Winter Driving - Mazda 2012 MX-5 Owner's Manual

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.
Refer to Engine Coolant on page 8-20.
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 do not use engine
coolant antifreeze for washer fluid
(page 8-23).
Do not use the parking brake in
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freezing weather as it may freeze.
Instead, shift to P with an automatic
transmission and to 1 or R with a
manual transmission. Block the rear
wheels.
Do not apply excessive force to a
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window scraper when removing ice or
frozen snow on the mirror glass and
windshield.
Never use warm or hot water for
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removing snow or ice from windows
and mirrors as it could result in the
glass cracking.
Braking performance can be adversely
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affected if snow or ice adheres to the
brake equipment. If this situation
occurs, drive the vehicle slowly,
releasing the accelerator pedal and
lightly applying the brakes several
times until the brake performance
returns to normal.
qSnow Tires
Use snow tires on all four wheels
Do not 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 frame), 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, Mazda recommends that
you replace the tires originally equipped
on your vehicle with snow tires during the
winter months.
WARNING
Use only the same size and type tires
(snow, radial, or non-radial) on all four
wheels:
Using tires different in size or type is
dangerous. Your vehicle's handling
could be greatly affected and result
in an accident.
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
5-34).
Before Driving Your Mazda
Driving Tips
2
, 4.3 psi)
4-9