2001 Honda Odyssey Owner's Manual - Page 232

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 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 If you must stop when facing uphill, use the foot brake or parking brake. Do not try to hold the vehicle in place by pressing on the accelerator, as this can cause the automatic transmission to overheat. When driving down hills, reduce your speed and shift down to 2nd gear. Do not "ride" the brakes, and remember it will take longer to slow down and stop when towing a trailer. Drive slower than normal in all driving situations, and obey posted speed limits for vehicles with trailers. Use the D4 position when towing a trailer on level roads. D3 is the proper shift lever position to use when towing a trailer in hilly terrain. (See "Driving on Hills" in the next column for additional gear information.) When climbing hills, closely watch your temperature gauge. If it nears the red mark, turn the air conditioning off, reduce speed and, if necessary, pull to the side of the road to let the engine cool. If the automatic transmission shifts frequently between 3rd and 4th gears while going up a hill, shift to D3. Driving