Get Driving your vehicle -> Driving with a trailer Guide for Kia Ceed SUV Second Generation (2013-2018)

JD eng 5.QXP 3/4/2015 2:53 PM Page 73

Driving your vehicle

Following distance

Trailer brakes

Driving with a trailer

Stay at least twice as far behind the vehi-

cle ahead as you would when driving

your vehicle without a trailer. This can

help you avoid situations that require

heavy braking and sudden turns.

If your trailer is equipped with a braking

system, make sure it conforms to your

country’s regulations and that it is prop-

erly installed and operating correctly.

Towing a trailer requires a certain

amount of experience. Before setting out

for the open road, you must get to know

your trailer. Acquaint yourself with the

feel of handling and braking with the

added weight of the trailer. And always

keep in mind that the vehicle you are

driving is now a good deal longer and not

nearly so responsive as your vehicle is

by itself.

If your trailer weight exceeds the maxi-

mum allowed weight without trailer

brakes, then the trailer will also require its

own brakes as well. Be sure to read and

follow the instructions for the trailer

brakes so you’ll be able to install, adjust

and maintain them properly.

Passing

You’ll need more passing distance up

ahead when you’re towing a trailer. And,

because of the increased vehicle length,

you’ll need to go much farther beyond the

passed vehicle before you can return to

your lane.

Before you start, check the trailer hitch

and platform, safety chains, electrical

connector(s), lights, tires and mirror

adjustment. If the trailer has electric

brakes, start your vehicle and trailer mov-

ing and then apply the trailer brake con-

troller by hand to be sure the brakes are

working. This lets you check your electri-

cal connection at the same time.

• Do not tap into or modify your vehicle's

brake system.

Backing up

WARNING - Trailer brakes

Hold the bottom of the steering wheel

with one hand. Then, to move the trailer

to the left, just move your hand to the left.

To move the trailer to the right, move your

hand to the right. Always back up slowly

and, if possible, have someone guide you.

Do not use a trailer with its own

brakes unless you are absolutely

certain that you have properly set

up the brake system. This is not a

task for amateurs. Use an experi-

enced, competent trailer shop for

this work.

During your trip, check occasionally to be

sure that the load is secure, and that the

lights and any trailer brakes are still work-

ing.

Making turns

When you’re turning with a trailer, make

wider turns than normal. Do this so your

trailer won’t strike soft shoulders, curbs,

road signs, trees, or other objects. Avoid

jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal well

in advance.

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Driving your vehicle

Turn signals when towing a trailer

Driving on grades

CAUTION

When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has

to have a different turn signal flasher and

extra wiring. The green arrows on your

instrument panel will flash whenever you

signal a turn or lane change. Properly

connected, the trailer lights will also flash

to alert other drivers you’re about to turn,

change lanes, or stop.

Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear

before you start down a long or steep

downgrade. If you don’t shift down, you

might have to use your brakes so much

that they would get hot and no longer

operate efficiently.

• When towing a trailer on steep

grades (in excess of 6%) pay close

attention to the engine coolant

temperature gauge to ensure the

engine does not overheat.

If the coolant temperature red

warning light illuminates or the

coolant temperature gauge moves

towards “130”, pull over and stop

as soon as it is safe to do so, and

allow the engine to idle until it

cools down.You may proceed once

the engine has cooled sufficiently.

On a long uphill grade, shift down and

reduce your speed to around 70 km/h (45

mph) to reduce the possibility of engine

and transaxle overheating.

When towing a trailer, the green arrows

on your instrument panel will flash for

turns even if the bulbs on the trailer are

burned out. Thus, you may think drivers

behind you are seeing your signals

when, in fact, they are not. It is important

to check occasionally to be sure the trail-

er bulbs are still working. You must also

check the lights every time you discon-

nect and then reconnect the wires.

If your trailer weighs more than the max-

imum trailer weight without trailer brakes

and you have an automatic transaxle,

you should drive in D (Drive) when tow-

ing a trailer.

• You must decide driving speed

depending on trailer weight and

uphill grade to reduce the possi-

bility of engine and transaxle

overheating.

Operating your vehicle in D (Drive) when

towing a trailer will minimize heat build up

and extend the life of your transaxle.

Do not connect a trailer lighting system

directly to your vehicle’s lighting system.

Use only an approved trailer wiring har-

ness.

An authorized Kia dealer can assist you

in installing the wiring harness.

WARNING

Failure to use an approved trailer

wiring harness could result in dam-

age to the vehicle electrical system

and/or personal injury.

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Driving your vehicle

Parking on hills

However, if you ever have to park your

trailer on a hill, here is how to do it:

WARNING - Parking brake

Generally, if you have a trailer attached to

your vehicle, you should not park your

vehicle on a hill. People can be seriously

or fatally injured, and both your vehicle

and the trailer can be damaged if unex-

pectedly roll down hill.

1. Pull the vehicle into the parking space.

Turn the steering wheel in the direction

of the curb (right if headed down hill,

left if headed up hill).

It can be dangerous to get out of

your vehicle if the parking brake is

not firmly set.

If you have left the engine running,

the vehicle can move suddenly.You

or others could be seriously or

fatally injured.

2. If the vehicle has a manual transaxle,

place the car in neutral. If the vehicle

has an automatic transaxle, place the

car in P (Park).

WARNING - Parking on a

hill

Parking your vehicle on a hill with a

trailer attached could cause seri-

ous injury or death, should the trail-

er break loose.

3. Set the parking brake and shut off the

vehicle.

4. Place chocks under the trailer wheels

on the down hill side of the wheels.

5. Start the vehicle, hold the brakes, shift

to neutral, release the parking brake

and slowly release the brakes until the

trailer chocks absorb the load.

6. Reapply the brakes, reapply the park-

ing brake and shift the vehicle to R

(Reverse) for manual transaxle or P

(Park) for automatic transaxle.

7. Shut off the vehicle and release the

vehicle brakes but leave the parking

brake set.

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Driving your vehicle

When you are ready to leave after park-

ing on a hill

1. With the manual transaxle in Neutral

or automatic transaxle in P (Park),

apply your brakes and hold the brake

pedal down while you:

Maintenance when trailer towing

CAUTION

Your vehicle will need service more often

• Due to higher load during trailer

usage, overheating might occur

in hot days or during uphill driv-

ing. If the coolant gauge indicates

over-heating, switch off the air

conditioner and stop the vehicle

in a safe area to cool down the

engine.

when you regularly pull

trailer.

Important items to pay particular atten-

tion to include engine oil, automatic

transaxle fluid, axle lubricant and cooling

system fluid. Brake condition is another

important item to frequently check. Each

item is covered in this manual, and the

Index will help you find them quickly. If

you’re trailering, it is a good idea to

review these chapters before you start

your trip.

• Start your engine;

• Shift into gear; and

• Release the parking brake.

2. Slowly remove your foot from the

brake pedal.

• When towing check transaxle

fluid more frequently.

3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of

the chocks.

• If your vehicle is not equipped

with an air conditioner, you

should install a condenser fan to

improve engine performance

when towing a trailer.

Do not forget to also maintain your trailer

and hitch. Follow the maintenance

schedule that accompanied your trailer

and check it periodically. Preferably, con-

duct the check at the start of each day’s

driving. Most importantly, all hitch nuts

and bolts should be tight.

4. Stop and have someone pick up and

store the chocks.

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Driving your vehicle

If you do decide to pull a trailer

Here are some important points if you decide to pull a trailer:

• Consider using a sway control. You can ask a hitch dealer about sway control.

• Do not do any towing with your car during its first 2,000 km (1,200 miles) in order to allow the engine to properly break in. Failure

to heed this caution may result in serious engine or transaxle damage.

• When towing a trailer, we recommend that you consult an authorized Kia dealer on additional requirements such as a towing kit, etc.

• Always drive your vehicle at a moderate speed (less than 100 km/h (60 mph)).

• On a long uphill grade, do not exceed 70 km/h (45 mph) or the posted towing speed limit, whichever is lower.

• The chart contains important considerations that have to do with weight:

For Europe

Gasoline

1.4L

Gasoline

1.6L MPI

Gasoline

1.6L GDI

Gasoline

1.6L T-GDI

Diesel

1.4L

Diesel

1.6L

Engine

A/T

Item

M/T

A/T

M/T

650

A/T

(DCT)

650

Without brake

System

600

(1,323)

600

(1,323)

600

(1,323)

600

(1,323)

600

(1,323)

600

(1,323)

650

(1,433)

Maximum trailer

weight

(1,433)

1,500

With brake

System

1,200

(2,646)

1,300

(2,866)

1200

(2,646)

1,400

(3,086)

1,300

(2,866)

1,400

(3,086)

1,500

(3,307)

1,300

(2,866)

kg (Ibs.)

(3,307)

Maximum permissible static

vertical load on the coupling device

(132)

(165)

kg (Ibs.)

Recommended distance from rear

wheel center to coupling point

3 Door and 5 Door : 859 (33.8)

Wagon : 1,055 (41.54)

mm (inch)

M/T : Manual transaxle

A/T : Automatic transaxle

DCT : Double clutch transmission

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Driving your vehicle

The trailer tongue should weigh a maxi-

mum of 10% of the total loaded trailer

weight, within the limits of the maximum

permissible trailer tongue load. After

you've loaded your trailer, weigh the trail-

er and then the tongue, separately, to

see if the weights are proper. If they

aren’t, you may be able to correct them

simply by moving some items around in

the trailer.

Tongue Load

Total Trailer Weight

C190E01JM

Gross Axle Weight Gross Vehicle Weight

C190E02JM

Weight of the trailer

Weight of the trailer tongue

What is the maximum safe weight of a

trailer? It should never weigh more than

the maximum trailer weight with trailer

brakes. But even that can be too heavy.

The tongue load of any trailer is an

important weight to measure because it

affects the total gross vehicle weight

(GVW) of your vehicle. This weight

includes the curb weight of the vehicle,

any cargo you may carry in it, and the

people who will be riding in the vehicle.

And if you will tow a trailer, you must add

the tongue load to the GVW because

your vehicle will also be carrying that

weight.

It depends on how you plan to use your

trailer. For example, speed, altitude, road

grades, outside temperature and how

often your vehicle is used to pull a trailer

are all important. The ideal trailer weight

can also depend on any special equip-

ment that you have on your vehicle.

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Driving your vehicle

✽

NOTICE

WARNING - Trailer

With increasing altitude the engine per-

formance decreases. From 1.000 m

above sea level and for every 1.000 m

thereafter 10% of vehicle/trailer weight

(trailer weighter + gross vehicle weight)

must be deducted.

• Never load a trailer with more

weight in the rear than in the

front. The front should be loaded

with approximately 60% of the

total trailer load; the rear should

be loaded with approximately

40% of the total trailer load.

• Never exceed the maximum

weight limits of the trailer or trail-

er towing equipment. Improper

loading can result in damage to

your vehicle and/or personal

injury. Check weights and loading

at a commercial scale or highway

patrol office equipped with

scales.

• An improperly loaded trailer can

cause loss of vehicle control.

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Driving your vehicle -> Driving with a trailer for Your Kia Ceed SUV Second Generation (2013-2018)

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