traction control Acura RDX 2008 Owner's Manual

Bluetoothis a registered trademark
of Bluetooth SIG, Inc.
Bluetooth is the wireless technology
that links your phone to the HFL.
TheHFLusesaClass2Bluetooth,
which means the maximum range
between your phone and vehicle is
30 f eet (10 meters). With a linked phone, the HFL allows
you to send and receive calls in your
vehicle without holding the phone.
The HFL can store up to 50 names
and phone numbers in its phonebook.
Withalinkedphone,youcanthen
automatically dial any name or
number in the phonebook.
Here are the main components of
the HFL system:
The HFL microphone is on the
ceiling console. The microphone is
shared with the navigation system.
BluetoothWireless Technology
Incoming/Outgoing Calls
Phonebook
Microphone
Voice Control
BluetoothHandsFreeL ink
252
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Your vehicle is equipped with the
Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink®
HFL recognizes simple voice
and names. It uses these commands
to automatically dial, receive, and store numbers. For more
inf ormation on voice control, see
UsingVoiceControlonpage
255.
TousetheHFL,yourphonemust
haveapprovedBluetoothcapability
Thistypeofphoneisavailable
throughmanyphonemakersand
cellularcarriers.Youcanalsofindan
approvedphonebyvisiting
calling the HandsFreeLink consumer
support at 1-888-528-7876. In
1888-9-ACURA-9.
Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink® (HFL).
HFL uses Bluetooth® technology to
link your cell phone to your vehicle.
With HFL, you can place and receive
calls through your vehicle’s audio
system, without the distraction of
handling your cell phone. To use this
feature, you need a Bluetooth-
compatible cell phone with the Hands-
Free Profile. For more information,
and a list of compatible cell phones, www.acura.com/handsfreelink,
Here are the main features of the
HFL. Instructions for using the HFL
begin on page 253.

visit
or call 1-888-528-7876. In Canada,
commands,suchasphonenumbers
visit www.acura.ca, or call
1-888-9-ACURA-9.alongwiththeHands -Free Prof ile.
www.acura.com/handsfreelink, or by
Canada, visit www.acura.ca, or call
2008 RDX

Because your vehicle rides higher
of f the ground, it has a high center
of gravity that can cause it to roll
over if you make abrupt turns. Utility
vehicles have a signif icantly higher
roll over rate than other types of
vehicles. Your vehicle has higher ground
clearance that allows you to travel
over bumps, obstacles, and rough
terrain. It also provides good
visibility so you can anticipate
problems earlier.To prevent rollovers or loss of
control:
Take corners at slower speeds
than you would with a passenger
vehicle.
Avoid sharp turns and abrupt
maneuvers whenever possible.
Do not modif y your vehicle in any
way that would raise the center of
gravity.
Do not carry heavy cargo on the
roof . Your vehicle is equipped with a
super handling-all wheel drive (SH-
AWD) system. When the system
senses a loss of one or more wheel
traction, it automatically transfers
some power to the other wheels.
This gives you better traction and
mobility.
You still need to exercise the same
care when accelerating, steering, and
brakingthatyouwouldinatwo-
wheel drive vehicle.
See page f or of f -highway driving
guidelines. 321
Driving Guidelines
290
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The vehicle stability assist (VSA)
system helps to stabilize the vehicle
during cornering if the vehicle 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 the brakes.When VSA activates, you will see the
VSA activation indicator blink (see
page ).
If this 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. If the VSA
system indicator stays on or comes
back on while driving, have the VSA
system inspected by your dealer.
If the indicator does not come on
when the ignition switch is turned to
the ON (II) position, there may be a
problem with the VSA system. Have
your dealer inspect your vehicle as
soon as possible.
When VSA activates, you may notice
that the engine does not respond to
the accelerator in the same way it
does at other times. There may also
be some noise f rom the VSA
hydraulic system. You will also see
the VSA activation indicator blink.
The VSA system cannot enhance the
vehicle’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 sufficient margin of safety. You will also see a ‘‘CHECK VSA
SYSTEM’’ message on the multi-
inf ormation display if there is a
problem with the VSA system.
If the low tire pressure/TPMS
indicator comes on (see page ),
or the multi-information display
shows a ‘‘CHECK TPMS SYSTEM’’
message with the indicator flashing
(see page ), the VSA system
automatically turns on even when
the VSA system is turned of f with
the VSA OFF switch. In this case,
you cannot turn the VSA system of f
by pressing the VSA OFF switch
again.
Without VSA, your vehicle will have
normal braking and cornering ability,
but it will not have VSA traction and
stability enhancement.
67
307
310
VSA A ctivation Indicator
Vehicle Stability Assist
(VSA ) System Indicator
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) System
312
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This switch is under the driver’s side
vent. To turn the VSA system on and
of f , press and hold it until you hear a
beep.
When VSA is off, the VSA activation
indicator comes on as a reminder.
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 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 if
your vehicle was not equipped with
VSA.
In certain unusual conditions when
your vehicle gets stuck in shallow
mud or f resh snow, it may be easier
to free it with the VSA temporarily
switched of f . When the VSA system
is of f , the traction control system is
alsooff.Youshouldonlyattemptto
f ree your vehicle with the VSA of f if
you are not able to f ree 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.
364
VSA Of f Switch VSA and Tire Sizes
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) System
Driving
313
VSA OFF SWITCH
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Your vehicle has been designed
primarily to carry passengers and
their cargo. You can also use it to
tow a trailer if you caref ully observe
the load limits, use the proper
equipment, and f ollow the guidelines
in this section.
Be sure to read thesectiononpage
if you plan to tow of f paved
surf aces.
The
maximum allowable weight of the
trailer and everything in or on it
must not exceed 1,500 lbs (680 kg).
Towing a load that is too heavy can
seriously af f ect your vehicle’s
handling and perf ormance. It can
also damage the engine and
drivetrain. Theweightthatthe
tongue of a f ully-loaded trailer puts
on the hitch should be approximately
10 % of the total trailer weight. Too
much tongue load reduces f ront-tire
traction and steering control. Too
little tongue load can make the
trailer unstable and cause it to sway.
321
Off-Highway
Driving Guidelines Load Limits
T otal T railer Weight: T ongue L oad:
Towing a Trailer
314
Exceeding any load limit or
improperly loading your vehicle
and trailer can cause a crash in
which you can be seriously hurt
or killed.
Check the loading of your
vehicle and trailer carefully
beforestartingtodrive.
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µ
Thediagramsinthissectiongive
you the dimensions and capacities of
your vehicle and the locations of the
identif ication numbers. It also
includes inf ormation you should
know about your vehicle’s tires and
emissions control systems.
................
Identif ication Numbers .394
................................
Specif ications .396
DOT Tire Quality Grading
......................
(U.S. Vehicles) .398
Unif orm Tire Quality ..................................
Grading .398
.................................
Treadwear .398
......................................
Traction .398
.............................
Temperature .399
.................................
Tire Labeling .400
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS) Required Federal ............................
Explanation .401 .......................
Emissions Controls .403
.....................
The Clean Air Act .403
Crankcase Emissions Control
....................................
System .403
Evaporative Emissions Control ....................................
System .403
Onboard Ref ueling Vapor ................................
Recovery .403
...
Exhaust Emissions Controls .404
....................
PGM-FI System .404
Ignition Timing Control
................................
System .404
Three Way Catalytic ...........................
Converter .404
....................
Replacement Parts .404
..
Three Way Catalytic Converter .405
........................
Emissions Testing .406
T echnical Inf ormation
Technical Inf ormation
393
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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: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.
All passenger car tires must conf orm
to Federal Saf ety Requirements in
addition to these grades.
DOT Tire Quality Grading (U.S. Vehicles)
T readwear 200
Traction AA
Temperature A
Unif orm T ire Quality Grading T readwear T raction
398
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