5-40
Driving your vehicle
ESC OFF usage
When Driving
The ESC OFF mode should only be
used briefly to help free the vehicle if
stuck in snow or mud, by temporarily
stopping operation of the ESC to
maintain wheel torque.
To turn ESC off whilst driving, press
the ESC OFF button whilst driving on
a flat road surface.To prevent damage to the
transaxle:
• Do not allow wheel(s) of one
axle to spin excessively whilst
the ESC, ABS, and brake warn-
ing lights are displayed. The
repairs would not be covered by
the vehicle warranty. Reduce
engine power and do not spin
the wheel(s) excessively whilst
these lights are displayed.
• When operating the vehicle on a
dynamometer, ensure the ESC is
turned off (ESC OFF light illumi-
nated).
Information
Turning the ESC off does not affect
ABS or standard brake system opera-
tion.
Vehicle Stability Management
(if equipped)
Vehicle Stability Management (VSM)
helps ensure the vehicle stays stable
when accelerating or braking sud-
denly on wet, slippery and rough
roads where traction over the four
tyres can suddenly become uneven.
i
NOTICE
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 sub-
stitute for safe driving prac-
tices.
•Never drive too fast for the
road conditions. The VSM sys-
tem will not prevent acci-
dents. Excessive speed in bad
weather, slippery and uneven
roads can result in severe
accidents.
WARNING
5-63
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 tyres
or to install tyre chains on your tyres.
Always carry emergency equipment.
Some of the items you may want to
carry include tyre 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 tyresIf you mount snow tyres on your vehi-
cle, make sure to use radial tyres of
the same size and load range as the
original tyres. Mount snow tyres on
all four wheels to balance your vehi-
cle’s handling in all weather condi-
tions. The traction provided by snow
tyres on dry roads may not be as
high as your vehicle's original equip-
ment tyres. Check with the tyre deal-
er for maximum speed recommenda-
tions.
Information
Do not install studded tyres without
first checking local and municipal reg-
ulations for possible restrictions
against their use.
i
WINTER DRIVING
Snow tyres should be equiva-
lent in size and type to the vehi-
cle's standard tyres. Otherwise,
the safety and handling of your
vehicle may be adversely affect-
ed.
WARNING
