ground clearance KIA Sportage 2009 JE_ / 2.G Owner's Manual

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Introduction
VEHICLE HANDLING
INSTRUCTIONSAs with other vehicles of this type,
failure to operate this vehicle correct-
ly may result in loss of control, an
accident or vehicle rollover.
Specific design characteristics (high-
er ground clearance, track, etc.) give
this vehicle a higher center of gravity
than other types of vehicles. In other
words they are not designed for cor-
nering at the same speeds as con-
ventional 2-wheel drive vehicles.
Avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneu-
vers. Again, failure to operate this
vehicle correctly may result in loss of
control, an accident or vehicle
rollover.Be sure to read the “on-
pavement” and “off-road” driving
guidelines, in section 5 of this
manual.
VEHICLE BREAK-IN
PROCESSNo special break-in period is needed.
By following a few simple precautions
for the first 1,000 km (600 miles) you
may add to the performance, econo-
my and life of your vehicle.
Do not race the engine.
Do not maintain a single speed for long periods of time, either fast or
slow. Varying engine speed is
needed to properly break-in the
engine.
Avoid hard stops, except in emer- gencies, to allow the brakes to seat
properly.
Avoid full-throttle starts.

Driving tips12
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Driving in flooded areas Avoid driving through flooded areas
unless you are sure the water is no
higher 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 sev-
eral times while the vehicle is moving
slowly.
Reducing the risk of a rolloverThis multi-purpose passenger vehi-
cle is defined as a Sports Utility
Vehicle (SUV). SUV’s have higher
ground clearance and a narrower
track to make them capable of per-
forming in a wide variety of off-road
applications. Specific design charac-
teristics give them a higher center of
gravity than ordinary cars. An advan-
tage of the higher ground clearance
is a better view of the road, which
allows you to anticipate problems.
They are not designed for cornering
at the same speeds as conventional
passenger drive vehicles, any more
than low-slung sports cars are
designed to perform satisfactorily in
off-road conditions. Due to this risk,
driver and passengers are strongly
recommended to buckle their seat-
belts. In a rollover crash, an unbelt-
ed person is more likely to die than a
person wearing a seatbelt. There
are steps that a driver can make to
reduce the risk of a rollover. If at all
possible, avoid sharp turns or abrupt
maneuvers, do not load your roof
rack with heavy cargo, and never
modify your vehicle in any way.
Rollover warning labelTo remind you of the danger of the
rollover, a rollover warning label
which is now required by the Federal
Safety regulations is adhered to the
driver’s sunvisor.

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Driving tips
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To remind you of the danger of the
rollover, the rollover warning label is
adhered to the driver’s sunvisor. If
you close the driver’s sunvisor, you
can see the rollover warning label
which is located at the side of the air
bag warning label.
WARNING
- Rollover
As with other Sports Utility
Vehicle (SUV), failure to operate
this vehicle correctly may result
in loss of control, an accident or
vehicle rollover.
Specific design characteris- tics (higher ground clearance,
narrower track, etc.) give this
vehicle a higher center of
gravity than ordinary cars.
A SUV is not designed for cor- nering at the same speeds as
conventional vehicles.
Avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneuvers.
In a rollover crash, an unbelt- ed person is significantly
more likely to die than a per-
son wearing a safety belt.
Make sure everyone in the
vehicle is properly buckled up.
1KMN5513

In case of an emergency20
6The compact spare should be inflat-
ed to 420 kPa (60 psi).✽ ✽
NOTICECheck the inflation pressure after
installing the spare tire. Adjust it to
the specified pressure, as necessary.
When using a compact spare tire,
observe the following precautions:
Under no circumstances should
you exceed 80 km/h (50 mph); a
higher speed could damage the
tire.
Ensure that you drive slowly enough for the road conditions to
avoid all hazards. Any road hazard,
such as a pothole or debris, could
seriously damage the compact
spare.
Any continuous road use of this tire could result in tire failure, loss of
vehicle control, and possible per-
sonal injury.
Do not exceed the vehicle’s maxi- mum load rating or the load-carry-
ing capacity shown on the sidewall
of the compact spare tire.
Avoid driving over obstacles. The compact spare tire diameter is
smaller than the diameter of a con-
ventional tire and reduces the
ground clearance approximately
25 mm (1 inch), which could result
in damage to the vehicle. Do not take this vehicle through an
automatic car wash.
This tire should not be installed on the front axle if the vehicle must be
driven in snow or on ice.
Do not use the compact spare tire on any other vehicle because this
tire has been designed especially
for your vehicle.
The compact spare tire’s tread life is shorter than a regular tire.
Inspect your compact spare tire
regularly and replace worn com-
pact spare tires with the same size
and design, mounted on the same
wheel.
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CAUTION
This spare tire should be usedonly for VERY short distances.Compact spares should NEVERbe used for long drives orextended distances.

Maintenance40
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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.✽ ✽
NOTICEImproper wheel weights can dam-
age your vehicle's aluminum wheels.
Use only approved wheel weights.
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)
(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) (if equipped) to work
irregularly.

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Maintenance
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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 labelingFederal 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.1. 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.
WARNING
A wheel that is not the correct
size may adversely affect wheel
and bearing life, braking and
stopping abilities, handling char-
acteristics, ground clearance,
body-to-tire clearance, snow
chain clearance, speedometer
and odometer calibration, head-
light aim and bumper height.
I030B04JM
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