2002 HONDA PASSPORT Owners Manual

Test your brakes from time to
time
to make sure they are
operating properly. This will also
give you a feel for how much
traction you have on a given surface. Controllin

g Steering
Unlike driving on pavement,
off-road
terrain has a way of
"kicking back." If you hit a rock,
pothole

or a sudden change in
surface
, it can make the steering
wheel
turn rapidly and
unexpectedly. To maintain
control, hold the outside of the
steering wheel firmly with both
hands.

Don't hold the spokes or
hook your thumbs inside the wheel.
You could hurt your hands
as well as lose control. Off-Road Driving Information

Driving Off-Road
Driving off-road can be hazardous if you fail to take the proper
precautions.
For example, you can
have an accident or roll over during maneuvers such as turning,
driving
on hills, or over obstacles.
The following pages contain
practical

tips on basic off-road
operations. They also give important guidelines about
driving

on hills, avoiding
obstacles,

and other situations you
may encounter.
Improperly
operating this

vehicle off-road can cause an
accident

or rollover in which

you and your passengers

could be seriously injured or

killed

.

Follow all instructions and

guidelines in this booklet.

Keep your speed low and

don't drive faster than

conditions permit.

Don't take chances and be

especially
careful on hills
and rough terrain. Starting
Off
For better traction on all surfaces, accelerate slowly and gradually
build up speed. If you start too
fast

on wet soil, mud, snow or ice,
you might not have enough tractio
n to get underway. On soft
sand, you could dig yourself into
a hole. Off-Road
Driving Information

Turning

Off-road, the basic turning
technique is to drive at low speed
and gradually adjust the amount
of steering to suit the surface.
You
should have no problem
making sharp turns on level
ground - if you keep speed low.
But

one thing you should NOT do,
off-road

or on pavement, is make abrupt turns at higher speeds.
With a higher center of gravity,
your

vehicle can more easily tip
or roll over in a turn.

Braking

Th

e best off-road braking
technique
to use with anti-lock
brakes is to gently depress the
brake pedal at first, then increase the pressure as more braking is
needed.
Avoi

d hard braking. Light to
moderate braking is usually all
that

is necessary on soft surfaces
such as soft sand, loose dirt or
gravel, powdery snow, or mud.
If you need to brake hard because
of an emergency, apply steady
even
pressure to the brake pedal.
Do not pump the brakes; let the anti-loc
k braking system pump
them

for you. If you pump the
brakes, the anti-lock cannot work as efficiently, and your stopping
distance

may be increased.
Keep in mind that, in general, you
need

more time and distance to
brake to a stop when driving

off-road

.
Off-Road Driving Information

Driving in Hilly Terrain

Hills, and trails through hills,
present
some of the greatest
challenges and most serious
hazards off-road. If you're new to
off-road driving, start with gentle inclines,
take time to learn how
your vehicle handles on slopes, and read the information that
follows.

If you're an experienced
off-roader,

consider the guidelines
below as important reminders that can

enhance your driving, or even
save your life.
Approaching a Hill

Whe
n you approach a hill, you
need
to decide whether it's one
that you and your vehicle can
handle.

For example, ask yourself:
Is the hill too steep? Is the incline

constant, or are there
places

where it gets suddenly
steeper? If a hill is too steep in
any section, you may run out of
power
and not be able to continue forward. If you
accelerate suddenly on a very
steep hill, the vehicle may tip
over backwards.
Is there enough traction for you
to make it to the top? Without
adequate

traction,you can stall
or even slide backwards.
Are

there obstacles, such as
rocks,

ruts or ditches that could
block

your path? Hitting a
bump could upset your vehicle, and turning to avoid an obstacle
could
make it roll over.
If there's no safe predetermined
path,
can you drive straight up
th

e hill without turning? Unless
a hil

l is very gently sloped, it
may

not be safe to turn on a hill.
D

o you know what's on the
other side of the hill? Once you
reac

h the top, you'll need a safe
route to get down or out.
Off-Road Driving Information

If you don't know the answers to
these questions before beginning
an ascent, stop, walk up the hill
and find out.

If you decide that it is safe to drive up a hill:
Selec

t a suitable low gear and
firmly grip the steering wheel. Approach
the hill with enough
speed to smoothly start up the
hill.
Maintain a steady speed as you
climb the hill.
Reduce

speed as you approach
the

top, and watch for other
vehicle

s that may be
approaching

the top from the
other

side of the hill.

// You Stall Going Up a Hill
If a hill is steeper than you
expected,

traction is poorer,
or you don't maintain sufficient speed,
you may begin to stall. If
that happens:
Consider downshifting if you
are just beginning to slow
down. If you can't downshift, or if
downshifting
doesn't help, stop
the vehicle and set the parking
brake.
I

f you have passengers, you
may want to have them get out
and

move away from the
vehicle.
I

f you are headed
straight up
the hill, shif
t into reverse,
release the parking brake, and slowly back straight down the
hill,

using the brake pedal to
control

speed.
If you
are not headed straight
uphill or you don't feel
comfortable backing down,
don't. If the engine is still
running,
leave the parking
brake

on, shift to Park
(automatic transmission) or Off-Road Driving Information

First (manual transmission),
then
turn the engine off. See
that any passengers carefully
get

out and clear of the vehicle,
then go get help.
Before

driving down a hill, as
wit

h driving up a hill, you need to
evaluate whether you can
make it safely to the bottom and away
from the slope. Ask:
Is the hill too steep to maintainspeed
and steering control?
Is the surface too rough or too slippery?
Ca

n you drive straight down
withou

t turning?
Is there a safe exit when you
reach
the bottom of the hill? If you decide you can safely
descend a hill:
Shift
into a low gear. This lets
engine compression (or engine
braking) help control speed and keep your brakes from
overheating.
Hol

d the steering wheel firmly
and

drive straight down the
hill.
Gentl

y apply the brakes to help

control speed, but do not "ride"

the brakes. If you smell hotbrakes

or feel brake fade, shift
to a lower gear or stop and let the
brakes cool down.
Try not to brake hard. If you do apply

the brakes hard, do not
pump

the brake pedal. Pumping
does

not allow the anti-lock
brake system to work as
Driving

Down a Hill
Off-Road Driving Information

efficiently, which may increase

your stopping distance.

Driving Across Slopes

There may be times when you
notice
a trail begin to slope to one
side

or another. Or you may be
driving in open country and see a
hill or slope you want to consider
crossing
at an angle. Crossing or
driving

on a smooth, low-angle dirt slope or trail may be no problem.
But

before you drive on any sloped
terrain,

consider these facts:
A slope that you can drive straight

up or down can be too
steep to drive across.
When you drive straight up or
down

a slope, the length of the
wheelbase

reduces the chance
of your vehicle tipping over
backward

or forward.
When you drive across a slope,
your

vehicle's higher center of
gravity and narrower track
increases
the chance of tipping
or rolling over.
Driving
across a slope puts
more weight on the downhill
wheels,

which increases the
chance of tipping. If you drive across a slope and
an uphill wheel hits a bump, or
if a downhill wheel drops into a
rut or hole, your vehicle will
tip downward even more.
If

you can't clearly see all terrain
conditions
(good traction, no
bumps, holes or other obstacles, a safe way down and out, etc.), stop
and walk the slope or trail before
you drive on it. If you have any
doubt

whether you can safely
drive across a slope or sloping
trail, don't do it. Find another
route. Off-Road Driving Information

Obstacles

It's
very common to encounter
rocks, bumps, holes and logs off-road.

Here are a few tips on
how to deal with them. Rocks:
Large rocks can
damage your suspension or
other

components, and even
small, sharp rocks can cut your
tires.

Always go slow in rocky
terrain, and carefully maneuver
around any rock that may be
too large.
Bumps and Holes: Large
bumps and holes can bounce
you around and
cause you to
lose
control or get stuck. Slow
down

when the terrain gets
rough

so you can keep control
of the vehicle. Logs:
Driving over a large log
might damage your vehicle or
cause you to get stuck. If you
can'

t drive around the log, you
may be able to back up and look

for a better path. Off-Road Driving Information