Driving your vehicle6-52
SPECIAL DRIVING CONDITIONS
Hazardous Driving Conditions
When hazardous driving elements
are encountered such as water, snow,
ice, mud and sand, take the following
precautions:
[ Drive cautiously and maintain 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
unnecessary wheel spin.
[ Put sand, rock salt, tire chains or other
non-slip materials under the wheels to
provide additional traction while the
vehicle becomes stuck in ice, snow,
or mud.
WARNING
Downshifting with an automatic
transmission while driving on slippery
surfaces can cause an accident. The
sudden change in tire speed could
cause the tires to skid. Be careful when
downshifting on slippery surfaces.
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 forward 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 accelerator 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.
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 damage. 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).
Information
The ESC system must be turned OFF
before rocking the vehicle.
06
6-55
WINTER DRIVING
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 tires
WARNING
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 affected.
We recommend you use snow tires when
road temperature is below 7°C (45°F).
Refer to the below chart, and mount the
recommended snow tire for your vehicle.
Standard tire
Tire size wheel size / offset
235/40R19 8.0Jx19/55
If you mount snow tires on your vehicle,
make sure to use the same Inflation
pressure 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, state and municipal
regulations for possible restrictions against
their use.