tire type KIA Sorento 2009 2.G Owner's Manual

417
Driving your vehicle
If you need to drive in water, stop yourvehicle, set your transfer knob to 4LO
or LOW and drive at less than 8 km/h
(5 mph). Do not drive in water if the level is high-
er than the bottom of the wheel hubs.
Check your brake condition once you are out of mud or water. Press the
brake pedal several times as you move
slowly until you feel normal braking
forces return.
Shorten your scheduled maintenance interval if you drive off-road in condi-
tions such as sand, mud or water (see
“Scheduled Maintenance’’ in the
Index). Always wash your car thor-
oughly.
The full time four wheel drive vehicle cannot be towed by an ordinarily tow
truck. Make sure that the vehicle is
towed with its four wheels raised off the
ground.
Since the driving torque is always applied to the 4 wheels the perform-
ance of the 4WD vehicle is greatly
affected by the condition of the tires.
Be sure to equip them with all four tires
with same size and type.
WARNING
If you are driving in heavy wind, the
vehicle’s higher center of gravity
decreases your steering control.
Drive more slowly than you would
in calm conditions.
WARNING
- Drivingthrough water
If you are driving too fast in water,
the water spray can get into the
engine compartment and wet the
ignition system, causing your vehi-
cle to suddenly stop. If this hap-
pens and your vehicle is in a tilted
position, your vehicle may roll over.
WARNING
Your vehicle is equipped with tires
designed to provide for 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 performance of your vehicle,
which could lead to handling 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 driv-
ing.

59
Driving tips
Winter driving We recommend that you carry emer-gency equipment, including tire chains,
a window scraper, windshield deicer, a
bag of sand or salt, flares, a small
shovel and jumper cables.
Make sure you have sufficient ethylene glycol coolant in the radiator.
Check the battery condition and cables. Cold temperatures reduce the
capacity of any battery, so it must be in
excellent condition to provide enough
winter starting power.
Make sure the engine oil viscosity is suitable for cold weather.
Check the ignition system for loose connections and damage.
Use antifreeze formulated windshield washer fluid. (Do not use engine
coolant antifreeze.)
Do not use the parking brake if it might freeze. When parking, shift to 1 (First)
or R (Reverse) with a manual trans-
mission or P (Park) with an automatic
transmission and block the rear
wheels.
Snow tires If you mount snow tires on your Kia,
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 firstchecking local, state and municipal regu-lations for possible restrictions againsttheir use.
Driving in flooded areas Avoid driving through flooded areas
unless you are sure the water is no high-
er 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 several
times while the vehicle is moving slowly.
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.

Maintenance32
7Compact spare tire replacement
(if equipped)
A compact spare tire has a shorter
tread life than a regular size tire.
Replace it when you can see the
tread wear indicator bars on the tire.
The replacement compact spare tire
should be the same size and design
tire as the one provided with your
new Kia and should be mounted on
the same compact spare tire wheel.
The compact spare tire is not
designed to be mounted on a regular
size wheel, and the compact spare
tire wheel is not designed for mount-
ing a regular size tire. Wheel alignment and tire
balance
The wheels on your vehicle were
aligned and balanced carefully at the
factory to give you the longest tire life
and best overall performance.
In most cases, you will not need to
have your wheels aligned again.
However, if you notice unusual tire
wear or your vehicle pulling one way
or the other, the alignment may need
to be reset.
If you notice your vehicle vibrating
when driving on a smooth road, your
wheels may need to be rebalanced.
WARNING
- Replacing tires
Driving on worn-out tires is very hazardous and will reduce
braking effectiveness, steering
accuracy, and traction.
Your vehicle is equipped with tires designed to provide for
safe ride and handling capabil-
ity. Do not use a size and type
of tire and wheel that is differ-
ent from the one that is origi-
nally installed on your vehicle.
It can affect the safety and per-
formance of your vehicle,
which could lead to handling
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 rec-
ommended by Kia for off road
driving, you should not use
these tires for highway driving.
(Continued)
CAUTION
Improper wheel weights candamage your vehicle's alu-minum wheels. Use onlyapproved wheel weights.

733
Maintenance
Wheel replacement
When replacing the metal wheels for
any reason, make sure the new
wheels are equivalent to the original
factory units in diameter, rim width
and offset.Tire sidewall labeling
Federal law requires tire manufactur-
ers to place standardized information
on the sidewall of all tires. This infor-
mation identifies and describes the
fundamental characteristics of the
tire and also provides the tire identifi-
cation number (TIN) for safety stan-
dard certification. The TIN can be
used to identify the tire in case of a
recall.
WARNING
A wheel that is not the correct
size may adversely affect wheel
and bearing life, braking and
stopping abilities, handling
characteristics, ground clear-
ance, body-to-tire clearance,
snow chain clearance,
speedometer calibration, head-
light aim and bumper height.
I030B04JM
1
1
2
34
5,6
7
(Continued)
The use of any other tire sizeor type may seriously affect
ride, handling, ground clear-
ance, stopping distance, body
to tire clearance, snow tire
clearance, and speedometer
reliability.
It is best to replace all four tires at the same time. If that is
not possible, or necessary,
then replace the two front or
two rear tires as a pair.
Replacing just one tire can
seriously affect your vehicle’s
handling.
The ABS works by comparing the speed of the wheels. Tire
size can affect wheel speed.
When replacing tires, all 4
tires must use the same size
originally supplied with the
vehicle. Using tires of a differ-
ent size can cause the ABS
(Anti-lock Brake System) and
ESC (Electronic Stability
Control) to work irregularly.
(if equipped)

Maintenance34
71. Manufacturer or brand nameManufacturer or Brand name is
shown.2. Tire size designation A tire’s sidewall is marked with a tire
size designation. You will need this
information when selecting replace-
ment tires for your car. The following
explains what the letters and num-
bers in the tire size designation
mean.
Example tire size designation:
(These numbers are provided as an
example only; your tire size designa-
tor could vary depending on your
vehicle.)
P245/70R16 106T
P - Applicable vehicle type (tires
marked with the prefix “P’’ are
intended for use on passenger
cars or light trucks; however, not
all tires have this marking).
245 - Tire width in millimeters. 70 - Aspect ratio. The tire’s section
height as a percentage of its
width.
R - Tire construction code (Radial).
16 - Rim diameter in inches.
106 - Load Index, a numerical code associated with the maximum
load the tire can carry.
T - Speed Rating Symbol. See the speed rating chart in this section
for additional information.
Wheel size designation Wheels are also marked with impor-
tant information that you need if you
ever have to replace one. The follow-
ing explains what the letters and
numbers in the wheel size designa-
tion mean.
Example wheel size designation:
7.0 JJX16
7.0 - Rim width in inches.
JJ - Rim contour designation.
16 - Rim diameter in inches.
Tire speed ratings The chart below lists many of the dif-
ferent speed ratings currently being
used for passenger cars. The speed
rating is part of the tire size designa-
tion on the sidewall of the tire. This
symbol corresponds to that tire's
designed maximum safe operating
speed.
S 180 km/h (112 mph)
T 190 km/h (118 mph)
H 210 km/h (130 mph) V 240 km/h (149 mph)Z Above 240 km/h (149 mph)
Maximum Speed
Speed
Rating
Symbol