KIA Sorento 2006 User Manual
Page 221
TRAILER TOWING
Your vehicle can tow a trailer. To iden-
tify what the vehicle trailering capaci-
ty is for your vehicle, you should read
the information in “Weight of the
Trailer’’ that appears later in this sec-
tion. Remember that trailering is dif-
ferent than just driving your vehicle
by itself. Trailering means changes in
handling, durability, and fuel econo-
my. Successful, safe trailering takes
correct equipment, and it has to be
used properly.
This section contains many time-test-
ed, important trailering tips and safe-
ty rules. Many of these are important
for your safety and that of your pas-
sengers. Please read this section
carefully before you pull a trailer.
Load-pulling components such as the
engine, transmission, wheel assem-
blies, and tires are forced to work
harder against the load of the added
weight. The engine is required to
operate at relatively higher speeds
and under greater loads. This addi-
tional burden generates extra heat.
The trailer also adds considerably to
wind resistance, further increasing
the pulling requirements.
If You Do Decide to Pull a Trailer
Here are some important points if you
decide to pull a trailer:
• State, provincial, county and
municipal government have varying
trailering laws. Make sure your
hitch, mirrors, lights and wiring
arrangements are legal, not only
where you live, but also where
you’ll be driving. A good source for
this information is provincial or local
law enforcement agencies.
• Consider using a sway control. You
can ask a hitch dealer about sway
control.
• After your odometer indicates 800
km or more, you can tow a trailer.
For the first 800 km that you tow a
trailer, don’t drive over 80 km/h and
don’t make starts at full throttle.
This helps your engine and other
parts of your vehicle “wear” in at the
heavier loads.
• Always drive at a safe speed (less
than 100 km/h) commensurate with
road conditions.
• Three important considerations
have to do with weight:
DRIVING TIPS
5-34
✽
✽ NOTICE
Pulling a trailer improperly can
damage your vehicle and result in
costly repairs not covered by your
warranty. To pull a trailer correct-
ly, follow the advice in this section.
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