Get Driving your vehicle -> Special driving conditions Guide for Kia Sportage SUV 2020

Driving your vehicle

SPECIAL DRIVING CONDITIONS

• If stalled in snow, mud, or sand,

Hazardous driving conditions

Reducing the risk of a rollover

use the second gear. Accelerate

slowly to avoid spinning the drive

wheels.

When hazardous driving conditions

are encountered such as water,

snow, ice, mud, sand, or similar haz-

ards, follow these suggestions:

• Drive cautiously and allow extra

distance for braking.

This multi-purpose passenger vehi-

cle is defined as a Sports Utility

Vehicle (SUV). Utility vehicles have a

significantly higher rollover rate than

other types of vehicles. SUV's have

higher ground clearance and a nar-

rower track to make them capable of

performing in a wide variety of off-

road applications. Specific design

characteristics give them a higher

center of gravity than ordinary vehi-

cles. An advantage of the higher

ground clearance is a better view of

the road, which allows you to antici-

pate problems. They are not

designed for cornering at the same

speeds as conventional passenger

vehicles, any more than low-slung

sports vehicles are designed to per-

form satisfactorily in off-road condi-

tions. 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.

• Use sand, rock salt, or other non-

slip material under the drive

wheels to provide traction when

stalled in ice, snow, or mud.

• 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.

WARNING - Downshifting

Do not downshift with an auto-

matic transmission while driv-

ing on slippery surfaces. The

sudden change in tire speed

could cause the tires to skid

and result in an accident.

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Driving your vehicle

If at all possible, avoid sharp turns or

abrupt maneuvers, do not load your

roof rack with heavy cargo, and

never modify your vehicle in any way.

(Continued)

WARNING

• In a rollover crash, an unbelt-

ed person is significantly

more likely to die than a per-

son wearing a seat belt. Make

sure everyone in the vehicle is

properly buckled up.

Your vehicle is equipped with

tires designed to provide safe

ride and handling capability. Do

not use a size and type of tire

and wheel that is different from

the one that is originally

installed on your vehicle. It can

affect the safety and perform-

ance of your vehicle, which

could lead to steering failure or

rollover and 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

nevertheless decide to equip

your vehicle with any tire/wheel

combination not recommended

by Kia for off road driving, you

should not use these tires for

highway driving.

WARNING - Rollover

As with other Sports Utility

Vehicle (SUV), failure to operate

this vehicle correctly may result

in loss of control, an accident or

vehicle rollover.

• Utility vehicles have a signifi-

cantly higher rollover rate

than other types of vehicles.

• Specific design characteris-

tics (higher ground clearance,

narrower track, etc.) give this

vehicle a higher center of

gravity than ordinary vehicles.

• A SUV is not designed for cor-

nering at the same speeds as

conventional vehicles.

• Avoid sharp turns or abrupt

maneuvers.

(Continued)

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Driving your vehicle

Rocking the vehicle

Smooth cornering

CAUTION - Vehicle rocking

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 any

forward gear in vehicles equipped

with an Automatic Transmission. Do

not race the engine, and spin the

wheels as little as possible. If you are

still stuck after a few tries, have the

vehicle pulled out by a tow vehicle to

avoid engine overheating and possi-

ble damage to the transmission.

Prolonged rocking may cause

engine overheating, transmis-

sion damage or failure, and tire

damage.

CAUTION - Spinning tires

Do not spin the wheels, espe-

cially at speeds more than 35

mph (56 km/h). Spinning the

wheels at high speeds when the

vehicle is stationary could

cause a tire to overheat which

could result in tire damage that

may injure bystanders.

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Avoid braking or gear changing in

corners, especially when roads are

wet. Ideally, corners should always

be taken under gentle acceleration. If

you follow these suggestions, tire

wear will be held to a minimum.

WARNING - Sudden

Vehicle Movement

Do not attempt to rock the vehi-

cle if people or objects are near-

by. The vehicle may suddenly

move forward or backwards as it

becomes unstuck.

The ESC system should be turned

OFF prior to rocking the vehicle.

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Driving your vehicle

• Adjust your mirrors to reduce the

glare from other driver's head-

lights.

Driving at night

Driving in the rain

• Keep your headlights clean and

properly aimed. (On vehicles not

equipped with the automatic head-

light aiming feature.) Dirty or

improperly aimed headlights will

make it much more difficult to see

at night.

• Avoid staring directly at the head-

lights of oncoming vehicles. You

could be temporarily blinded, and it

will take several seconds for your

eyes to readjust to the darkness.

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Because 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.

Rain and wet roads can make driving

dangerous, especially if you’re not

prepared for the slick pavement.

Here are a few things to consider

when driving in the rain:

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Driving your vehicle

• A heavy rainfall will make it harder

to see and will increase the dis-

tance needed to stop your vehicle,

so slow down.

• Keep your windshield wiping

equipment in good shape. Replace

your windshield wiper blades when

they show signs of streaking or

missing areas on the windshield.

• If your tires are not in good condi-

tion, making a quick stop on wet

pavement can cause a skid and

possibly lead to an accident. Be

sure your tires are in good shape.

• Turn on your headlights to make it

easier for others to see you.

• 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 you may have gotten

your brakes wet, apply them lightly

while driving until normal braking

operation returns.

Driving in flooded areas

Highway driving

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

affected.

After driving through water, dry the

brakes by gently applying them sev-

eral times while the vehicle is moving

slowly.

Tires

Adjust the tire inflation pressures to

specification. Low tire inflation pres-

sures will result in overheating and

possible failure of the tires.

Avoid using worn or damaged tires

which may result in reduced traction

or tire failure.

Never exceed the maximum tire

inflation pressure shown on the tires.

WARNING - Under/over

inflated tires

Driving off-road

Drive carefully off-road because your

vehicle may be damaged by rocks or

roots of trees. Become familiar with

the off-road conditions where you

are going to drive before you begin

driving.

Always check the tires for proper

inflation

before

driving.

Underinflated or overinflated

tires can cause poor handling,

loss of vehicle control, and sud-

den tire failure leading to acci-

dents, injuries, and even death.

For proper tire pressures, refer to

“Tires and wheels” in chapter 9.

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Driving your vehicle

WARNING - Tire tread

Always check the tire tread

before driving your vehicle.

Worn-out tires can result in loss

of vehicle control. Worn-out tires

should be replaced as soon as

possible. For further information

and tread limits, refer to "Tires

and wheels" in chapter 8.

Fuel, engine coolant and engine oil

High speed travel consumes more

fuel than urban motoring. Do not for-

get to check both the engine coolant

and engine oil.

Drive belt

A loose or damaged drive belt may

result in overheating of the engine.

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Driving your vehicle -> Special driving conditions for Your Kia Sportage SUV 2020

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