2003 HONDA CIVIC HATCHBACK traction control

this defeats the
purpose of the ABS. Let the ABS
work f or you by always keeping f irm,
steady pressure on the brake pedal
as you steer away from the hazard.
This is sometimes ref erred to as
You will f eel 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
thebrakepedalveryhardbeforeyou
activate the ABS. However, you may
feel the ABS activate immediately if
you are trying to stop on snow or ice. such as trying to take a
corner too f ast or making a sudden
lane change. Always drive at a safe,
prudent speed f or the road and
weather conditions. it
only helps with steering control
during braking. You should always
maintain a saf e f ollowing distance
f rom other vehicles.
Always steer moderately
when you are braking hard. Severe
or sharp steering wheel movement
can still cause your car to veer into
oncoming traffic or off the road. 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.
‘‘stomp and steer.’’
CONT INUED
You should never pump the
brake pedal;
A BS will not prevent a skid that
results f rom changing direction
abruptly,
A BS does not reduce the time or
distance it takes to stop the car;
A BS cannot prevent a loss of
stability. A vehicle with A BS may require a
longer distance to stopImport ant Saf et y Reminders
The Braking System
Driving
149

µ
µ Being able to see
clearly in all directions and being
visible to other drivers are important
in all weather conditions. This is
more difficult in bad weather. To be
seen more clearly during daylight
hours, turn on your headlights.
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 rosters and air
conditioning to keep the windows
f rom f ogging up on the inside (see
page ).
Exercise extra caution when driving
in rain af ter a long dry spell. Af ter
months of dry weather, the f irst
rains bring oil to the surf ace of the
roadway, making it slippery.
Rain, f og, and snow conditions re-
quire a dif f erent driving technique
because of reduced traction and
visibility. Keep your car well-
maintained and exercise greater
caution when you need to drive in
bad weather. Always drive
slower than you would in dry
weather. It takes your car longer to
react, even in conditions that may
seem just barely damp. Apply
smooth, even pressure to all the
controls. Abrupt steering wheel
movements or sudden, hard appli-
cation of the brakes can cause loss of
control in wet weather. Be extra
cautious f or the f irst f ew miles
(kilometers) of driving while you
adjust to the change in driving
conditions. This is especially true in
snow. A person can f orget some
snow-driving techniques during the
summer months. Practice is needed
to relearn those skills. 101
CONT INUED
Visibility
Driving T echnique
Driving in Bad Weather
Driving 151

µCheck 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.Your car is not designed to tow a
trailer. Attempting to do so can void
your warranties.
Traction
Towing a Trailer
Driving
Driving in Bad Weather, Towing a Trailer
152

Thediagramsinthissectiongive
you the dimensions and capacities of
your Honda, and the locations of the
identif ication numbers. It also
includes inf ormation you should
know about your car’s tires and
emissions control systems.................
Identif ication Numbers . 248
................................
Specif ications . 250
DOT Tire Quality Grading
......................
(U.S. Vehicles) . 252
.................................
Treadwear . 252
......................................
Traction . 252
.............................
Temperature . 253 .........................
Oxygenated Fuels . 254
......
Driving in Foreign Countries . 255
.......................
Emissions Controls . 256
.....................
The Clean Air Act . 256
Crankcase Emissions Control
....................................
System . 256
Evaporative Emissions Control ....................................
System . 256
Onboard Ref ueling Vapor ................................
Recovery . 256
...
Exhaust Emissions Controls . 257
....................
PGM-FI System . 257
Ignition Timing Control
................................
System . 257
Three Way Catalytic
...........................
Converter . 257
....................
Replacement Parts . 257
..
Three Way Catalytic Converter . 258
..............
State Emissions Testing . 259
....
Testing of Readiness Codes . 259
T echnical Inf ormat ion
T echnical Inf ormation 247

The tires on your car meet all U.S.
Federal Saf ety Requirements. All
tires are also graded f or treadwear,
traction, and temperature perform-
ance according to Department of
Transportation (DOT) standards.
The f ollowing explains these
gradings.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 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.
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 vehicle tires must
conf orm to Federal Saf ety
Requirements in addition to these
grades.
DOT T ire Quality Grading (U.S. Vehicles)
T readwear T raction
Unif orm T ire Quality Grading T readwear 200
Traction AA
Temperature A
T echnical Inf ormation
252