tire type MAZDA MODEL PROTÉGÉ 2003 Owners Manual (in English)

2-25
Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
Form No. 8Q94-EA-02G
Accident statistics reveal that a child is
safer in the rear seat. The front
passenger’s seat is clearly the worst
choice for any child under 12, and with
rear-facing child-restraint systems it is
clearly unsafe due to air bags.
Some child-restraint systems now come
with tethers and therefore must be
installed on the seats that take tethers to
be effective. In your Mazda, tethered
child-restraint systems can only be
accommodated in the three positions on
the rear seat.
Some child-restraint systems also employ
specially designed LATCH attachments;
refer to "LATCH Child-Restraint
Systems" (page 2-31).

Rear Seat Child-Restraint
System Installation
Follow these instructions when using a
child-restraint system, unless you are
attaching a LATCH-equipped child-
restraint system to the rear LATCH lower
anchors. Refer to "LATCH Child-
Restraint Systems" (page 2-31).
1. Secure the child-restraint system with
the lap portion of the lap/shoulder belt.
See the instructions on the child-
restraint system for belt routing
instructions.
2. To get the retractor into the automatic
locking mode, pull the shoulder belt
portion of the seat belt until the entire
length of the belt is out of the retractor.
Installing Child-Restraint
Systems
Tethered Child-Restraint Systems
Work Only on Rear Seat:
Installation of a tether equipped
child-restraint system in the front
passenger’s seat defeats the safety
design of the system and will result in
an increased chance of serious injury
if the child-restraint system goes
forward without benefit of being
tethered.
Place tether equipped child-restraint
systems where there are tether
anchors.
WARNING
NOTE
Follow the child-restraint system
manufacturer’s instructions carefully.
If you are not sure whether you have a
LATCH system or tether, check in the
child-restraint system manufacturer’s
instructions and follow them
accordingly. Depending on the type of
child-restraint system, it may not
employ seat belts which are in
automatic locking mode.
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4-8
Before Driving Your Mazda
Driving Tips
Form No. 8Q94-EA-02G
•Carry emergency gear, including tire
chains, window scraper, flares, a small
shovel, jumper cables, and a small bag
of sand or salt.
Ask a Mazda dealer to perform the
following precautions:
•Have the proper ratio of antifreeze in
the radiator.
•Inspect the battery and its cables. Cold
reduces battery capacity.
•Use only cold-weather engine oil
(page 8-9).
•Inspect the ignition system for damage
and loose connections.
•Use washer fluid made with
antifreeze—but don’t use engine
coolant antifreeze for washer fluid
(page 8-18).
•Don’t use the parking brake in freezing
weather as the parking brake may
freeze. Instead, shift to P with an
automatic transaxle and to 1 or R with
a manual transaxle. Block the rear
wheels.

Snow Tires
Use snow tires on all four wheels
Your vehicle is originally equipped with
all season radials designed to be used all
year around. In some extreme climates
you may find it necessary to replace them
with snow tires during the winter months
to further improve traction on snow and
ice covered roads.
Don’t go faster than 120 km/h (75 mph).
Inflate snow tires 30 kPa (0.3 kgf/cm
2, 4.3
psi) more than recommended on the tire
pressure label (driver’s door), but never
more than the maximum cold-tire
pressure shown on the tires.
Winter Driving
Mixing Tire Types:
Using tires different in size or type is
dangerous. Your vehicle’s handling
could be greatly affected and result in
an accident. Use only the same size
and type tires (snow, radial, or non-
radial) on all four wheels.
Check local regulations before using
studded tires.
WARNING
CAUTION
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8-24
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Form No. 8Q94-EA-02G

Battery Maintenance
To get the best service from a battery:
•Keep it securely mounted.
•Keep the top clean and dry.
•Keep terminals and connections clean,
tight, and coated with petroleum jelly
or terminal grease.
•Rinse off spilled electrolyte
immediately with a solution of water
and baking soda.
•If the vehicle will not be used for an
extended time, disconnect the battery
cables.For reasons of proper performance, safety,
and better fuel economy, always maintain
recommended tire inflation pressures and
stay within the recommended load limits
and weight distribution.
Tires
Using Different Tire Types:
Driving your vehicle with different
types of tires is dangerous. It could
cause poor handling and poor
braking; leading to loss of control.
Except when using the temporary
spare tire, use only the same type tires
(radial, bias-belted, bias-type) on all
four wheels.
Using Wrong-Sized Tires:
Using any other tire size than what is
specified for your Mazda (page 10-8)
is dangerous. It could seriously affect
ride, handling, ground clearance, tire
clearance, and speedometer
calibration. This could cause you to
have an accident. Use only tires that
are the correct size specified for your
Mazda.
WARNING
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8-26
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Form No. 8Q94-EA-02G

Tire Rotation
To equalize tread wear, rotate the tires
every 12,000 km (7,500 miles) or sooner
if irregular wear develops. During
rotation, inspect them for correct balance.
Also, inspect them for uneven wear and
damage. Abnormal wear is usually caused
by one or a combination of the following:
•Incorrect tire pressure
•Improper wheel alignment
•Out-of-balance wheel
•Severe braking
After rotation, inflate all tire pressures to
specification (page 10-8) and inspect the
lug nuts for tightness.

Replacing a Tire
Rotate unidirectional tires and radial
tires that have an asymmetrical tread
pattern or studs only from front to rear,
not from side to side. Tire performance
will be weakened if rotated from side
to side.
Front
Do not include (TEMPORARY USE ONLY)
spare tire in rotation.
CAUTION
Limited-Slip Differential system;
don’t use the following:
•Tires not of the designated size
•Tires of different sizes or types at
the same time
•Tires not sufficiently inflated
If these instructions aren’t followed,
the rotation of the left and right wheels
will be different and will thus apply a
constant load on the limited-slip
differential.
This will cause a malfunction.
Worn Tires:
Driving with worn tires is dangerous.
Reduced braking, steering, and
traction could result in an accident.
Always use tires that are in good
condition.
CAUTION
WARNING
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8-27
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Form No. 8Q94-EA-02G
If a tire wears evenly, a wear indicator will
appear as a solid band across the tread.
Replace the tire when this happens.
You may need to replace it before the
band is across the entire tread.

Temporary Spare Tire
Inspect the temporary spare tire at least
monthly to make sure it’s properly
inflated and stored.
The temporary spare tire is easier to
handle because of its construction. It is
lighter and smaller than a conventional
tire and should be used only for an
emergency and only for a short distance.
Use the temporary only until the
conventional tire is repaired, which should
be as soon as possible.
Maintain its pressure at 420 kPa
(4.2 kgf/cm
2 or bar, 60 psi).

Replacing a Wheel
When replacing a wheel, make sure the
new one is the same as the original factory
wheel in diameter, rim width, and offset.
Proper tire balancing provides the best
riding comfort and helps reduce tread
wear. Out-of-balance tires can cause
vibration and uneven wear, such as
cupping and flat spots.
New tread Worn treadTread wear indicator
•Don’t use your temporary spare tire
rim with a snow tire or a
conventional tire. Neither will
properly fit and could damage both
tire and rim.
•The temporary spare tire has a tread
life of up to 5,000 km (3,000 miles),
depending on road conditions and
driving habits.
•When the tread wear solid-band
indicator appears, replace the tire
with the same type of temporary
spare (page 8-26).
Using a Wrong-Sized Wheel:
Using a wrong-sized wheel is
dangerous. Braking and handling
could be affected, leading to loss of
control and an accident. Always use
wheels of the correct size on your
vehicle.
CAUTION
WARNING
J39L_EA.book Page 27 Saturday, June 8, 2002 5:35 PM

11-5
Index
Form No. 8Q94-EA-02G
P
Paint Damage ................................... 8-42
Parking Brake
..................................... 5-5
Parking in an Emergency
................... 7-2
Power Door Locks
............................. 3-8
Power Steering
................................. 5-18
Fluid
.......................................... 8-16
Power Windows
............................... 3-14
Push-Starting
.................................... 7-17
R
Rear Door Child Safety Locks ........... 3-8
Rear Seat
............................................ 2-5
Rear Window Defroster
................... 5-40
Rear Window Washer
...................... 5-40
Rear Window Wiper
........................ 5-40
Rearview Mirror
............................... 3-24
Recreational Towing
........................ 7-20
Rocking the Vehicle
........................... 4-7
Roof Rack
........................................ 3-21
S
Safety Defects, Reporting ................ 9-14
Seat Belt System
3-point type
............................... 2-14
Extender
.................................... 2-20
Pregnant women
....................... 2-12
Pretensioner and load limiting
.. 2-16
Rear-center lap/shoulder
........... 2-18
Seat belt precautions
................. 2-11
Warning beep
............................ 2-21
Warning light
............................ 2-21
Seats
Front seats
................................... 2-2
Rear seat
...................................... 2-5
Service Publications
......................... 9-14
Spare Tire and Tool Storage
.............. 7-3
S
Specifications ...................................10-4
Speedometer
.....................................5-24
SRS Air Bags
Air bag system description
........2-40
Supplemental restraint systems
precautions
................................2-36
Warning light
............................2-45
Starting the Engine
.............................5-3
Steering Wheel
.................................3-23
Horn
..........................................5-41
Storage Compartments
.....................6-39
Cargo securing loops
.................6-39
Center console
...........................6-39
Glove box
..................................6-39
Sunroof
.............................................3-19
Sunshade
...........................................3-20
Sunvisors
..........................................6-35
T
Tachometer .......................................5-25
Temporary Spare Tire
......................8-27
Tiedown
Hook
..........................................7-19
Tires
Flat tire
........................................7-3
Inflation pressure
.......................8-25
Replacement
..............................8-26
Rotation
.....................................8-26
Snow tires
....................................4-8
Spare tire and tool storage
...........7-3
Specifications
............................10-8
Tire chains
...................................4-9
Uniform tire quality grading
system (UTQGS)
.......................9-12
Tool
....................................................7-3
J39L_EA.book Page 5 Saturday, June 8, 2002 5:35 PM