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Maintenance
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7
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 measured
under controlled conditions on spec-
ified government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire marked
C may have poor traction perform-
ance.
The traction grade assigned to this
tire is based on straight-ahead brak-
ing traction tests, and does not
include acceleration, cornering,
hydroplaning, or peak traction char-
acteristics. Temperature -A, B & C
The temperature grades are A (the
highest), B and C representing the
tire’s resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled condi-
tions on a specified indoor laboratory
test 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. Grades B and A
represent higher levels of perform-
ance on the laboratory test wheel
than the minimum required by law.
Tire terminology and definitions
Air Pressure:
The amount of air
inside the tire pressing outward on
the tire. Air pressure is expressed in
pounds per square inch (psi) or kilo-
pascal (kPa).
Accessory Weight: This means the
combined weight of optional acces-
sories. Some examples of optional
accessories are, automatic transmis-
sion, power seats, and air condition-
ing.
Aspect Ratio: The relationship of a
tire's height to its width.
Belt: A rubber coated layer of cords
that is located between the plies and
the tread. Cords may be made from
steel or other reinforcing materials.
Bead: The tire bead contains steel
wires wrapped by steel cords that
hold the tire onto the rim.
Bias Ply Tire: A pneumatic tire in
which the plies are laid at alternate
angles less than 90 degrees to the
centerline of the tread.
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747
Maintenance
Cold Tire Pressure:The amount of
air pressure in a tire, measured in
pounds per square inch (psi) or kilo-
pascals (kPa) before a tire has built
up heat from driving.
Curb Weight: This means the weight
of a motor vehicle with standard and
optional equipment including the
maximum capacity of fuel, oil and
coolant, but without passengers and
cargo.
DOT Markings: The DOT code
includes the Tire Identification
Number (TIN), an alphanumeric des-
ignator which can also identify the
tire manufacturer, production plant,
brand and date of production.
GVWR: Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
GAWR FRT: Gross Axle Weight
Rating for the Front Axle.
GAWR RR: Gross Axle Weight
Rating for the Rear axle. Intended Outboard Sidewall:
The
side of an asymmetrical tire, that
must always face outward when
mounted on a vehicle.
Kilopascal (kPa): The metric unit for
air pressure.
Light truck(LT) tire: A tire designat-
ed by its manufacturer as primarily
intended for use on lightweight trucks
or multipurpose passenger vehicles.
Load ratings: The maximum load
that a tire is rated to carry for a given
inflation pressure
Load Index: An assigned number
ranging from 1 to 279 that corre-
sponds to the load carrying capacity
of a tire.
Maximum Inflation Pressure: The
maximum air pressure to which a
cold tire may be inflated. The maxi-
mum air pressure is molded onto the
sidewall.
Maximum Load Rating: The load
rating for a tire at the maximum per-
missible inflation pressure for that tire. Maximum Loaded Vehicle Weight:
The sum of curb weight; accessory
weight; vehicle capacity weight; and
production options weight.
Normal Occupant Weight:
The
number of occupants a vehicle is
designed to seat multiplied by 150
pounds (68 kg).
Occupant Distribution: Designated
seating positions.
Outward Facing Sidewall: The side
of a asymmetrical tire that has a par-
ticular side that faces outward when
mounted on a vehicle. The outward
facing sidewall bears white lettering
or bears manufacturer, brand, and/or
model name molding that is higher or
deeper than the same moldings on
the inner facing sidewall.
Passenger (P-Metric) Tire: A tire
used on passenger cars and some
light duty trucks and multipurpose
vehicles.
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Maintenance
48
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Ply: A layer of rubber-coated parallel
cords
Pneumatic tire: A mechanical
device made of rubber, chemicals,
fabric and steel or other materials,
that, when mounted on an automo-
tive wheel, provides the traction and
contains the gas or fluid that sustains
the load.
Production options weight: The
combined weight of installed regular
production options weighing over 5
lb.(2.3 kg) in excess of the standard
items which they replace, not previ-
ously considered in curb weight or
accessory weight, including heavy
duty brakes, ride levelers, roof rack,
heavy duty battery, and special trim.
Recommended Inflation Pressure:
Vehicle manufacturer's recommend-
ed tire inflation pressure and shown
on the tire placard. Radial Ply Tire:
A pneumatic tire in
which the ply cords that extend to the
beads are laid at 90 degrees to the
centerline of the tread.
Rim: A metal support for a tire and
upon which the tire beads are seat-
ed.
Sidewall: The portion of a tire
between the tread and the bead.
Speed Rating: An alphanumeric
code assigned to a tire indicating the
maximum speed at which a tire can
operate.
Traction: The friction between the
tire and the road surface. The
amount of grip provided.
Tread: The portion of a tire that
comes into contact with the road.
Treadwear Indicators: Narrow
bands, sometimes called "wear
bars," that show across the tread of a
tire when only 1/16 inch of tread
remains. UTQGS:
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading Standards, a tire information
system that provides consumers with
ratings for a tire's traction, tempera-
ture and treadwear. Ratings are
determined by tire manufacturers
using government testing proce-
dures. The ratings are molded into
the sidewall of the tire.
Vehicle Capacity Weight: The num-
ber of designated seating positions
multiplied by 68 kg (150 lbs.) plus the
rated cargo and luggage load.
Vehicle Maximum Load on the
Tire: Load on an individual tire due
to curb and accessory weight plus
maximum occupant and cargo
weight.
Vehicle Normal Load on the Tire:
Load on an individual tire that is
determined by distributing to each
axle its share of the curb weight,
accessory weight, and normal occu-
pant weight and driving by 2.
Vehicle Placard: A label permanent-
ly attached to a vehicle showing the
original equipment tire size and rec-
ommended inflation pressure.
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749
Maintenance
All season tires
Kia specifies all season tires on
some models to provide good per-
formance for use all year round,
including snowy and icy road condi-
tions. All season tires are identified
by ALL SEASON and/or M+S (Mud
and Snow) on the tire sidewall. Snow
tires have better snow traction than
all season tires and may be more
appropriate in some areas.
Summer tires
Kia specifies summer tires on some
models to provide superior perform-
ance on dry roads. Summer tire per-
formance is substantially reduced in
snow and ice. Summer tires do not
have the tire traction rating M+S
(Mud and Snow) on the tire side wall.
if you plan to operate your vehicle in
snowy or icy conditions, Kia recom-
mends the use of snow tires or all
season tires on all four wheels.
Snow tires
If you equip your vehicle with snow
tires, they should be the same size
and have the same load capacity as
the original tires. Snow tires should
be installed on all four wheels; other-
wise, poor handling may result.
Snow tires should carry 28 kPa (4 psi)
more air pressure than the pressure
recommended for the standard tires
on the tire label on the driver's side of
the center pillar, or up to the maxi-
mum pressure shown on the tire
sidewall, whichever is less.
Do not drive faster than 120 km/h (75
mph) when your vehicle is equipped
with snow tires.
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 use
the same recommended inflation
pressure. Mixing of radial-ply tires
with bias-ply or bias belted tires is
not recommended. Any combina-
tions of radial-ply and bias-ply or bias
belted tires when used on the same
vehicle will seriously deteriorate
vehicle handling. The best rule to fol-
low is: Identical radial-ply tires should
always be used as a set of four.
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Maintenance
50
7
Longer wearing tires can be more
susceptible to irregular tread wear. It
is very important to follow the tire
rotation interval shown in this chap-
ter 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.CAUTION
It is not easy to recognize tire
damage with your own eyes.But if there is the slightesthint of tire damage, eventhough you cannot see the tiredamage with your own eyes,have the tire checked orreplaced because the tiredamage may cause air leak-age from the tire.
If the tire is damaged by driv- ing on a rough road, off road,pothole, manhole, or curbstone, it will not be covered bythe warranty.
You can find out the tire infor- mation on the tire sidewall.
Page 494 of 573

751
Maintenance
FUSES
A vehicle’s electrical system is pro-
tected from electrical overload dam-
age by fuses.
This vehicle has 2 fuse panels, one
located in the driver’s side panel bol-
ster, the other in the engine compart-
ment near the battery.
If any of your vehicle’s lights, acces-
sories, or controls do not work, check
the appropriate circuit fuse. If a fuse
has blown, the element inside the
fuse will melt.
If the electrical system does not
work, first check the driver’s side
fuse panel.
Always replace a blown fuse with
one of the same rating.
If the replacement fuse blows, this
indicates an electrical problem. Avoid
using the system involved and imme-
diately consult an authorized Kia
dealer.
Three kinds of fuses are used: bladetype for lower amperage rating, car-tridge type, and multi fuse for higheramperage ratings.
OUM074043L
Normal
■
Blade type
■ Cartridge type
■ Multi fuse Blown
N N
N N
o o
o o
r r
r r
m m
m m
a a
a a
l l
l l B B
B B
l l
l l
o o
o o
w w
w w
n n
n n
Normal Blo
wn
■
BFT N N
N N
o o
o o
r r
r r
m m
m m
a a
a a
l l
l l B B
B B
l l
l l
o o
o o
w w
w w
n n
n n
WARNING- Fuse replace-
ment
Never replace a fuse with any- thing but another fuse of the
same rating.
A higher capacity fuse could cause damage and possibly a
fire.
Never install a wire or alu- minum foil instead of the
proper fuse - even as a tempo-
rary repair. It may cause
extensive wiring damage and
a possible fire.
Do not arbitrarily modify or add-on electric wiring to the
vehicle.
CAUTION
Do not use a screwdriver or anyother metal object to removefuses because it may cause ashort circuit and damage thesystem.
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Maintenance
52
7
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• When replacing fuse, a turn the
ignition “OFF” and turn off
switches of all electrical devices
then remove battery (-) terminal.
• The actual fuse/relay panel label may differ from equipped items.
WARNING- Electrical Fire
Always ensure replacements
fuses and relays are securely
fastened when installed. Failure
to do so can result in a vehicle
fire.
CAUTION
When replacing a blown fuse or relay, make sure the newfuse or relay fits tightly intothe clips. Failure to tightlyinstall the fuse or relay maycause damage to the wiringand electric systems.
Do not remove fuses, relays and terminals fastened withbolts or nuts. The fuses, relaysand terminals may not be fas-tened correctly which maycause vehicle damage.
CAUTION
Do not input any other objects except fuses or relays intofuse/relay terminals such as ascrewdriver or wiring. It maycause contact failure and sys-tem malfunction.
Do not plug in screwdrivers or aftermarket wiring into the ter-minal originally designed forfuse and relays only. The elec-trical system and wiring of thevehicle interior may be dam-aged or burned due to contactfailure.
If you directly connect the wire on the taillight or replacethe bulb which is over the reg-ulated capacity to install trail-ers etc., the inner junctionblock can get burned.
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753
Maintenance
✽ ✽NOTICE- Remodeling
Prohibited
Do not rewire your vehicle in any
way as doing so may affect the per-
formance of several safety features
in your vehicle. Rewiring your vehi-
cle may also void your warranty and
cause you to be responsible for any
subsequent vehicle damage which
may result.
✽ ✽ NOTICE- Window tinting pre-
caution
Window tint (especially metallic
film) might cause communication
errors or poor radio reception, and
malfunctioning automatic lighting
system due to reflections from the
mirror tint inside the vehicle. The
solution used might also leak into
the electronic components, causing
malfunctions or damage.
Inner panel fuse replacement
1. Turn the ignition switch and all other switches off.
2. Open the fuse panel cover.
If the switch is located in the “OFF”
position, a caution indicator will be
displayed in the cluster.
CAUTION
Visually inspect the battery cap to ensure it is securely closed.If the battery cap is not securelyclosed, moisture may enter thesystem and damage the electri-cal components.
WARNING
- Electrical wiring repairs
All electrical repairs should be
performed by authorized Kia
dealerships using approved Kia
parts. Using other wiring com-
ponents, especially when retro-
fitting AVN or theft alarm sys-
tem, remote engine control, car
phone or radio may cause vehi-
cle damage and increase the
risk of a vehicle fire.
OUMA074015