Acura CL 2002 Owner's Manual

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.
Your car has an Anti-lock Brake
System (ABS) as standard
equipment. ABS helps to prevent the
wheels f rom locking up and skidding
during hard braking, allowing you to
retain steering control.
When the f ront tires skid, you lose
steering control; the car continues
straightaheadeventhoughyouturn
the steering wheel. The ABS helps to
prevent lock-up and helps you retain
steering control by pumping the
brakes rapidly; much f aster than a
person can do it.
The hydraulic system that operates
the brakes has two separate circuits.
Each circuit works diagonally across
the car (the lef t-f ront brake is
connected with the right-rear brake,
etc.). If one circuit should develop a
problem, you will still have braking
at two wheels.
‘‘stomp and steer.’’
Brake System Design
A nti-lock BrakesYou should never pump the
brake pedal,
The Braking System
Driving188
F Fr roo n
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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.
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. it
only helps with steering control
during braking. You should always
maintain a saf e f ollowing distance
f rom other vehicles. on loose or
uneven surf aces, such as gravel or
snow, than a vehicle without anti-
lock. Slow down and allow a greater
distance between vehicles under
those conditions.
The ABS is self -checking. If anything
goes wrong, the ABS indicator on
the instrument panel comes on (see
page ). This means the anti-lock
f unction of the braking system has
shut down. The brakes still work like
a conventional system without anti-
lock, providing normal stopping
ability. You should have the dealer
inspect your car as soon as possible.56
CONT INUED
The Braking System
Driving
Import ant Saf et y Reminders
A BS Indicat or
A BS will not prevent a skid that
results f rom changing direction
abruptly,
A BS cannot prevent a loss of
stability. A BS does not reduce the time or
distance it takes to stop the car,A vehicle with A BS may require a
longer distance to stop
189
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Your Acura is equipped with a
Traction Control System (TCS) to
assist you in maintaining traction
while driving slowly on loose or
slippery surf aces. The TCS assists
only in low-speed, low-traction
conditions; up to approximately 18
mph (30 km/h).
TCS monitors the speed of all f our
wheels. When it senses a f ront wheel
losing traction, it applies braking to
that wheel. The TCS indicator
f lashes when this occurs.Driving with TCS requires no special
skills or technique. The TCS does
not control your car’s whole braking
system and cannot prevent skidding
if you enter a corner too f ast. It is
still your responsibility to drive at
reasonable speeds and to leave a
suf f icient margin of saf ety.
The TCS indicator will come on
alongwiththeABSindicator.
The VSA system indicator may come
on along with the ABS indicator if
there is a problem with the anti-lock
brake system.
On Premium model
On Premium model
On Type-S
Driving
The Braking System, Traction Control System
Traction Control System
190
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When starting out or driving at low
speeds on a loose or slippery road
surface, you may notice that the
vehicle does not respond to the
accelerator in the same way it does
at other times. This is a sign TCS is
activating. You will see the TCS
indicator light f lash.
Driving with the compact spare tire
installed (see page ) may
activate the TCS. You should turn of f
the system.If the brakes overheat while TCS is
activating, the TCS indicator will
stop flashing and stay on temporarily.
This indicates that TCS has turned
off. After the brakes have cooled
down (usually f or about 10 minutes),
TCSwillturnbackonandthe
indicator will turn of f .
This switch is under the side vent. It
letsyouturntheTractionControl
System on and of f . You cannot turn
of f the TCS while the TCS indicator
light is f lashing.
Deactivate the system by pressing
the TCS On/Off switch. The TCS
indicator light comes on as a
reminder. Pressing the switch again
turns the system back on.
You should still install winter tires on
your car during the winter. Make
sure to use the same size originally
supplied with vehicle. Exercise the
samecautioninwinterdrivingasyou
would if your car was not equipped
with TCS.
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TCS ON/OFF Switch
Traction Control System
Driving191
T TC
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This indicator will come on along
with the ABS indicator if there is a
problem in the anti-lock brake
system (seeon page
).
The TCS indicator may occasionally
come on f or one or two seconds and
then go out. This is normal.
The Traction Control System turns
on every time you start the engine,
even if you turned it of f the last time
you drove the vehicle.
The TCS indicator comes on or
f lashes under the f ollowing condi-
tions:
When you turn the ignition switch
to ON (II).
When you manually turn of f TCS. If the TCS indicator comes on and
stays on for more than 10 minutes
while driving, pull to the side of the
road when it is saf e and turn of f the
engine. Reset the system by
restarting the engine, and watch the
TCS indicator. If the indicator
remains on, or comes back on while
driving, have the system inspected
by your Acura dealer. You can still
drive the vehicle without TCS.
It f lashes when TCS is regulating
wheelspin.
If the system’s diagnostics senses
a problem with TCS, the indicator
will come on and stay on.
If the brakes overheat, the
indicator will come on. 190
ABS Indicator
T CS Indicat or
Traction Control System
Driving192

CONT INUED
The VSA system cannot enhance the
car’s driving stability in all situations
and does not control your vehicle’s
entire braking system. It is still your
responsibility to drive and corner at
reasonable speeds and to leave a
suf f icient margin of saf ety.When VSA activates, you will see the
VSA Activation indicator blink.
When VSA activates, you may notice
that the engine does not respond to
the accelerator in the same way it
does at other times. You will also see
the VSA Activation Indicator blink. The Vehicle Stability Assist system
helps to stabilize the vehicle during
cornering if the car turns more or
less than desired. It also assists you
in maintaining traction while
accelerating on loose or slippery
road surf aces. It does this by
regulating the engine’s output, and
by selectively applying braking.On Type-S
Driving
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) System
VSA A ct ivat ion Indicat or
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If the VSA indicator comes on while
driving, pull to the side of the road
when it is saf e and turn of f the
engine. Reset the system by
restarting the engine, and watch the
VSA system indicator. If the
indicator remains on, or comes back
on while driving, have the VSA
system inspected by your Acura
dealer.When VSA is off, the VSA Activation
Indicator light comes on as a
reminder. Pressing the switch again
turns the system back on.
If the indicator does not come on
when the ignition switch is turned
ON(II),theremaybeaproblem
with the VSA system. Have your
dealer inspect your car as soon as
possible.
Without VSA, your car will have
normal braking and cornering ability,
but it will not have VSA traction and
stability enhancement.
This switch is under the lef t vent.
Press it to turn the Vehicle Stability
Assist system on and of f .
The VSA system indicator (see page
) comes on and stays on when
there is a problem with the VSA
system. The VSA Activation
indicator will also come on. 57
Driving
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) System
VSA Syst em Indicat orVSA Of f Switch
194
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VSA is turned on every time you
start the engine, even if you turned it
off the last time you drove the car.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 ).
Deactivate the VSA system if you
need to drive with the compact spare
tire installed (see page ).
If you install winter tires, make sure
they are the same size as those that
were originally supplied with your
car. Exercise the same caution
during winter driving as you would if
your car was not equipped with VSA.249
274
Driving
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) System
VSA and Tire Sizes
195

µExercise 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
require 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. The cruise control
should not be used in these
conditions. 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. Driving T echnique
Driving
Driving in Bad Weather
196

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 ).
120 125
Visibility
Traction
Driving in Bad Weather
Driving197