5-151
Driving your vehicle
5
The severe weather conditions of
winter quickly wear out tires and
cause other problems. To minimize
winter driving problems, you should
take the following suggestions:
Information
Information for Snow Tires and Tire
Chains in the national language
(Bulgarian, Hungarian, Icelandic,
Polish) is provided in the Appendix.
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
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.
Information
Do not install studded tires without first
checking local and municipal regula-
tions for possible restrictions against
their use.
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Snow tires should be equivalent
in size and type to the vehicle's
standard tires. Otherwise, the
safety and handling of your vehi-
cle may be adversely affected.
WARNING
5-153
Driving your vehicle
5
Chain Installation
When installing tire chains, follow the
manufacturer's instructions and
mount them as tightly possible. Drive
slowly (less than 30 km/h (20 mph))
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.When using tire chains:
Wrong size chains or improperly
installed chains can damage
your vehicle's brake lines, sus-
pension, 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, retight- en the chains after driving 0.5~1.0
km (0.3~0.6 miles).
Do not use tire chains on vehi- cles equipped with aluminum
wheels. If unavoidable, use a
wire type chain.
Use wire chains less than 12 mm (0.47 in) wide to prevent damage
to the chain’s connection.
Winter Precautions
Use high quality ethylene glycol
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.
NOTICE
5-155
Driving your vehicle
5
Do not 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.
When there is the risk that your park-
ing brake may freeze, temporarily
apply it with the shift lever in P
(Park). Also, block the rear wheels in
advance, so the vehicle may not roll.
Then, release the parking brake.Do not let ice and snow accumu-
late underneath
Under some conditions, snow and
ice can build up under the fenders
and interfere with the steering. When
driving in such conditions during the
severe winter, you should check
underneath the vehicle on a regular
basis, so that moving the front
wheels and the steering components
is unblocked.
Carry emergency equipment
In accordance with weather condi-
tions, you should carry appropriate
emergency equipment, while driving.
Some of the items you may want to
carry include tire chains, tow straps
or chains, flashlight, emergency
flares, sand, shovel, jumper cables,
window scraper, gloves, ground
cloth, coveralls, blanket, etc.Do not place objects or materials
in the engine compartment
Putting objects or materials in the
engine compartment may cause an
engine failure or combustion,
because those may block the engine
cooling. Such damage will not be
covered by the manufacturer’s war-
ranty.
5-158
Driving your vehicle
Trailer weight
What is the maximum safe weight of a
trailer? It should never weigh more
than the maximum trailer weight with
trailer brakes. But even that can be
too heavy. It depends on how you plan
to use your trailer. For example,
speed, altitude, road grades, outside
temperature and how often your vehi-
cle is used to pull a trailer are all
important. The ideal trailer weight can
also depend on any special equip-
ment that you have on your vehicle.
Tongue load
The tongue load is an important
weight to measure because it affects
the total Gross Vehicle Weight
(GVW) of your vehicle. The trailer
tongue should weigh a maximum of
10% of the total loaded trailer weight,
within the limits of the maximum trail-
er tongue load permissible.
After you've loaded your trailer,
weigh the trailer and then the tongue,
separately, to see if the weights are
proper. If they aren’t, you may be
able to correct them simply by mov-
ing some items around in the trailer.
Information
With increasing altitude the engine
performance decreases. From 1,000 m
above sea level and for every 1,000 m
thereafter 10% of vehicle/trailer
weight (trailer weighter + gross vehi-
cle weight) must be deducted.
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Take the following precautions:
•Never load a trailer with more
weight in the rear than in the
front. The front should be
loaded with approximately
60% of the total trailer load;
the rear should be loaded with
approximately 40% of the total
trailer 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. Check weights
and loading at a commercial
scale or highway patrol office
equipped with scales.
WARNING
OLMB053048
Gross Axle WeightGross Vehicle Weight
OLMB053047
Tongue LoadTotal Trailer Weight
5-159
Driving your vehicle
5
M/T : Manual transmission
A/T : Automatic transmission
DCT : Dual clutch transmission
Item
Gasoline Engine
1.0 T-GDI1.4 T-GDI1.4 MPI1.6 MPI
M/T M/T DCT
M/TM/TA/T
Maximum trailer
weight kg (Ibs.)
Without brake
System 1200 (2645) 1400 (3086)1200 (2645)1300 (2866)1200 (2645)
With brake
System 600 (1322)
Maximum permissible static vertical
load on the coupling device kg (Ibs.) 75 (165)
Recommended distance from rear wheel
center to coupling point mm (inch) 885 (34.8)
ItemDiesel Engine1.6 TCI
M/T DCT
Maximum trailer
weight kg (Ibs.)
Without brake System 1500 (3306)
With brake System 650 (1433)
Maximum permissible static vertical
load on the coupling device kg (Ibs.) 75 (165)
Recommended distance from rear wheel
center to coupling point mm (inch)885 (34.8)
Reference weight and distance when towing a trailer (for Europe)
5-161
Driving your vehicle
5
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a brak-
ing system, make sure it conforms
your country’s regulations and that it
is properly installed and operating
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.
Driving with a trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount of experience. Before setting
out for the open road, you must get
to know your trailer. Acquaint your-
self with the feel of handling and
braking with the added weight of the
trailer. And always keep in mind that
the vehicle you are driving is now
longer and not nearly as responsive
as your vehicle is by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer
hitch and platform, safety chains,
electrical connector(s), lights, tires
and brakes.
During your trip, occasionally check
to be sure that the load is secure,
and that the lights and trailer brakes
are still working.
Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the
vehicle ahead as you would when
driving your vehicle without a trailer.
This can help you avoid situations
that require heavy braking and sud-
den turns.
Passing
You will need more passing distance
up ahead when you’re towing a trail-
er. And, because of the increased
vehicle length, you’ll need to go
much farther beyond the passed
vehicle before you can return to your
lane.
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. This
is not a task for amateurs. Use
an experienced, competent trail-
er shop for this work.
WARNING
5-163
Driving your vehicle
5
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 70
km/h (45 mph) to reduce the possi-
bility of engine and transmission
overheating.
If your trailer weighs more than the
maximum trailer weight without trail-
er brakes and you have an automat-
ic transmission/dual clutch transmis-
sion, 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 transmission.To prevent engine and/or trans-
mission overheating:
When towing a trailer on steep
grades (in excess of 6%) pay
close attention to the engine
coolant temperature gauge to
ensure the engine does not
overheat. If the needle of the
coolant temperature gauge
moves towards "H" (HOT), pull
over and stop as soon as it is
safe to do so, and allow the
engine to idle until it cools
down. You may proceed once the
engine has cooled sufficiently.
If you tow a trailer with the max- imum gross vehicle weight and
maximum trailer weight, it can
cause the engine or transmis-
sion to overheat. When driving
in such conditions, allow the
engine to idle until it cools
down. You may proceed once the
engine or transmission has
cooled sufficiently.
(Continued)(Continued)
You must decide your vehicle
speed according to trailer weight
and uphill grade.
Vehicles equipped with a dual clutch transmission when tow-
ing a trailer on steep grades, the
clutch in the transmission could
overheat.
When the clutch is overheated,
the safe protection mode
engages. If the safe protection
mode engages, the gear posi-
tion indicator on the cluster
blinks with a chime sound.
At this time, a warning message
will appear on the LCD display
and driving may not be smooth.
If you ignore this warning, the
driving condition may become
worse.
To return to normal driving con-
dition, stop the vehicle on a flat
road and apply the foot brake for
a few minutes before driving off.
NOTICE
5-164
Driving your vehicle
Parking on hills
Generally, if you have a trailer
attached to your vehicle, you should
not park your vehicle on a hill.
However, if you ever have to park
your trailer on a hill, here's how to do
it:
1. Pull the vehicle into the parkingspace.
Turn the steering wheel in the direction of the curb (right if head-
ed down hill, left if headed up hill).
2. Shift the vehicle to P (Park, for automatic transmission/dual
clutch transmission vehicle) or
neutral (for manual transmission
vehicle).
3. Set the parking brake and shut off the vehicle.
4. Place wheel chocks under the trailer wheels on the down hill side
of the wheels.
5. Start the vehicle, hold the brakes, shift to neutral, release the park-
ing brake and slowly release the
brakes until the trailer chocks
absorb the load. 6. Reapply the brakes and parking
brakes.
7. Move the shift lever to P (Park, for automatic transmission/dual
clutch transmission vehicle) or 1st
gear when the vehicle is parked
on a uphill grade and in R
(Reverse) on a downhill (for man-
ual transmission vehicle).
8. Shut off the vehicle and release the vehicle brakes but leave the
parking brake set.
Ready to leave after parking ona hill
1. With the shift lever to P (Park, for
automatic transmission/dual clutch
transmission vehicle) or neutral (for
manual transmission vehicle),
apply your brakes and hold the
brake pedal down while you:
and
2. Slowly remove your foot from the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
To prevent serious or fatal
injury:
Do not get out of the vehicle
without the parking brake
firmly set. If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle
can move suddenly. You and
others could be seriously or
fatally injured.
Do not apply the accelerator
pedal to hold the vehicle on
an uphill.
WARNING