2002 HONDA PASSPORT ground clearance

Preface ii
Your Passport has higher ground clearance than a passenger car designed for \
use only on pavement. Higher
ground clearance has many advantages for off-road driving. It allows you to travel over bumps, obstacles, and
rough terrain. It also provides good visibility so you can anticipate pr\
oblems earlier.
These advantages come at some cost. Because your vehicle is taller and r\
ides higher off the ground, it has a high
center of gravity. This means your vehicle can tip or roll over if you make abrupt turns.\
Utility vehicles have a
significantly higher rollover rate than other types of vehicles. In a ro\
llover crash, an unbelted person is
significantly more likely to die than a person wearing a seat belt. As a\
reminder, make sure you and your
passengers always wear seat belts.
For information on how to reduce the risk of rollover, read “Driving Guidelines” on page 156 of this manual and
the Off-Road Driving Information booklet that came with your vehicle. Failure to operate this vehicle cor\
rectly
may result in loss of control or an accident.
Important Handling Information

156 Driving Tips
Driving Guidelines
Your Honda has higher ground
clearance than a passenger car
designed for use only on
pavement. Higher ground
clearance has many advantages
for off-road driving. It allows you
to travel over bumps, obstacles,
and rough terrain. It also provides
good visibility so you can
anticipate problems earlier.
These advantages come at some
cost. Because your vehicle is
taller and rides higher off the
ground, it has a high center of
gravity. This means that your
vehicle can tip or roll over if you
make abrupt turns. Utility
vehicles have a significantly
higher rollover rate than other
types of vehicles. To prevent rollover or loss of
control:
•
Take corners at slower speeds
than you would with a
passenger car.
• Avoid sharp turns and abrupt
maneuvers whenever possible.
• Do not modify your vehicle in
any way that would raise the
center of gravity (see page 174).
•Do not carry heavy cargo on
the roof (see page 177).
For off-road driving guidelines,
see the Off-Road Driving
Information booklet that came
with your vehicle.
Before Entering the Vehicle
1. Check that the windows, mirrors, lights and reflectors
are clean and unobstructed. 2. Check the tires to see if they
are low or flat. You will need
a pressure gauge to tell if tires
are properly inflated.
3. Check that all lights work.
4. Check for fluid leaks.
5. Be sure everything is properly stowed.
6. Check the area behind the vehicle if you are about to
back up.
Before Driving the Vehicle
1. Lock all doors.
2. Adjust the seat and anymovable head restraints.
3. Adjust the inside and outside mirrors.
4. Check that all the indicator lights work when the key
Before Driving

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.

174 Driving Tips
systems, such as the
SRS
and
anti-lock brake system.
However, if electronic accessories
are improperly installed, or
exceed your vehicle ’s electrical
system capacity, they can interfere
with the operation of your vehicle,
or even cause the airbags to
deploy.
Before installing any accessory:
• Make sure the accessory does
not obscure any lights, or
interfere with proper vehicle
operation or performance.
• Be sure electronic accessories
do not overload electrical
circuits (see page 240).
•Have the installer contact your
Honda dealer for assistance
before installing any electronic
accessory. If possible, have your dealer
inspect the final installation.
Modifications
Do not remove any original
equipment or modify your vehicle
in any way that would alter its
design or operation. This could
make your vehicle unsafe and
illegal to drive.
For example, do not make any
modifications that would change
the ride height of your vehicle, or
install wheels and tires with a
different overall diameter.
Such modifications can adversely
affect handling, and interfere with
the operation of the vehicle
’s
anti-lock brakes and other
systems.
In addition, any modifications that
decrease ground clearance increase the chance of
undercarriage parts striking a
curb, speed bump, or other raised
object, which could cause your
airbags to deploy.
Do not modify your steering
wheel or any other part of your
Supplemental Restraint System.
Modifications could make the
system ineffective.
Additional Safety Precaution
Do not attach or place objects on
the airbag covers. Any object
attached to, or placed on, the
covers marked “
SRS,” in the
center of the steering wheel and
on top of the dashboard, could
interfere with the proper operation
of the airbags. Or, if the airbags
inflate, the objects could be
propelled inside the vehicle and
hurt someone.

Get to Know Your Vehicle

Because
every vehicle operates a
little

differently, be sure to read
your owner's manual and get acquainted with your vehicle
before

you drive off-road. If you have 4-wheel drive, you can
use it for better traction and greater
mobility

off-road, but remember to
switch

back to 2-wheel drive before
you return to pavement.
Whether you have 2-wheel or
4-wheel drive, you need to know
that

your vehicle has higher ground
clearance

than passenger cars
designed for use only on pavement.
Higher

ground clearance has many
advantages off-road. It allows you
t

o travel over bumps, obstacles and
rough

terrain and helps protect
undercarriage

components. Since
you sit higher off the ground, you have
a better view of the

surroundings.
Thes

e advantages come at some
cost. Because your vehicle is taller and rides higher off theground,

it has a higher center of
gravity than conventional cars.
This means your vehicle can more
easil
y tip or roll over if you make
abrupt turns or drive on sloped
terrain.
Utilit

y vehicles have a
significantly higher rollover rate
than other types of vehicles. To
avoid

loss of control or rollover,
be sure to follow all
recommendations
and precautions
in this booklet. Off-Road Driving Information