7-12 Starting and driving
NOTE:
• “Vapor lock” refers to the condition in which the
brake system overheats, causing the brake fluid
to boil and form bubbles that weaken hydraulic
pressure, resulting in poor braking.
• “Fading” refers to the condition in which the
brake linings or brake pads overheat to the point
where friction is significantly reduced. This also
results in poor braking.
• First decelerate the engine sufficiently before
downshifting.
Decelerate, as a rule, to roughly 2,000 rpm
before downshifting, and pay attention not to let
the needle enter the red zone during driving.
Downshifting more than two gears at a time or
downshifting at a high engine speed could
cause the engine to overrev.
In an automatic transmission vehicle, shifting
down will be prohibited by a safety device if the
vehicle is driving fast. In such cases, depress
the brake pedal and reduce the vehicle speed.
WARNING
• Never coast downhill with the gearshift
lever in neutral (manual transmission vehi-
cles) or the range selector lever in the “N”
position (automatic transmission vehi-
cles). Doing so makes both engine braking
and exhaust brake inoperative, which in
turn excessively burdens the service
brakes. This also causes the brakes to
overheat and the brake linings to wear out
prematurely.
In an automatic transmission vehicle, this
can also cause damage to the transmis-
sion.
• Avoid overusing the service brakes as the
resultant overheating could cause unde-
sirable vapor lock and fading, both of
which contribute to poor braking.
WARNING
Except in an emergency, never apply the
parking brake while the vehicle is moving
since the vehicle could spin and/or overturn.
FE_FG.book Page 12 Wednesday, January 14, 2009 7:08 PM
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