MAZDA MODEL MX-5 2006 Owners Manual (in English)

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qSafety Practices
The way you drive has a great deal to do with your tire mileage and safety. So cultivate
good driving habits for your own benefit.
lObserve posted speed limits
lAvoid fast starts, stops and turns
lAvoid potholes and objects on the road
lDo no run over curbs or hit the tire against the curb when parking
CAUTION
If you feel a sudden vibration or ride disturbance while driving or you suspect your tire
or vehicle has been damaged, immediately reduce your speed. Drive with caution until
you can safely pull off the road. Stop and inspect the tire for damage. If the tire is under-
inflated or damaged, deflate it, remove the tire and rim and replace it with your spare
tire. If you cannot detect a cause, have the vehicle towed to the nearest vehicle or tire
dealer to have the vehicle inspected.
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Vehicle Loading
This section will guide you in the proper loading of your vehicle and/or trailer, to keep
your loaded vehicle weight within its design rating capability, with or without a trailer.
Properly loading your vehicle will provide maximum return of vehicle design performance.
Before loading your vehicle, familiarize yourself with the following terms for determining
your vehicle's weight ratings, with or without a trailer, from the vehicle's Safety
Certification Label and Tire and Load Information Label:
WARNING
Overloaded Vehicle:
Overloading a vehicle is dangerous. The results of overloading can have serious
consequences in terms of passenger safety. Too much weight on a vehicle's suspension
system can cause spring or shock absorber failure, brake failure, handling or steering
problems, irregular tire wear, tire failure or other damage.
Overloading makes a vehicle harder to drive and control. It also increases the distance
required for stopping. In cases of serious overloading, brakes can fail completely,
particularly on steep grades. The load a tire will carry safely is a combination of the
size of the tire, its load range, and corresponding inflation pressure.
Never overload the vehicle and always observe the vehicle's weight ratings from the
vehicle's Safety Certification and Tire and Load Information labels.
Base Curb Weight is the weight of the vehicle including a full tank of fuel and all
standard equipment. It does not include passengers, cargo, or optional equipment.
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Vehicle Curb Weightis the weight of your new vehicle when you picked it up from your
dealer plus any aftermarket equipment.
PAYLOAD
Payloadis the combined weight of cargo and passengers that the vehicle is designed to
carry. The maximum payload for your vehicle can be found on the Tire and Load
Information label on the driver's door frame or door pillar. Look for“THE COMBINED
WEIGHT OF OCCUPANTS AND CARGO SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX kg or
XXX lbs”for your maximum payload. The payload listed on the tire label is the maximum
payload for the vehicle as built by the assembly plant. If any aftermarket or dealer installed
equipment has been installed on the vehicle, the weight of the equipment must be
subtracted from the payload listed on the tire label in order to be accurate.
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SAMPLE
CARGO
Cargo Weightincludes all weight added to the Base Curb Weight, including cargo and
optional equipment. When towing, trailer tongue load or king pin weight is also part of
cargo weight.
The cargo weight limit decreases depending on the number of vehicle occupants. The cargo
weight limit can be calculated by subtracting the total weight of the vehicle occupants from
the“combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed”value on the tire label.
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Examples: Based on a single occupant weight of 68 kg, and a value of 385 kg for the
“combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed”:
The cargo weight limit with one occupant is 385 kg_
68 kg = 317 kg
The cargo weight limit with two occupants is 385 kg_
(68 × 2) kg = 249 kg
If the weight of the occupant increases, the cargo weight limit decreases by that much.
GAW (Gross Axle Weight)is the total weight placed on each axle (front and rear) -
including vehicle curb weight and all payload.
GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating)is the maximum allowable weight that can be carried
by a single axle (front or rear).These numbers are shown on the Safety Compliance
Certification Label located on the driver's door frame or door pillar. The total load on
each axle must never exceed its GAWR.
GVW
GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight)is the Vehicle Curb Weight + cargo + passengers.
GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating)is the maximum allowable weight of the fully
loaded vehicle (including all options, equipment, passengers and cargo).The GVWR is
shown on the Safety Compliance Certification Label located on the driver's door
frame or door pillar. The GVW must never exceed the GVWR.
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SAMPLE
WARNING
Exceeding Axle Weight Rating Limits:
Exceeding the Safety Certification Label axle weight rating limits is dangerous and
could result in substandard vehicle handling, performance, engine, transmission and/
or structural damage, serious damage to the vehicle, loss of control and personal
injury.
Always keep the vehicle within the axle weight rating limits.
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GCW
GCW (Gross Combined Weight)is the weight of the loaded vehicle (GVW) plus the
weight of the fully loaded trailer.
GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating)is the maximum allowable weight of the
vehicle and the loaded trailer - including all cargo and passengers - that the vehicle can
handle without risking damage. (Important: The towing vehicle's braking system is rated
for operation at GVWR, not at GCWR. Separate functional brakes should be used for safe
control of towed vehicles and for trailers weighing more than 1,500 lbs).The GCW must
never exceed the GCWR.
Maximum Loaded Trailer Weightis the highest possible weight of a fully loaded trailer
the vehicle can tow. It assumes a vehicle with only mandatory options, no cargo (internal or
external), a tongue load of 10_
15% (conventional trailer) or king pin weight of 15_
25%
(fifth-wheel trailer), and driver only (150 lbs).Consult your dealership (or the RV and
Trailer Towing Guide provided by your dealership) for more detailed information.
Tongue Load or Fifth-Wheel King Pin Weightrefers to the amount of the weight that a
trailer pushes down on a trailer hitch.
Examples:For a 5000 lb conventional trailer, multiply 5000 by 0.10 and 0.15 to obtain a
proper tongue load range of 500 to 750 lbs. For an 11,500 lb fifth-wheel trailer, multiply by
0.15 and 0.25 to obtain a proper king pin load range of 1,725 to 2,875 lbs.
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WARNING
Exceeding GVWR or GAWR Specifications:
Exceeding the GVWR or the GAWR specified on the certification label is dangerous.
Exceeding any vehicle rating limitation could result in a serious accident, injury, or
damage to the vehicle.
Do not use replacement tires with lower load carrying capacities than the originals
because they may lower the vehicle's GVWR and GAWR limitations. Replacement
tires with a higher limit than the originals do not increase the GVWR and GAWR
limitations.
Never exceed the GVWR or the GAWR specified on the certification label.
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Steps for Determining the Correct Load Limit:
Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit:
(1) Locate the statement“The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never
exceed XXX kg or XXX lbs”on your vehicle's placard.
(2) Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers that will be riding in your
vehicle.
(3) Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers from XXX kg or XXX lbs.
(4) The resulting figure equals the available amount of cargo and luggage load capacity.
For example, if the“XXX”amount equals 1400 lbs. and there will be five 150 lb
passengers in your vehicle, the amount of available cargo and luggage load capacity is
650 lbs. (1400_
750 (5 × 150) = 650 lbs.)
(5) Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely exceed the available cargo and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step 4.
(6) If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, the load from your trailer will be transferred to
your vehicle. Consult this manual to determine how this reduces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity of your vehicle.
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Reporting Safety Defects (U.S.A.)
If you believe that your vehicle has a defect which could cause a crash or could
cause injury or death, you should immediately inform the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in addition to notifying Mazda Motor
Corporation (Your Mazda Importer/Distributor).
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may open an investigation, and if it
finds that a safety defect exists in a group of vehicles, it may order a recall and
remedy campaign. However, NHTSA cannot become involved in individual
problems between you, your dealer, or Mazda Motor Corporation (Your Mazda
Importer/Distributor).
To contact NHTSA, you may either call the Auto Safety Hotline toll-free at 1
(800) 424-9393 (or 366-0123 in Washington, D.C. area) or write to: NHTSA,
U.S. Department of Transportation. Washington, D.C. 20590. You can also
obtain other information about motor vehicle safety from the Hotline.
NOTE
If you live in the U.S.A., all correspondence to Mazda Motor Corporation should be
forwarded to:
Mazda North American Operations
7755 Irvine Center Drive
Irvine, California 92618-2922
P.O. Box 19734
Irvine, CA 92623-9734
Customer Assistance Center or toll free at 1 (800) 222-5500
If you live outside of the U.S.A., please contact the nearest Mazda Distributor shown
(page 9-8) in this booklet.
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