2006 Infiniti FX45 Owner's Manual - Page 227

with your fingers and thumbs on the outside of the rim. Before operating the vehicle, ensure that the driver and all passengers have their seat belts fastened. Always drive with the floor mats in place as the floor may become hot. Lower your speed when encountering strong crosswinds. With a higher center of gravity, your INFINITI is more affected by strong side winds. Slower speeds ensure better vehicle control. Do not drive beyond the performance capability of the tires, even with AWD engaged. Accelerating quickly, sharp steering maneuvers or sudden braking may cause loss of control. If at all possible, avoid sharp turning maneuvers, particularly at high speeds. Your INFINITI all-wheel drive vehicle has a higher center of gravity than a twowheel drive vehicle. The vehicle is not designed for cornering at the same speeds as conventional two-wheel drive vehicles. Failure to operate this vehicle correctly could result in loss of control and/or a rollover accident. Always use tires of the same type, size, brand, construction (bias, bias-belted or radial), and tread pattern on all four wheels. Install tire chains on the rear wheels when driving on slippery roads and drive carefully. Be sure to check the brakes immediately after driving in mud or water. See "Brake system" later in this section. Avoid parking your vehicle on steep hills. If you get out of the vehicle and it rolls forward, backward or sideways, you could be injured. Whenever you drive off-road through sand, mud or water as deep as the wheel hub, more frequent maintenance may be required. See the maintenance schedule in the "INFINITI Service and Maintenance Guide". Do not drive continuously on sandy or muddy roads with the rear wheels spin- ning. The AWD warning light blinks and the driving mode changes to 2WD. This could reduce traction force remarkably. Be especially careful when towing a trailer. (AWD models) A vehicle equipped with AWD (All-Wheel Drive) should never be tested using a two wheel dynamometer (such as the dynamometers used by some states for emissions testing), or similar equipment. Make sure you inform test facility personnel that your vehicle is equipped with AWD before it is placed on a dynamometer. Using the wrong test equipment may result in transmission damage or unexpected vehicle movement which could result in serious vehicle damage or personal injury. Never operate the accelerator pedal with any wheels raised and the other wheels on the ground while jacking up or with any wheels on a roller and the other wheels on the ground. Otherwise, the vehicle could lurch forward or backward. (AWD models) Starting and driving 5-9