2017 KIA SOUL ground clearance

Introduction
61
As with other vehicles of this type,
failure to operate this vehicle cor-
rectly may result in loss of control,
an accident or vehicle rollover.
Specific design characteristics (high-
er ground clearance, track, etc.) give
this vehicle a higher center of gravity
than other types of vehicles. It is not
designed for cornering at the same
speeds as a conventional 2-wheel
drive sedans or sports coupe. Avoid
sharp turns or abrupt maneuvers.
Failure to operate this vehicle cor-
rectly may result in loss of control, an
accident or vehicle rollover.Be sure
to read the “Reducing the risk of a
rollover” driving guidelines, in
chapter 6 of this manual. No special break-in period is need-
ed. By following a few simple precau-
tions for the first 600 miles (1,000
km) you may add to the perform-
ance, economy and life of your vehi-
cle.
Do not race the engine.
While driving, keep your engine
speed (rpm, or revolutions per
minute) between 2,000 rpm and
4,000 rpm.
Do not maintain a single speed for long periods of time, either fast or
slow. Varying engine speed is need-
ed to properly break-in the engine.
Avoid hard stops, except in emer- gencies, to allow the brakes to seat
properly.
Don't tow a trailer during the first 1,200 miles (2,000 km) of operation.
VEHICLE BREAK-IN
PROCESS
VEHICLE HANDLING
INSTRUCTIONS

Safety features of your vehicle
66
3
In an angled collision, the force of
impact may direct the occupants in
a direction where the air bags
would not be able to provide any
additional benefit, and thus the
sensors may not deploy any air
bags. Just before impact, drivers often
brake heavily. Such heavy braking
lowers the front portion of the vehi-
cle causing it to “ride” under a vehi-
cle with a higher ground clearance.
Air bags may not inflate in this
"under-ride" situation because
deceleration forces that are detect-
ed by sensors may be significantly
reduced by such “under-ride” colli-
sions. Front air bags may not inflate in all
rollover accidents where the
SRSCM indicates that the front air
bag deployment would not provide
additional occupant protection.
1VQA20901VQA20911VQA2089

671
Driving your vehicle
Hazardous driving conditions
When hazardous driving conditions
are encountered such as water,
snow, ice, mud, sand, or similar haz-
ards, follow these suggestions:
Drive cautiously and allow extradistance for braking.
Avoid sudden braking or steering.
When braking with non-ABS brakes pump the brake pedal with
a light up-and-down motion until
the vehicle is stopped.
Do not pump the brake pedal on a
vehicle equipped with ABS. If stalled in snow, mud, or sand,
use second gear. Accelerate slow-
ly to avoid spinning the drive
wheels.
Use sand, rock salt, or other non- slip material under the drive
wheels to provide traction when
stalled in ice, snow, or mud.
Reducing the risk of a rollover
This multi-purpose passenger vehi-
cle is defined as a Crossover Utility
Vehicle (CUV). CUV’s have higher
ground clearance and a narrower
track to make them capable of per-
forming in a wide variety of off-road
applications. Specific design charac-
teristics give them a higher center of
gravity than ordinary vehicles. An
advantage of the higher ground
clearance is a better view of the
road, which allows you to anticipate
problems. They are not designed for
cornering at the same speeds as
conventional passenger vehicles,
any more than low-slung sports vehi-
cles are designed to perform satis-
factorily in off-road conditions. Due to
this risk, driver and passengers are
strongly recommended to buckle
their seat belts. In a rollover crash,
an unbelted person is more likely to
die than a person wearing a seat
belt. There are steps that a driver can
make to reduce the risk of a rollover.
SPECIAL DRIVING CONDITIONS
WARNING- Downshifting
Do not downshift with an auto-
matic transaxle while driving on
slippery surfaces. The sudden
change in tire speed could
cause the tires to skid and
result in an accident.

What to do in an emergency
22
7
Avoid driving over obstacles. The
compact spare tire diameter is
smaller than the diameter of a con-
ventional tire and reduces the
ground clearance approximately 1
inch (25 mm), which could result in
damage to the vehicle.
Do not take this vehicle through an automatic vehicle wash while the
compact spare tire is installed.
Do not use tire chains on the com- pact spare tire. Because of the
smaller size, a tire chain will not fit
properly. This could damage the
vehicle and result in loss of the
chain.
Do not use the compact spare tire on any other vehicle because this
tire has been designed especially
for your vehicle.
The compact spare tire’s tread life is shorter than a regular tire.
Inspect your compact spare tire
regularly and replace worn com-
pact spare tires with the same size
and design, mounted on the same
wheel. The compact spare tire should not
be used on any other wheels, nor
should standard tires, snow tires,
wheel covers or trim rings be used
with the compact spare wheel. If
such use is attempted, damage to
these items or other vehicle com-
ponents may occur.
Do not use more than one compact spare tire at a time.
Do not tow a trailer while the com- pact spare tire is installed.

Maintenance
64
8
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 width
and offset.
A wheel that is not the correct size
may adversely affect wheel and
bearing life, braking and stopping
abilities, handling characteristics,
ground clearance, body-to-tire clear-
ance, snow chain clearance,
speedometer and odometer calibra-
tion, headlight aim and bumper
height.
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. Slow down whenever there
is rain, snow or ice on the road to
reduce the possibility of losing con-
trol of the vehicle.
Tire maintenance
In addition to proper inflation, correct
wheel alignment helps to decrease
tire wear. If you find a tire is worn
unevenly, have your dealer check the
wheel alignment.
When you have new tires installed,
make sure they are balanced. This
will increase vehicle ride comfort and
tire life. Additionally, a tire should
always be rebalanced if it is removed
from the wheel.
Tire sidewall labeling
This information identifies and
describes the fundamental charac-
teristics of the tire and also provides
the tire identification number (TIN)
for safety standard certification. The
TIN can be used to identify the tire in
case of a recall.
1. Manufacturer or brand name
Manufacturer or Brand name is
shown.
CAUTION- Wheels
Wheels that do not meet Kia
specifications may fit poorlyand result in damage to thevehicle or unusual handling andpoor vehicle control.
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