18
(20
km/h) before 1st gear is selected. This posi-
tion should also
be
used for uphill driving on
very steep
hills
to avoid overheating the trans-
mission oil.
Se(;Dnd
and top gears
will
not
be
engaged when the lever is at 1.
N.
In position N (Neutral) no gear Is engaged.
The starter contact is operative
in
this
position.
The hand brake should
be
applied when the
se-
lector lever is
in
position N to prevent the car
from moving
If it is standing on a slope_
R_
Position R (Reverse) must not
be
selected
unless the car
Is
stationary.
P.
Position P (Park) is selected when the car Is
parked, and the lever must be in
this
position
before the
ignition
key can
be
turned to L
(Locked) and withdrawn. The selector lever is
then locked and the transmission is immobi-
lized.
Do
not select position P when the car Is in
motion. The starter can be operated with the
lever
In
this
position.
Moving Off
1.
Move the selector lever to the desired posi-
tion (normally 0 for forward driving).
2. Release the brake and accelerate.
Klck·down
To
obtain maximum acceleration, e.g. for over-
taklng,lt
Is possible to effect
an
instant change-
down at speeds below
50-55
mph (
80
-
85
km/h)
by
pushing the accelerator pedal hard down to the
kick-down position. Changing
up
to the next
higher gear
Is automatic
as
soon as the engine
reaches maximum revs for the gear engaged,
or
the pedal Is eased up.
STEERING
CHARACTERISTICS
The car has a built-in tendency to understeer,
I.e. at a given position
of
the steering wheel the
turning radius tends to increase with rising
speed. The car is
deliberately designed this way
to improve
its
stability
and reduce the risk of
backwheel skids
("fishtailing").
One of the ways in which understeering has
been achieved is through the weight distribu-
tion. With only a driver, about
60
% of the vehicle
weight is on the front wheels: the correspond-
ing figure for a
fully loaded car is about
50
%.
BRAKING
To
avoid subjecting the brakes
to
excessively
high temperatures, e.g. when driving downhill in
mountainous
country
with
descents
of
thousands of feet, you should utilize the brak-
ing power of the engine
by
selecting a lower
gear.
For cars with automatic transmission, use posi-
tion
"1"
or
"2".
IMPORTANT!
It
Is good
policy
to
check
the brakes occasionally when driving
to
make sure that they are working prop·
erly, especially
If
they have been sub·
jected to heavy splashing
with
water
or
when
driving
through
snow
or
salty
slush, as the braking effect may be tem·
porarlly reduced In conditions of
this
kind. The brake system Is
power
as·
slsted,
but
the added power from
this
Is
only available when the engine Is run·
nlng.
It
requires a considerably greater
force on the pedal
to
brake the car when
the engine
Is switched off.
The brake pads have been thoroughly tested
and are designed to deliver the best results with
respect to braking effort, useful
life and mini·
mum noise under normal driving conditions.
Use
only
Saab
original
asbestos-free brake
pads
(semi-metallic front) when worn pads need
replacing.
RUNNING
IN
Every new car has a recommended running in
period during which the owner is advised to
drive with restraint. Pistons, cylinder
walls and
bearings need to
be
in operation for some time
to produce smooth and hard-wearing contact
surfaces. Placing too much strain
on
a new
engi
ne
interferes with this gradual process,
shortening the life
of
the car and especially the
engi
ne
.
For the first
1,
000
miles you should not drive at
full throttle except for very brief periods. At
1,000
miles the car should be taken to a Saab
dealer for the recommended break-in service
(
see
Service and Maintenance Section).
CATALYTIC
CONVERTER
PRECAUTIONS
Use only unleaded fuel to preserve the effi-
ciency
of
the
catalyst.
Keep the vehicle in
proper operating
condition
by observance of
the maintenance schedule outlined elsewhere
in
this manual. Failure to
do
so will not only
result
In
a
1055
of
fuel economy but could also
damage the
catalytic
converter.
WARNINGI Malfunctions involving fuel
or
ignition
systems, resulting in misfire
or
ioss of performance, may lead
to
over·
heating of the catalyst. Do
not
continue
to operate your vehicle
In
this
condition.
Have
it
checked by your Saab dealer as
soon as possible.
Do
not
park,
idle
,
or
drive
converter
equipped cars
in
areas where dry grass
or
other
combu
s
tible
materials
can
come
into
contact
with
the
hot
exhaust
and be ignited.
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