Winter Driving - Mazda 2005 RX-8 Owner's Manual

RX-8_8T69-EA-04G_Edition1 Page93
Wednesday, June 9 2004 2:11 PM

Winter Driving

Carry emergency gear, including tire
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chains, window scraper, flares, a small
shovel, jumper cables, and a small bag
of sand or salt.
Ask an Authorized Mazda Dealer to
perform the following precautions:
Have the proper ratio of antifreeze in
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the radiator.
Inspect the battery and its cables. Cold
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reduces battery capacity.
Inspect the ignition system for damage
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and loose connections.
Use washer fluid made with
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antifreeze but don't use engine
coolant antifreeze for washer fluid
(page 8-21).
Don't use the parking brake in freezing
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weather as the parking brake may
freeze. Instead, shift to P with an
automatic transmission and to 1 or R
with a manual transmission. Block the
rear wheels.
qSnow Tires
WARNING
Mixing Tire Types:
Using tires different in size or type is
dangerous. Your vehicle's handling
could be greatly affected and result in
an accident. Use only the same size
and type tires (snow, radial, or non-
radial) on all four wheels.
Form No.8T69-EA-04G
Black plate (93,1)
Before Driving Your Mazda
Driving Tips
CAUTION
Check local regulations before using
studded tires.
NOTE
If your vehicle is equipped with the tire
pressure monitoring system, the system
may not function correctly when using
tires with steel wire reinforcement in
the sidewalls (page 5-27).
Use snow tires on all four wheels
Don't go faster than 120 km/h (75 mph)
while driving with snow tires. Inflate
snow tires 30 kPa (0.3 kgf/cm
more than recommended on the tire
pressure label (driver's door), but never
more than the maximum cold-tire pressure
shown on the tires.
Your vehicle is originally equipped with
summer tires designed for optimum
traction on wet and dry roads. If your
vehicle is to be used on snow and ice
covered roads, you may find it necessary
to replace the original equipment tires
with snow tires, during the winter months.
2
, 4.3 psi)
4-9