbs).
(635-340 (5 x 68) = 295 kg or
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 available cargo
and luggage load capacity calcu-
lated in Step 4.
6.If your vehicle will be towing a trail- er, load from your trailer will be
transferred to your vehicle. Consult
this manual to determine how this
reduces the available cargo and
luggage load capacity of your vehi-
cle.

What to do in an emergency
46
IF THE ENGINE WILL NOT START
If the engine doesn't turn over
or turns over slowly
1.If your vehicle has an automatictransaxle, be sure the shift lever is
in N (Neutral) or P (Park) and the
emergency brake is set.
2.Check the battery connections to be sure they are clean and tight.
3.Turn on the interior light. If the light dims or goes out when you operate
the starter, the battery is dis-
charged.
4.Check the starter connections to be sure they are securely tight-
ened.
5.Do not push or pull the vehicle to start it. See instructions for "Jump
starting".
If engine turns over normally
but does not start
1.Check fuel level.
2.With the ignition switch in theLOCK position, check all connec-
tors at the ignition coil and spark
plugs. Reconnect any that may be
disconnected or loose.
3.Check the fuel line in the engine compartment.
4.If the engine still does not start, call an authorized Kia dealer or seek
other qualified assistance.
WARNING - Push/pull
start
Do not push or pull the vehicle
to start it. Push or pull starting
may cause the catalytic con-
verter to overload and create a
fire hazard.

65
What to do in an emergency
EMERGENCY STARTING
Connect cables in numerical order
and disconnect in reverse order.
Jump starting
Jump starting can be dangerous if
done incorrectly. Therefore, to avoid
harm to yourself or damage to your
vehicle or battery, follow these jump
starting procedures. If in doubt, we
strongly recommend that you have a
competent technician or towing serv-
ice jump start your vehicle.
CAUTION - 12 volt battery
Use only a 12-volt jumper sys-tem. You can damage a 12-voltstarting motor, ignition system,and other electrical partsbeyond repair by use of a 24-volt power supply (either two12-volt batteries in series or a24-volt motor generator set).
WARNING - Battery
Keep all flames or sparks away
from the battery. The battery
produces hydrogen gas which
will explode if exposed to flame
or sparks.
WARNING- Battery
Never attempt to check the elec-
trolyte level of the battery as
this may cause the battery to
rupture or explode.
WARNING- Frozen batteries
Do not attempt to jump start the
vehicle if the discharged battery
is frozen or if the electrolyte
level is low as the battery may
rupture or explode.
WARNING- Sulfuric acid risk
When jump starting your vehi-
cle be careful not to get acid on
yourself, your clothing or on the
vehicle. Automobile batteries
contain sulfuric acid. This is
poisonous and highly corro-
sive.
1VQA4001
Discharged battery
Jumper Cables
Booster battery(-)
(+)
(+)(-)