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5-80
Driving your vehicle
• 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 increas-
es 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.
Highway driving
Tires
Adjust the tire inflation, as specified.
Under-inflation may overheat or
damage the tires.
Do not install worn-out or damaged
tires, which may reduce traction or
fail the braking operation.
Information
Never over-inflate your tires above the
maximum inflation pressure, as speci-
fied on your tires.
Fuel, engine coolant and engine
oil
Driving at higher speeds on the high-
way consumes more fuel and is less
efficient than driving at a slower,
more moderate speed. Maintain a
moderate speed in order to conserve
fuel when driving on the highway.
Be sure to check both the engine
coolant level and the engine oil
before driving.
Drive belt
A loose or damaged drive belt may
overheat the engine.
i
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5-81
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:
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 the vehicle to skid.
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 tiresIf 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.
i
WINTER DRIVING
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.
WARNING
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5-83
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,
retighten 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 15 mm
(0.59 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
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5-85
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 happen
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 parking
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.
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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
vehicle 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.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
Page 475 of 637
5-89
Driving your vehicle
5
M/T : Manual transmission
A/T : Automatic transmission
DCT : Dual clutch transmission
ItemGasoline Engine
Diesel Engine
1.6 MPI
2.0 MPI1.6 VGT
M/T
A/TM/TA/TM/TDCT
Maximum trailer weight
kg (Ibs.)
Without brake
System610
(1344)610
(1344)610
(1344)610
(1344)300
(661)300
(661)
With brake
System1200
(2645)
1100
(2425)1200
(2645)1100
(2425)300
(661)300
(661)
Maximum permissible static vertical load
on the coupling device
kg (Ibs.) 1115 (2458)
Recommended distance from rear wheel
center to coupling point
mm (inch) 1090 (43)
Reference weight and distance when towing a trailer
■Except Western Europe
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5-90
Driving your vehicle
ItemGasoline Engine
1.6 MPI2.0 MPI
M/T
A/TM/TA/T
Maximum trailer weight
kg (Ibs.)
Without brake
System300
(661)300
(661)300
(661)300
(661)
With brake System300
(661)
300
(661)300
(661)300
(661)
Maximum permissible static vertical load on the
coupling device
kg (Ibs.) 1115 (2458)
Recommended distance from rear wheel center to
coupling point
mm (inch) 1090 (43)
■For Western Europe
M/T : Manual transmission
A/T : Automatic transmission
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Driving your vehicle
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. Do not tap
into your vehicle's brake system.
Trailer brakes must be applied sepa-
rately from 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.
Backing up
Hold the bottom of the steering
wheel with one hand. Then, to move
the trailer to the left, move your hand
to the left. To move the trailer to the
right, move your hand to the right.
Always back up slowly and, if possi-
ble, have someone guide you. 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