Acura 3.2 TL 2003 Owner's Manual page 219

Towing a Trailer
Driving Safely With a Trailer
The added weight, length, and
height of a trailer will affect your
vehicle's handling and performance,
so driving with a trailer requires
some special driving skills and
techniques.
For your safety and the safety of
others, take time to practice driving
maneuvers before heading for the
open road, and follow the guidelines
discussed below.
Towing Speeds and Gears
Drive slower than normal in all
driving situations, and obey posted
speed limits for vehicles with trailers.
Use the D or D position when
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towing a trailer on level roads. D is
the proper shift lever position to use
when towing a trailer in hilly terrain.
(See '' '' in the
Driving on Hills
following column for additional gear
information.)
216
Driving
When towing a trailer in the
Sequential SportShift mode, select
Fourth, Third, Second, or First gear;
depending on the vehicle speeds and
road condition. Do not use Fifth gear.
The recommended speed range for
each gear position is shown in the
table.
Gear position Speed range
1 0
(0
2 12
(20
3, 4 over 25 mph
(over 40 km/h)
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Making Turns and Braking
Make turns more slowly and wider
than normal. The trailer tracks a
smaller arc than your vehicle, and it
can hit or run over something the
vehicle misses. Allow more time and
distance for braking. Do not brake or
turn suddenly as this could cause the
trailer to jackknife or turn over.
Driving on Hills
When climbing hills, closely watch
37 mph your temperature gauge. If it nears
60 km/h) the red (Hot) mark, turn the air
conditioning off, reduce speed and, if
68 mph necessary, pull to the side of the
110 km/h) road to let the engine cool.
If the transmission shifts frequently
between 4th and 5th gears while
going up a hill, shift to D . And if the
transmission shifts frequently
between 3rd and 4th gears, shift to
D .
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