tires MAZDA MODEL 626 2001 Owners Manual

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Protecting Your Mazda
4-7
WARNING
!
Snow Blocking the Exhaust Gas:Running the engine when a
vehicle is stopped in deep snow is
dangerous. The exhaust pipe
could be blocked by the snow,
allowing exhaust gas to enter the
cabin. Because exhaust gas
contains poisonous carbon
monoxide, anyone in the cabin
could be injured or killed. Clear
the snow from underneath and
around your vehicle before
starting the engine.
034-1AE
Before DrivingBefore Getting In
• Be sure the windows, outside
mirror(s), and outside lights are
clean.
• Inspect inflation pressures and
condition of tires.
• Look under the vehicle for any sign
of a leak.
• If you plan to back up, make sure
nothing will be in your way.
034-2AE
NOTEEngine oil, engine coolant,
brake/clutch fluid, washer fluid,
and other fluid levels should be
inspected daily, weekly, or at
refueling, depending on the fluid.
See Maintenance, Section 8.

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Protecting Your Mazda
4-9
036-1AE
Money-Saving SuggestionsHow you operate your Mazda
determines how far it will travel on a
tank of fuel. Use these suggestions to
help save money on fuel and repairs.
•Avoid long warm-ups. Once the
engine runs smoothly, begin
driving.
• Avoid fast starts.
• Keep the engine tuned. Follow the
maintenance schedule (page 8-3)
and have an Authorized Mazda
Dealer perform inspections and
servicing.
• Use the air conditioner only when
necessary. •
Slow down on rough roads.
• Keep the tires properly inflated.
• Don’ t carry unnecessary weight.
• Don’ t rest your foot on the brake
pedal while driving.
• Keep the wheels in correct
alignment.
• Keep windows closed at high
speeds.
• Slow down when driving in
crosswinds and headwinds.

036-2AE
WARNING
!
Coasting:Turning off the engine to coast
down a hill can be dangerous.
This causes the loss of power
steering and power brake control.
Any loss of steering or braking
control could cause an accident.
Never turn off the engine and
coast down a hill.

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Protecting Your Mazda4-10

037-1CE
Special Driving Conditions Hazardous Driving
When driving on ice or in water, snow,
mud, sand, or similar hazard:
• Be cautious and allow extra
distance for braking.
• Avoid sudden braking and quick
steering.
• Brake with the pedal by using a
light up-down motion. Don’ t hold
the pedal down constantly.
• If you get stuck, shift to 1 or 2 and
accelerate slowly. Don’ t spin the
front wheels. •
For more traction in starting, use
sand, rock salt, chains, carpeting, or
other nonslip material under the
front wheels.
037-3A1E
WARNING
!
Downshifting on SlipperySurfaces:Downshifting into first gear with
a manual transaxle or into low
with an automatic transaxle while
driving on slippery surfaces could
be dangerous. The sudden change
in tire speed could cause the tires
to skid. This could lead to loss of
vehicle control and an accident. If
it is necessary to downshift on
slippery surfaces, be very careful.

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Protecting Your Mazda4-12

Q037-7IE
 Winter Driving
• Carry emergency gear, including
tire chains, window scraper, flares,
a small shovel, jumper cables, and
a small bag of sand or salt.
• Have the proper ratio of antifreeze
in the radiator (page 8-22).
• Inspect the battery and its cables.
Cold reduces battery capacity.
• Use only cold-weather engine oil
(page 8-16).
• Inspect the ignition system for
damage and loose connections. •
Use washer fluid made with
antifreeze—but don’ t use engine
coolant antifreeze for washer fluid
(page 8-33).
• Don’ t use the parking brake if it
might freeze. Instead, shift to P
with an automatic transaxle and to
1 or R with a manual. Block the
rear wheels.

037-8H1E
 Snow tires
Your vehicle is originally equipped
with all season radials designed to be
used all year around. In some extreme
climates you may find it necessary to
replace them with snow tires during
the winter months to further improve
traction on snow and ice covered roads.
Use snow tires on all four wheels.
Don’ t go faster than 120 km/h (75
mph). Inflate snow tires 28 kPa (0.3
kgf/cm
2, 4 psi) more than
recommended on the tire pressure
label (driver ’s door), but never more
than the maximum cold-tire pressure
shown on the tires.

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Protecting Your Mazda
4-13
WARNING
!
Mixing Tire Types:Using tires different in size or type
is dangerous. Your vehicle’s
handling could be greatly affected
and result in an accident. Use
only the same size and type tires
(snow, radial, or non-radial) on
all four wheels.NOTECheck local regulations before
using studded tires.

037-9A5E
 Tire chains
Check local regulations before using
tire chains.
Install the chains on the front tires.
Don’ t use chains on the rear tires.
Use only SAE Class “S” chains, and
make sure they fit.
To install the chains:
1. Remove the wheel covers, or the chain bands will scratch them.
2. Secure the chains on the front tires as tightly as possible. Always
follow the chain manufacturer ’s
instructions. 3. Retighten the chains after driving
1/2-1 km (1/4-1/2 mile).

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Protecting Your Mazda4-14
CAUTION
!
•Chains may scratch or chip
aluminum wheels. Install tire
chains on steel wheels only.
• Chains may affect handling.
• Don’ t go faster than 50 km/h
(30 mph) or the chain
manufacturer ’s recommended
limit, whichever is lower.
• Drive carefully and avoid
bumps, holes, and sharp turns.
• Avoid locked-wheel braking.
(Continued)
•Don’ t use chains on the
temporary tire; it may result in
damage to the vehicle and to
the tire.
• Don’ t use chains on roads that
are free of snow or ice. The
tires and chains could be
damaged.

037-10AE
 Driving in Flooded Areas
CAUTION
!
Make sure water does not enter the
vehicle interior or the engine area.
The vehicle interior could become
wet or the engine could be
damaged.

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
*Some models.
Driving Your Mazda5-16
114-1A1E
Traction Control System
(TCS)*The Traction Control System (TCS)
enhances traction and safety by
regulating engine torque. When the
TCS detects driving wheel slippage, it
lowers engine torque to prevent loss of
traction.
This means that on a slick surface, the
engine adjusts automatically to
provide optimum power to the drive
wheels without causing them to spin
and lose traction.
WARNING
!
TCS and Unsafe Driving:The traction control system (TCS)
cannot compensate for unsafe
and reckless driving, excessive
speed, tailgating (following
another vehicle too closely), and
hydroplaning (reduced tire
friction and road contact because
of water on the road surface). You
can still have an accident. So
don’t rely on the traction control
system as a substitute for safe
driving.
WARNING
!
TCS and Snow and Ice:Driving without proper traction
devices on snow- and ice-covered
roads is dangerous. The traction
control system (TCS) alone
cannot provide adequate traction
and you could still have an
accident. Use snow tires or tires
chains and drive at reduced
speeds when roads are covered
with ice and snow.

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Driving Your Mazda
5-23
NOTEBraking distances may be longer
on loose surfaces (snow or gravel,
for example) which usually have a
hard foundation. A vehicle with a
normal braking system may
require less distance to stop under
these conditions because the tires
will build up a wedge of surface
layer when the wheels skid.
WARNING
!
ABS:The ABS cannot compensate for
unsafe and reckless driving,
excessive speed, tailgating
(following another vehicle too
closely), and hydroplaning
(reduced tire friction and road
contact because of water on the
road surface). You can still have
an accident. So don’t rely on ABS
as a substitute for safe driving.
NOTEWhen the engine is jump-started,
an unevenness of rpm occurs and
the ABS warning light comes on.
This is due to a lack of battery
capacity and doesn’ t indicate a
malfunction.
Have the battery recharged as soon
as possible.

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
In Case of Emergency6-26
If you’re unsure of how tight the
nuts should be, have them
inspected at a service station. The
specified torque is 90 to 120 N·m
(9.0 to 12.0 kgf·m, 65 to 87
ft·lbf).
WARNING
!
Loose Lug Nuts:Improperly or loosely tightened
lug nuts are dangerous. The
wheel could wobble or come off.
This could result in loss of vehicle
control and cause a serious
accident. Always securely and
correctly tighten the lug nuts.
WARNING
!
Metric Studs and Lug Nuts:Because the wheel studs and lug
nuts on your Mazda have metric
threads, using a nonmetric nut
would be dangerous. On a metric
stud, it would not secure the
wheel and would damage the
stud, which could cause the wheel
to slip off and cause an accident.
Be sure to reinstall the same nuts
you removed or replace them with
metric nuts of the same
configuration.
WARNING
!
Incorrect Tire Air Pressure:Driving on tires with incorrect air
pressure is dangerous. Tires with
incorrect pressure could affect
handling and result in an
accident. Don’t drive with any
tires that have incorrect air
pressure. When you check the
regular tire’ s air pressure, check
the spare tire, too.

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Appearance Care7-4
078-15A1E

Water Marks
 Occurrence
Rain, fog, dew, and even tap water can
contain harmful minerals such as salt
and lime. If moisture containing these
minerals settles on the vehicle and
evaporates, the minerals will
concentrate and harden to form white
rings. The rings can damage your
vehicle’ s finish. 
Prevention
It is necessary to wash and wax your
vehicle to preserve its finish according
to the instructions in this section.
These steps should be taken
immediately after you find water
marks on your vehicle’ s finish.
078-16A1E

Paint Chipping
 Occurrence
Paint chipping occurs when gravel
thrown in the air by another vehicle’ s
tires hits your vehicle.
 How to avoid paint chipping
Keeping a safe distance between you
and the vehicle ahead reduces the
chances of having your paint chipped
by flying gravel.