Seat ibiza Owner's Manual page 146

144 Your vehicle and the environment
• In vehicles without air conditioning, the cooling system should
be reinforced if a towing device is fitted at a later stage.
Failure to do so will submit the engine to greater stress (steep
slopes, high temperatures, heavy towing loads, etc.) and result in
overheating of the engine. For more information, contact a
Technical Service Centre.
• When using a trailer on mountain routes you must bear in mind
that the tow loads given in the "Technical data" chapter are only
applicable for slopes of 10% to 12%. If you do not use the full tow
load you may drive up steeper slopes.
• The given trailer weights are only applicable for altitudes up
to 1000 m above sea level. As the engine output drops due to
the decreasing air density, the climbing ability must also be
reduced by 10% for each further 1000 m.
• Where possible make full use of the maximum permissible
drawbar weight on the ball of the towing bracket but do not exceed
it chapter "Technical Data".
⇒
• While observing the permissible trailer and drawbar weight,
distribute the load in the trailer so that heavy objects are as near
as possible to the axle. The objects must also be secured so that
they cannot slip about.
• The tyre pressures on the towing vehicle must be adjusted for full
load conditions, and also check the pressures on the trailer.
• Headlight settings should be checked, with the trailer attached,
before beginning the journey and adjusted as necessary.
On vehicles with headlight beam control it is only necessary to turn
the knurled disc on the dash board in the appropriate direction.
D D r r i i v v i i n n g g i i n n s s t t r r u u c c t t i i o o n n s s
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle and trailer, the
following should be noted:
• Try to avoid driving with an unladen vehicle and a loaded trailer.
If this cannot be avoided, only drive slowly to allow for the
unfavourable weight distribution.
• As driving stability of vehicle and trailer decreases when the
speed increases do not drive at the maximum permissible top
speed in unfavourable road, weather or wind conditions –
particularly when going downhill.
In any case the speed must be reduced as soon as the trailer
shows the slightest sign of snaking. On no account try to stop the
snaking by accelerating.
• • F F o o r r s s a a f f e e t t y y r r e e a a s s o o n n s s o o n n e e s s h h o o u u l l d d n n o o t t d d r r i i v v e e f f a a s s t t e e r r t t h h a a n n 8 8 0 0 k k m m / / h h
( ( 5 5 0 0 m m p p h h ) ) . . T T h h i i s s a a l l s s o o a a p p p p l l i i e e s s i i n n c c o o u u n n t t r r i i e e s s w w h h e e r r e e h h i i g g h h e e r r s s p p e e e e d d s s a a r r e e
p p e e r r m m i i t t t t e e d d . .
• Always brake in good time. If the trailer has an overrun brake,
apply the brakes gently at first then firmly. This will avoid the
jerking caused by the trailer wheels locking.
Change down before going down a steep hill so that the engine
can act as a brake.
• When a long climb in a low gear with extremely high engine revs
must be negotiated at exceptionally high ambient temperatures
the coolant temperature gauge must be observed. When the gauge
needle moves to the right end of the scale, the road speed must be
reduced immediately.
• The cooling effect of the radiator fan cannot be increased by
changing down, because the speed of the fan is not dependent on