traction control KIA Sorento 2006 1.G Owner's Manual

LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL
(IF EQUIPPED) A limited slip differential if equipped,
is for the rear wheel differential only.
The features of this limited slip differ-
ential are described below;
Just as with conventional differential,
the wheel on one side is allowed to
turn at a different speed from the
wheel on the other side when the
vehicle is cornering.
The difference between the limited
slip differential and a conventional
differential is that if the wheel on one
side of the vehicle loses traction, a
greater amount of torque is applied to
the rear wheel on the other side to
improve traction.
BRAKE SYSTEMPower Brakes
Your vehicle has power-assisted
brakes that adjust automatically
through normal usage.
In the event that the power-assisted
brakes lose power because of a
stalled engine or some other reason,
you can still stop your vehicle by
applying greater force to the brake
pedal than you normally would. The
stopping distance, however, will be
longer. Refer to the scheduled main-
tenance guide for scheduled mainte-
nance intervals.
When the engine is not running, the
reserve brake power is partially
depleted each time the brake pedal is
applied. Do not pump the brake pedal
when the power assist has been
interrupted. Pump the brake pedal
only when necessary to maintain
steering control on slippery surfaces.
DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE4-30
WARNING
To avoid injury, never run the
engine with one wheel off the
ground, such as when changing
a tire.
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Scanning the terrain
Off-road driving can take you over
many different kinds of terrain. You
need to be familiar with the terrain
and its many different features. Here
are some things to consider.
Surface conditions
Off-roading can take you over hard-
packed dirt, gravel, rocks, grass,
sand, mud, snow or ice. Each of
these surfaces affects the steering,
acceleration, and braking of your
vehicle in different ways.
Depending upon the kind of surface
you are on, you may experience slip-
ping, sliding, wheel spinning, delayed
acceleration, poor traction, and
longer braking distances.Surface obstacles
Unseen or hidden obstacles can be
hazardous. A rock, log, hole, rut, or
bump can startle you if you’re not pre-
pared. Often these obstacles are hid-
den by grass, bushes, snow or even
the rise and fall of the terrain itself.
Here are some things to constantly
evaluate:
 Is the path ahead clear?
 Will the surface texture change
ahead?
 Does the path take you uphill or
downhill?
 Might you have to stop suddenly or
change direction quickly?
When you drive over obstacles or
rough terrain, it is critical that you
keep a firm grip on the steering
wheel. Ruts, troughs, or other surface
features can force the wheel out of
your hands if you’re not prepared.
DRIVING TIPS
5-19
WARNING- Off Road Driving
When you’re driving off-road,
bouncing and quick changes in
direction can easily throw you
out of position. This could
cause you to lose control of the
vehicle and crash. So, whether
you are driving on or off the
road, you and your passengers
should always wear safety
belts.
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Approaching a hill
When you approach a hill, you need
to decide if it’s one of those hills that’s
just too steep to climb, descend, or
cross. Steepness can be difficult to
judge. On a very small hill, for exam-
ple, there may be a smooth, constant
incline with only a small change in
elevation where you can easily see
all the way to the top. On a large hill,
the incline may get steeper as you
near the top, but you may not see this
because the crest of the hill is hidden
by bushes, grass, or shrubs.
Here are some other things to con-
sider as you approach a hill:
 Is there a constant incline, or does
the hill get sharply steeper in
places?
 Is there good traction on the hill-
side, or will the surface cause tire
slipping? Is there a straight path up or down
the hill so you won’t have to make
turning maneuvers?
 Are there obstructions on the hill
that can block your path (boulders,
trees, logs or ruts)?
 What’s beyond the hill? Is there a
cliff, an embankment, a drop-off, or
a fence? Get out of the vehicle and
walk the hill if you are unsure. It’s
the smart way to find out.
 Is the hill simply too rough? Steep
hills often have ruts, gullies,
troughs, and exposed rocks
because they are more susceptible
to the effects of erosion.
 How have weather conditions
affected the terrain? Is there likely
to be mud, snow or ice on the hill?
 What time of day is it? Are temper-
atures dropping so that wet sur-
faces will start to freeze?
DRIVING TIPS
5-21
WARNING- Driving on Hills
Many hills are simply too steep
for any vehicle. If you drive up
them, you will stall. If you drive
down them, you can’t control
your speed. In either case, you
could flip over. If you drive
across them, you will roll over.
You could be seriously or fatal-
ly injured. If you have any doubt
about the steepness, don’t drive
up or down the hill, even if it
means that you have to turn
around and find another route.
Re-tracking is a normal part of
safe off-roading.
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Driving in Mud, Sand, Snow, or Ice
When you drive in mud, sand, snow,
or ice, your wheels won’t get good
traction. You can’t accelerate as
quickly, turning is more difficult, and
you’ll need longer braking distances.
It’s best to use a low gear when
you’re in mud, the deeper the mud,
the lower the gear. In extremely deep
mud, the idea is to keep your vehicle
moving so you don’t get stuck.
When you drive on sand, you’ll sense
a change in wheel traction. But it will
depend upon how loosely packed the
sand is. On loosely packed sand (as
on beaches or sand dunes) your tires
will tend to sink into the sand.This has an effect on steering, accel-
erating, and braking. You may want to
reduce the air pressure in your tires
slightly when driving on sand. This
will improve traction. Remember to
re-inflate them the first chance that
you have after you leave the loosely
packed sand.Hard-packed snow and ice offer the
worst tire traction. On these surfaces,
it’s very easy to lose control. On wet
ice, for example, the traction is so
poor that you will even have difficulty
accelerating. And if you do get mov-
ing, poor steering and difficult braking
can easily cause you to slide out of
control.
DRIVING TIPS
5-29
✽ ✽
NOTICE In case of loss of traction in mud,
loose soil, or sand, turn the steer-
ing wheel rapidly from side-to-
side. This can help generate addi-
tional traction.
 Do not gun the engine. This will
cause the tires to spin and dig
down, not forward, and could
bury the vehicle to the frame.
Smooth, easy power is better than
too much power.
WARNING- Frozen Surfaces
Driving on frozen lakes, ponds
or rivers can be dangerous.
Underwater springs, currents
under the ice, or sudden thaws
can weaken the ice. Your vehicle
could fall through the ice and
you and your passengers could
drown. Drive your vehicle on
safe surfaces only.
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Weight of the Trailer Tongue
The tongue load of any trailer is an
important weight to measure
because it affects the total gross
vehicle weight (GVW) of your vehicle.
This weight includes the curb weight
of the vehicle, any cargo you may
carry in it, and the people who will be
riding in the vehicle. And if you tow a
trailer, you must add the tongue load
to the GVW because your vehicle will
also be carrying that weight.
The trailer tongue should weigh a
maximum of 10% of the total loaded
trailer weight. After you’ve loaded
your trailer, weigh the trailer and then
the tongue, separately, to see if the
weights are proper. If they aren’t, you
may be able to correct them simply
by moving some items around in the
trailer.Too little tongue load can make the
trailer unstable and cause it to sway.
Too much tongue load reduces front-
tire traction and steering control.DRIVING TIPS5-36
WARNING
 An improperly loaded trailer
can cause loss of control of
your vehicle.
 Never load a trailer with more
weight in the rear than in the
front. The front should be
loaded with approximately
60% of the total trailer load;
the rear should be loaded with
approximately 40% of the total
trailer load.
 Never exceed the maximum
weight limits of the trailer or
trailer towing equipment.
Improper loading can result in
damage to your vehicle and/or
personal injury. Check
weights and loading at a com-
mercial scale or highway
patrol office equipped with
scales.
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Uniform Tire Quality Grading
The following information relates to
the tire grading system developed by
the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) for grading tires
by tread wear, traction and tempera-
ture performance.Tread Wear
The tread wear grade is a compara-
tive rating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified government
test course. For example, a tire grad-
ed 150 would wear one-and-a-half
times as well on the government
course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires
depends upon the actual conditions
of their use. However, performance
may differ from the norm because of
variations in driving habits, service
practices and differences in road
characteristics and climate.
These grades are molded on the
side-walls of passenger vehicle tires.
The tires available as standard or
optional equipment on Kia vehicles
may vary with respect to grade.Traction – A, B & C
The traction grades, from highest to
lowest, are A, B and C. The grades
represent the tire’s ability to stop on
wet pavement as measured under
controlled conditions on specified
government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete. A tire marked C may
have poor traction performance.
Temperature – A, B & C
The temperature grades are A (the
highest),
B and C. The grades represent the
tire’s resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled condi-
tions on a specified laboratory test
wheel. Sustained high temperature
can cause the material of the tire to
degenerate and reduce tire life, and
excessive temperature can lead to
sudden tire failure. Grades A and B
represent higher levels of perform-
ance on the laboratory test wheel
than the minimum required by the
law.
MAINTENANCE
7-31
S2BLD306 Tread wear XXX Traction X
Temperature X
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