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Driving your vehicle
✽✽NOTICE
The ESC system (if equipped) should be
turned OFF prior to rocking the vehicle.
Smooth cornering
Avoid braking or gear changing in cor-
ners, especially when roads are wet.
Ideally, corners should always be taken
under gentle acceleration. If you follow
these suggestions, tire wear will be held
to a minimum. Driving at night
Because night driving presents more
hazards than driving in the daylight, here
are some important tips to remember:
Slow down and keep more distance
between you and other vehicles, as it
may be more difficult to see at night,
especially in areas where there may
not be any street lights.
WARNING - Spinning tires
Do not spin the wheels, especially at speeds more than 56 km/h (35
mph). Spinning the wheels at high
speeds when the vehicle is station-
ary could cause a tire to overheat
which could result in tire damage
that may injure bystanders.
OMC035004
WARNING
If your vehicle becomes stuck in
snow, mud, sand, etc., then you may
attempt to rock the vehicle free by
moving it forward and backward. Do
not attempt this procedure if people
or objects are anywhere near the
vehicle. During the rocking opera-
tion the vehicle may suddenly move
forward of backward as it becomes
unstuck, causing injury or damage
to nearby people or objects.
OUN056051
Driving your vehicle
56
5
Adjust your mirrors to reduce the glare
from other driver's headlights.
Keep your headlights clean and prop- erly aimed on vehicles not equipped with the automatic headlight aiming
feature. Dirty or improperly aimed
headlights will make it much more diffi-cult to see at night.
Avoid staring directly at the headlights of oncoming vehicles. You could be
temporarily blinded, and it will take
several seconds for your eyes to read-
just to the darkness.
Driving in the rain
Rain and wet roads can make driving
dangerous, especially if you’re not pre-
pared for the slick pavement. Here are a
few things to consider when driving in the
rain:
A heavy rainfall will make it harder tosee and will increase the distance need-
ed to stop your vehicle, so slow down.
Keep your windshield wiping equip- ment in good shape. Replace your
windshield wiper blades when they
show signs of streaking or missingareas on the windshield. If your tires are not in good condition,
making a quick stop on wet pavement
can cause a skid and possibly lead to
an accident. Be sure your tires are in
good shape.
Turn on your headlights to make it eas- ier for others to see you.
Driving too fast through large puddles can affect your brakes. If you must go
through puddles, try to drive through
them slowly.
If you believe you may have gotten your brakes wet, apply them lightly
while driving until normal braking oper-
ation returns.
1VQA3003
557
Driving your vehicle
Driving in flooded areas
Avoid driving through flooded areas
unless you are sure the water is no high-
er than the bottom of the wheel hub.
Drive through any water slowly. Allowadequate stopping distance because
brake performance may be affected.
After driving through water, dry the
brakes by gently applying them several
times while the vehicle is moving slowly.
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 pressures
will result in overheating and possible
failure of the tires.
Avoid using worn or damaged tires which
may result in reduced traction or tire fail-
ure.
✽✽
NOTICE
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 forget to
check both engine coolant and engine oil.
Drive belt
A loose or damaged drive belt may result
in overheating of the engine.
WARNING
Underinflated or overinflated tires can cause poor handling, loss of
vehicle control, and sudden tirefailure leading to accidents,
injuries, and even death. Always
check tires for proper inflation
before driving. For proper tire
pressures, refer to “Tires and
wheels” in section 8.
Driving on tires with no or insuffi- cient tread is dangerous. Worn-out tires can result in loss of vehi-
cle control, collisions, injury, and
even death. Worn-out tires should
be replaced as soon as possible
and should never be used for driv-
ing. Always check the tire tread
before driving your car. For further
information and tread limits, refer
to “Tires and wheels” in section 7.
OSA028008
Driving your vehicle
58
5
More severe weather conditions of winter
result in greater wear and other prob-
lems. To minimize winter driving problem,
you should follow these suggestions: ❈ Snow tires and tire chains for the nation-
al language (Icelandic, Bulgarian) seethe Appendix to chapter 9. Snowy or icy conditions
To drive your vehicle in deep snow, it may
be necessary to use snow tires or to
install tire chains on your tires. If snow
tires are needed, 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 han-
dling of your car. Furthermore, speeding,
rapid acceleration, sudden brake appli-
cations, and sharp turns are potentially
very hazardous practices.
During deceleration, use engine braking
to the fullest extent. Sudden brake appli-
cations on snowy or icy roads may cause
skids to occur. You need to keep suffi-
cient distance between the vehicle in
operation in front and your vehicle. Also,
apply the brake gently. It should be notedthat installing tire chains on the tire will
provide a greater driving force, but will
not prevent side skids.
✽✽
NOTICE
Tire chains are not legal in all countries.
Check the country laws before fitting
tire chains.
Snow tires
If you mount snow tires on your vehicle,
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 provided by snow tires on dry
roads may not be as high as your vehi-
cle's original equipment tires. You should
drive cautiously even when the roads are
clear. Check with the tire dealer for max-
imum speed recommendations.
Do not install studded tires without first checking local, state and municipal regu- lations for possible restrictions againsttheir use.
WINTER DRIVING
WARNING - Snow tire size
Snow tires should be equivalent in
size and type to the vehicle's stan-
dard tires. Otherwise, the safety
and handling of your vehicle may
be adversely affected.
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Driving your vehicle
Tire chains
Since the sidewalls of radial tires are
thinner, they can be damaged by mount-
ing some types of snow chains on them.
Therefore, the use of snow tires is rec-
ommended instead of snow chains. Do
not mount tire chains on vehicles
equipped with aluminum wheels; snow
chains may cause damage to the wheels.
If snow chains must be used, use wire-
type chains with a thickness of less than
12 mm (0.47 in). Damage to your vehicle
caused by improper snow chain use is
not covered by your vehicle manufactur-
ers warranty.
Install tire chains only on the front tires.Chain installation
When installing chains, follow the manu-
facturer's instructions and mount them as
tightly as you can. Drive slowly with
chains installed. If you hear the chains
contacting the body or chassis, stop and
tighten them. If they still make contact,
slow down until it stops. Remove the
chains as soon as you begin driving on
cleared roads.
CAUTION
Make sure the snow chains are
the correct size and type for your
tires. Incorrect snow chains cancause damage to the vehicle bodyand suspension and may not be covered by your vehicle manufac-
turer warranty. Also, the snowchain connecting hooks may bedamaged from contacting vehicle
components causing the snow chains to come loose from thetire. Make sure the snow chainsare SAE class “S” certified.
Always check chain installation for proper mounting after drivingapproximately 0.5 to 1 km (0.3 to0.6 miles) to ensure safe mount-ing. Retighten or remount the
chains if they are loose.
WARNING
- Mounting chains
When mounting snow chains, park
the vehicle on level ground away
from traffic. Turn on the vehicle
Hazard Warning flashers and place
a triangular emergency warning
device behind the vehicle if avail-
able. Always place the vehicle in P
(Park), apply the parking brake and
turn off the engine before installing
snow chains.1JBA4068
69
What to do in an emergency
(Continued)
Be sure to use the correctfront and rear jacking posi-
tions on the vehicle; never
use the bumpers or any other
part of the vehicle for jacking
support.
The vehicle can easily roll off the jack causing serious
injury or death.
Do not get under a vehicle that is supported by a jack.
Do not start or run the engine while the vehicle is on the
jack.
Do not allow anyone to remain in the vehicle while it is on the
jack.
Make sure any children pres- ent are in a secure place away
from the road and from the
vehicle to be raised with the
jack.
IF YOU HAVE A FLAT TIRE
Jack and tools
The jack, jack handle, and wheel lug
nut wrench are stored in the luggage
compartment. Pull up the luggage
box cover to reach this equipment.
(1) Jack
(2) Jack handle
(3) Wheel lug nut wrench
Jacking instructions
The jack is provided for emergency
tire changing only.
To prevent the jack from “rattling”
while the vehicle is in motion, store it
properly.
Follow jacking instructions to reduce
the possibility of personal injury.
WARNING - Changing tires
Never attempt vehicle repairs in the traffic lanes of a public
road or highway.
Always move the vehicle com- pletely off the road and onto
the shoulder before trying to
change a tire. The jack should
be used on level firm ground.
If you cannot find a firm, level
place off the road, call a tow-
ing service company for
assistance.
(Continued)
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What to do in an emergency
10
6
Removing and storing the spare tire
Turn the tire hold-down wing bolt
counterclockwise.
Store the tire in the reverse order of
removal.
To prevent the spare tire and tools
from “rattling” while the vehicle is in
motion, store them properly. Changing tires
1. Park on a level surface and apply
the parking brake firmly.
2. Shift the shift lever into R (Reverse) with manual transaxle or
P (Park) with automatic transaxle.
3. Activate the hazard warning flash- er. 4. Remove the wheel lug nut wrench,
jack, jack handle, and spare tire
from the vehicle.
5. Block both the front and rear of the wheel that is diagonally opposite
the jack position.
OTA0600021VQA4022OSA067007
What to do in an emergency
14
6
If you have a tire gauge, remove the
valve cap and check the air pressure.
If the pressure is lower than recom-
mended, drive slowly to the nearest
service station and inflate to the cor-
rect pressure. If it is too high, adjust it
until it is correct. Always reinstall the
valve cap after checking or adjusting
tire pressure. If the cap is not
replaced, air may leak from the tire. If
you lose a valve cap, buy another and
install it as soon as possible.
After you have changed wheels,
always secure the flat tire in its place
and return the jack and tools to their
proper storage locations. To prevent the jack, jack handle,
wheel lug nut wrench and spare tire
from rattling while the vehicle is in
motion, store them properly.CAUTION
Your vehicle has metric threads
on the wheel studs and nuts.Make certain during wheel removal that the same nuts thatwere removed are reinstalled -or, if replaced, that nuts withmetric threads and the same chamfer configuration are used.Installation of a non-metricthread nut on a metric stud or vice-versa will not secure thewheel to the hub properly andwill damage the stud so that it must be replaced.
Note that most lug nuts do nothave metric threads. Be sure touse extreme care in checkingfor thread style before installing aftermarket lug nuts or wheels.If in doubt, we recommend thatyou consult an authorized Kia dealer.
WARNING - Wheel studs
If the studs are damaged, they
may lose their ability to retain
the wheel. This could lead to theloss of the wheel and a collisionresulting in serious injuries.
WARNING - Inadequate
spare tire pressure
Check the inflation pressures as
soon as possible after installing
the spare tire. Adjust it to the
specified pressure, if necessary.
Refer to “Tires and wheels” sec-tion 8.