Winter Driving - Mazda 2004 RX-8 Owner's Manual

J60E_8R65-EA-03C_Edition2.book Page 9 Saturday, April 26, 2003 1:48 PM

Winter Driving

• Carry emergency gear, including tire
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
the radiator.
• Inspect the battery and its cables. Cold
reduces battery capacity.
• Use only cold-weather engine oil (page
8-9).
• Inspect the ignition system for damage
and loose connections.
• Use washer fluid made with
antifreeze—but don't use engine
coolant antifreeze for washer fluid
(page 8-17).
• Don't use the parking brake in freezing
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.
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C
Before Driving Your Mazda
Driving Tips
M Snow 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.
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 5-26).
Use snow tires on all four wheels
Don't go faster than 120 km/h (75 mph).
Inflate snow tires 30 kPa (0.3 kgf/cm
4.3 psi) 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.
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