traction control HONDA S2000 2000 1.G Owners Manual

The Braking System
You should never pump the
brake pedal, this defeats the
purpose of the ABS. Let the ABS
work for you by always keeping firm,
steady pressure on the brake pedal
as you
steer away from the hazard.
This is sometimes referred to as
"stomp and steer."
You will feel 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
the brake pedal very
hard before you
activate the
ABS. However, you may
feel the
ABS activate immediately if
you are trying to stop on snow or ice.
138
Driving
Important Safety Reminders
ABS does not reduce the time or
distance it takes to stop the car, it
only helps with steering control
during braking. You should always
maintain a safe following distance
from other vehicles.
ABS will not prevent a skid that
results from changing direction
abruptly, such as trying to take a
corner too fast or making a sudden
lane change. Always drive at a safe,
prudent speed for the road and
weather conditions.
ABS cannot prevent a loss of
stability. 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.
A car with ABS may require a
longer
distance to stop on loose or
uneven surfaces, such as gravel
or
snow, than a car without anti-lock.
Slow down and allow a greater
distance between cars under those
conditions.

Driving in Bad Weather
Rain, fog, and snow conditions re­
quire a different 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 condi­
tions.
140 Driving
Driving Technique -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 for the first few miles
(kilometers) of driving while you
adjust to the change in driving
conditions.
This is especially true in
snow. A person can forget some
snow-driving techniques during the
summer months.
Practice is needed
to relearn those skills.
Exercise extra caution when driving
in rain after a long dry spell. After
months of dry weather, the first
rains bring
oil to the surface of the
roadway, making it slippery.
Visibility -Being able to see
clearly in
all directions and being
visible to other drivers are important
in all weather conditions. This is
more difficult
in bad weather. To be
seen more clearly during daylight
hours, turn on your headlights.
Inspect your windshield wipers and
washers frequently. Keep the wind­
shield washer reservoir full of the
proper fluid. Have the windshield
wiper blades replaced
if they start to
streak the windshield or leave parts
unwiped.
Use the defrosters and air
conditioning to keep the windows
from fogging up on
the inside (see
page
91 ).

Traction -Check your tires
frequently for 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 four
wheels for the
best handling.
Watch road conditions carefully,
they can change from 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 freezing.
The road surface can become
covered with areas of water puddles
mixed with areas of ice, so your
traction can change without warning.
Be careful when downshifting. If
traction is low, you can lock up the
drive wheels for a moment and cause
a skid.
Driving in Bad Weather, Towing a Trailer
Be very cautious when passing, or
being passed by other cars.
The
spray from large cars reduces your
visibility, and the wind buffeting can
cause you to lose control.
Towing a Trailer
Your car is not designed to tow a
trailer. Attempting to
do so can void
your warranties.
Driving 141

The diagrams in this section give
you the dimensions and capacities
of
your Honda, and the locations of the
identification numbers.
The expla­
nations of several electronic and
mechanical systems on your Honda
are for the more technically-oriented
owner. Identification
Numbers .................
242
Specifications ................................. 244
DOT Tire Quality Grading
(U.S. Vehicles) ....................... 246
Treadwear .................................. 246
Traction ....................................... 246
Temperature .............................. 247
Technical Information
Oxygenated Fuels .......................... 248
Driving in Foreign Countries ....... 249
Emissions Controls ........................ 250
The Clean Air Act.. .................... 250
Crankcase Emissions Control
System .....................................
250
Evaporative Emissions Control
System .....................................
250
Exhaust Emissions Controls .... 251
PGM-FI System ..................... 251
Ignition Timing Control
System .................................
251
Secondary Air Injection
System .................................
251
Three Way Catalytic
Converter.. ..........................
251
Replacement Parts ..................... 251
Three Way Catalytic Converter ... 252
Technical Information 241

DOT Tire Quality Grading (U.S. Vehicles)
The tires on your vehicle meet all
U.S. Federal Safety Requirements.
All tires are also graded for
treadwear, traction, and temperature
performance according to
Department of Transportation
(DOT) standards. The following
explains these gradings.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grades can be found where
applicable on the tire sidewall
between the tread shoulder and the
maximum section width. For
example: Treadwear
200
TractionAA
Temperature A
246 Technical Information
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a compara­
tive rating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified 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 performance of
tires depends upon
the actual condi­
tions of their use, however, and may
depart significantly from the norm
due to variations
in driving habits,
service practices, and differences in
road characteristics and climate. Traction
The traction
grades, from 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
specified government
test surfaces
of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction
performance.
Warning:
The traction grade
assigned to this tire
is based on
straight-ahead braking traction tests,
and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak
traction characteristics.