tire type Acura MDX 2003 Owner's Manua

You’ll f ind many saf ety
recommendations throughout this
section, and throughout this manual.
Therecommendationsonthispage
are the ones we consider to be the
most important.Excessive speed is a major f actor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed the greater the
risk, but serious accidents can also
occur at lower speeds. Never drive
f aster than is saf e f or current
conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
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. (See page
.)
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 .)
Children are saf est when they are
properly restrained in a back seat,
notthefrontseat.Achildwhoistoo
smallforaseatbeltmustbeproperly
restrained in a child saf ety seat. (See
page .) 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.
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of collisions. Airbags
supplement seat belts, but airbags
are designed to inf late only in a
moderate to severe f rontal collision.
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 .)
15 9
21 296
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Important Saf ety Precautions
Always Wear Your Seat BeltBe Aware of Airbag Hazards Control Your Speed
K eep Your Vehicle in Saf e
Condition
Restrain All Children Don’t Drink and Drive
6

Your vehicle has several convenient
storage areas so you can stow cargo
saf ely.
The glove box, and the pockets in
the f ront doors and seat-backs, are
designed f or small, lightweight items.
The cargo area is intended f or larger,
heavier items. The second and third
row seats can be f olded f lat to allow
you to carry more cargo or 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 Driving245
GLOVE BOXDOOR POCKET
REAR COMPARTMENT
SEAT-BACK POCKET CARGO AREA

VSA is turned on every time you
start the engine, even if you turned it
off the last time you drove the
vehicle.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 vehicle was not equipped with
VSA.337
360
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) System
Driving
VSA and Tire Sizes
268

µµKeeping the tires properly inf lated
provides the best combination of
handling, tread lif e, and riding
comf ort. Underinf lated tires wear
unevenly, adversely affect handling
and f uel economy, and are more
likely to f ail f rom being overheated.
Overinf lated tires can make your
vehicleridemoreharshly,aremore
prone to damage from road hazards,
and wear unevenly.
We recommend that you visually
check your tires every day. If you
think a tire might be low, check it
immediately with a tire gauge.
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
informationonhowandwhento
check air pressure, how to inspect
your tires f or damage and wear, and
what to do when your tires need to
be replaced.
The timing belt should normally be
replaced at the intervals shown in
the maintenance schedule.
Replace the belt at 60,000 miles (U.S.)
or 100,000 km (Canada) if you regu-
larly drive your vehicle in one or
more of these conditions:
In very high temperatures
(over 110°F, 43°C).
In very low temperatures
(under 20°F, 29°C).
Frequently tow a trailer. Inf lation
Tires
Timing Belt
Timing Belt, Tires
Maint enance332
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.

It is best to replace all f our tires at
thesametime.If thatisnotpossible
or necessary, then replace the two
f ront tires or the two rear tires as a
pair. Replacing just one tire can
seriously af f ect your vehicle’s han-
dling.
When shopping f or replacement
tires, you may find that some tires
are ‘‘directional.’’ This means they
are designed to rotate only in one
direction. If you use directional tires,
they should be rotated only front-to-
back.
The tires that came with your
vehicle were selected to match the
perf ormance capabilities of the
vehicle while providing the best
combination of handling, ride
comfort,andlonglife.Youshould
replace them with radial tires of the
same size, load range, speed rating,
and maximum cold tire pressure
rating (as shown on the tire’s
sidewall). Mixing radial and bias-ply
tires on your vehicle can reduce its
braking ability, traction, and steering
accuracy. Replacing T ires and Wheels
Tires
Maint enance336
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.

If you mount snow tires on your
Acura, make sure they are radial
tires of the same size and load range
as the original tires. Mount snow
tiresonallfourwheelstobalance
your vehicle’s handling in all weather
conditions. Keep in mind the traction
provided by snow tires on dry roads
may not be as high as your vehicle’s
original-equipment tires. You should
drive cautiously even when the roads
areclear.Checkwiththetiredealer
f or maximum speed recommen-
dations.Because your Acura has limited tire
clearance, mount only SAE Class ‘‘S’’
cable-type traction devices, with
rubber chain tensioners, on the f ront
tires. Use traction devices only when
required by driving conditions or
local laws. Make sure they are the
correct size f or your tires.
When installing cables, f ollow the
manuf acturer’s instructions and
mount them as tightly as you can.
Drive slowly with them installed. If
youhearthemcomingincontact
with the body or chassis, stop and
investigate. Make sure the cables are
installed tightly, and that they are
not contacting the brake lines or
suspension. Remove them as soon asyou begin driving on cleared roads.
Metal link-type ‘‘chains’’ should not
be used. No matter how tight they
seem to be installed, they can come
into contact with the body and
suspension, causing serious damage.
Snow T ires T ire Chains
Tires
Maint enance338
Traction devices that are the wrong
size or improperly installed can
damage your vehicle’s brake lines,
suspension, body, and wheels. Stop
driving if they are hitting any part of
the vehicle.

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µ
If your vehicle needs to be towed,
call a prof essional towing service or,
if youbelongtoone,anorganization
that provides roadside assistance.
Never tow your vehicle behind
another vehicle with just a rope or
chain. It is very dangerous.
There are three popular types of
prof essional towing equipment.
The operator
loads your vehicle on the back of a
truck. Any other
method of towing will damage the
drive system. When you contact the
towing agency, inf orm them that a
f lat-bed is required. The tow
truck uses two pivoting arms that go
under the tires (f ront or rear) and lif t
them of f the ground. The other two
tires remain on the ground. Refer to
on page
for non-emergency towing
inf ormation.
The tow
truck uses metal cables with hooks
on the ends. These hooks go around
parts of the f rame or suspension and
cables lif t that end of the vehicle of f
the ground. Your vehicle’s
suspension and body can be
seriously damaged. 283Flat -bed Equipment
Wheel L if t Equipment
Sling-t ype Equipment
T his is the only way to
transport your vehicle. Never tow your vehicle with
wheel lif t equipment. Towing Your Vehicle
Behind a Motorhome
T his method of
towing your MDX is unacceptable.
Emergency T owing
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed385
Towing a MDX with only two tires on
the ground will damage parts of the
4WD system. It should be transported
on a f lat-bed truck or trailer.

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Specif ications
T echnical Inf ormation390
Dimensions
Air Conditioning Weights
Capacities
Length
Width
Height
Wheelbase
Track
See the tire information label atta-
ched to the driver’s doorjamb. 1.88 US gal (7.1
)
2.38 US gal (9.0)
4.5 US qt (4.3
)
4.2 US qt (4.0
)
5.3 US qt (5.0
)
2.9 US qt (2.7)
7.7 US qt (7.3)
19.21 US gal (72.7
)
188.5 in (4,789 mm)
76.3 in (1,938 mm)
68.7 in (1,744 mm)
71.3 in (1,811 mm)
106.3 in (2,700 mm)
66.3 in (1,685 mm)
66.5 in (1,690 mm)
9,700 lbs (4,400 kg)
Refrigerant type
Charge quantity
Lubricant type HFC-134a (R-134a)
24.7 26.5 oz (700 750 g) ND-OIL8
Gross vehicle weight rating
Gross combined weight
rating (GCWR)
2.9 US qt (2.7
)
3.0 US qt (2.8)
0.45 US qt (0.43
)
0.48 US qt (0.45)
Excluding the oil remaining in the engine. 0.16 US gal (0.6
)
Including the coolant in the reserve tank and that remaining in the
engine.
Reserve tank capacity:
Fuel tank
Engine
coolant
Engine oil
Automatic
transmission
fluid
Rear
differential
fluid
Transfer
assembly
fluid
Windshield
washer
reservoir
4.8 US qt (4.5
)
Approx.
Front
Rear
1:
2:
Standard
Premium
Equipped with transmission fluid cooler and power steering fluid
cooler.
The GCWR must be reduced 2 percent for every 1,000 feet (305
meters) of elevation.
1:
2: Change
Total
Change
Including
filter
Without
filter
Total
Change
Total
Change
Total
Change
Total
2 1 1
2

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Specif ications
T echnical Inf ormation391
Tires Alignment Engine
Fuses
Battery Lights 60 W (HB3)
12 V
Size
Pressure60 psi (420 kPa , 4.2 kgf/cm
)
32 psi (220 kPa , 2.2 kgf/cm)
T155/90D16 110M P235/65R17 103T
Toe-in
Camber
Caster
1°53’0°50’ 0°50’
0.00 in (0.0 mm)
0.00 in (0.0 mm)
Type
BorexStroke
Displacement
Compression ratio
Spark plugs
10.0 : 1
211.8 cu-in (3,471 cm
)
3.50 x 3.66 in (89.0 x 93.0 mm)
Interior
Under-hood
12 V 51 W (HB4)
3CP
12 V 50 CP
12 V 51 W (HB4)
12 V 2 CP (3.8 W)
12 V 24 CP (27 W)
12 V 21 W/5 W
12 V 21 CP (18 W)
12 V 3 CP
12 V 21 W
12 V 6.2 W
12 V 7 W 5W
5W
1.1 W
3.8 W
Capacity 12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V 20 AH/5 HR
Water cooled 4-stroke SOHC,
V6 gasoline engine
Headlights
Front side marker lights
Front turn signal lights/
Parking lights
Fog light
Rear side marker lights
Rear turn signal/hazard lights
Brake/Taillights
Backup lights
License plate lights
High-mount brake light
Individual map lights
Cargo area light
Tailgate light
Vanity mirror light
Door light See page
384or the fuse label
attached to the dashboard.
See page 384or the fuse label
attached to the inside of the fuse
box door under the dashboard.
See page 383or the fuse box
cover.
See spark plug maintenance
section page 325 .
Front/Rear
Spare
Front/Rear
Spare Front
Rear
Front
Rear
Front
Front
Rear Driver’s side
Passenger’s side
High
Low

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The tires that came on your car 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. Following is an example
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). Load index (a numerical code
associated with the maximum
load the tire can carry). Rim diameter in inches.
Speed symbol (an
alphabetical code indicating
the maximum speed rating).
Tire Identif ication Number (TIN) is
a group of numbers and letters that
look like the f ollowing example TIN.
This indicates that the tire
meets all requirements of
the U.S. Department of
Transportation.Manuf acturer’s
identification mark.
Tire type code. Date of manuf acture.
P
225
55
R 94
V 16
DOT
B97R
FW6X2202
T echnical Inf ormation
Tire Inf ormation
Tire Labeling
Tire Size
T ire Ident if icat ion Number
394
DOT B97R FW6X 2202
P225/55R16 94V