1999 HONDA ODYSSEY weight

Fuel Economy

The condition of your vehicle and your driving habits are the two mostimportant things that affect the fuel
mileage you get.
Vehicle Condition Always maintain your vehicle accord- ing to the maintenance schedule.
This will keep it in top operating
condition.

An important part of that mainte- nance is the Owner Maintenance
Checks (see page 231 ). For
example, an underinflated tire
causes more "rolling resistance,"
which uses fuel. It also wears out
faster, so check the tire pressure at
least monthly.
In winter, the build-up of snow on
your vehicle's underside adds weight and rolling resistance. Frequent
cleaning helps your fuel mileage and
reduces the chance of corrosion. Driving Habits
You can improve fuel economy by driving moderately. Rapid acceler-
ation, abrupt cornering, and hard
braking use more fuel.
Always drive in the highest gear that allows the engine to run and acceler-
ate smoothly.
Depending on traffic conditions, try
to maintain a constant speed. Every
time you slow down and speed up,
your vehicle uses extra fuel. Use the cruise control, when appropriate, to
increase fuel economy. A cold engine uses more fuel than a
warm engine. It is not necessary to "warm-up" a cold engine by letting it
idle for a long time. You can drive
away in about a minute, no matter
how cold it is outside. The engine
will warm up faster, and you get
better fuel economy. To cut down on
the number of "cold starts," try to combine several short trips into one.
The air conditioning puts an extra load on the engine which makes it
use more fuel. Turn off the A/C tocut down on air conditioning use.
Use the flow-through ventilation
when the outside air temperature is
moderate.

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Carrying Cargo

Your vehicle has several convenient storage areas so you can stow cargo

safely.

The glove box, and the pockets in the front doors and seat-backs, aredesigned for small, lightweight items.
The cargo area is intended for larger, heavier items. In addition, the seats
in the second row can be removedand the bench seat in the third row
can be folded into the floor to allow
you to carry more cargo or longer items.
However, carrying too much cargo,or improperly storing it, can affect
your vehicle's handling, stability and operation and make it unsafe. Before
carrying any type of cargo, be sure to
read the following pages.

Before Driving

REAR COMPARTMENT
FRONT DOOR POCKET

CENTER POCKET

SEAT-BACK POCKET
STORAGE BOX*
*EX model only
CARGO AREA
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Carrying Cargo

Load Limit
The maximum load for your vehicle

is
1,277 lbs
(580 kg).
This figure includes the total weight
of all occupants, cargo, accessories,
and the tongue weight if you are

towing a trailer.

To figure out how much cargo you can carry:
Add up the weight of all occupants.
If you are towing a trailer, add the

tongue weight to the number
above.

Subtract the total from 1,277 Ibs
(580kg).

The final number is the total weight
of cargo you can carry.
When you load luggage, the total
weight of the vehicle, all passengers,cargo, and trailer tongue load must
not exceed the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR). The load for the front and rear axles also must not exceed the Gross Axle Weight
Rating (GAWR). The GVWR and
GAWR are printed on the tire
information label attached to the driver's doorjamb (see page 316 ). Carrying Items in the Passenger
Compartment
Store or secure all items that could
be thrown around and hurt someone during a crash.
Be sure items placed on the floor
behind the front seats cannot roll
under the seats and interfere with
the driver's ability to operate the
pedals, or with the proper operation of the seats.
Keep the glove box closed while
driving. If the lid is open, a
passenger could injure their knees during a crash or sudden stop.
Before Driving Overloading or improper
loading can affect handling and
stability and cause a crash in
which you can be hurt or killed.
Follow all load limits and other
loading guidelines in this
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Carrying Cargo

Carrying Cargo in the Cargo Area
or on a Roof Rack
Distribute cargo evenly on the
floor of the cargo area, placing the
heaviest items on the bottom andas far forward as possible. Tiedown items that could be thrown
about the vehicle during a crash or
sudden stop.

If you carry large items that
prevent you from closing the
tailgate, exhaust gas can enter the
passenger area. To avoid the
possibility of carbon monoxide
poisoning, follow the instructions on page 53 . If you can carry any items on a
roof rack, be sure the total weight of the rack and the items does not
exceed the maximum allowable
weight. Please contact your Honda dealer for further information. Side Cargo Net
The side cargo net can be installed on the driver's side panel in the
cargo area to secure small items. To
install the side cargo net, hook each loop on the four corners of the net to
the tabs on the left side panel. When
you fold down the third seat, store the head restraints in the side cargo
net.

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Towing a Trailer

Your Odyssey has been designed totow a trailer, as well as for carrying
passengers and their cargo.
To safely tow a trailer, you must observe the load limits, use the
proper equipment, and follow the
guidelines in this section.
Load Limits Total Trailer Weight: As shownin the load limits table, how much
weight you can tow is limited by the number of occupants in your
vehicle and whether or not you
have installed a transmission fluid cooler. (See page 214 for
information about transmission
fluid coolers.) Towing a load that is too heavy can seriously affect
your vehicle's handling and
performance. It can also damage
the engine and drivetrain.
*
Including driver. Based on 150 Ibs (70 kg) per occupant, and no cargo\
.
*
*
Weight limited to avoid exceeding rear GAWR (see page 213).

Tongue Load: The weight that
the tongue of a fully loaded trailer
puts on the hitch should be
approximately 10 percent of the
trailer weight. Too little tongue load can make the trailer unstable
and cause it to sway. Too much
tongue load reduces front-tire
traction and steering control. To achieve a proper tongue load,
start by loading 60 percent of the
load toward the front of the trailer
and 40 percent toward the rear, then
readjust the load as needed.

Driving
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Towing a Trailer

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating

(GVWR):

The total weight of the vehicle, all occupants, all cargo, and the
tongue load must not exceed: 5,565 Ibs (2,525 kg)

Gross Axle Weight Rating

(GAWR):

The total weight of the vehicle, all occupants, all cargo, and the
tongue load must not exceed:
2,775 Ibs (1,260 kg)
on the front axle
2,840 Ibs (1,290 kg)
on the rear axle
Gross Combined Weight Rating

(GCWR):

The total weight of the vehicle, all occupants and cargo, and the
trailer and everything in or on it,
must not exceed:
8,160 Ibs (3,700 kg)
with transmission fluid cooler
6,660 Ibs (3,025 kg) without transmission fluid cooler
Checking Loads

The best way to confirm that vehicle and trailer weights are within limitsis to have them checked at a public
scale.

Using a suitable scale or a special
tongue load gauge, check the tongue
load the first time you set up a
towing combination (a fully-loaded
vehicle and trailer), then recheck the tongue load whenever the conditions
change.

Driving

Exceeding load limits or
improperly loading your vehicle
and trailer can cause a crash in
which you can be seriously injured or killed.
Check the loading of your
vehicle and trailer carefully before starting to drive.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Towing a Trailer

Towing Equipment and

Accessories

Towing can require a variety of equipment, depending on the size of
your trailer, how it will be used, and how much load you are towing.
Discuss your needs with your trailersales or rental agency, and follow the
guidelines in the rest of this section.
Also make sure that all equipment is properly installed and that it meets
federal, state, province, and local
regulations.

Hitches

Any hitch used on your vehicle must
be properly bolted to the underbody, using the six threaded holes
provided. A hitch designed especially
for your Odyssey can be obtained
from your Honda dealer.
Weight Distributing Hitch

If the total trailer weight is more
than 2,000 Ibs (900 kg), you must also use a weight distributing hitch.
This device transfers weight from the vehicle's rear wheels to the front
wheels, and to the trailer's wheels. Carefully follow the hitch maker's
instructions for proper installation
and adjustment.
Safety Chain
Always use a safety chain. Make sure that it is secured to both the
trailer and hitch, and that it crosses under the tongue so it can catch the
trailer if it becomes unhitched.
Leave enough slack to allow the
trailer to turn corners easily, but do not let the chain drag on the ground. Sway Control
If the total trailer weight exceeds 2,000 Ibs (900 kg), you should install
a sway control device to minimize
swaying that can occur in crosswinds
and in normal and emergency
driving maneuvers. Your trailer
maker can tell you what kind of sway
control you need and how to install it.
Transmission Fluid Cooler
If the total trailer weight is more
than 2,000 Ibs (900 kg), you must
also have a transmission fluid cooler
installed. This device will help
prevent transmission overheating,
which could cause serious damage.
A transmission fluid cooler designed for your Odyssey can be obtainedfrom your Honda dealer.

DrivingProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Towing a Trailer

Trailer Brakes

Honda recommends that any trailer
having a total weight of 1,000 Ibs (450 kg) or more be equipped with
its own electric or surge-type brakes.
If you choose electric brakes, be
sure they are electronically actuated.
Do not attempt to tap into your
vehicle's hydraulic system. No matter how successful it may seem,
any attempt to attach trailer brakes
to your vehicle's hydraulic system
will lower braking effectiveness and create a potential hazard.

Your vehicle has a trailer lighting
connector located behind the left
side panel in the cargo area. Refer to
the drawing above for the wiring color code and purpose of each pin.
To use the trailer lighting connector, you will need a wiring harness and converter. This comes with the
Honda hitch (see page 214), or it
may be obtained separately from
your dealer. If you use a non-Honda trailer
lighting harness and converter, you can get the connector and pins that
mate with the connector in your
vehicle from your Honda dealer.
Since lighting and wiring vary with
trailer type and brand, you shouldalso have a qualified technician
install a suitable connector between
the vehicle and the trailer.

Driving
CONTINUED

Trailer Lights

GROUND
(BLACK)
BACK-UP LIGHT

(GREEN/BLACK)
LEFT TURN SIGNAL
(GREEN/BLUE)

TAILLIGHT
(RED/BLACK)

BRAKE LIGHT

(WHITE/BLACK)

RIGHT TURN SIGNAL
(GREEN/YELLOW)ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t