GAUGES
Oil temperature gauge.A
Turbocharger boost gauge.B
Oil pressure gauge.C
Oil Temperature Gauge
If the needle enters the red section, theengine is overheating. Reduce enginespeed as soon as safely possible to allowthe engine to cool. If you continue tooperate the engine at high engine speedswith the needle in the red section, theengine speed reduces automatically toprevent engine damage.
Turbocharger Boost Gauge
Indicates the added intake pressureprovided by the turbocharger.
Oil Pressure Gauge
Oil pressure varies with engine speed. Thepressure rises as engine speed rises anddrops as engine speed drops.
If the needle enters the red section awarning lamp illuminates and a messageappears in the information display. Stopyour vehicle as soon as it is safe to do soand switch the engine off. Check theengine oil level.
WARNING LAMPS AND
INDICATORS
Performance Shift Indicator
It illuminates when thepowertrain reaches the optimumupshift point. It flashes when theengine is close to hitting the engine speedlimiter.
72018 Focus RS (CEW) RS, Canada/United States of America, JM5J 19A285 LAA enUSA, Edition date: 201706, First PrintingInstrument ClusterE215771 E218767
Major mismatched tire or wheel sizesbetween the front and rear axles, forexample 18 inch low profile tires on thefront axle and 20 inch high profile tires onthe rear axle could cause the system todefault to front-wheel drive only mode.Damage to the system can occur that maynot covered by the vehicle Warranty.
The system can tolerate any combinationof new and worn tires of the same originaltire size. For example, using three worntires and one new tire.
Driving in Special Conditions
Your vehicle is capable of being driven onsand, snow, mud or a loose surface.However the operating characteristics aredifferent from conventional off-roadvehicles.
Note:Under severe operating conditions,the air conditioning may turn on and off toprotect the engine from overheating.
Basic Operating Principles
WARNING
Be extremely careful when driving onroad surfaces that are made slipperyby loose sand, water, gravel, snow orice. Failure to adhere to this warning couldresult in the loss of vehicle control, seriouspersonal injury or death.
Emergency Maneuvers
If your vehicle goes off the edge of theroad, slow down but avoid severe brakeapplication, only ease the vehicle backonto the road after reducing your speed.Do not turn the steering wheel too sharplywhile returning to the road surface. It maybe safer to stay on the apron or shoulderof the road and slow down graduallybefore returning to the road surface. Youmay lose control if you do not slow downor if you turn the steering wheel too
sharply. It may be better to strike smallobjects, for example highway reflectors,with minor damage to your vehicle ratherthan attempt a sudden return to the roadsurface, which could cause your vehicle toslide sideways out of control or rollover.Remember, your safety and the safety ofothers should be your primary concern.
In an unavoidable emergency situationwhere a sudden sharp turn must be made,remember to avoid over-driving yourvehicle. Only turn the steering wheel asrapidly and as far as required. Excessivesteering results in less vehicle control, notmore. Additionally, smooth variations ofthe accelerator or brake pedal pressureshould be utilized if changes in vehiclespeed are required. Avoid abrupt steering,acceleration or braking which could resultin an increased risk of loss of vehiclecontrol, rollover and personal injury. Useall available road surface to return thevehicle to a safe direction of travel.
If your vehicle goes from one surface typeto another, for example from concrete togravel, there will be a change in the wayyour vehicle responds to steering,acceleration or braking.
If Your Vehicle Gets Stuck
WARNING
Do not spin the wheels at over35 mph (56 km/h). The tires may failand injure a passenger or bystander.
If your vehicle gets stuck in mud or snow itmay be rocked out by shifting betweenforward and reverse gears, stoppingbetween shifts, in a steady pattern. Presslightly on the accelerator in each gear.
If your vehicle is stuck in mud or snow,switching traction control off may bebeneficial while attempting to rock yourvehicle.
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Note:Do not rock the vehicle if the engineis not at normal operating temperature ordamage to the transmission may occur.
Note:Do not rock the vehicle for more thana few minutes or damage to thetransmission and tires may occur or theengine may overheat.
Sand
Most of the time traction control improvestire traction by managing wheel slipthrough brake, engine, and all-wheel drivecalibrations. However, during low speeddriving, disabling traction control in deepsand can help keep the wheels moving tomaintain vehicle momentum.
When driving over sand, try to keep all fourwheels on the most solid area of the trail.Do not reduce tire pressures, shift to alower gear and drive steadily through theterrain. Apply the accelerator slowly andavoid spinning the wheels.
When driving at slow speeds in sand underhigh outside temperatures, use a low gearwhen possible. Using a low gear maximizesengine and transmission cooling capability.
Avoid excessive speed because vehiclemomentum can work against you andcause the vehicle to become stuck to thepoint that assistance may be required fromanother vehicle. Remember, you may beable to back out the way you came if youproceed with caution.
Note:You may be able to reverse out theway you came if you proceed with caution.
Do not drive your vehicle in deep sand foran extended period of time. This couldcause the system to overheat and defaultto front-wheel drive only mode. If thisoccurs a message appears in theinformation display. To resume normalall-wheel drive function as soon aspossible, stop the vehicle in a safe locationand switch the engine off for at least 10minutes. After the all-wheel drive system
has adequately cooled and the engine hasbeen restarted, the message turns off andnormal all-wheel drive function returns. Ifyou do not switch the engine off, themessage only turns off, when the systemadequately cools and the normal all-wheeldrive function returns.
Note:Under severe operating conditions,the air conditioning may turn on and off toprotect the engine from overheating.
Mud and Water
If you must drive through water, driveslowly. Traction or brake capability maybe limited. See Driving Through Water(page 23).
Once through water, always try the brakes.Wet brakes do not stop the vehicle aseffectively as dry brakes. Drying can beimproved by moving your vehicle slowlywhile applying light pressure on the brakepedal.
Be cautious of sudden changes in vehiclespeed or direction when you are driving inmud. Even all-wheel drive vehicles can losetraction in slick mud. Apply the acceleratorslowly and avoid spinning the wheels.
After driving through mud, clean offexcessive mud that has become stuck torotating drive shafts, wheels and tires.Excessive mud stuck on these componentsmay result in an imbalance that couldcause damage not covered by the vehicleWarranty.
If the transmission, power transfer unit orrear drive unit is submerged in water haveyour vehicle checked as soon as possible.
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Hilly or Sloping Terrain
WARNING
Avoid driving across or turning onsteep hilly or sloping terrain. Yourvehicle may lose traction and slipsideways increasing the risk of rolling over.When driving on steep hilly or slopingterrain, determine your route beforehand.Do not drive over the crest of a hill withoutassessing what conditions are on the otherside. Do not reverse over a hill without theaid of an observer.
Although natural obstacles may make itnecessary to travel diagonally up or downa hill or steep incline, you should alwaystry to drive straight up or straight down.
Apply just enough power to the wheels toclimb the hill. Too much power will causethe tires to slip, spin or lose traction,resulting in loss of vehicle control.
When climbing a steep hill or slope, startin a lower gear rather than downshifting toa lower gear from a higher gear once theascent has started. This reduces strain onthe engine and the possibility of stalling.
Note:If your vehicle stalls, do not try to turnaround as your vehicle may lose tractionand slip sideways increasing the risk ofrolling over. It is better to reverse down to asafe location.
When descending a steep hill or slope,start in a lower gear rather thandownshifting to a lower gear from a highergear once the descent has started. Do notdescend a steep hill or slope in neutral.Avoid excessive brake application as thiscauses the brakes to overheat. Whendescending a steep hill or slope, avoidsudden hard braking as you could losecontrol. The front wheels must rotate inorder to steer your vehicle. Your vehicle hasanti-lock brakes, therefore apply thebrakes steadily. Do not pump the brakepedal.
Snow and Ice
WARNING
If you are driving in slipperyconditions that require tire chains orcables, then it is critical that you drivecautiously. Keep speeds down, allow forlonger stopping distances and avoidaggressive steering to reduce the chancesof a loss of vehicle control, personal injuryor death.
Note:The original equipment tires on yourvehicle are designed to optimize theperformance of your vehicle in dry or wetsummer road conditions. We recommendusing a dedicated set of winter tires in snowand ice conditions. Do not mix summerperformance tires with winter tires on yourvehicle. See Using Winter Tires (page 34).
All-wheel drive vehicles have advantagesover two-wheel drive vehicles in snow andice but can skid like any other vehicle.
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We recommend that you only operate yourvehicle at high speeds at locationsdesigned to do so safely. Your vehicle haselectronic controls that may reduce poweror limit engine speed to help reducepowertrain temperatures if required.
Note:When using your vehicle on a track,have the vehicle serviced more frequently.This recommendation may not necessarilyprotect your vehicle or engine from damagein competition conditions. Increased wearand noise to certain parts of your vehiclemay also occur, for example brakes andtires. The vehicle Warranty may not covermechanical failure or damage caused toyour vehicle as a result of track use.
Steering Assistance
Steering assistance reduces andrequires more steering effortwhen you select sport or trackfrom the drive modes menu. See DriveControl (page 20).
Prolonged track driving can result in highsteering gear temperatures. If the steeringgear overheats, you will notice a furtherincrease in steering effort being required.
High steering gear temperatures can bereduced by doing any of the following:
•Reducing vehicle speed.
•Reducing steering input.
Normal track mode steering assistancereturns when the system cools down.
Note:Steering gear cooling time can bereduced if you leave the ignition switchedon while taking a pit stop.
Before Track Use
Before operating your vehicle on a track,check the following:
•Tire pressures. See Tire Pressures(page 35). Do not exceed a cold tirepressure of 50 psi (3.4 bar) for trackuse.
•Wheels and tires for wear and damage.
•Engine coolant, engine oil and brakefluid levels.
Do not operate your vehicle on a trackwhile:
•Carrying more than two peopleincluding the driver.
•Carrying cargo in the luggagecompartment.
•Carrying cargo or loose objects insideyour vehicle.
After Track Use
After track use, leave the engine runningfor a short time to allow it to reach thenormal operating temperature. Ifconditions allow, complete a cool downlap prior to taking a pit stop. Failure toallow the engine to sufficiently cool mayresult in a high coolant temperaturewarning message appearing in theinformation display.
You must replace the rear drive unit fluidafter 500 mi (800 km) of track use, or ifthe following message appears in theinformation display, whichever occurs first.
AWD System Oil Change Due
See All-Wheel Drive (page 13).
302018 Focus RS (CEW) RS, Canada/United States of America, JM5J 19A285 LAA enUSA, Edition date: 201706, First PrintingTrack Use