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You’ll find many safety
dations throughout this section, and
throughout this manual. The recom-
mendations on this page are the ones
we consider to be the most important.
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of collisions. Airbags are
designed to supplement seat belts,
not replace them. So even though
your vehicle is equipped with airbags,
make sure you and your passengers
always wear your seat belts, and
wear them properly (see page ).
Children age 12 and under should
ride properly restrained in a back
seat, not the front seat. Infants and
smallchildrenshouldberestrained
in a child seat. Larger children
should use a booster seat and a lap/
shoulder belt until they can use the
belt properly without a booster seat
(see pages ). While airbags can save lives, they
can cause serious or fatal injuries to
occupants who sit too close to them,
or are not properly restrained.
Inf ants, young children, and short
adults are at the greatest risk. Be
sure to f ollow all instructions and
warnings in this manual.
Alcohol and driving don’t mix. Even
one drink can reduce your ability to
respond to changing conditions, and
your reaction time gets worse with
every additional drink. So don’t drink
and drive, and don’t let your f riends
drink and drive, either.
Engaging in mobile phone
conversation or other activities that
keep you f rom paying close attention
to the road, other vehicles and pedestrians could lead to a crash.
Remember, situations can change
quickly, and only you can decide
when it is saf e to divert attention
away f rom driving.
Having a tire blowout or a
mechanical f ailure can be extremely
hazardous. To reduce the possibility
of such problems, check your tire
pressures and condition f requently,
and perform all regularly scheduled
maintenance (see page ). Excessive speed is a major f actor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed, the greater the
risk, but serious injuries can also
occur at lower speeds. Never drive
f aster than is saf e f or current
conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
16
37 56 497
Important Saf ety Precautions
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
Restrain All ChildrenBe Aware of Airbag Hazards
Don’t Drink and Drive
Pay Appropriate Attention to the
Task of Driving Saf ely
K eep Your Vehicle in Saf e
Condition Control Your Speed
6
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recommen-
2011 TL
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Select this option to delete
the current message.
Select this option to hear a
voice read the entire message. This
gives you more inf ormation than the
screen can display at one time. When
you select the Voice option, it
changes to a Stop Reading option.
Select the option again to stop the
voice.
To set your AcuraLink pref erences
(thetypesof messagesyouwantto
receive, if any), visit the My Acura
website at, and
choose what you would like to
receive. If you do not have internet
access, call Acura Client Services at
(800) 382-2238; they can set your
message pref erences f or you.
To make a call, your
compatible phone must be paired to
the vehicle’s HandsFreeLink system,
powered on, and located within the
vehicle(seepage ). Select this
option to f ind the nearest Acura
dealer using the navigation system.
Select this
option to call the Acura dealer you
purchased your vehicle from.
AcuraLink also directs you to this
dealer so you can schedule a
maintenance appointment or receive
information about a message. If
your assigned servicing dealer
changes, AcuraLink will reset
to call that dealer.
Select this option to call a
phone number embedded in the
message. When you select ,
HandsFreeLink(HFL)
dials the number f or you. Select this
option to get more inf ormation about
the current diagnostic message. To
use this option, your cell phone must
be paired with HFL. In addition, the
paired phone must have a compatible
data service and be set up with the
AcuraLink system to make a data
connection. Go to to f ind out which data
services are currently compatible
with AcuraLink.
413
www.owners.acura.com
Bluetooth
Bluetooth www.acura.com/
handsf reelink
Delete
Voice
Message Pref erences
Find Nearest Dealer
Call Your Dealer
Call Call Diagnostic Inf o
AcuraLink(U.S. models only)
428
10/07/29 12:37:01 31TK4620_433
2011 TL
Your vehicle has several convenient
storage areas:Glove box
Door and seat-back pockets
Trunk Console compartment
Center and side pockets
In addition, the trunk pass-through
allows you to carry longer items.
However, carrying too much cargo,
or improperly storing it, can af f ect
your vehicle’s handling, stability,
stopping distance, and tires, and
make it unsaf e. Bef ore carrying any
type of cargo, be sure to read the
f ollowing pages.
Carrying Cargo
Bef ore Driving
455
TRUNK CENTER POCKET
GLOVE BOX
DOOR POCKETS
SEAT-BACK POCKETS CONSOLE COMPARTMENT SIDE POCKET
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2011 TL
VSA is turned on every time you
start the engine, even if
you turned it off the last time
you drove the vehicle.
In certain unusual conditions when
your vehicle gets stuck in shallow
mud or fresh snow, it may be easier
to free it with the VSA temporarily
switched off. When the VSA system
is off, the traction control system is
also off. You should only attempt to
free your vehicle with the VSA off if
you are not able to free it when the
VSA is on.
Immediately af ter f reeing your
vehicle, be sure to switch the VSA on
again. We do not recommend driving
your vehicle with the VSA and
traction control systems switched off.Driving with varying tire or wheel
sizes may cause the VSA to
malf unction. When replacing tires,
make sure they are of the same size
and type as your original tires (see
page ).
If you install winter tires, make sure
they are the same size as those that
were originally supplied with your
vehicle. Exercise the same caution
during winter driving as you would
Your vehicle is equipped with a hill
start assist f eature to help prevent
the vehicle f rom rolling on inclines
as you move your f oot f rom the
brake pedal to the accelerator.
To activate hill start assist, you must
come to a complete stop and make
sure the shif t lever is either in D or S
when f acing uphill, or reverse when
f acing downhill. This f eature begins
working a few seconds after you are
in the correct gear position. Release
thebrakepedal.Thebrakesremain
engaged brief ly to keep the vehicle
f rom rolling f orward or backward.
Gently apply the accelerator pedal as
in normal driving. Hill start assist will
release brake pressure gradually as
you accelerate.
540
On models with SH-AWD
Vehicle Stability A ssist (VSA), aka Electronic Stability Control (ESC), System
VSA and Tire Sizes
Hill Start Assist
486
10/07/29 12:44:28 31TK4620_491
if your vehicle was not equipped
with VSA.
2011 TL
´However, these tires are not
suitable for driving on snow or
ice, so all- season or winter
tires must be installed for winter
driving conditions.
See page f or
To saf ely operate your vehicle, your
tires must be the proper type and
size, in good condition with adequate
tread, and correctly inf lated.
The f ollowing pages give more
detailed inf ormation on how to take
care of your tires and what to do
when they need to be replaced.
Your vehicle is equipped with
high performance all-season tires
(marked All Season or M S on
the sidewalls). These tires
provide excellent handling and
braking performance in most
driving situations.
Your vehicle is equipped with high
perf ormance summer tires. These
tires have a high-traction compound
and tread pattern to provide superior
acceleration, cornering, and stopping
under most driving conditions. 541
All models except SH-AWD model with
high perf ormance tires, SH-AWD TECHHPT, and Canadian A-Spec models
SH-AWD model with high perf ormancetires, SH-AWD TECH HPT, andCanadian A-Spec models
Winter Driving.
Tire Types
Tires
534
Using tires that are excessively
worn or improperly inflated can
cause a crash in which you can
be seriously hurt or killed.
Follow all instructions in this
owner’s manual regarding tire
inflation and maintenance.
10/07/29 12:50:26 31TK4620_539
2011 TL
´
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See page f or DOT tire quality
grading inf ormation, and page f or tire size inf ormation.
Tires marked ‘‘M S’’ or ‘‘All
Season’’ on the sidewall have an all-
weather tread design suitable for
most winter driving conditions.
For the best perf ormance in snowy
or icy conditions, you should install
snow tires or tire chains. They may
be required by local laws under
certain conditions.
If your vehicle is equipped with
summer tires, be aware that these
tires are not designed f or winter
driving conditions. For more
inf ormation, consult your dealer.
Wheels:
Tires:
1:
2: Optional on TECH models
Standard on Canadian A-Spec
model 583
585
On 2WD Models
On U.S. SH-AWD Models
On SH-AWD Models
On Canadian SH-AWD Models
On 2WD Models
Tires
Wheel and T ire Specif ications Winter Driving
Summer T ires
540
17x8.0J
19x8.0J 18x8.0J
18x8.0J
245/40ZR19 94Y P245/45R18 96V P245/50R17 98V 18x8.0J
19x8.0J
P245/45R18 96V(TPMS)
(TPMS)
(TPMS) (TPMS)
(TPMS)
(TPMS)1
1
1, 2
1 1, 2
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.
10/07/29 12:51:27 31TK4620_545
2011 TL
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The tires that came on your vehicle
have a number of markings. Those
you should be aware of are
described below. Whenever tires are replaced, they
should be replaced with tires of the
same size. Below is an example of
tire size with an explanation of what
each component means.
Vehicletype(Pindicates
passenger vehicle).
Tire width in millimeters.
Aspect ratio (the tire’s section
height as a percentage of its
width).
Tire construction code (R
indicates radial).
Rim diameter in inches. Speed symbol (an
alphabetical code indicating
the maximum speed rating). Load index (a numerical code
associated with the maximum
load the tire can carry).
P
R
17 245
50 V 98
CONT INUED
Tire Size
Tire Labeling
Technical Inf ormation
585
Tire Size
(1)
(1)
Tire Identification Number (TIN)
(3) Maximum Tire Pressure
(4) Maximum Tire Load (2)
(3)
(4)
(2) (1)
TIRE LABELING EXAMPLE
P245/50R17 98V
10/07/29 12:57:07 31TK4620_590
2011 TL
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The tire identif ication number (TIN)
is a group of numbers and letters
that look like the f ollowing example.
TIN is located on the sidewall of the
tire.
Manuf acturer’s
identification mark.
Tire type code.
Date of manufacture. This indicates that the tire
meets all requirements of
the U.S. Department of
Transportation. Cold Tire Pressure The tire air
pressure when the vehicle has been
parked f or at least three hours or
driven less than 1 mile (1.6 km).
Load Rating Means the maximum
load that a tire is rated to carry for a
given inf lation pressure.
Maximum Inf lation Pressure The
maximum tire air pressure that the
tire can hold.
Maximum Load Rating Means the
load rating for a tire at the maximum
permissible inflation pressure for
that tire. Recommended Inf lation Pressure
The cold tire inf lation pressure
recommended by the manuf acturer.
Treadwear Indicators (TWI)
Means the projections within the
principal grooves designed to give a
visual indication of the degrees of
wear of the tread.
DOT
B97R
FW6X
2202 Year
Week
T ire Ident if icat ion Number (T IN)Glossary of T ire T erminology
Tire Labeling
586
DOT B97R FW6X 2202
10/07/29 12:57:17 31TK4620_591
2011 TL