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Driving your vehicle
Using the clutch
The clutch pedal should be
depressed all the way to the floor
before shifting, then released slowly.
The clutch pedal should always be
fully released while driving. Do not
rest your foot on the clutch pedal
while driving. This can cause unnec-
essary wear. Do not partially engage
the clutch to hold the vehicle on an
incline. This causes unnecessary
wear. Use the foot brake or parking
brake to hold the vehicle on an
incline. Do not operate the clutch
pedal rapidly and repeatedly.
Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy
traffic or while driving up steep hills,
downshift before the engine starts to
labor. Downshifting reduces the
chance of stalling and gives better
acceleration when you again need to
increase your speed. When the vehi-
cle is traveling down steep hills,
downshifting helps maintain safe
speed and prolongs brake life.
Good driving practices
• Never take the vehicle out of gear
and coast down a hill. This is
extremely hazardous. Always leave
the vehicle in gear.
• Don't "ride" the brakes. This can
cause them to overheat and mal-
function. Instead, when you are
driving down a long hill, slow down
and shift to a lower gear. When you
do this, engine braking will help
slow down the vehicle.
• Slow down before shifting to a
lower gear. This will help avoid
over-revving the engine, which can
cause damage.
• Slow down when you encounter
cross winds. This gives you much
better control of your vehicle.
• Be sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before you attempt to shift
into R (Reverse). The transaxle can
be damaged if you do not. To shift
into R (Reverse), depress the
clutch, move the shift lever to neu-
tral, wait three seconds, then shift
to the R (Reverse) position.
CAUTION
When operating the clutch
pedal, depress the clutch pedal
down fully. If you don’t depress
the clutch pedal fully, the clutch
may be damaged or noise may
occur.
