7-46
Maintenance
When you do not use the vehiclefor a long time in a low tempera-
ture area, disconnect the battery
and keep it indoors.
Always charge the battery fully to prevent battery case damage
in low temperature areas.
For Best Battery Service
Keep the battery securely mount-ed.
Keep the battery top clean and dry.
Keep the terminals and connec- tions clean, tight, and coated with
petroleum jelly or terminal grease.
Rinse any spilled acid from the bat- tery immediately with a solution of
water and baking soda.
Battery Recharging
NOTICE
CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 65
WARNING
Battery posts, terminals, and related accessories containlead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer, birth
defects and reproductive harm.Batteries also contain other
chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer.
Wash hands after handling.
WARNING
Always follow these instruc-
tions when recharging your
vehicle’s battery to avoid the
risk of SERIOUS INJURY or
DEATH from explosions or acid
burns:
Before performing mainte-
nance or recharging the bat-
tery, turn off all accessories
and place the ignition switchto the LOCK/OFF position.
Keep all flames, sparks, or
smoking materials away from
the battery.
Always work outdoors or in an area with plenty of ventilation.
Wear eye protection when
checking the battery during
charging.
The battery must be removed
from the vehicle and placed ina well ventilated area.
(Continued)
WARNING
OTL075022
7-48
Maintenance
TTIIRR EESS AA NN DD WW HHEEEELLSS
Tire Care
For proper maintenance, safety, and
maximum fuel economy, you must
always maintain recommended tire
inflation pressures and stay within
the load limits and weight distribution
recommended for your vehicle.
(Continued)Replace tires that are worn,
show uneven wear, or are dam-
aged. Worn tires can cause
loss of braking effectiveness,
steering) control, or traction.
ALWAYS replace tires with the
same size as each tire that
was originally supplied with
this vehicle. Using tires andwheels other than the recom-
mended sizes could cause
unusual handling characteris-
tics, poor vehicle control, or
negatively affect your vehi-
cle’s Anti-Lock Brake System(ABS) resulting in a seriousaccident.
Tire failure may cause loss of
vehicle control resulting in an
accident. To reduce risk of
SERIOUS INJURY or DEATH,
take the following precautions:
Inspect your tires monthly for
proper inflation as well as
wear and damage.
The recommended cold tire
pressure for your vehicle can
be found in this manual and onthe tire label located on the dri-
ver’s side center pillar. Always
use a tire pressure gauge to
measure tire pressure. Tires
with too much or too little
pressure wear unevenly caus-ing poor handling.
Check the pressure of the
spare every time you checkthe pressure of the other tires
on your vehicle.
(Continued)
WARNING
7-49
7
Maintenance
All specifications (sizes and pres-
sures) can be found on a label
attached to the driver’s side center
pillar.
Recommended Cold Tire Inflation Pressures
All tire pressures (including the
spare) should be checked when the
tires are cold. "Cold tires" means the
vehicle has not been driven for at
least three hours or driven less thanone mile (1.6 km).
Warm tires normally exceed recom-
mended cold tire pressures by 4 to 6
psi (28 to 41 kPa). Do not release air
from warm tires to adjust the pres-sure or the tires will be under-inflat-
ed. For recommended inflation pres-
sure, refer to "Tire and Wheels" inchapter 8.Recommended pressures must
be maintained for the best ride,
vehicle handling, and minimum
tire wear.
Over-inflation or under-inflation
can reduce tire life, adversely
affect vehicle handling, and
lead to sudden tire failure that
could result in loss of vehicle
control resulting in an accident.
Severe under-inflation can lead
to severe heat build-up, causing
blowouts, tread separation andother tire failures that can result
in the loss of vehicle control
resulting in an accident. This
risk is much higher on hot days
and when driving for long peri-ods at high speeds.
WARNING
OTLE085006
7-51
7
Maintenance
Tire Rotation
To equalize tread wear, HYUNDAI recommends that the tires be rotated
every 7,500 miles (12,000 km) or
sooner if irregular wear develops.
During rotation, check the tires for
correct balance.
When rotating tires, check for uneven
wear and damage. Abnormal wear is
usually caused by incorrect tire pres-
sure, improper wheel alignment, out-
of-balance wheels, severe braking or
severe cornering. Look for bumps or
bulges in the tread or side of tire.
Replace the tire if you find either of
these conditions. Replace the tire if
fabric or cord is visible. After rotation,
be sure to bring the front and rear tire
pressures to specification and check
lug nut tightness (proper torque is
65-79 lb.ft [9-11 kg.m]).Disc brake pads should be inspected
for wear whenever tires are rotated.
Information
Tires that are asymmetrical or direc-
tional can only be installed on the
wheel in one direction. The outside
and inside of an asymmetrical tire is
not easily distinguishable. Pay careful
attention to the markings on the side-
walls of the tires, noting the "outside"
marking and also the rotating direc-
tion before installing them on the
vehicle.
i
Do not use the compact spare
tire for tire rotation.
Do not mix bias ply and radial
ply tires under any circum-
stances. This may cause
unusual handling characteris-
tics that may cause loss of
vehicle control resulting in anaccident.
WARNING
ODH073802
■
Without a spare tire
7-52
Maintenance
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance
The wheels on your vehicle were aligned and balanced carefully at the
factory to give you the longest tire life
and best overall performance.
In most cases, you will not need to
have your wheels aligned again.
However, if you notice unusual tire
wear or your vehicle pulling one way
or the other, the alignment may needto be reset.
If you notice your vehicle vibrating
when driving on a smooth road, your
wheels may need to be rebalanced.
Improper wheel weights can dam-
age your vehicle’s aluminum
wheels. Use only approved wheelweights.
Tire Replacement
If the tire is worn evenly, a tread wear indicator will appear as a solid band
across the tread. This shows there isless than 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) of tread
left on the tire. Replace the tire when
this happens.
Do not wait for the band to appear
across the entire tread before replac-
ing the tire.
NOTICE
OLMB073027
Tread wear indicatorTo reduce the risk of DEATH or
SERIOUS INJURY:
Replace tires that are worn,
show uneven wear, or are
damaged. Worn tires can
cause loss of braking effec-
tiveness, steering control, andtraction.
Always replace tires with the
same size as each tire that
was originally supplied with
this vehicle. Using tires andwheels other than the recom-
mended sizes could cause
unusual handling characteris-
tics, poor vehicle control, or
negatively affect your vehi-
cle’s Anti-Lock Brake System(ABS) resulting in a seriousaccident.(Continued)
WARNING
7-53
7
Maintenance
Compact spare tire replacement
A compact spare tire has a shorter
tread life than a regular size tire.
Replace it when you can see the
tread wear indicator bars on the tire.The replacement compact spare tire
should be the same size and design
tire as the one provided with your
new vehicle and should be mountedon the same compact spare tire
wheel. The compact spare tire is notdesigned to be mounted on a regular
size wheel, and the compact spare
tire wheel is not designed for mount-
ing a regular size tire.
Wheel Replacement
When replacing the metal wheels for
any reason, make sure the new
wheels are equivalent to the original
factory units in diameter, rim widthand offset.
Tire Traction
Tire traction can be reduced if you
drive on worn tires, tires that are
improperly inflated or on slippery
road surfaces. Tires should be
replaced when tread wear indicators
appear. To reduce the possibility of
losing control, slow down whenever
there is rain, snow or ice on the road.
(Continued)
Tires degrade over time, even
when they are not being used.
Regardless of the remaining
tread, HYUNDAI recommendsthat tires be replaced after six
(6) years of normal service.
Heat caused by hot climates or frequent high loading condi-
tions can accelerate the aging
process. Failure to follow this
warning may cause sudden
tire failure, which could lead to
a loss of vehicle control result-ing in an accident.
The original tire should be repaired or replaced as soon as
possible to avoid failure of the
spare and loss of vehicle con-
trol resulting in an accident. The
compact spare tire is for emer-
gency use only. Do not operate
your vehicle over 50 mph (80km/h) when using the compact
spare tire.
WARNING
7-57
7
Maintenance
Traction - AA, A, B & C
The traction grades, from highest to
lowest, are AA, A, B and C. Those
grades represent the tire’s ability to
stop on wet pavement as measuredunder controlled conditions on spec-
ified government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire marked
C may have poor traction perform-
ance.
Temperature - A, B & C
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B and C representing the
tire’s resistance to the generation ofheat and its ability to dissipate heatwhen tested under controlled condi-
tions on a specified indoor laboratorytest wheel.
Sustained high temperature can
cause the material of the tire to
degenerate and reduce tire life, and
excessive temperature can lead to
sudden tire failure. Grade C
responds to a level of performance
which all passenger car tires must
meet under the Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard No. 109.
Grades B and A represent higher
levels of performance on the labora-
tory test wheel than the minimum
required by law.
The traction grade assigned tothis tire is based on straight-ahead braking traction tests,
and does not include accelera-
tion, cornering, hydroplaning,
or peak traction characteristics.
WARNING
The temperature grade for this
tire is established for a tire that
is properly inflated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed,
under-inflation, over-inflation,
or excessive loading, either
separately or in combination,
can cause heat build-up and
possible sudden tire failure.
This may cause loss of vehicle
control resulting in an accident.
WARNING
7-62
Maintenance
Radial-Ply Tires
Radial-ply tires provide improved
tread life, road hazard resistance and
smoother high speed ride. The radi-
al-ply tires used on this vehicle are of
belted construction, and are selected
to complement the ride and handling
characteristics of your vehicle.
Radial-ply tires have the same load
carrying capacity, as bias-ply or bias
belted tires of the same size, and usethe same recommended inflation
pressure. Mixing of radial-ply tireswith bias-ply or bias belted tires is
not recommended. Any combina-
tions of radial-ply and bias-ply or biasbelted tires when used on the same
vehicle will seriously deteriorate
vehicle handling. The best rule to fol-
low is: Identical pairs of radial-ply
tires should always be used as a set
for the front tires and a set for the
rear tires.Longer wearing tires can be more
susceptible to irregular tread wear. It
is very important to follow the tire
rotation interval in this chapter to
achieve the tread life potential of
these tires. Cuts and punctures in
radial-ply tires are repairable only in
the tread area, because of sidewall
flexing. Consult your tire dealer for
radial-ply tire repairs.
Low Aspect Ratio Tires
Low aspect ratio tires, the aspect
ratio is lower than 50, are provided
for sporty looks.
Because low aspect ratio tires are
optimized for handling and braking,
their sidewall is a little stiffer than a
standard tire. Also low aspect ratiotires tend to be wider and conse-
quently have a greater contact patch
with the road surface. In some
instances they may generate moreroad noise compared with standard
tires.
Do not mix bias ply and radial
ply tires under any circum-
stances. This may cause unusu-
al handling characteristics that
may cause loss of vehicle con-
trol resulting in an accident.
WARNING