2009 Nissan Versa Owner's Manual - Page 293

TOWING A TRAILER Do not tow a trailer with your vehicle. UNIFORM TIRE QUALITY GRADING Automatic Transmission To tow a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission, an appropriate vehicle dolly MUST be placed under the towed vehicle's drive wheels. Always follow the dolly manufacturer's recommendations when using their product. DOT (Department of Transportation) Quality Grades: All passenger car tires must conform to federal safety requirements in addition to these grades. Quality grades can be found where applicable on the tire sidewall between tread shoulder and maximum section width. For example: Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A Treadwear The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled conditions on a specified government test course. For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and one-half (1 1/2) times as well on the government course as a tire graded 100. The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual conditions of their use, however, and may depart significantly from the norm due to variations in driving habits, service practices and differences in road characteristics and climate. Traction AA, A, B and C The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A, B, and C. Those grades represent the tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled conditions on specified government test surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor traction performance. FLAT TOWING Towing your vehicle with all four wheels on the ground is sometimes called flat towing. This method is sometimes used when towing a vehicle behind a recreational vehicle, such as a motor home. Continuously Variable Transmission To tow a vehicle equipped with a continuously variable transmission, an appropriate vehicle dolly MUST be placed under the towed vehicle's drive wheels. Always follow the dolly manufacturer's recommendations when using their product. CAUTION ● Failure to follow these guidelines can result in severe transmission damage. ● Whenever flat towing your vehicle, always tow forward, never backward. ● DO NOT tow any continuously variable transmission vehicle with all four wheels on the ground (flat towing). Doing so WILL DAMAGE internal transmission parts due to lack of transmission lubrication. ● For emergency towing procedures refer to "Towing recommended by NISSAN" in the "In case of emergency" section of this manual. Manual Transmission ● Always tow with the manual transmission in Neutral. ● After towing 500 miles (805 km), start and idle the engine with the transmission in Neutral for two minutes. Failure to idle the engine after every 500 miles (805 km) of towing may cause damage to internal transmission parts. Technical and consumer information 9-17