2003 Acura TL traction control

µµBeing able to see
clearly in all directions and being
visible to other drivers are important
in all weather conditions. This is
more dif f icult in bad weather. To be
seen more clearly during daylight
hours, turn on your headlights. Check your tires
f requently f or wear and proper
pressure. Both are important in
preventing ‘‘hydroplaning’’ (loss of
traction on a wet surface). In the
winter, mount snow tires on all f our
wheels f or the best handling.
Watch road conditions caref ully,
they can change f rom moment to
moment. Wet leaves can be as slip-
pery as ice. ‘‘Clear’’ roads can have
patches of ice. Driving conditions
can be very hazardous when the
outside temperature is near f reezing.
The road surf ace can become
covered with areas of water puddles
mixed with areas of ice, so your
traction can change without warning.
Be caref ul when downshif ting. If
traction is low, you can lock up the
drive wheels f or a moment and cause
askid. Be very cautious when passing, or
beingpassedbyothervehicles.The
spray f rom large vehicles reduces
your visibility, and the wind buf f eting
can cause you to lose control.
Inspect your windshield wipers and
washers f requently. Keep the wind-
shield washer reservoir f ull of the
proper f luid. Have the windshield
wiper blades replaced if they start to
streak the windshield or leave parts
unwiped. Use the def roster and air
conditioning to keep the windows
f rom f ogging up on the inside (see
pages and ).
122 127
Visibility
Traction
Driving in Bad Weather
Driving210

Your Acura has been designed
primarily to carry passengers and
their cargo. You can use it to tow a
trailer if you caref ully observe the
load limits, use the proper equipment,
and f ollow the guidelines in this
section.The total
weight of the trailer and
everything loaded in it must not
exceed 1,000 lbs (450 kg). Towing
a load that is too heavy can
seriously af f ect your vehicle’s
handling and perf ormance. It can
also damage the engine and
drivetrain. The weight that
the tongue of a f ully-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 f ront-tire
traction and steering control.
CONT INUED
Load Limits
T otal T railer Weight: T ongue L oad:
Towing a Trailer
Driving211

Thecompactsparetirehasashorter
tread lif e than a regular tire. Replace
it when you can see the tread wear
indicator bars. The replacement
should be the same size and design
tire, mounted on the same wheel.
Thecompactsparetireisnot
designed to be mounted on a regular
wheel, and the compact wheel is not
designed f or mounting a regular tire.
Check the inf lation pressure of the
compact spare tire every time you
check the other tires. It should be
inf lated to: Your car has a compact spare tire
that takes up less space. Use this
sparetireasatemporaryreplace-
ment only. Get your regular tire
repaired or replaced and put it back
on your car as soon as you can.
Follow these precautions whenever
you are using the compact spare tire:
Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h)
under any circumstances.
This tire gives a harsher ride and
less traction on some road sur-
f aces than the regular tire. Use
greater caution while driving on
this tire. Do not mount snow chains on the
compact spare.
The wheel of the compact spare
tire is designed especially to f it
your car. Do not use your spare
tire on another vehicle unless it is
thesamemakeandmodel.
Turn off the Traction Control
System (see page ). Driving
withthecompactsparetiremay
activate the TCS.
Turn of f the VSA system (see
page ).
Driving with the compact spare
tiremayactivatetheVSAsystem.
204
207
Premium model
Type-S
Compact Spare Tire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed288
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MA
AR
RKK
T
T R
RE EA
A D
D W
WE EA
A R
R I
INND DI
ICCA A T
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OR R B
BAA R
R
60 psi (420 kPa , 4.2 kgf/cm)

µµ
Thediagramsinthissectiongive
you the dimensions and capacities of
your Acura, and the locations of the
identif ication numbers. It also
includes inf ormation you should
know about your vehicle’s tires and
emissions control systems. ................
Identif ication Numbers . 316
................................
Specif ications .318
DOT Tire Quality Grading .............................
(U.S.Cars) .320
.................................
Treadwear .320
.............
Traction AA, A, B, C . 320
.............
Temperature A,B,C .321
.........................
Oxygenated Fuels .322
......
Driving in Foreign Countries . 323.......................
Emissions Controls .324
.....................
The Clean Air Act .324
Crankcase Emissions Control ....................................
System .324
Evaporative Emissions Control ....................................
System .324
Onboard Ref ueling Vapor ................................
Recovery .324
...
Exhaust Emissions Controls . 325
....................
PGM-FI System .325
Ignition Timing Control ................................
System .325
Exhaust Gas Recirculation ...................
(EGR) System . 325
Three Way Catalytic ...........................
Converter .325
....................
Replacement Parts . 325
..
Three Way Catalytic Converter . 326
..............
State Emissions Testing . 327
T echnical Inf ormat ion
T echnical Inf ormation315

µ
The traction grades, f rom highest to
lowest, are AA, A, B, and C. Those
grades represent the tire’s ability to
stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled conditions on
specif ied government test surf aces
of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction
perf ormance.
Warning: The traction grade
assignedtothistireisbasedon
straight-ahead braking traction tests,
and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak
traction characteristics.
The treadwear grade is a compara-
tive rating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specif ied government
test course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and one-
half (1 1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded
100. The relative perf ormance of
tires depends upon the actual condi-
tions of their use, however, and may
depart signif icantly f rom the norm
due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and dif f erences in
road characteristics and climate.
The tires on your car meet all U.S.
Federal Saf ety Requirements. All
tires are also graded for treadwear,
traction, and temperature perform-
ance according to Department of
Transportation (DOT) standards.
The f ollowing explains these
gradings.
Quality grades can be f ound where
applicable on the tire sidewall
between the tread shoulder and the
maximum section width. For
example:
All passenger car tires must conf orm
to Federal Saf ety Requirements in
addition to these grades.
T echnical Inf ormation
DOT T ire Quality Grading (U.S. Cars)
Treadwear
Traction AA, A, B, C
T readwear 200
Traction AA
Temperature A
Unif orm T ire Quality Grading
320

Î
...............................................
Tires .260
..............................
Air Pressure .261
.........................
Checking Wear .262
..........................
Compact Spare .288
......
DOT Tire Quality Grading . 320
......................................
Inf lation .261
..................................
Inspection .262
...................................
Replacing .264
......................................
Rotating .264
...........................................
Snow .266
............................
Specif ications .319
.......................
Traction Devices .266
..........................
Winter Driving .266
...................
Tools, Tire Changing . 289
Towing .....................................
A Trailer .211
................
Emergency Wrecker . 312
Traction Control System (TCS) ...............................
Indicator .61, 205
...................................
Operation .203
...........................
Traction Devices .266
Transmission Checking Fluid Level, ..............................
Automatic .244
...........................
Fluid Selection .245
..............
Identif ication Number . 317 .............
Shif ting the Automatic . 190
.............................
Treadwear .262, 320
.......................................
Trip Meter .65
................................................
Trunk .85
........
Emergency Trunk Release . 86
.................................
Opening the .85
...................
Open Monitor Light . 62
....................................
Turn Signals .71
.....................
Underside, Cleaning .285
Unexpected, Taking Care ..........................................
of the .287
....
Unif orm Tire Quality Grading . 320
........................
Unleaded Gasoline .174
.....................
Upholstery Cleaning .282
.......
Used Oil, How to Dispose of . 237
................................
Vanity Mirror .109
.................
Vehicle Capacity Load . 184
......................
Vehicle Dimensions .318
....
Vehicle Identif ication Number . 316Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA)
....................................
System .206
........
VSA System Indicator . 61,206
...
VSA Activation Indicator . 61,207
.........................
VSA Of f Switch .207
.............................
Vehicle Storage .277
.................................................
VIN .316
...............................
Vinyl Cleaning .283
..................................
Viscosity, Oil .234
.............
WARNING, Explanation of . ii
.........
Warning Labels, Location of . 54
..................
Warranty Coverages .331
Washer, Windshield ........
Checking the Fluid Level . 243
.......................................
Indicator .63
.....................................
Operation .73
.........................................
Washing .280
..................
Waxing and Polishing . 281
Wheels ...............
Adjusting the Steering . 75
............
Alignment and Balance . 263
..........................
Compact Spare .288
Index
U
V W
VIII