2016 Hyundai Elantra Owner's Manual

Driving your vehicle
48
5
SPECIAL DRIVING CONDITIONS
Hazardous driving conditions
When hazardous driving conditions
are encountered such as water,
snow, ice, mud or sand:
Drive cautiously and allow extra dis-
tance for braking.
Avoid sudden movements in braking
or steering.
If stuck in snow, mud, or sand, use
second gear. Accelerate slowly to
avoid spinning the drive wheels.
Use sand, rock salt, or other non-slip
material under the drive wheels to
provide traction when stalled in ice,
snow, or mud.
Rocking the vehicle
If it is necessary to rock the vehicle
to free it from snow, sand, or mud,
first turn the steering wheel right and
left to clear the area around your
front wheels. Then, shift back and
forth between 1st and R (Reverse,
for manual transaxle vehicle) or R
(Reverse) and a forward gear (for
automatic transaxle vehicle). Try to
avoid spinning the wheels, and do
not race the engine.
To prevent transaxle wear, wait until
the wheels stop spinning before
shifting gears. Release the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting, and press
lightly on the accelerator pedal while
the transaxle is in gear. Slowly spin-
ning the wheels in forward and
reverse directions causes a rocking
motion that may free the vehicle.
WARNING
Downshifting with an automatic
transaxle, while driving on slip-
pery surfaces can cause an
accident. The sudden change in
tire speed could cause the tires
to skid. Be careful when down-
shifting on slippery surfaces.
WARNING
If the tires spin at high speed
the tires can explode, and you
or others may be injured. Do not
attempt this procedure if people
or objects are anywhere near
the vehicle.
The vehicle can overheat caus-
ing an engine compartment fire
or other damage. Spin the
wheels as little as possible and
avoid spinning the wheels at
speeds over 35 mph (56 km/h)
as indicated on the speedome-
ter.
CAUTION
If you are still stuck after rock-
ing the vehicle a few times, havethe vehicle pulled out by a towvehicle to avoid engine over-heating, possible damage to thetransaxle, and tire damage. See“Towing” in chapter 6.
To prevent damage to thetransaxle, turn OFF the ESCprior to rocking the vehicle.
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549
Driving your vehicle
Smooth cornering
Avoid braking or gear changing in
corners, especially when roads are
wet. Ideally, corners should always
be taken under gentle acceleration.
Driving at night
Night driving presents more hazards
than driving in the daylight. Here are
some important tips to remember:
Slow down and keep more dis-tance between you and other vehi-
cles, as it may be more difficult to
see at night, especially in areas
where there may not be any street
lights.
Adjust your mirrors to reduce the glare from other driver's head-
lights. Keep your headlights clean and
properly aimed. Dirty or improperly
aimed headlights will make it much
more difficult to see at night.
Avoid staring directly at the head- lights of oncoming vehicles. You
could be temporarily blinded, and it
will take several seconds for your
eyes to readjust to the darkness.
OBH058035LOMC035004
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Driving your vehicle
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Driving in the rain
Rain and wet roads can make driving
dangerous. Here are a few things to
consider when driving in the rain or
on slick pavement:
Slow down and allow extra follow-
ing distance. A heavy rainfall
makes it harder to see and increas-
es the distance needed to stop
your vehicle.
Turn OFF your Cruise Control. (if equipped)
Replace your windshield wiper blades when they show signs of
streaking or missing areas on the
windshield. Be sure your tires have enough
tread. If your tires do not have
enough tread, making a quick stop
on wet pavement can cause a skid
and possibly lead to an accident.
See “Tire Tread” in chapter 7.
Turn on your headlights to make it easier for others to see you.
Driving too fast through large pud- dles can affect your brakes. If you
must go through puddles, try to
drive through them slowly.
If you believe your brakes may be wet, apply them lightly while driv-
ing until normal braking operation
returns.
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 no
higher than the bottom of the wheel
hub. Drive through any water slowly.
Allow adequate stopping distance
because brake performance may be
reduced.
After driving through water, dry the
brakes by gently applying them sev-
eral times while the vehicle is moving
slowly.
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551
Driving your vehicle
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, tow straps or chains, a
flashlight, emergency flares, sand, a
shovel, jumper cables, a window
scraper, gloves, ground cloth, cover-
alls, a blanket, etc.
Snow tires
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 and municipal
regulations for possible restrictions
against their use.
Tire chains
Since the sidewalls of radial tires are
thinner than other types of tires, they
may be damaged by mounting some
types 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.
WINTER DRIVING
WARNING
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.
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Driving your vehicle
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✽
✽
NOTICE
• Install tire chains on the front
tires. 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 and munic-
ipal 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 the
chains 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.
WARNING
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.
CAUTION
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 preventcontact 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 vehi- cles equipped with aluminumwheels. If unavoidable, use awire type chain.
Use wire chains less than 0.59 inch (15 mm) wide to preventdamage to the chain’s connec-tion.
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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 section 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 section 7. We recommend that the
system be checked by an authorized
HYUNDAI dealer.
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
section 8 for recommendations. If
you aren't sure what weight oil you
should use, we recommend that you
consult an authorized HYUNDAI
dealer.
Check spark plugs and igni-
tion system
Inspect your spark plugs as
described in section 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 HYUNDAI dealer and
most auto parts outlets. Do not use
engine coolant or other types of anti-
freeze as these may damage the
paint finish.
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Driving your vehicle
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Driving your vehicle
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Don't let your parking brake
freeze
Under some conditions your parking
brake can freeze in the engaged
position. This is most likely to happen
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 (automat-
ic transaxle) or in first or reverse gear
(manual 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
vehicle to be sure the movement of
the front wheels and the steering
components 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 tire chains, tow straps or
chains, flashlight, emergency flares,
sand, a shovel, jumper cables, a win-
dow scraper, gloves, ground cloth,
coveralls, a blanket, etc.
Don't place foreign objects or
materials in the engine com-
partment
Placement of foreign objects or
materials which prevent cooling of
the engine, in the engine compart-
ment, may cause a failure or com-
bustion. The manufacturer is not
responsible for the damage caused
by such placement.
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Driving your vehicle
Two labels on your driver’s door sill
show how much weight your vehicle
was designed to carry: the Tire and
Loading Information Label and the
Certification Label.
Before loading your vehicle, familiar-
ize yourself with the following terms
for determining your vehicle's weight
ratings, from the vehicle's specifica-
tions and the Certification Label:
Base Curb Weight
This is the weight of the vehicle
including a full tank of fuel and all
standard equipment. It does not
include passengers, cargo, or option-
al equipment.
Vehicle Curb Weight
This is the weight of your new vehicle
when you picked it up from your deal-
er plus any aftermarket equipment.Cargo Weight
This figure includes all weight added
to the Base Curb Weight, including
cargo and optional equipment.
GAW (Gross Axle Weight)
This is the total weight placed on
each axle (front and rear) - including
vehicle curb weight and all payload.
GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating)
This is the maximum allowable
weight that can be carried by a single
axle (front or rear). These numbers
are shown on the Certification Label.
The total load on each axle must
never exceed its GAWR.
GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight)
This is the Base Curb Weight plus
actual Cargo Weight plus passen-
gers.
GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating)
This is the maximum allowable
weight of the fully loaded vehicle
(including all options, equipment,
passengers and cargo). The GVWR
is shown on the Certification Label
located on the driver’s door sill.
VEHICLE LOAD LIMIT
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