2000 HONDA PASSPORT Owners Manual

Self-Adjustin
g Brake s

The brakes on this vehicle are self-adjusting. They have been
designed so that periodic brake
adjustment is not needed.
The brakes adjust themselves each time you firmly apply them.
Thus, if the brake pedal goes down
farther than normal due to a lack of adjustment, drive backward and
forward a few times. Apply the
brakes intermittently.
See your Honda dealer if the
brake pedal height does not return
to normal or if there is a rapidincrease in pedal travel. Either is a
sign of other brake trouble. Also,
see your Honda dealer if the
parking brake needs adjustment.
Brakin
g Tip s

Control your vehicle's speed on a steep or long downhill grade by
shifting the transmission to a
lower gear. Constantly using the
brakes can cause them to overheat
and lose effectiveness.
Resting your foot on the brake
pedal when you are not intending to brake ("riding the brakes") can
cause them to overheat. This
reduces their effectiveness, wears them out faster, and can reduce
fuel mileage. It also causes your
brake lights to stay on all the time, confusing drivers behind you.

Brak e Wea r Indicator s

The front and rear brakes have built-in wear indicators. These make a high-pitched squealing or
cricket-like warning sound when the brake pads or linings are worn
to the point of replacement. Thesound may come and go or be
heard all the time when the vehicle is moving, but may stop when the
brake pedal is pushed down firmly.
Expensive damage can result if
pads or linings are not replaced immediately when needed.

Drivin g o n Slipper y Surface s

Driving, steering, and braking
traction are reduced when the
road is coated with water, snow, ice, gravel, or other materials.
Slow down and adjust your
driving to such conditions. It is important to slow down when it is
slippery because stopping

Drivin g Tip s

distances will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with
reduced traction, avoid maneuvers involving sudden steering,
acceleration, or braking (including
engine braking due to shifting to
lower gear), that could cause the
tires to skid.
Drivers may not realize the surface is slippery until the
vehicle is skidding.
Learn to recognize warning
clues — such as enough water or ice on the road to make a
"mirrored surface"— and slow
down when there is any doubt.
Also see "Traction" under "Tires" in this section. To safely operate your vehicle,
your tires must be the proper type
and size, in good condition with
adequate tread, and correctly
inflated. The following pages give
more detailed information on how
and when to check air pressure,
how to inspect your tires for damage and wear, and what to do
when your tires need to be

replaced.

Driving Tip s

Rapid slowing down or

speeding-up can cause loss
of control on slippery
surfaces. If you crash, you

can be injured.

Use extra care when driving

on slippery surfaces.
Using tires that are excessivelyworn or improperly inflated can
cause a crash in which you
can be seriously hurt or killed.
Follow all instructions in this
owner's manual regarding tire inflation and maintenance.

Tire
s

Inflatio
n
Keeping the tires properly inflated
provides the best combination of
handling, tread life, and riding
comfort. Underinflated tires wear
unevenly, adversely affect handling and fuel economy, and are more
likely to fail from being overheated. Overinflated tires can make your
vehicle ride more harshly, are
more prone to damage from road
hazards, and wear unevenly.
We recommend that you visually check your tires every day. If you
think a tire might be low, check it
immediately with a tire gauge.
Use a gauge to measure the air
pressure at least once a month. Even tires that are in good
condition may lose one to two psi
per month. Remember to checkthe spare tire at the same time you
check all the other tires. Check the pressure in the tires
when they are cold. This means
the vehicle has been parked for at
least three hours. If you have to
drive the vehicle before checking
the tire pressure, the tires can still be considered "cold" if you drive
less than 1 mile (1.6 km).
If you check the pressure when the tires are hot (the vehicle has
been driven several miles), you will see readings 4 to 6 psi (28 to
41 kPa, 0.3 to 0.4 kg/cm2) higher
than the cold reading. This is
normal. Do not let air out to
match the specified cold pressure.
The tire will be underinflated.
You should get your own tire
pressure gauge and use it at all times. That makes it easier for
you to tell if a pressure loss is
caused by a tire problem and not a
variation between gauges.
Recommended Tire Pressures for
Normal Driving

The
following chart shows the
recommended cold tire pressures for most normal driving
conditions and speeds.

Drivin g Tip s

These pressures are also given on
the tire information label on the
driver's doorjamb.
Tubeless tires have some ability to
self-seal if they are punctured.
However, because leakage is often
very slow, you should look closely for punctures if a tire starts losing pressure.

Inspection

Every time you check inflation,
you should also examine the tires
for damage, foreign objects, and
wear.

You should look for: Bumps or bulges in the tread or
side of the tire. Replace the tire
if you find either of these
conditions.
Cuts, splits, or cracks in the
side of the tire. Replace the tireif you can see fabric. Excessive tread wear.Your vehicle's tires have wear
indicators molded into the tread.
When the tread wears down to that
point, you will see a 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) wide band running across the
tread. This shows that there is less
than 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) of tread
left on the tire. A tire that is this
worn gives very little traction onwet roads. You should replace the
tire if you can see the tread wear
Driving Tip s

LABE
L
TREA
D

WEA R
INDICATOR S

indicator in three or more places

around the tire.

Maintenanc e

In addition to proper inflation,
correct wheel alignment helps to decrease tire wear. You should get
your vehicle's suspension parts inspected often, and aligned when

needed.

The tires were properly balanced at the factory. They may need to
be rebalanced at some time before they are worn out. Have your
dealer check the tires if you feel a consistent vibration while driving.
A tire should always be
rebalanced if it is removed fromthe wheel for repair.
Make sure the installer balances
the wheels when you have new
tires installed. This increases riding comfort and tire life. Your
vehicle's original tires were
dynamic or "spin" balanced at the
factory. For best results, have the installer perform a dynamic

balance.

Tir e Rotatio n

To help increase tire life and
distribute wear more evenly, you should have the tires rotated every
7,500 miles (12,000 km).
Move the tires to the positions

shown in the diagram each time

they are rotated.

Replacin g Tire s an d Wheel s

The tires that came with your
vehicle were selected to match its
performance capabilities while
providing the best combination of handling, ride comfort, and longlife. You should replace them with
radial tires of the same size, load
range, speed rating, and maximum
cold tire pressure rating (as shown on the tire's sidewall). Mixing
radial and bias-ply tires on your vehicle can reduce its braking
ability, traction, and steering
accuracy.

Drivin g Tip s
FRON
T

4 WHEE L

5 WHEE L

We urge you not to install
oversize tires and wheels that
would change your vehicle's
ride height and possibly affect
handling and stability. It is best to replace all four tires at
the same time. If that is not
possible or necessary, then replace the two front tires or the two rear
tires as a pair. Replacing just one
tire can seriously affect your
vehicle's handling.
The ABS works by comparing the speed of the wheels. When
replacing tires, use the same size originally supplied with the
vehicle. Tire size and construction
can affect wheel speed and may
cause the system to work inconsistently.
If you ever need to replace a
wheel, make sure the
replacement's specifications
match the wheels that originally
came on your Honda. Replacement wheels are available
at your Honda dealer.

Wheel
s an d Tire s

Wheels:
16 x 7 JJ

Tires:
Standard on LX 2WD 225/75R16
Standard on all other models 245/70R16
See page 247 for information
about DOT Tire Quality Grading.
Driving Tip s
Installing improper tires on
your vehicle can affect handling and stability. This
can cause a crash in which
you can be seriously hurt or

killed.

Always use the size and type
of tires recommended in this
owner's manual.

Tractio
n

A decrease in driving, cornering, and braking traction occurs when
water, snow, ice, gravel, or other
materials are on the road. Vehicle speed should be adjusted to the
road conditions.
When driving on wet or slushy roads, a wedge of water can buildup between the tire and road. This
is known as hydroplaning and
may cause partial or complete loss
of traction, vehicle control, and
stopping ability. To reduce the
chance of traction loss, follow
these tips:
1. Slow down during rainstorms or when roads are slushy.
2. Slow down if the road has standing water or puddles. 3. Replace tires when they are
worn to a point where 1/16inch (1.6 mm) or less tread
remains, or cord or fabric
can be seen.

4. Keep the tires properly inflated.
If your vehicle has snow tires, be sure they are the same size, load
range and construction type as your other tires. Vehicle speed should belimited to a maximum of 75 mph
(120 km/h) when equipped with
either passenger vehicle-typ e or
truck-type sno
w tires.
Tire Chains
To prevent tire chains from damaging your vehicle: Install the chains on the rear
tires as tightly as possible.Tighten them again after
driving 1/4 to 1/2 mile (0.4 to
0.8 kilometer). Using chains on
the front tires is not
recommended. They may contact the body and possibly
damage the vehicle. If youintend to use chains on the
front tires, be sure there is
enough clearance. Do not exceed 45 mph
(70 km/h) or the chain
manufacturer's suggested speed

limit if it is lower.
Drive in a restrained manner

and avoid large bumps,

potholes, severe turns or other
maneuvers that could cause the

vehicle to bounce up and down.
Follow the chain

manufacturer's instructions.

Drivin g Tip s

Whee
l Replacemen t

Consideration s

Damaged wheels must be

replaced. For example, replace
wheels if they are bent, cracked or

heavily rusted, or if wheel nuts
often become loose. Also replace

wheels that leak air (except some
aluminum wheels that can be

repaired). See your Honda dealer.

Do not use bent wheels that have

been straightened, and do not use
tubes in leaking wheels designed

for tubeless tires. Such wheels

may have structural damage and
could fail without warning.

Maximum loads, maximum

inflation pressures, wheel

identification codes, and wheel

sizes are stamped on each wheel.

Service-tested and approved
wheels are available from your
Honda dealer.
When obtaining wheels for any
reason from any other source, the
replacement wheels should be
equal in load capacity, inflation
pressure capacity, diameter, width, offset and mounting configuration
to those originally installed on
your vehicle. A wheel of the
wrong size or type may adversely
affect load carrying capacity, wheel
and bearing life, brake cooling,
speedometer/odometer calibration,
stopping ability, headlight aim,
bumper height, vehicle ground clearance, and tire or tire chain
clearance to the body and chassis.
Replacement with used wheels is
not advised: They may have been subjected to harsh treatment or very high mileage and could fail
without warning.
Installing wheels and/or tires that
have a higher load carrying limit
than those that originally came on
your vehicle does not increase the
GAWR or GVWR of the vehicle.
Driving Tip s