1996 HONDA ODYSSEY traction control

The Braking System

If this happens, you will immediately notice that the brake pedal goes
down much farther and you need to
press on it much harder. A much
longer distance will be needed to stop the car.
Slow the car by downshifting to a
lower gear and removing your foot from the accelerator pedal. Pull to
the side of the road as soon as it issafe. Because of the longer stopping
distance needed, brake system
failure is very hazardous. It is best to have your car towed, but if you mustdrive the car in this condition, be
extremely cautious. Have your carrepaired as soon as possible.

Anti-lock Brakes
All U.S. models and the Canadian six- passenger model have an Anti-lock
Brake System (ABS) as standard
equipment. It is optional on the
Canadian seven-passenger model.
ABS helps you maintain steering control during braking. It does this
by helping you to prevent the wheels
from locking up and skidding.
The ABS is always "On". It requires no special effort or driving technique.
You will feel a pulsation in the brake pedal when the ABS activates.
Activation varies with the amount of traction your tires have. On dry
pavement, you will need to press on
the brake pedal very hard before you
feel the pedal pulsation that means the ABS has activated. However, you
may feel the ABS activate immedi- ately if you are trying to stop onsnow or ice. Under all conditions, the
ABS is helping to prevent the wheels from locking so you can retain steering control. You should con-
tinue to press on the brake pedal
with the same force.
You may feel a slight movement of
the brake pedal just after you start
the engine. This is the ABS working. ABS INDICATOR*
U.S. indicator shown
The ABS is self-checking. If anything goes wrong, the ABS indicator on
the instrument panel comes on (seepage 35). This means the Anti-lock
function of the braking system has shut down. The brakes still work like
a conventional system, providing
normal stopping ability. You should
have the dealer inspect your car as soon as possible.

Driving
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The Braking System, Driving in Bad Weather

A car with ABS may require a longer distance to stop on loose or uneven
surfaces than an equivalent car with-
out Anti-lock. The ABS cannot make
up for road conditions or bad judg-
ment. It is still your responsibility to
drive at reasonable speeds for
weather and traffic conditions, and
to leave a margin of safety.
For a technical description of the
ABS hardware, refer to page 220 . Driving in Bad Weather
Rain, fog, and snow conditions re-
quire a different driving technique
because of reduced traction and
visibility. Keep your car well- maintained and exercise greater
caution when you need to drive in
bad weather. The cruise control should not be used in these condi-
tions. Driving Technique — Always drive
slower than you would in dry
weather. It takes your car longer to react, even in conditions that may seem just barely damp. Apply
smooth, even pressure to all the
controls. Abrupt steering wheel
movements or sudden, hard appli-
cation of the brakes can cause loss of control in wet weather. Be extra
cautious for the first few miles ofdriving while you adjust to the
change in driving conditions. This is
especially true in snow. A person car
forget some snow-driving technique during the summer months. Practice
is needed to relearn those skills.
Exercise extra caution when driving in rain after a long dry spell. After
months of dry weather, the first
rains bring oil to the surface of the
roadway, making it slippery.

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Driving in Bad Weather

Visibility — Being able to see clearly in all directions and being
visible to other drivers are important in all weather conditions. This ismore difficult in bad weather. To be
seen more clearly during daylight
hours, turn on your headlights.
Inspect your windshield wipers and
washers frequently. Keep the wind- shield washer reservoir full of the
proper fluid. Have the windshield
wiper blades replaced if they start to streak the windshield or leave parts
unwiped. Use the defrosters and air conditioning to keep the windows
from fogging up on the inside (see page 79 ). Traction — Check your tires
frequently for wear and properpressure. Both are important in
preventing "hydroplaning" (loss oftraction on a wet surface). In the
winter, mount snow tires on all four wheels for the best handling.
Watch road conditions carefully, they can change from moment tomoment. Wet leaves can be as slip-
pery as ice. "Clear" roads can have
patches of ice. Driving conditionscan be very hazardous when the
outside temperature is near freezing.
The road surface can become covered with areas of water puddles
mixed with areas of ice, so your
traction can change without warning.
Be careful when downshifting. If
traction is low, you can lock up the drive wheels for a moment and cause
a skid. Be very cautious when passing, or
being passed by, other vehicles. The
spray from large vehicles reduces
your visibility, and the wind buffeting can cause you to lose control.
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Technical Information

The diagrams in this section give
you the dimensions and capacities of
your Honda, and the locations of the identification numbers. The expla-
nations of several electronic and
mechanical systems on your Honda
are for the more technically-orientedowner. Identification Numbers................. 216
Specifications................................. 218
Anti-lock Brake System................ 220 Tire Information............................ 221
Tire Size Designation................ 221Wheel Size Designation............ 221
Tire Speed Ratings.................... 221 Tire Pressure Adjustment For High Speed Driving........ 222
DOT Tire Quality Grading....... 222
Treadwear.............................. 222
Traction.................................. 223
Temperature.......................... 223 Emission Controls......................... 224
The Clean Air Act...................... 224Crankcase Emission Control System..................................... 224
Evaporative Emission Control
System.....................................224

Exhaust Emission Controls...... 225 PGM-FI System..................... 225
Ignition Timing Control System................................. 225
Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) System.................... 225
Three Way Catalytic Converter............................ 225
Replacement Parts..................... 225
Three Way Catalytic Converter... 226
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Tire Information
Tire Pressure Adjustment For
High Speed Driving
Honda strongly recommends that
you not drive faster than posted speed limits and conditions allow. If
you decide it is safe to drive at high speeds, be sure to adjust the cold tire
pressures as shown below. If you do
not adjust the tire pressure, exces-
sive heat can build up and cause
sudden tire failure.
Be sure to readjust the pressure for

normal driving speeds. You should

wait until the tires are cold before adjusting the tire pressure (see page
170).
DOT Tire Quality Grading (U.S. Cars)
The tires on your car meet all U.S. Federal Safety Requirements. All
tires are also graded for treadwear,traction, and temperature perform-
ance according to Department of
Transportation (DOT) standards. The following explains these
gradings.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a compara-
tive 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 thegovernment course as a tire graded 100. The relative performance of
tires depends upon the actual condi- tions of their use, however, and maydepart significantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits,service practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate.
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Tire Information

Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are A, B, and C, and they
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.
Warning: The traction grade as- signed to this tire is based on brak-
ing (straight ahead) traction tests and does not include cornering (turning) traction. Temperature
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C, representing the
tire's resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlledconditions on a specified indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained high
temperature can cause the material of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead to sudden tire failure. The
grade C corresponds to a level of
performance which all passenger car
tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No.109. Grades B and A represent
higher levels of performance on the laboratory test wheel than theminimum required by law. Warning: The temperature grade for
this tire is established for a tire thatis properly inflated and not over-
loaded. Excessive speed, underinfla-
tion, or excessive loading either separately or in combination, can
cause heat build-up and possible tire
failure.

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