Driving your vehicle
205
Manual transmission
cle on an incline. Do not operate the
clutch pedal rapidly and repeatedly.
When operating the clutch pedal, press
the clutch pedal down fully. If you don't
press the clutch pedal fully, the clutch
may be damaged or noise may occur.
Using the clutch
Depress the clutch pedal as far as possi
-
ble. Be aware not to apply the pedal
again before it returns to the normal
position.
If the pedal is repeatedly depressed
before returning to its normal position,
the clutch system might be damaged.
Do not overload the vehicle. Starting or
driving a vehicle in this situation gener
-
ates too much frictional heat to the
clutch disk which might cause damage
to the clutch cover and disk.
When starting the vehicle or driving
backwards, releasing the clutch pedal
too soon after shifting the lever might
turn off the engine and lead to an acci
-
dent.
Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy traf
-
fic or whilst driving up steep hills, down
-
shift before the engine starts to labour.
Downshifting reduces the chance of
stalling and gives better acceleration
when you again need to increase your
speed. When the vehicle is travelling
down steep hills, downshifting helps
maintain safe speed and prolongs brake
life.
Good driving practices
僅 Never take the vehicle out of gear and
coast down a hill. This is extremely
hazardous. Always leave the vehicle in
gear.
僅 Don't "ride" the brakes. This can cause
them to overheat and malfunction.
Instead, when you are driving down a
long hill, shift to a lower gear. When
you do this, engine braking will help
slow down the vehicle.
僅 Slow down before shifting to a lower
gear. This will help avoid over-revving
the engine, which can cause damage.
僅 Slow down when you encounter cross
winds. This gives you much better
control of your vehicle.
僅 Be sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before you attempt to shift
into reverse. The transmission can be
damaged if you do not.
僅 Exercise extreme caution when driv
-
ing on a slippery surface. Be espe
-
cially careful when braking,
accelerating or shifting gears. On a
slippery surface, an abrupt change in
vehicle speed can cause the drive
wheels to lose traction and the vehicle
to go out of control.
僅 Always buckle-up! In a collision, an
unbelted occupant is significantly
more likely to be seriously injured or
killed than a properly belted occu
-
pant.
僅 Avoid high speeds when cornering or
turning.
僅 Do not make quick steering wheel
movements, such as sharp lane
changes or fast, sharp turns.