2004 Mazda RX-8 Owners Manual - MyMazda

J60E_8R65-EA-03C_Edition2.book Page 4 Saturday, April 26, 2003 1:48 PMDriving Your MazdaStarting and Driving5. Turn the ignition switch to the STARTposition and hold (up to 10 seconds at atime) until the engine starts.Don’t try the starter for more than10 seconds at a time. If the enginestalls or fails to start, wait 10 secondsbefore trying again. Otherwise, youmay damage the starter and drain thebattery.6. After starting the engine, let it idle forabout 10 seconds.NOTECAUTION• In extremely cold weather, below–18°C (0°F), or after the vehicle hasstood idle several days, let theengine warm up without operatingthe accelerator.• Whether cold or warm, the engineshould be started without use of theaccelerator.• To protect the engine, when theengine coolant temperature is low,the engine does not run at highspeeds. The fuel supply will be cutat an rpm lower than the red zone.▼ Foot BrakeBrake SystemYour Mazda has power-assisted brakesthat adjust automatically through normaluse.Should power-assist fail, you can stop byapplying greater force than normal to thebrake pedal. But the distance required tostop will be greater than usual.WARNINGDriving with the Engine Off:Continuing to drive when the engineis stalled or turned off is dangerous.Braking will require more effort, andthe brake’s power-assist could bedepleted if you pump the brake. Thiswill cause longer stopping distancesor even an accident. Don’t continuedriving when the engine is stalled orturned off, find a safe place to stop.Riding the Brakes:Driving with your foot continuouslyon the brake pedal or steadilyapplying the brakes for long distancesis dangerous. This causes overheatedbrakes, resulting in longer stoppingdistances or even total brake failure.This could cause loss of vehiclecontrol and a serious accident. Avoidcontinuous application of the brakes.Shift to a lower gear when goingdown steep hills.5-4Form No. 8R65-EA-03C