SUZUKI FORENZA 2008 1.G Owners Manual

3-45INSTRUMENT PANEL
85Z04-03E
86Z026
1. Magazine slot
2. Magazine eject button
21
How to Change Discs
86Z013
To remove:
1) Open the sliding door of the CD
changer to the right until it is completely
latched.

3-46
INSTRUMENT PANEL
85Z04-03E
86Z014
2) Press the eject button on the CD
changer and remove the magazine.
86Z015
3) Pull a tray out of the magazine by
pressing the tray button.
4) Remove the disc from the tray and rein-
sert the tray into the magazine.
86Z016
To load:
1) Put the disc on a tray with its label side
upward.
2) Insert the tray into the magazine.
3) Push the magazine into the CD
changer until it is locked and a click
sound is heard.
4) After loading the magazine, close the
sliding door completely to the left.
Labeled surface upward

3-47INSTRUMENT PANEL
85Z04-03E
The CD changer is operated by the main
unit.
1) Press the power button on the main unit
to turn the audio system on.
2) If a disc is already inserted inside the
CD changer, press the “CD” button.
Playback starts at the beginning of the
track that you were previously listening
to.
3) If a disc is not inserted yet, load a disc
in the magazine. (Refer to “How to
change discs”.)
Then, press the “CD” button to play.
Playback starts from the No. 1 disc.
CD Changer Play:
To play the CD Changer while operating
the radio, press the “CD” button if a disc is
already inserted in the CD changer.
The mode is transferred to the CD changer
and the CD is played back from the track
that you were previously listening to.
If a disc is not in the CD changer, the mode
is not changed to the CD changer when
you press this button.
Track Up & Down:
The track up & down knob/button allows
you to make quick selections from your
playing disc.
1) To play the next track, rotate this knob
clockwise for less than 1 second or
press the track up button once. Each
time you rotate the knob or press thebutton, the disc will skip to the next
track.
2) To play the previous track, rotate this
knob counterclockwise for less than 1
second or press the track down button
once. Each time you rotate the knob or
press the button, the disc will skip to the
previous track.
Cue & Review:
This function allows desired point-search
within a track at a faster than normal play-
back speed.
1) To search for the desired point of a
track, rotate this knob and hold it or
press and hold the track up/down but-
ton. The audio level is reduced and the
disc will play at a faster than normal
playback speed. When the disc reaches
the desired point, release the knob/but-
ton and normal play will resume.
2) To cue (forward) the track, rotate this
knob clockwise or press the track up
button. To review (backward) the track,
rotate this knob counterclockwise or
press the track down button.
Repeat Play:
To repeatedly listen to the current track,
press the “2/RPT” button.
“RPT” is displayed in VFD and the current
track will be played back repeatedly until
this function is canceled.
To cancel this function, press this button
again.Track Introduction:
To quickly and conveniently scan the track,
use the “3 or 4/INT” button.
“INTRO” will be displayed in VFD and the
audio system will play the first 10 seconds
of each track.
When the player reaches the desired track,
press this button again and normal play will
resume.
Random Play:
To play a CD disc in random order, press
the “4 or 5/RDM” button.
“RDM” will be displayed in VFD and the
audio system will play the CD in random
order.
To cancel this function, press this button
again.
Disc Up / Down Button
To select another disc in ascending order,
press the “3 or 6/UP” button. The number
of the selected disc will appear on the
VFD.
To select another disc in descending order,
press the “5 or 6/DN” button. The number
of the selected disc will appear on the
VFD.

DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
4
85Z04-03E
DRIVING YOUR VEHICLEYour Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle ........................ 4-1
Towing .................................................................................. 4-16

4-1DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
85Z04-03E
Your Driving, the Road, and
Your VehicleDefensive DrivingThe best advice anyone can give about
driving is: Drive defensively.
Please start by using a very important
safety device in your vehicle: Your safety
belt. Buckle up. See “Safety Belts: They
Are for Everyone” in section 1.
Defensive driving really means “be ready
for anything.” On city streets, rural roads or
freeways, it means “always expect the
unexpected.”
Assume that pedestrians or other drivers
are going to be careless and make mis-
takes. Anticipate what they might do. Be
ready for their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions are about the most
preventable of accidents. Yet they are com-
mon. Allow enough following distance. It’s
the best defensive driving maneuver, in
both city and rural driving. You never know
when the vehicle in front of you is going to
brake or turn suddenly.
Defensive driving requires that a driver
concentrate on the driving task. Anything
that distracts from the driving task – such
as concentrating on a cellular telephone
call, reading, or reaching for something on
the floor – makes proper defensive driving
more difficult and can even cause a colli-
sion, with resulting injury. Ask a passengerto help do things like this, or pull off the
road in a safe place to do them yourself.
These simple defensive driving tech-
niques could save your life.
Drunken DrivingDeath and injury associated with drinking
and driving is a national tragedy. It’s the
number one contributor to the highway
death toll, claiming thousands of victims
every year.
Alcohol affects four things that everyone
needs to drive a vehicle:
 Judgment
 Muscular Coordination
 Vision
 Attentiveness.
Police records show that almost half of all
motor vehicle-related deaths involve alco-
hol. In most cases, these deaths are the
result of someone who was drinking and
driving. In recent years, more than 16,000
annual motor vehicle-related deaths have
been associated with the use of alcohol,
with more than 300,000 people injured.
Many adults – by some estimates, nearly
half the adult population – choose never to
drink alcohol, so they never drive after
drinking. For persons under 21, it is
against the law in every U.S. state to drink
alcohol. There are good medical, psycho-
logical and developmental reasons for
these laws.The obvious way to eliminate the leading
highway safety problem is for people never
to drink alcohol and then drive. But what if
people do? How much is “too much” if
someone plans to drive? It’s a lot less than
many might think. Although it depends on
each person and situation, here is some
general information on the problem.
The Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of
someone who is drinking depends upon
four things:
 The amount of alcohol consumed
 The drinker’s body weight
 The amount of food that is consumed
before and during drinking
 The length of time it has taken the
drinker to consume the alcohol.
According to the American Medical Associ-
ation, a 180 lb (82 kg) person who drinks
three 12 ounce (355 ml) bottles of beer in
an hour will end up with a BAC of about
0.06 percent. The person would reach the
same BAC by drinking three 4 ounce (120
ml) glasses of wine or three mixed drinks if
each had 1-1/2 ounces (45 ml) of liquors
like whiskey, gin or vodka.
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DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
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It’s the amount of alcohol that counts. For
example, if the same person drank three
double martinis (3 ounces or 90 ml of
liquor each) within an hour, the person’s
BAC would be close to 0.12 percent. A per-
son who consumes food just before or dur-
ing drinking will have a somewhat lower
BAC level.
There is a gender difference, too. Women
generally have a lower relative percentage
of body water than men. Since alcohol is
carried in body water, this means that a
woman generally will reach a higher BAC
level than a man of her same body weight
will when each has the same number of
drinks.
The law in an increasing number of U.S.
states, and throughout Canada, sets the
legal limit at 0.08 percent. In some other
countries, the limit is even lower. For exam-ple, it is 0.05 percent in both France and
Germany. The BAC limit for all commercial
drivers in the United States is 0.04 percent.
The BAC will be over 0.10 percent after
three to six drinks (in one hour). Of course,
as we’ve seen, it depends on how much
alcohol is in the drinks, and how quickly the
person drinks them.
But the ability to drive is affected well
below a BAC of 0.10 percent. Research
shows that the driving skills of many peo-
ple are impaired at a BAC approaching
0.05 percent, and that the effects are
worse at night. All drivers are impaired at
BAC levels above 0.05 percent. Statistics
show that the chance of being in a collision
increases sharply for drivers who have a
BAC of 0.05 percent or above. A driver with
a BAC level of 0.06 percent has doubled
his or her chance of having a collision. At a
BAC level of 0.10 percent, the chance of
this driver having a collision is 12 times
greater; at a level of 0.15 percent, the
chance is 25 times greater!
The body takes about an hour to rid itself
of the alcohol in one drink. No amount of
coffee or number of cold showers will
speed that up. “I’ll be careful” isn’t the right
answer. What if there’s an emergency, a
need to take sudden action, as when a
child darts into the street? A person with
even a moderate BAC might not be able to
react quickly enough to avoid the collision.There’s something else about drinking and
driving that many people don’t know. Medi-
cal research shows that alcohol in a per-
son’s system can make crash injuries
worse, especially injuries to the brain, spi-
nal cord or heart. This means that when
anyone who has been drinking – driver or
passenger – is in a crash, that person’s
chance of being killed or permanently dis-
abled is higher than if the person had not
been drinking.
Control of a VehicleYou have three systems that make your
vehicle go where you want it to go. They
are the brakes, the steering and the accel-
erator. All three systems have to do their
work at the places where the tires meet the
road.
WARNING
Drinking and then driving is very dan-
gerous. Your reflexes, perceptions,
attentiveness and judgment can be
affected by even a small amount of
alcohol. You can have a serious – or
even fatal – collision if you drive after
drinking. Please don’t drink and drive
or ride with a driver who has been
drinking. Ride home in a cab; or if
you’re with a group, designate a
driver who will not drink.
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle:

4-3DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
85Z04-03E
Sometimes, as when you’re driving on
snow or ice, it’s easy to ask more of those
control systems than the tires and road
can provide. That means you can lose con-
trol of your vehicle.BrakingBraking action involves perception time
and reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the
brake pedal. That’s perception time. Then
you have to bring up your foot and do it.
That’s reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a
second. But that’s only an average. It might
be less with one driver and as long as two
or three seconds or more with another.
Age, physical condition, alertness, coordi-
nation and eyesight all play a part. So do
alcohol, drugs and frustration. But even in3/4 of a second, a vehicle moving at 60
mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m).
That could be a lot of distance in an emer-
gency, so keeping enough space between
your vehicle and others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances
vary greatly with the surface of the road
(whether it’s pavement or gravel) the condi-
tion of the road (wet, dry, icy) tire tread the
condition of your brakes the weight of the
vehicle and the amount of brake force
applied.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some peo-
ple drive in spurts – heavy acceleration fol-
lowed by heavy braking – rather than
keeping pace with traffic. This is a mistake.
Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear
out much faster if you do a lot of heavy
braking. If you keep pace with the traffic
and allow realistic following distances, you
will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer
brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driv-
ing, brake normally but don’t pump your
brakes. If you do, the pedal may get harder
to push down. If your engine stops, you will
still have some power brake assist. But you
will use it when you brake. Once the power
assist is used up, it may take longer to stop
and the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
(if equipped)ABS is an advanced electronic braking
system that will help prevent a braking
skid.
When you start your engine and begin to
drive away, your anti-lock brake system will
check itself. You may hear a momentary
motor or clicking noise while this test is
going on, and you may even notice that
your brake pedal moves a little. This is nor-
mal.
If there’s a problem with the anti-lock brake
system, this warning light will stay on. See
“Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light” in
section 3.
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4-4
DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
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Let’s say the road is wet and you’re driving
safely. Suddenly, an animal jumps out in
front of you. You slam on the brakes and
continue braking. Here’s what happens
with ABS:
A computer senses that wheels are slow-
ing down. If one of the wheels is about to
stop rolling, the computer will separately
work the brakes at each front wheel and at
both rear wheels.
The anti-lock system can change the brake
pressure faster than any driver could. The
computer is programmed to make the most
of available tire and road conditions. This
can help you steer around the obstacle
while braking hard.As you brake, your computer keeps receiv-
ing updates on wheel speed and controls
braking pressure accordingly.
Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the
time you need to get your foot up to the
brake pedal or always decrease stopping
distance. If you get too close to the vehicle
in front of you, you won’t have time to apply
your brakes if that vehicle suddenly slows
or stops. Always leave enough room up
ahead to stop, even though you have anti-
lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake
pedal down firmly and let anti-lock work for
you. You may hear the anti-lock pump or
motor operate, and feel the brake pedal
pulsate, but this is normal.Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into
a situation that requires hard braking.
If you have anti-lock, you can steer and
brake at the same time. However, if you
don’t have anti-lock, your first reaction – to
hit the brake pedal hard and hold it down –
may be the wrong thing to do. Your wheels
can stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle
can’t respond to your steering. Momentum
will carry it in whatever direction it was
headed when the wheels stopped rolling.
That could be off the road, into the very
thing you were trying to avoid, or into traf-
fic.
If you don’t have anti-lock, use a “squeeze”
braking technique. This will give you maxi-
mum braking while maintaining steering
control. You can do this by pushing on the
brake pedal with steadily increasing pres-
sure. In an emergency, you will probably
want to squeeze the brakes hard without
locking the wheels. If you hear or feel the
wheels sliding, ease off the brake pedal.
This will help you retain steering control. If
you do have anti-lock, it’s different. See
“Anti-Lock Brake System” in this section.
In many emergencies, steering can help
you more than even the very best braking.
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4-5DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
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SteeringPower Steering
If you lose power steering assist because
the engine stops or the system is not func-
tioning, you can steer but it will take much
more effort.
Speed Sensitive Power Steering
System
This system continuously adjusts the effort
you feel when steering at all vehicle
speeds. It provides ease when parking, yet
a firm, solid feel at highway speeds.
If your vehicle has this system, it varies the
amount of effort required to steer the vehi-
cle in relation to the speed of the vehicle.
The amount of steering effort required is
less at slower speeds to make the vehicle
more maneuverable and easier to park. At
faster speeds, the steering effort increases
to provide a sport-like feel to the steering.
This provides maximum control and stabil-
ity.
This warning light will stay on, or come on
while you are driving, if there’s a problem
with the SSPS system.When this warning light is on, your vehicle
will seem harder to steer than normal
when parking or driving slowly. You will still
have power steering, but steering will be
stiffer than normal at slow speeds. See
your SUZUKI dealer for service.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a reason-
able speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents
mentioned on the news happen on curves.
Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us
is subject to the same laws of physics
when driving on curves. The traction of the
tires against the road surface makes it pos-
sible for the vehicle to change its path
when you turn the front wheels. If there’s
no traction, inertia will keep the vehicle
going in the same direction. If you’ve ever
tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you’ll
understand this.
The traction you can get in a curve
depends on the condition of your tires and
the road surface, the angle at which the
curve is banked, and your speed. While
you’re in a curve, speed is the one factor
you can control.
Suppose you’re steering through a sharp
curve. Then you suddenly apply the
brakes. Both control systems – steeringand braking – have to do their work where
the tires meet the road. Unless you have
four-wheel anti-lock brakes, adding the
hard braking can demand too much of
those places. You can lose control.
The same thing can happen if you’re steer-
ing through a sharp curve and you sud-
denly accelerate. Those two control
systems – steering and acceleration – can
overwhelm those places where the tires
meet the road and make you lose control.
What should you do if this ever happens?
Ease up on the brake or accelerator pedal,
steer the vehicle the way you want it to go,
and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that
you should adjust your speed. Of course,
the posted speeds are based on good
weather and road conditions. Under less
favorable conditions you’ll want to go
slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you
approach a curve, do it before you enter
the curve, while your front wheels are
straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed so you can “drive”
through the curve. Maintain a reasonable,
steady speed. Wait to accelerate until you
are out of the curve, and then accelerate
gently into the straightaway.
L5U3004A
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DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
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Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be
more effective than braking. For example,
you come over a hill and find a truck
stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly
pulls out from nowhere, or a child darts out
from between parked cars and stops right
in front of you. You can avoid these prob-
lems by braking – if you can stop in time.
But sometimes you can’t; there isn’t room.
That’s the time for evasive action – steer-
ing around the problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emer-
gencies like these. First apply your brakes
but, unless you have anti-lock, not enough
to lock your wheels.
See “Braking” in this section. It is better to
remove as much speed as you can from a
possible collision. Then steer around the
problem, to the left or right depending on
the space available.An emergency like this requires close
attention and a quick decision. If you are
holding the steering wheel at the recom-
mended 9 and 3 o’clock positions, you can
turn it a full 180 degrees very quickly with-
out removing either hand. But you have to
act fast, steer quickly, and just as quickly
straighten the wheel once you have
avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency situations
are always possible is a good reason to
practice defensive driving at all times and
wear safety belts properly.
Off-Road RecoveryYou may find that your right wheels have
dropped off the edge of a road onto the
shoulder while you’re driving.If the level of the shoulder is only slightly
below the pavement, recovery should be
fairly easy. Ease off the accelerator and
then, if there is nothing in the way, steer so
that your vehicle straddles the edge of the
pavement. You can turn the steering wheel
up to one-quarter turn until the right front
tire contacts the pavement edge. Then turn
your steering wheel to go straight down the
roadway.
Passing
The driver of a vehicle about to pass
another on a two-lane highway waits for
just the right moment, accelerates, moves
around the vehicle ahead, then goes back
into the right lane again. A simple maneu-
ver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle
on a two-lane highway is a potentially dan-
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle: