2021 HYUNDAI KONA tires

5-40
Driving your vehicle
The All Wheel Drive (AWD) system
delivers engine torque to both the
front and rear wheels for extra trac-
tion. AWD is useful when maximum
traction is required on slippery,
muddy, wet, or snow-covered roads.
Occasional off-road use such as
established unpaved roads and trails
are OK. It is always important that
the driver carefully reduces the
speed to a level that does not exceed
the safe operating speed for those
conditions. Do not drive in water if the level
is higher than the bottom of the
vehicle.
Check your brake condition
once you are out of mud or
water. Depress the brake pedal
several times as you move slow-
ly until you feel normal braking
return.
Shorten your scheduled mainte-
nance interval if you drive in off-
road conditions such as sand,
mud or water (see "Maintenance
Under Severe Usage Conditions"
in chapter 7).
Always wash your vehicle thor-
oughly after off road use, espe-
cially the bottom of the vehicle.
Be sure to equip the vehicle with
four tires of the same size and
type.
Make sure that a full time AWD
vehicle is towed by a flat bed
tow truck.
NOTICE
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To reduce the risk of SERIOUS
INJURY or DEATH:
Do not drive in conditions that
exceed the vehicles intended
design such as challenging
off-road conditions.
Avoid high speeds when cor-
nering or turning.
Do not make quick steering
wheel movements, such as
sharp lane changes or fast,
sharp turns.
The risk of a rollover is great-
ly increased if you lose con-
trol of your vehicle at highway
speeds.
Loss of control often occurs if
two or more wheels drop off
the roadway and the driver
over steers to reenter the
roadway.
In the event your vehicle
leaves the roadway, do not
steer sharply. Instead, slow
down before pulling back into
the travel lanes.
WARNING
OOS057057

5-42
Driving your vehicle
When the AWD LOCK mode is
deactivated, a sensation may be
felt as the driving power is deliv-
ered entirely to the front wheels.
For safe AWD operation
Before driving
Make sure all passengers are
wearing seat belts.
Sit upright and closer to the steer-
ing wheel than usual. Adjust the
steering wheel to a position com-
fortable for you to drive.
Driving on snow-covered or icy
roads
Start off slowly by applying the
accelerator pedal gently.
Use snow tires or tire chains.
Keep sufficient distance between
your vehicle and the vehicle in front
of you.
Apply engine braking during decel-
eration by switching the gear shift
lever to Manual Shift Mode and
manually selecting a lower gear.
Avoid speeding, rapid acceleration,
sudden brake applications, and
sharp turns to prevent skids.
Driving in sand or mud
Maintain slow and constant speed.
Use tire chains driving in mud if
necessary.
Keep sufficient distance between
your vehicle and the vehicle in front
of you.
Reduce vehicle speed and always
check the road condition.
Avoid speeding, rapid acceleration,
sudden brake applications, and
sharp turns to prevent getting
stuck.
NOTICE
When driving on normal roads,
deactivate the AWD LOCK mode
by pushing the AWD LOCK but-
ton (AWD LOCK indicator light
goes off). Driving on normal
roads with the AWD LOCK
mode, especially, when corner-
ing may cause mechanical
noise or vibration. The noise
and vibration will disappear
when the AWD LOCK mode is
deactivated. Prolong driving
with the noise and vibration
may damage some parts of the
power train.
CAUTION
When the vehicle is stuck in
snow, sand or mud, place a non-
slip material under the drive
wheels to provide traction OR
Slowly spin the wheels in for-
ward and reverse directions
which causes a rocking motion
that may free the vehicle.
However, avoid running the
engine continuously at high
rpm, doing so may damage the
AWD system.
CAUTION

5-44
Driving your vehicle
Additional driving conditions
Become familiar with the off-road
conditions before driving.
Always pay attention when driving
off-road and avoid dangerous
areas.
Drive slowly when driving in heavy
wind.
Reduce vehicle speed when cor-
nering. The center of gravity of
AWD vehicles is higher than con-
ventional 2WD vehicles, making
them more likely to roll over when
you rapidly turn corners. Always hold the steering wheel
firmly when you are driving off-
road.
Emergency precautions
Tires
Do not use a tire and wheel package
with a different size and type from
the one originally installed on your
vehicle. It can affect the safety and
performance of your vehicle, which
could lead to steering failure or
rollover causing serious injury.
When replacing the tires, be sure to
equip all four tires with the tire and
wheel of the same size, type, tread,
brand and load-carrying capacity. If
you equip your vehicle with any
tire/wheel combination not recom-
mended by HYUNDAI for off-road
driving, you should not use these
tires for highway driving.
OOS057075L
Do not grab the inside of the
steering wheel when you are
driving off-road. You may hurt
your arm by a sudden steering
maneuver or from steering wheel
rebound due to an impact with
objects on the ground. You could
lose control of the steering wheel
which may lead to serious injury
or death.
WARNING
Never start or run the engine
while a full-time AWD vehicle is
raised on a jack. The vehicle can
slip or roll off of a jack causing
serious injury or death to you or
those nearby.
WARNING

5-114
Driving your vehicle
Information
The Smart Cruise Control system
may not operate temporarily due to:
• Electrical interference
• Modifying the suspension
• Differences of tire abrasion or tire
pressure
• Installing different type of tires
Information
This device complies with Part 15 of
the FCC rules.
Operation is subject to the following
three conditions:
1. This device may not cause harmful
interference, and
2. This device must accept any inter-
ference received, including inter-
ference that may cause undesired
operation.
3. Changes or modifications not
expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could
void the user's authority to operate
the device.
Information
Radio frequency radiation exposure
information:
This equipment complies with FCC
radiation exposure limits set forth for
an uncontrolled environment.
This equipment should be installed
and operated with minimum distance
of 8 in. (20 cm) between the radiator
(antenna) and your body.
This transmitter must not be co-locat-
ed or operating in conjunction with
any other antenna or transmitter.
i
i
iThe smart cruise control sys-
tem is not a substitute for safe
driving practices, but a con-
venience function only. It is
the responsibility of the driver
to always check the speed
and distance to the vehicle
ahead.
The smart cruise control is
supplemental system to
assist you. Do not entirely rely
on the system. Always pay
attention, while driving, for
your safety.
If the vehicle and trailer are
towed, smart cruise control
may not operate correctly,
care must be taken to deal
with unexpected situations.

5-115
Driving your vehicle
5
Hazardous Driving Conditions
When hazardous driving elements
are encountered such as water,
snow, ice, mud and sand, take the
below suggestions:
Drive cautiously and keep a longer
braking distance.
Avoid abrupt braking or steering.
When your vehicle is stuck in snow,
mud, or sand, use second gear.
Accelerate slowly to avoid unnec-
essary wheel spin.
Put sand, rock salt, tire chains or
other non-slip materials under the
wheels to provide additional trac-
tion while the vehicle becomes
stuck in ice, snow, or mud.
Rocking the Vehicle
If it is necessary to rock the vehicle
to free it from snow, sand, or mud,
first turn the steering wheel right and
left to clear the area around your
front wheels. Then, shift back and
forth between R (Reverse) and a for-
ward gear.
Try to avoid spinning the wheels, and
do not race the engine.
To prevent transmission wear, wait
until the wheels stop spinning before
shifting gears. Release the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting, and press
lightly on the accelerator pedal while
the transmission is in gear. Slowly
spinning the wheels in forward and
reverse directions causes a rocking
motion that may free the vehicle.
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Downshifting with an automatic
transmission/dual clutch trans-
mission while driving on slip-
pery surfaces can cause an
accident. The sudden change in
tire speed could cause the tires
to skid. Be careful when down-
shifting on slippery surfaces.
WARNING
If the vehicle is stuck and
excessive wheel spin occurs,
the temperature in the tires can
increase very quickly. If the tires
become damaged, a tire blow
out or tire explosion can occur.
This condition is dangerous -
you and others may be injured.
Do not attempt this procedure if
people or objects are anywhere
near the vehicle.
If you attempt to free the vehicle,
the vehicle can overheat quickly,
possibly causing an engine
compartment fire or other dam-
age. Try to avoid spinning the
wheels as much as possible to
prevent overheating of either the
tires or the engine. DO NOT
allow the vehicle to spin the
wheels above 35 mph (56 km/h).
WARNING

5-116
Driving your vehicle
Information
The ESC system must be turned OFF
before rocking the vehicle.
If you are still stuck after rocking
the vehicle a few times, have the
vehicle pulled out by a tow vehicle
to avoid engine overheating, pos-
sible damage to the transmission,
and tire damage. See "Towing" in
chapter 6.
Smooth Cornering
Avoid braking or gear changing in
corners, especially when roads are
wet. Ideally, corners should always
be taken under gentle acceleration.
Driving at Night
Night driving presents more hazards
than driving in the daylight. Here are
some important tips to remember:
Slow down and keep more dis-
tance between you and other vehi-
cles, as it may be more difficult to
see at night, especially in areas
where there may not be any street
lights.
Adjust your mirrors to reduce the
glare from other driver's head-
lamps.
Keep your headlamps clean and
properly aimed. Dirty or improperly
aimed headlamps will make it
much more difficult to see at night.
Avoid staring directly at the head-
lamps of oncoming vehicles. You
could be temporarily blinded, and it
will take several seconds for your
eyes to readjust to the darkness.
Driving in the Rain
Rain and wet roads can make driving
dangerous. Here are a few things to
consider when driving in the rain or
on slick pavement:
Slow down and allow extra follow-
ing distance. A heavy rainfall
makes it harder to see and increas-
es the distance needed to stop
your vehicle.
Turn OFF your Cruise Control.
Replace your windshield wiper
blades when they show signs of
streaking or missing areas on the
windshield.
Tires should be properly main-
tained with at least 2/32nds of an
inch of tread depth. If your tires do
not have enough tread, making a
quick stop on wet pavement can
cause a skid and possibly lead to
an accident.See "Tire Tread" in
chapter 7.
Turn on your headlamps to make it
easier for others to see you.
NOTICE
i

5-117
Driving your vehicle
5
Driving too fast through large pud-
dles can affect your brakes. If you
must go through puddles, try to
drive through them slowly.
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
adversely affect vehicle handling.
This could lead to sudden tire failure
that may cause loss of vehicle con-
trol resulting in an accident.
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

5-118
Driving your vehicle
Reducing the risk of a rollover
Your multi-purpose passenger vehi-
cle is defined as a Sports Utility
Vehicle (SUV). SUV's have higher
ground clearance and a narrower
track to make them capable of per-
forming in a wide variety of off-road
applications. The specific design
characteristics give them a higher
center of gravity than ordinary vehi-
cles making them more likely to roll
over if you make abrupt turns. Utility
vehicles have a significantly higher
rollover rate than other types of vehi-
cles. Due to this risk, driver and pas-
sengers are strongly recommended
to buckle their seat belts. In a rollover
crash, an unbelted person is signifi-
cantly more likely to die than a per-
son wearing a seat belt.
There are steps that a driver can
make to reduce the risk of a rollover.
If at all possible, avoid sharp turns or
abrupt maneuvers, do not load your
vehicle with heavy cargo on the roof,
and never modify your vehicle in any
way.Utility vehicles have a signifi-
cantly higher rollover rate than
other types of vehicles. To pre-
vent rollovers or loss of control:
Take corners at slower speeds
than you would with a passen-
ger vehicle.
Avoid sharp turns and abrupt
maneuvers.
Do not modify your vehicle in
any way that you would raise
the center of gravity.
Keep tires properly inflated.
Do not carry heavy cargo on
the roof.
WARNING