Driving your vehicle
325
Good braking practices
• Check to be sure the parking brake is
not engaged and that the parking
brake indicator light is out before driv-
ing away.
• Driving through water may get the
brakes wet. They can also get wet
when the vehicle is washed. Wet
brakes can be dangerous! Your vehicle
will not stop as quickly if the brakes are
wet.Wet brakes may cause the vehicle
to pull to one side.
To dry the brakes, apply the brakes
lightly until the braking action returns to
normal, taking care to keep the vehicle
under control at all times. If the braking
action does not return to normal, stop
as soon as it is safe to do so and call an
authorized Kia dealer for assistance.
• Don't coast down hills with the vehicle
out of gear. This is extremely haz-
ardous. Keep the vehicle in gear at all
times, use the brakes to slow down,
then shift to a lower gear so that
engine braking will help you maintain a
safe speed.
• Don't "ride" the brake pedal. Resting
your foot on the brake pedal while driv-
ing can be dangerous because the
brakes might overheat and lose their
effectiveness. It also increases the wear
of the brake components.
• If a tire goes flat while you are driving,
apply the brakes gently and keep the
vehicle pointed straight ahead while you
slow down. When you are moving slow-
ly enough for it to be safe to do so, pull
off the road and stop in a safe place.
• If your vehicle is equipped with an auto-
matic transaxle, don't let your vehicle
creep forward. To avoid creeping for-
ward, keep your foot firmly on the brake
pedal when the vehicle is stopped.
• Be cautious when parking on a hill.
Firmly engage the parking brake and
place the shift lever in P (automatic
transaxle) or in first or reverse gear
(manual transaxle).If your vehicle is fac-
ing downhill, turn the front wheels into
the curb to help keep the vehicle from
rolling. If your vehicle is facing uphill,
turn the front wheels away from the curb
to help keep the vehicle from rolling. If
there is no curb or if it is required by
other conditions to keep the vehicle
from rolling, block the wheels.
WARNING - Tire/Wheel
size
When replacing tires and wheels,
make sure they are the same size
as the original tires and wheels
installed. Driving with varying tire
or wheel sizes may diminish any
supplemental safety benefits of the
VSM system.