6-3
54P00-01E
Tires
Mirrors
Check if your vehicle’s mirrors meet local
requirements for mirrors used on towing
vehicles. If they do not, you must install the
required mirrors before you tow.
Vehicle/trailer loading
To load your vehicle and trailer properly,
you must know how to measure gross
trailer weight and trailer nose weight.
Gross trailer weight is the weight of the
trailer plus all the cargo in it. You can mea-
sure gross trailer weight by putting the fully
loaded trailer on a vehicle scale.
Nose weight is the downward force
exerted on the tow bar by the trailer cou-
pler, with the trailer fully loaded and the
coupler at its normal towing height. This
weight can be measured using a bathroom
scale.
The weight of your loaded trailer (gross
trailer weight) should never exceed towing
capacity.
Distribute cargo in your trailer so that nose
weight is about 10% of gross trailer weight,
but does not exceed the maximum vertical
load on trailer hitch point. You should mea-
sure gross trailer weight and nose weight
before towing to check that your load is
properly distributed.
Additional trailer towing warnings
WARNING
When towing a trailer, it is very
important for your vehicle and trailer
to have properly inflated tires. Your
vehicle’s tires should be inflated to
the pressures listed on your vehicles
tire information label. If laden pres-
sures are listed on the label, the tires
should be inflated to the laden pres-
sures. Inflate trailer tires according to
the specifications provided by the
trailer manufacturer.
WARNING
Improper weight distribution of your
trailer may result in poor vehicle han-
dling and swaying of the trailer.
Always check that trailer nose weight
is about 10% of gross trailer weight,
but does not exceed the maximum
vertical load on trailer hitch point.
Also check that the cargo is properly
secured. Failure to observe this
requirement may result in an acci-
dent.
WARNING
Never overload cargo on your trailer
or your vehicle. Gross trailer weight
must never exceed towing capacity.
Gross vehicle weight (sum of the
weights of the vehicle, all the occu-
pants, accessories including tow
bars and a trailer hitch, cargo and
trailer nose weight) must never
exceed the Gross Vehicle Weight Rat-
ing (GVWR) listed in “SPECIFICA-
TIONS” section.
WARNING
Connect trailer lights and hook up
safety chains every time you tow.
NOTICE
Because towing a trailer puts addi-
tional stress on your vehicle, more
frequent maintenance will be
required than under normal driving
conditions. Follow the schedule in
“Maintenance recommended under
severe driving conditions”.
Summary of Contents for VITARA Series
Page 7: ...54P00 01E MEMO...
Page 17: ...ILLUSTRATED TABLE OF CONTENTS 54P00 01E MEMO...
Page 18: ...FUEL RECOMMENDATION 1 54P00 01E 65D394 FUEL RECOMMENDATION Fuel recommendation 1 1...
Page 21: ...1 3 FUEL RECOMMENDATION 54P00 01E MEMO...
Page 139: ...2 117 BEFORE DRIVING 54P00 01E MEMO...
Page 232: ...3 92 OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE 54P00 01E MEMO...
Page 233: ...3 93 OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE 54P00 01E MEMO...
Page 241: ...4 7 DRIVING TIPS 54P00 01E MEMO...
Page 350: ...7 12 INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE 54P00 01E MEMO...
Page 399: ...7 61 INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE 54P00 01E MEMO...
Page 413: ...8 13 EMERGENCY SERVICE 54P00 01E MEMO...
Page 423: ...10 3 GENERAL INFORMATION 54P00 01E MEMO...
Page 429: ...11 6 SPECIFICATIONS 54P00 01E MEMO...
Page 439: ...12 9 SUPPLEMENT 54P00 01E MEMO...
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