winter tires Hyundai Elantra 2009 Owner's Manual

535
Driving your vehicle
The more severe weather conditions of
winter result in greater wear and other
problems. To minimize the problems of
winter driving, you should follow these
suggestions:Snowy or Icy conditionsTo drive your vehicle in deep snow, it may
be necessary to use snow tires or to
install tire chains on your tires. If snow
tires are needed, it is necessary to select
tires equivalent in size and type of the
original equipment tires. Failure to do so
may adversely affect the safety and han-
dling of your car. Furthermore, speeding,
rapid acceleration, sudden brake appli-
cations, and sharp turns are potentially
very hazardous practices.
During deceleration, use engine braking
to the fullest extent. Sudden brake appli-
cations on snowy or icy roads may cause
skids to occur. You need to keep suffi-
cient distance between the vehicle in
operation in front and your vehicle. Also,
apply the brake gently. It should be noted
that installing tire chains on the tire will
provide a greater driving force, but will
not prevent side skids.✽ ✽
NOTICETire chains are not legal in all states.
Check state laws before fitting tire
chains.
Snow tires If you mount snow tires on your vehicle,
make sure they are radial tires of the
same size and load range as the original
tires. Mount snow tires on all four wheels
to balance your vehicle’s handling in all
weather conditions. Keep in mind that the
traction provided by snow tires on dry
roads may not be as high as your vehi-
cle's original equipment tires. You should
drive cautiously even when the roads are
clear. Check with the tire dealer for max-
imum speed recommendations.Do not install studded tires without first
checking local, state and municipal regu-
lations for possible restrictions against
their use.Tire chains
Since the sidewalls of radial tires are
thinner, they can be damaged by mount-
ing some types of snow chains on them.
Therefore, the use of snow tires is rec-
ommended instead of snow chains. Do
not mount tire chains on vehicles
equipped with aluminum wheels; snow
chains may cause damage to the wheels.
If snow chains must be used, use wire-
type chains with a thickness of less than
0.59 in (15 mm). Damage to your vehicle
caused by improper snow chain use is
not covered by your vehicle manufactur-
ers warranty.
Install tire chains only on the front tires.
WINTER DRIVING
WARNING
- Snow tire size
Snow tires should be equivalent in
size and type to the vehicle's stan-
dard tires. Otherwise, the safety
and handling of your vehicle may
be adversely affected.
1JBA4068

What to do in an emergency8 6
Low tire pressure tell-
tale
When the tire pressure monitoring
system warning telltale is illuminat-
ed, one or more of your tires is sig-
nificantly under-inflated.
Immediately reduce your speed,
avoid hard cornering and anticipate
increased stopping distances. You
should stop and check your tires as
soon as possible. Inflate the tires to
the proper pressure as indicated on
the vehicle’s placard or tire inflation
pressure label located on the driver’s
side center pillar outer panel. If you
cannot reach a service station or if
the tire cannot hold the newly added
air, replace the low pressure tire with
the compact spare tire. Because the
compact spare tire is not equipped
with a tire pressure sensor, the
TPMS malfunction indicator may go
on and the Low Tire Pressure telltale
still turn on after restarting and about
20 minutes of continuous driving
before you have the low-pressure tire
repaired and replaced on the vehicle.
WARNING
- Low pressure
damage
Significantly low tire pressure
makes the vehicle unstable and
can contribute to loss of vehicle
control and increased braking
distances.
Continued driving on low pres-
sure tires will cause the tires to
overheat and fail.
CAUTION
In winter or cold weather, the
low tire pressure telltale may be
illuminated if the tire pressure
was adjusted to the recom-
mended tire inflation pressure
in warm weather. It does not
mean your TPMS is malfunction-
ing because the decreased tem-
perature leads to a proportional
lowering of tire pressure.
When you drive your vehicle
from a warm area to a cold area
or from a cold area to a warm
area, or the outside temperature
is greatly higher or lower, you
should check the tire inflation
pressure and adjust the tires to
the recommended tire inflation
pressure.

I5
Index
Tires and wheels ···························································· 9-3
Tires pressure monitoring system (TPMS)······················6-7
Towing ········································································· 6-20
Tie-down hook ························································· 6-23
Trailer towing ······························································ 5-39
Hitches ······································································ 5-40
Safety chains ···························································· 5-40
Trailer brakes ···························································· 5-40
Weight of the trailer (tongue) ··································· 5-45
Trunk ············································································ 4-12
Vehicle break-in process ················································ 1-5
Vehicle data collection and event data recorders ·········· 1-6
Vehicle load limit ························································· 5-47
Compliance label ······················································ 5-49
Tire and loading information label ·························· 5-47
Vehicle capacity weight ··········································· 5-47
Seating capacity ······················································· 5-47
Towing capacity ······················································· 5-47
Cargo capacity ·························································· 5-47
Washer fluid ································································· 7-22
Weight of the vehicle ··················································· 5-52
Windows ······································································ 4-14
Power window lock button ······································ 4-17Windshield defrosting and defogging ························· 4-77
Automatic climate control system ··························· 4-78
Defogging logic ························································ 4-78
Manual climate control system ································ 4-77
Winter driving ······························································ 5-35
Snow tires ································································· 5-35
Tire chains ································································ 5-35
Wiper blades ································································ 7-27
Wipers and washers ····················································· 4-54VW