Hyundai Matrix 2003 Owner's Manual page 253

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DRIVING FOR ECONOMY
You can save fuel and get more miles from
your car if you follow these suggestions:
o Drive smoothly. Accelerate at a moderate
rate. Don't make "jack-rabbit" starts or full-
throttle shifts and maintain a steady cruis-
ing speed. Don't race between stoplights.
Try to adjust your speed to that of the other
traffic so you don't have to change speeds
unnecessarily.
Avoid heavy traffic whenever possible. Al-
ways maintain a safe distance from other
vehicles so you can avoid unnecessary
braking. This also reduces brake wear.
o Drive at a moderate speed. The faster you
drive, the more fuel your car uses. Driving
at a moderate speed, especially on the
highway, is one of the most effective ways
to reduce fuel consumption.
o Don't "ride" the brake or clutch pedal. This
can increase fuel consumption and also
increase wear on these components. In
addition, driving with your foot resting on
the brake pedal may cause the brakes to
overheat, which reduces their effective-
ness and may lead to more serious con-
sequences.
o Take care of your tyres. Keep them inflated
to the recommended pressure. Incorrect
infla-tion, either too much or too little, re-
sults in unnecessary tyre wear. Check the
tyre pres-sures at least once a month.
DRIVING YOUR HYUNDAI
o Be sure that the wheels are aligned cor-
rectly. Improper alignment can result from
hitting curbs or driving too fast over irregu-
lar surfaces. Poor alignment causes faster
tyre wear and may also result in other
problems as well as greater fuel consump-
tion.
o Keep your car in good condition. For better
fuel economy and reduced maintenance
costs, maintain your car in accordance
with the maintenance schedule in Section
5. If you drive your car in severe condi-
tions, more frequent maintenance is re-
quired (see Section 5 for details).
o Keep your car clean. For maximum ser-
vice, your car should be kept clean and
free of corrosive materials. It is especially
important that mud, dirt, ice, etc. not be
allowed to accumulate on the underside of
the car. This extra weight can result in
increased fuel consumption and also con-
tribute to corrosion.
o Travel lightly. Don't carry unnecessary
weight in your car. Weight is an enemy of
good fuel economy.
o Don't let the engine idle longer than neces-
sary. If you are waiting (and not in traffic),
turn off your engine and restart only when
you're ready to go.
o Remember, your car does not require
extended warm-up. As soon as the engine
is running smoothly, you can drive away.
In very cold weather, however, give your
engine a slightly longer warm-up period.
o Don't "lug" or "over-rev" the engine. Lug-
ging is driving too slowly in too high a gear
resulting in the engine bucking. If this
happens to you, shift to a lower gear.
Over-revving is racing the engine beyond
its safe limit. This can be avoided by
shifting at the recommended speeds.
o Use your air conditioning sparingly. The air
conditioning system is operated by the
engine power so your fuel economy is
reduced when you use it.
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SMOOTH CORNERING
Avoid braking or gear changing in corners,
especially when roads are wet. Ideally, cor-
ners should always be taken under gentle
acceleration. If you follow these suggestions,
tyre wear will be held to a minimum.
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WINTER MOTORING
The onset of winter conditions subject motor
vehicles to greater operating demands. There-
fore, the following suggestions will assist in
maintaining peak performance and reliability
during these periods:
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