occurred, you should turn on the hazard
warning flashers, carefully slow down, and
drive with caution to an area which is a safe
distance from the road.
Inspect the tires and the vehicle underbody
for possible damage. If the vehicle or tires
appear unsafe, have the vehicle towed to the
nearest smart center or tire dealer for
repairs.
Treadwear indicators (TWI) are required by
law. These indicators are located in six
places on the tread circumference and
become visible at a tread depth of
approximately
1
/
16
in (1.6 mm), at which
point the tire is considered worn and
should be replaced.
The treadwear indicator appears as a solid
band across the tread.
G
WARNING
Although the applicable federal motor
vehicle safety laws consider a tire to be
worn when the treadwear indicators (TWI)
become visible at approximately
1
/
16
in
(1.6 mm), we recommend that you do not allow
your tires to wear down to that level. As
tread depth approaches
1
/
8
in (3 mm), the
adhesion properties on a wet road are
sharply reduced.
Depending upon the weather and/or road
surface (conditions), the tire traction
varies widely.
Specified tire inflation pressures must be
maintained. This applies particularly if
the tires are subject to high loads (e.g.
high speeds, heavy loads, high ambient
temperatures).
G
WARNING
Do not drive with a flat tire. Aflat tire will
affect your ability to steer or brake and may
cause you to lose control of the vehicle.
Continued driving with a flat tire or
driving at high speed with a flat tire will
cause excessive heat build-up and possibly
a fire.
For more information, see “Tires and
wheels” (Y page 122).
Hydroplaning
Depending on the depth of the water layer
on the road, hydroplaning may occur
resulting in a loss of control, even at low
speeds and with new tires. Reduce vehicle
speed, avoid track grooves in the road and
apply brakes cautiously when it is raining.
Tire traction
The safe speed on awet, snow covered or icy
road is always lower than on a dry road.
You should pay particular attention to the
condition of the road whenever the outside
temperatures are close to the freezing
point.
G
WARNING
If ice has formed on the road, tire traction
will be substantially reduced. Under such
weather conditions, drive, steer and brake
with extreme caution.
smart recommends winter tires
(Y page 140) with a minimum tread depth of
approximately
1
/
6
in (4 mm) on all four
wheels for the winter season to ensure
normal balanced handling characteristics.
On packed snow, they can reduce your
stopping distance compared to summer
tires.
Stopping distance, however, is still
considerably greater than when the road is
not covered with snow or ice. Exercise
appropriate caution.
!
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery road surfaces. Otherwise, the
drivetrain could be damaged, which is
144
Driving instructions
>> Operation.
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