HONDA S2000 2002 1.G Owners Manual

Distribute cargo evenly on the
f loor of the trunk, placing the
heaviest items on the bottom and
as far forward as possible.
Carrying Cargo in the Trunk
Carrying Cargo
Bef ore Driving
132

Usecautionif youshoulddrive
your car on very rough or rutted
roads. You could damage the
suspension and underbody by
bottoming out. Going too f ast over
parking lot ‘‘speed bumps’’ can
also cause damage.Because of the low-prof ile tires
f itted to your car, the alloy wheels
are closer to the ground. Driving
over a pothole or road debris at
too high a speed can seriously
damage a wheel. Slow down under
these conditions.
Your Honda is designed to give you
optimum handling and perf ormance
on well-maintained roads. As part of
this design, your car has a minimum
of ground clearance and very low-
prof ile tires.
Curbs and steep inclines could
damage the f ront and rear
bumpers. Low curbs that do not
affect the average car may be high
enough to hit the bumper on your
Honda. The f ront or rear bumper
mayscrapewhentryingtodrive
onto an incline, such as a steep
driveway or trailer ramps. Bef ore Driving
General Precautions
133

134

This section gives you tips on
starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the
manual transmission. It also includes
important inf ormation on parking
your car, and the braking system.........................
Preparing to Drive . 136
.......................
Starting the Engine . 137
Starting in Cold Weather ....................
at High Altitude . 138
....
6-speed Manual Transmission . 139
.....
Recommended Shif t Points . 140
..............
Engine Speed Limiter . 140
.......................
Reverse Lockout . 140
...........................................
Parking . 141
.....................
The Braking System . 142
.............
Brake Wear Indicators . 142
...............
Brake System Design . 143
.......................
Anti-lock Brakes . 143
Important Saf ety .........................
Reminders . 144
........................
ABS Indicator . 145
...............
Driving in Bad Weather . 146
...........................
Towing a Trailer . 147
Driving
Driving 135

Make sure all windows, mirrors,
and outside lights are clean and
unobstructed. Remove f rost, snow,
or ice.Check that any items you may be
carrying with you inside are stored
properly or f astened down
securely.
Check the adjustment of the seat
(see page ).
Check the adjustment of the
inside and outside mirrors (see
page ).Fasten your seat belt. Check that
your passenger has f astened his or
her seat belt (see page ).
Turn the ignition switch ON (II).
Check the indicator lights in the
instrument panel.
Start the engine (see page ).
Check the gauges and indicator
lights in the instrument panel (see
page ).
Visually check the tires. If a tire
looks low, use a gauge to check its
pressure.
Youshoulddothefollowingchecks
and adjustments every day bef ore
you drive your car.
Check that the hood and trunk are
f ully closed. Make sure the doors are securely
closed and locked.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.8.9.
10. 11. 43
67
78 137
15
Driving
Preparing to Drive
136

Apply the parking brake.
In cold weather, turn of f all
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.
Push the clutch pedal down all the
way. The ENGINE START button
has no ef f ect unless the clutch
pedal is depressed.
Turn the ignition key to ON (II)
position.Without touching the accelerator
pedal, push the ENGINE START
button. If the engine does not start
right away, do not hold the
ENGINE START button f or more
than 15 seconds at a time. Pause
f or at least 10 seconds bef ore
trying again.If the engine still does not start,
press the accelerator pedal all the
way down and hold it there while
starting in order to clear f looding.
As before, hold the ENGINE
START button f or no more than
15 seconds. Return to step 6 if the
engine does not start. If it starts,
lif t your f oot of f the accelerator
pedal so the engine does not race.
If theenginedoesnotstartwithin
15 seconds, or starts but stalls
right away, repeat step 5 with the
accelerator pedal pressed half-way
down. If the engine starts, release
pressure on the accelerator pedal
so the engine does not race.
1. 2. 3. 4.
5.6. 7.
Driving
Starting the Engine
137
EENNGGIINNEESSTTAARRTTBBUUTTTTOONN

An engine is harder to start in cold
weather. The thinner air f ound at
high altitude above 8,000 f eet (2,400
meters) adds to the problem.Use the f ollowing procedure:
Turn of f all electrical accessories
to reduce the drain on the battery.
Push the accelerator pedal half-
way to the f loor and hold it there
while starting the engine. Do not
hold the ENGINE START button
formorethan15seconds.When
the engine starts, release the
accelerator pedal gradually as the
engine speeds up and smooths out.
If the engine fails to start in step 2,
push the accelerator pedal to the
f loor and hold it there while you
try to start the engine for no more
than 15 seconds. If the engine
does not start, return to step 2.
1. 2. 3.
Starting the Engine
Driving
Starting in Cold Weather at High
A ltitude (A bove 8,000 f eet/
2,400 meters) 138

The manual transmission is synchro-
nizedinallforwardgearsforsmooth
operation. It has a lockout so you
cannot shift directly from Fifth to
Reverse instead of sixth (see page). When shif ting up or down,
make sure you push the clutch pedal
down all the way, shift to the next
gear, and let the pedal up gradually.
When you are not shif ting, do not
rest your f oot on the clutch pedal.
This can cause your clutch to wear
out f aster. Come to a full stop before you shift
into Reverse. You can damage the
transmission by trying to shift into
Reverse with the car moving. Push
down the clutch pedal, and pause f or
a f ew seconds bef ore shif ting into
Reverse, or shif t into one of the
f orward gears f or a moment. This
stops the gears so they won’t ‘‘grind.’’
When slowing down, you can get
extra braking f rom the engine by
shifting to a lower gear. This extra
braking can help you maintain a safe
speed and prevent your brakes f rom
overheating while going down a
steep hill. Bef ore downshif ting,
make sure engine speed will not go
into the tachometer’s red zone in the
lower gear.
140
Driving
6-speed Manual T ransmission
139
Rapid slowing or speeding-up
can cause loss of control on
slippery surfaces. If you crash,
you can be injured.
Use extra care when driving on
slippery surfaces.

Drive in the highest gear that lets
the engine run and accelerate
smoothly. This will give you the best
f uel economy and ef f ective emis-
sions control. The f ollowing shif t
points are recommended:Shif t Up
1st to 2nd
2nd to 3rd 3rd to 4th4th to 5th
5th to 6th Normal Acceleration
15 mph (24 km/h)
25 mph (40 km/h)
40 mph (64 km/h)
47 mph (75 km/h)
52 mph (83 km/h) If you exceed the maximum speed
f or the gear you are in, the engine
speed will enter into the tachometer’s
red zone. If this occurs, you may f eel
the engine cut in and out. This is
caused by a limiter in the engine’s
computer controls. The engine will
run normally when you reduce the
RPM below the red zone.
Bef ore downshif ting, make sure the
engine will not go into the
tachometer’s red zone.
With the clutch pedal depressed,
move the shift lever to the Reverse
side of the Neutral gate. Then push
the shif t lever down and shif t to
Reverse.
The 6-speed manual transmission
has a lockout so you cannot
accidentally shif t f rom Fif th to
Reverse instead of Sixth.
Recommended Shif t Points Engine Speed L imiter Reverse L ockout
6-speed Manual T ransmission
Driving
140

Place any packages, valuables, etc.,
in the trunk or take them with you.
Turn of f the lights.
Always use the parking brake when
you park your car. The indicator on
the instrument panel shows that the
parking brake is not f ully released; it
does not indicate that the parking
brakeisfirmlyset.Makesurethe
parking brake is set f irmly or your
car may roll if it is parked on an
incline. If the car is f acing uphill, turn the
f ront wheels away f rom the curb and
put the transmission in f irst gear.
If the car is f acing downhill, turn the
f ront wheels toward the curb and put
the transmission in reverse gear.
Make sure the parking brake is f ully
released bef ore driving away.
Driving with the parking brake
partially set can overheat or damage
the rear brakes. Make sure the convertible top and
the windows are closed.
Lockthedoorswiththekeyorthe
remote transmitter.
Never park over dry leaves, tall
grass, or other f lammable
materials. The three way catalytic
converter gets very hot, and could
cause these materials to catch on
fire.
Parking T ips
Parking
Driving
141