2008 Mazda RX-8 Owner's Manual - Page 122

Before Driving Your Mazda Driving Tips Winter Driving Carry emergency gear, including tire 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: l Have the proper ratio of antifreeze in the radiator. Refer to Engine Coolant on page 8-13. l Inspect the battery and its cables. Cold reduces battery capacity. l Inspect the ignition system for damage and loose connections. l Use washer fluid made with antifreeze―but don't use engine coolant antifreeze for washer fluid (page 8-16). l Don't use the parking brake in freezing weather as the parking brake may freeze. Instead, shift to P with an automatic transmission and to 1 or R with a manual transmission. Block the rear wheels. l 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 5-30). qSnow Tires Use snow tires on all four wheels Don't go faster than 120 km/h (75 mph) while driving with snow tires. Inflate snow tires 30 kPa (0.3 kgf/cm2, 4.3 psi) more than recommended on the tire pressure label (rear door on the driver's side), 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. 4-8