1997 Honda Odyssey Owner's Manual - Page 134

Towing a Trailer 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 another 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. Towing a trailer puts an extra load on your car. You should have your car serviced according to the "Maintenance Schedule under severe driving conditions" on page 143. 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 conditioning (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 between 3rd and 4th gears, put it in D3. This will help prevent the transmission from overheating. Help keep the brakes from overheating by shifting to a lower gear when going downhill. Driving