Towing Safety - Acura Legend 1991 Owner's Manual

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Towing Safety

Your car will not stop as quickly with
a trailer in tow. Leave extra distance
between your car and other vehicles.
Avoid braking or turning suddenly.
This could cause the trailer to
jackknife or possibly turn over.
Keep in mind that your total vehicle
is now much longer. Leave more
room when making turns. The trailer
tracks a smaller arc than the car and
can hit or run over something that
the car misses. When passing an-
other vehicle, make sure the trailer is
clear before changing lanes.
The car/trailer combination is more
affected by crosswinds and buffeting.
When being passed by a large
vehicle, keep a constant speed and
steer straight ahead. If there is too
much wind buffeting, slow down to
get out of the other vehicle's air
turbulence.
Table of Contents
Towing a trailer puts an extra load on
your car. You should have your car
serviced according to the "Mainte-
nance schedule under severe driving
conditions" on page 139.
This extra load is magnified when
you are driving in hilly terrain. Watch
the temperature gauge closely when
climbing hills. If it gets near the hot
area, turn off the air conditioner (if it
is on). If this does not reduce the
heat, it may be necessary to pull to
the side of the road and wait for the
engine to cool. If the automatic
transmission shifts frequently be-
tween 3rd and 4th gears, put it in D3.
This will help prevent the transmis-
sion from overheating. Help keep the
brakes from overheating by shifting
to a lower gear when going downhill.
If you have to stop while going uphill,
do not hold the car in place by
pressing on the accelerator.
Towing a Trailer
This can cause the automatic trans-
mission to overheat. Use the parking
brake or footbrake.
When parking your car and trailer,
especially on a hill, be sure to follow
all the normal precautions. Turn your
front wheels into the curb, set the
parking brake firmly, and put the
transmission in 1st or Reverse (5-
speed) or Park (automatic). In
addition, place wheel chocks at each
of the trailer's tires.
Backing up with a trailer is difficult
and takes practice. Drive slowly,
make small movements with the
steering wheel, and have someone
stand outside to guide you. Grip the
steering wheel on the bottom (rather
than the usual position near the top).
Move your hand to the left to get the
trailer to move to the left, and right to
move the trailer right.
Driving