Acura TL 2012 Owner's Manual

The tires on your vehicle meet all
U.S. Federal Saf ety Requirements.
All tires are also graded f or
treadwear, traction, and temperature
perf ormance 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 tread shoulder and
maximum section width. For
example:
All passenger car tires must conf orm
to Federal Saf ety Requirements in
addition to these grades.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.
Unif orm T ire Quality Grading
T readwear 200
Traction AA
Temperature A T readwear
T raction
DOT Tire Quality Grading (U.S. Vehicles)
Technical Inf ormation
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The temperature grade
for this tire is established for a tire
that is properly inflated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed,
underinflation, or excessive
loading, either separately or
in combination, can cause heat
buildup and possible tire failure.
The temperature grades are A (the
highest), B, and C, representing the
tire’s resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled
conditions on a specif ied indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained high
temperature can cause the material
of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature
can lead to sudden tire f ailure. The
grade C corresponds to a level of
perf ormance which all passenger car
tires must meet under the Federal
Motor Vehicle Saf ety Standard No.
109. Grades B and A represent
higher levels of perf ormance on the
laboratory test wheel than the
minimum required by law. Temperature
DOT Tire Quality Grading (U.S. Vehicles)
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Warning
:
Technical Inf ormation
2012 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.
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).
Whenever tires are replaced, they
should be replaced with tires of the
same size. Following is an example
of tire size with an explanation of
what each component means.
P
R
17 245
50 V 98
CONT INUED
Tire Size
Tire Labeling
Technical Inf ormation
619
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
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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 inf lation pressure f or
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
620
DOT B97R FW6X 2202
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Technical Inf ormation
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Each tire, including the spare (if
provided), should be checked
monthly when cold and inf lated to
the inf lation pressure recommended
by the vehicle manuf acturer on the
vehicle placard or tire inf lation
pressure label.
(If your vehicle has tires of a
dif f erent size than the size indicated
on the vehicle placard or tire
inf lation pressure label, you should
determine the proper tire inf lation
pressure f or those tires.)Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure telltale illuminates, you
should stop and check your tires as
soon as possible, and inf late them to
the proper pressure.Driving on a signif icantly under-
inf lated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inf lation also reduces f uel
efficiency and tire tread life, and may
af f ect the vehicle’s handling and
stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a
substitute for proper tire
maintenance, and it is the driver’s
responsibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if under-inf lation has
not reached the level to trigger
illumination of the TPMS low tire
pressure telltale.
CONT INUED
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) Required Federal Explanation
Technical Inf ormation
621
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As an added safety feature,
your vehicle has been
equipped with a tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that
illuminates a low tire
tires is
pressure telltale when one
or more of your
significantly under-inflated.
2012 TL

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Always check the TPMS malf unction
telltale af ter replacing one or more
tires or wheels on your vehicle to
ensure that the replacement or
alternate tires and wheels allow the
TPMS to continue to f unction
properly.
Your vehicle has also been equipped
with a TPMS malf unction indicator
to indicate when the system is not
operating properly. The TPMS
malf unction indicator is combined
with the low tire pressure telltale.
When the system detects a
malf unction, the telltale will f lash f or
approximately one minute and then
remain continuously illuminated.
This sequence will continue upon
subsequent vehicle start-ups as long
as the malfunction exists.
When the malf unction indicator is
illuminated, the system may not be
able to detect or signal low tire
pressure as intended.
TPMS malf unctions may occur f or a
variety of reasons, including the
installation of replacement or
alternate tires or wheels on the
vehicle that prevent the TPMS f rom
f unctioning properly.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) Required Federal Explanation
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Technical Inf ormation
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Î
ÎThe United States Clean Air Act
sets standards f or automobile
emissions. It also requires that
automobile manufacturers explain to
owners how their emissions controls
workandwhattodotomaintain
them. This section summarizes how
the emissions controls work.
The burning of gasoline in your
vehicle’s engine produces several by-
products. Some of these are carbon
monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen
(NOx), and hydrocarbons (HC).
Gasoline evaporating f rom the tank
also produces hydrocarbons. Con-
trolling the production of NOx, CO,
and HC is important to the environ-
ment. Under certain conditions of
sunlight and climate, NOx and HC
react to f orm photochemical ‘‘smog.’’
Carbon monoxide does not contri-
bute to smog creation, but it is a
poisonous gas.
In Canada, Acura vehicles comply with the
Canadian emission requirements, as specified in
an agreement with Environment Canada, at the
time they are manufactured.
The onboard ref ueling vapor
recovery (ORVR) system captures
the f uel vapors during ref ueling. The
vapors are adsorbed in a canister
f illed with activated carbon. While
driving, the f uel vapors are drawn
into the engine and burned of f . As gasoline evaporates in the f uel
tank, an evaporative emissions
control canister f illed with charcoal
adsorbs the vapor. It is stored in this
canister while the engine is of f . Af ter
the engine is started and warmed up,
the vapor is drawn into the engine
and burned during driving.
Your vehicle has a positive
crankcase ventilation system. This
keeps gasses that build up in the
engine’s crankcase f rom going into
the atmosphere. The positive
crankcase ventilation valve routes
them from the crankcase back to the intake manif old. They are then
drawn into the engine and burned.
The Clean Air Act
Onboard Ref ueling Vapor
Recovery Evaporative Emissions Control
System
Crankcase Emissions Control
System
Emissions Cont rols
Technical Inf ormation
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The exhaust emissions controls
include f our systems: PGM-FI,
ignition timing control, exhaust gas
recirculation, and three way catalytic
converter. These f our systems work
together to control the engine’s
combustion and minimize the
amount of HC, CO, and NOx that
come out the tailpipe. The exhaust
emissions control systems are
separate f rom the crankcase and
evaporative emissions control
systems.The emissions control systems are
designed and certif ied to work
together in reducing emissions to
levels that comply with the Clean Air
Act. To make sure the emissions
remain low, you should use only new
Acura replacement parts or their
equivalent f or repairs. Using lower
qualitypartsmayincreasethe
emissions f rom your vehicle.
The emissions control systems
The PGM-FI system uses sequential
multiport f uel injection. It has three
subsystems: air intake, engine
control, and f uel control. The
powertrain control module (PCM) in
automatic transmission vehicles or
the engine control module (ECM) in
manual transmission vehicles uses
various sensors to determine how
much air is going into the engine. It then controls how much f uel to inject
under all operating conditions.
The three way catalytic converter is
in the exhaust system. Through
chemical reactions, it converts HC,
CO, and NOx in the engine’s exhaust
to carbon dioxide (CO ), nitrogen
(N ), and water vapor. The exhaust gas recirculation (EGR)
system takes some of the exhaust
gas and routes it back into the intake
manif old. Adding exhaust gas to the
air/f uel mixture reduces the amount
of NOx produced when the fuel This system constantly adjusts the
ignition timing, reducing the amount
of HC, CO, and NOx produced.
2
2
Exhaust Emissions Controls Replacement Parts
PGM-FI System
Three Way Catalytic Converter
Exhaust Gas Recirculat ion (EGR)
Syst em
Ignit ion T iming Cont rol Syst em
Emissions Cont rols
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Technical Inf ormation
are covered by warranties separate
from the rest of your vehicle. Read
your warranty manual for more
information.
is burned.
2012 TL

The three way catalytic converters
contain precious metals that serve as
catalysts, promoting chemical
reactions to convert the exhaust
gasses without af f ecting the metals.
The catalytic converters are ref erred
to as three-way catalysts, since they
act on HC, CO, and NOx.
Replacement units must be original
Acura parts or their equivalent.
The three way catalytic converters
must operate at a high temperature
for the chemical reactions to take
place. They can set on f ire any
combustible materials that come
near them. Park your vehicle away
f rom high grass, dry leaves, or other
f lammables.Defectivethreewaycatalytic
converters contribute to air pollution,
and can impair your engine’s
perf ormance. Follow these
guidelines to protect your vehicle’s
three way catalytic converters.
Always use unleaded gasoline.
Even a small amount of leaded
gasoline can contaminate the
catalyst metals, making the three
way catalytic converters
inef f ective. Keep the engine well maintained.
Have your vehicle diagnosed and
repaired if it is misf iring, back-
f iring, stalling, or otherwise not
running properly.
Three Way Catalytic Converters
Technical Inf ormation
625
THREE WAY CATALYTIC CONVERTERS
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Make sure the gas tank
is nearly, but not completely, full
(around 3/4).Without touching the accelerator
pedal, start the engine, and let it
idle f or 20 seconds.
If you take your vehicle for an
emissions test shortly after the
battery has been disconnected or
gone dead, it may not pass the test.
This is because of certain
‘‘readiness codes’’ that must be set
in the on- board diagnostics for the
emissions systems. These codes
are erased when the battery is
disconnected, and set again only
after several days of driving under a
variety of conditions. If the testing f acility determines that
the readiness codes are not set, you
will be requested to return at a later
date to complete the test. If you must
get the vehicle retested within the
next two or three days, you can
condition the vehicle f or retesting by
doing the f ollowing.
Make sure the vehicle has been
parked with the engine of f f or 6
hours or more.
Make sure the ambient
temperature is between 40° and
95°F (4° and 35°C). Keep the vehicle in Park
(automatic) or neutral (manual).
Increase the engine speed to 2,000
rpm,andholditthereuntilthe
temperature gauge rises to at least
1/4of thescale(about3minutes).
Without touching the accelerator
pedal, let the engine idle f or 20
seconds.
1.
2.
3. 4.
5.
6.
T esting of Readiness Codes
Emissions T esting
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