2002 HONDA PASSPORT wheel

11 6Interior Features
positions. Move the steering
wheel to the desired position, then
release the lever. Try to move the
steering wheel up and down to
make sure it is locked in position.
Make sure the steering wheel does
not block your view of any of the
instrument panel gauges or
indicators.
Adjusting the steering wheel
position while driving may
cause you to lose control of
the vehicle and be seriously
injured in a crash.
Adjust the steering wheel only
when the vehicle is stopped.
Cigarette Lighter
The cigarette lighter is on the
instrument panel. The ignition
switch must be in
ACCESSORY
or ON for the cigarette lighter to
work. To operate, push it in.
When it heats, it automatically
pops out ready for use. Avoid
holding the lighter in by hand
while it is heating, as damage to
the heating element may result.
Ashtrays
To open either ashtray, pull it out.
To remove the front ashtray for
cleaning, open it, then remove the
inner part of the ashtray by lifting
up on both sides near the front.

155Driving Tips
Before Driving156
. . . . . . . . . . .
Starting the Engine157 . . . . .
New Vehicle Break-In 158 . . . . .
Parking 158 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Brakes 159 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tires 163 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Inflation 164 . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Inspection 165 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Maintenance 166 . . . . . . . . . .
Tire Rotation 166 . . . . . . . . . .
Replacing Tires
and Wheels 166 . . . . . . . . . .
Wheels and Tires 167 . . . . . .
Traction 168 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tire Chains 168 . . . . . . . . .
Wheel Replacement
Considerations 169 . . . . . . .
Fuel Economy 170 . . . . . . . . . . .
Three-Way Catalytic
Converter 172 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Operation in
Foreign Countries 173
. . . . . . .
Accessories & Modifications173
Carrying Cargo175 . . . . . . . . . . .
Trailer Towing 178 . . . . . . . . . . .
Trailer Hitches 180 . . . . . . . .
Safety Chain181 . . . . . . . . . .
Trailer Lights181 . . . . . . . . . .
Tires181 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Trailer Brakes181 . . . . . . . . .
Equipment Check182 . . . . . .
Limited Slip Differential 182 . . .
Driving Tips

159Driving Tips
•If your vehicle is equipped with
an automatic transmission, set
the parking brake before you
leave the driver’s seat. If the
vehicle is parked on a grade
and the transmission shift lever
is placed in “P” (Park) position
before you set the parking
brake, the weight of the vehicle
may exert so much force on the
transmission that you may have
difficulty moving the shift
lever out of “P” (Park)
position. To prevent this, apply
the parking brake
BEFORE
moving the shift lever to “P”
(Park). When you want to drive
away, move the shift lever out
of the “P” (Park) position
BEFORE releasing the parking
brake. It is good driving
practice to set the parking
brake first, then place the
transmission in “
PA R K” position, even on level
surfaces.
•If the parking brake does not
seem to hold the vehicle as
well as before, have the vehicle
serviced by your Honda dealer.
•Do not park your vehicle over
high grass, dry leaves or other
combustible materials. The
catalytic converter gets very
hot and could set fire to these
materials.
Anti-Lock Brakes
Your vehicle has an Anti-lock
Brake System (
ABS) as standard
equipment.
ABS helps to prevent
the wheels from locking up and
skidding during hard braking,
allowing you to retain steering
control.
When the front tires skid, you
lose steering control; the vehicle
continues straight ahead even
though you turn the steering
wheel. The
ABS helps to prevent
lock-up and retain steering control
by pumping the brakes rapidly;
much faster than a person can do it.
You should never pump the
brake pedal, this defeats the
purpose of the
ABS. Let the ABS
work for you by always keeping
firm, steady pressure on the brake
pedal as you steer away from the
Brakes

160Driving Tips
hazard. This is sometimes referred
to as “stomp and steer
.”
You will feel a pulsation in the
brake pedal when the
ABS
activates, and you may hear some
noise. This is normal, it is the
ABS rapidly pumping the brakes.
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 activate the
ABS.
However, you may feel the
ABS
activate immediately if you are
trying to stop on snow or ice.
Important Safety Reminders
ABS does not reduce the time
or distance it takes to stop the
vehicle, it only helps with steering
control during braking. You
should always maintain a safe following distance from other
vehicles.
ABS will not prevent a skid that
results from changing direction
abruptly, such as trying to take a
corner too fast or making a
sudden lane change. Always drive
at a safe, prudent speed for the
road and weather conditions.
ABS cannot prevent a loss of
stability. Always steer moderately
when you are braking hard.
Severe or sharp steering wheel
movement can still cause your
vehicle to veer into oncoming
traffic or off the road.
A vehicle with
ABS may require
a longer distance to stop on
loose or uneven surfaces, such as
gravel or snow, than a vehicle
without anti-lock. Slow down and allow a greater distance between
vehicles under those conditions.
ABS Indicator
The
ABS is self-checking. You
may feel a slight movement of the
brake pedal just after you start the
engine. This is the
ABS performing
a check. It also checks itself
whenever you use the brakes.

166Driving Tips
indicator in three or more places
around the tire.
Maintenance
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 from
the 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.
Tire Rotation
To help increase tire life and
distribute wear more evenly, you
should have the tires rotated every
7,500 miles (12,000 km).
FRONT
4 WHEEL 5 WHEEL
Move the tires to the positions
shown in the diagram each time
they are rotated.
Replacing Tires and Wheels
The tires that came with your
vehicle were selected to match its
performance capabilities while
providing the best combination of
handling, ride comfort, and long
life. 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.

167Driving Tips
We urge you not to install
oversize tires and wheels that
would change your vehicle’s
ride height and possibly affect
handling and stability.
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.
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.
Wheels and Tires
Wheels:
16 x 7 JJ
Tires:
Standard on
LX 2WD
225/75R16
Standard on all other models
245/70R16
See page 250 for information
about DOT Tire Quality Grading.

169Driving Tips
Wheel Replacement
Considerations
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 approvedwheels 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.

171Driving Tips
air cleaner, so it’
s important to
replace the air cleaner filter at
required intervals. See “Care and
Maintenance.” A dirty air cleaner
filter reduces engine performance
and can waste fuel.
Air Conditioning
Turn off the air conditioning when
it is not needed. The air
conditioning compressor is not on
in this position and the reduced
engine load can improve fuel
economy.
Tuned Engine
An engine that is properly
maintained will provide better
fuel economy than one that is not.
One misfiring spark plug will cut
fuel economy significantly, and
will make a difference in the
amount of pollution emitted from
your vehicle. Excessive Weight
Fuel economy is related to the
work the engine must do. The
heavier the load, the more fuel it
takes to run your vehicle. Keep
weight to a minimum by removing
unnecessary luggage or cargo.
Tire Inflation
Underinflation not only causes
needless tire wear but can also
waste fuel. It’
s a good idea to
check tire pressure often and keep
your tires inflated to the pressures
shown on the tire placard located
on the driver ’s doorjamb. Wheel Alignment
Improper alignment will cause the
front tires to roll at an angle that
will result in faster tire wear. It
takes power to overcome this
improper alignment, which, in
turn, wastes fuel.
Use of 4-Wheel Drive
In normal driving, put the
4WD-2WD switch in the 2WD
position.