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Driving your vehicle Winter driving
Winter driving
Severe weather conditions in the winter
result in greater wear and other prob
-
lems.
To minimize the problems of winter driv
-
ing, you should follow these sugges
-
tions:
Snowy or icy conditions
To drive your vehicle in deep snow, it
may be necessary to use snow tires or to
install tire chains on your tires.
If snow tires are needed, it is necessary
to select tires equivalent in size and type
of the original equipment tires. Failure to
do so may adversely affect the safety
and handling of your vehicle. Further
-
more, speeding, rapid acceleration, sud
-
den brake applications, and sharp turns
are potentially very hazardous practices.
During deceleration, use vehicle braking
to the fullest extent. Sudden brake appli
-
cations on snowy or icy roads may cause
skids to occur. You need to keep suffi
-
cient distance between the vehicle in
operation in front of your vehicle. Also,
apply the brake gently. It should be
noted that installing tire chains on the
tire will provide a greater driving force,
but will not prevent side skids.
Tire chains are not legal in all states.
Check state laws before fitting tire
chains.
Snow tires
If you mount snow tires on your vehicle,
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
vehicle's original equipment tires. You
should drive cautiously even when the
roads are clear. Check with the tire
dealer for maximum speed recommen
-
dations.
Do not install studded tires without first
checking local, state and municipal reg
-
ulations for possible restrictions against
their use.
Snow Tire Size
Snow tires should be equivalent in size
and type to the vehicle's standard tires.
Otherwise, the safety and handling of
your vehicle may be adversely affected.
Tire chains
When using tire chains, install tire chains
only on the rear tires.
Since the sidewalls of radial tires are
thinner, they can be damaged by
mounting some types of snow chains on
them. Therefore, the use of snow tires is
recommended instead of snow chains.
Do not mount tire chains on vehicles
equipped with aluminum wheels; snow
chains may cause damage to the
wheels. If snow chains must be used, use
fabric type snow chains to prevent dam
-
age to your vehicle. Damage to your
vehicle caused by improper snow chain
use is not covered by your vehicle man
-
ufacturer's warranty.
Install tire chains only on the rear tires.
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