2011 Acura RL Owner's Manual - Page 447

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 below. Towing Speeds and Gears Driving on Hills Drive slower than normal in all driving situations, and obey posted speed limits for vehicles with trailers. Use the D position when towing a trailer on level roads. See '' Driving on Hills'' in the next column for additional gear information. Do not exceed 55 mph (88 km/h). At higher speeds, the trailer may sway or affect vehicle handling. Making Turns and Braking When climbing hills, closely watch your temperature gauge. If it nears the red (Hot) mark, turn the air conditioning off, reduce speed and, if necessary, pull to the side of the road to let the engine cool. 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 S position, or use the paddle shifters to the lower gear (3, 2 or 1) in the S position. When towing a trailer, do not ''ride'' the brakes, and remember, it will take longer to slow down and stop when towing a trailer. CONTINUED Driving 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. 441