change time SUBARU OUTBACK 2006 Owner's Manual

8-26 Driving tips
T Side mirrors
After hitching a trailer to your vehicle,
check that the standard side mirrors pro-
vide a good rearward field of view without
significant blind spots. If significant blind
spots occur with the vehicle’s standard
side mirrors, use towing mirrors that con-
form with Federal, state/province and/or
other applicable regulations.
T Trailer lights Connection of trailer lights to your vehi-
cle’s electrical system requires modifica-
tions to the vehicle’s lighting circuit to in-
crease its capacity and accommodate wir-
ing changes. To ensure the trailer lights
are connected properly, please consult
your SUBARU dealer. Check for proper
operation of the turn signals, the brake
lights and parking lights each time you
hitch up.
T Tires
Make sure that all the tires on your vehicle
are properly inflated.
The recommended cold tire pressure un-
der trailer towing conditions is shown in
chapter 12, “Specifications” and in “GAS
STATION REFERENCE” at the end of this
manual. Adjust the rear tire pressure to
the recommended pressure when the tires
are cold. Normal pressure should be maintained in the front tires.
Trailer tire condition, size, load rating and
proper inflation pressure should be in ac-
cordance with the trailer manufacturer’s
specifications.
In the event your v ehicle gets a flat tire
when towing a trailer, ask a commercial
road service to repair the flat tire.
If you carry a regular size spare tire in your
vehicle or trailer as a precaution against
getting a flat tire, be sure that the spare
tire is firmly secured.
„ Trailer towing tips
Direct splicing or other improper
connection of trailer lights may
damage your vehicle’s electrical
system and cause a malfunction of
your vehicle’s lighting system. 800018
Never tow a trailer when the tempo-
rary spare tire is used. The tempo-
rary spare tire is not designed to
sustain the towing load. Use of the
temporary spare tire when towing
can result in failure of the spare tire
and/or less stability of the vehicle. y Never exceed 45 mph (72 km/h)
when towing a trailer in hilly coun-
try on hot days.
y When towing a trailer, steering,
stability, stopping distance and
braking performance will be dif-
ferent from normal operation. For
safety’s sake, you should employ
extra caution when towing a trail-
er and you should never speed.
You should also keep the follow-
ing tips in mind:

Driving tips
8-27
– CONTINUED –T Before starting out on a trip
y Check that the vehicle and vehicle-to-
hitch mounting are in good condition. If
any problems are apparent, do not tow the
trailer.
y Check that the vehicle sits horizontally
with the trailer attached. If the vehicle is
tipped sharply up at the front and down at
the rear, check the total trailer weight,
GVW, GAWs and tongue load again, then
confirm that the load and its distribution
are acceptable.
y Check that the tire pressures are cor-
rect.
y Check that the vehicle and trailer are
connected properly. Confirm that
– the trailer tongue is connected prop-
erly to the hitch ball.
– the trailer lights connector is connect-
ed properly and trailer’s brake lights illu-
minate when the vehicle’s brake pedal
is pressed, and that the trailer’s turn sig-
nal lights flash when the vehicle’s turn
signal lever is operated.
– the safety chains are connected prop-
erly.
– all cargo in the trailer is secured safe-
ty in position.
– the side mirrors provide a good rear-
ward field of view without a significant
blind spot.
y Sufficient time should be taken to learn the “feel” of the vehicle/trailer combination
before starting out on a trip. In an area free
of traffic, practice turning, stopping and
backing up.
T Driving with a trailer
y You should allow for considerably more
stopping distance when towing a trailer.
Avoid sudden braking because it may re-
sult in skidding or jackknifing and loss of
control.
y Avoid abrupt starts and sudden acceler-
ations. If your vehicle has a manual trans-
mission, always start out in first gear and
release the clutch at moderate engine rev-
olution.
y Avoid uneven steering, sharp turns and
rapid lane changes.
y Slow down before turning. Make a long-
er than normal turning radius because the
trailer wheels will be closer than the vehi-
cle wheels to the inside of the turn. In a
tight turn, the trailer could hit your vehicle.
y Crosswinds will adversely affect the
handling of your vehicle and trailer, caus-
ing sway. Crosswinds can be due to
weather conditions or the passing of large
trucks or buses. If swaying occurs, firmly
grip the steering wheel and slow down im-
mediately but gradually.
y When passing other vehicles, consider-
able distance is required because of the added weight and length caused by at-
taching the trailer to your vehicle.
1) Left turn
2) Right turn
y Backing up with a trailer is difficult and
takes practice. When backing up with a
trailer, never accelerate or steer rapidly.
When turning back, grip the bottom of the
steering wheel with one hand and turn it to
the left for a left turn, and turn it to the right
for a right turn.
y If the ABS warning light illuminates
while the vehicle is in motion, stop towing
the trailer and have repairs performed im-
mediately by the nearest SUBARU dealer.
T Driving on grades
y Before going down a steep hill, slow
down and shift into lower gear (if neces- 1
2
800251

11 - 3 0 Maintenance and service
Brake booster If the brake booster does not operate as
described in the following, have it checked
by your SUBARU dealer.
1. With the engine off, depress the brake
pedal several times, applying the same
pedal force each time. The distance the
pedal travels should not vary.
2. With the brake pedal depressed, start
the engine. The pedal should move slight-
ly down to the floor.
3. With the brake pedal depressed, stop
the engine and keep the pedal depressed
for 30 seconds. The pedal height should
not change.
4. Start the engine again and run for ap-
proximately one minute then turn it off.
Depress the brake pedal several times to
check the brake booster. The brake boost-
er operates properly if the pedal stroke de-
creases with each depression. Brake pedal Check the brake pedal free play and re-
serve distance according to the mainte-
nance schedule in the “Warranty and
Maintenance Booklet”.
„ Checking the brake pedal free
play
1) 0.02 – 0.08 in (0.5 – 2.0 mm)
Stop the engine and firmly depress the
brake pedal several times. Lightly pull the
brake pedal up with one finger to check
the free play with a force of less than 2 lbs
(10 N, 1 kg).
If the free play is not within proper specifi-
cation, contact your SUBARU dealer. „ Checking the brake pedal re-
serve distance
1) More than 2.56 in (65 mm)
Depress the pedal with a force of approxi-
mately 66 lbs (294 N, 30 kg) and measure
the distance between the upper surface of
the pedal pad and the floor.
When the measurement is smaller than
the specification, or when the pedal does
not operate smoothly, contact with your
SUBARU dealer.1 B003231 B00324

11 - 3 4 Maintenance and service
goes off a few minutes later. If the low tire
pressure warning light does not go off, the
tire pressure monitoring system may not
be functioning normally. In this event, go
to a SUBARU dealer to have the system
inspected as soon as possible.
While the vehicle is driven, friction be-
tween tires and the road surface causes
the tires to warm up. After illumination of
the low tire pressure warning light, any in-
crease in the tire pressures caused by an
increase in the outside air temperature or
by an increase in the temperature in the
tires can cause the low tire pressure warn-
ing light to go off.
System resetting is necessary when the
wheels are changed (for example, a
switch to snow tires) and new TPMS
valves are installed on the newly fitted
wheels. Have this work performed by a
SUBARU dealer following wheel replace-
ment.
It may not be possible to install TPMS
valves on certain wheels that are on the
market. Therefore, if you change the
wheels (for example, a switch to snow
tires), use wheels that have the same part
number as the standard-equipment
wheels. Without four operational TPMS
valve/sensors on the wheels, the TPMS will not fully function and the warning light
in the instrument panel will flash.
When a tire is replaced, adjustments are
necessary to ensure continued normal op-
eration of the tire pr essure monitoring sys-
tem. As with wheel replacement, there-
fore, you should have the work performed
by a SUBARU dealer.
„ Tire inspection Check on a daily basis that the tires are
free from serious damage, nails, and
stones. At the same time, check the tires
for abnormal wear.
Contact your SUBARU dealer immediate-
ly if you find any problem.
NOTE y When the wheels and tires strikeIf the low tire pressure warning light
does not come on br iefly after the ig-
nition switch is turned ON or the
light is flashing, you should have
your Tire Pressure Monitoring Sys-
tem checked at a SUBARU dealer as
soon as possible.
If this light comes on while driving,
never brake suddenly and keep driv-
ing straight ahead while gradually
reducing speed. Then slowly pull off
the road to a safe place. Otherwise
an accident involving serious vehi-
cle damage and serious personal in-
jury could occur. If this light still comes on while driv-
ing after adjusting the tire pressure,
a tire may have significant damage
and a fast leak that causes the tire to
lose air rapidly. If you have a flat tire,
replace it with a spare tire as soon
as possible.
When a spare tire is mounted or a
wheel rim is replaced without the
original pressure sensor/transmitter
being transferred, the low tire pres-
sure warning light will flash. This in-
dicates the TPMS is unable to moni-
tor all four road wheels. Contact
your SUBARU dealer as soon as
possible for tire and sensor replace-
ment and/or system resetting. If the
light flashes, promptly contact a
SUBARU dealer to have the system
inspected.

11 - 3 8 Maintenance and service
Tire wear varies from wheel to wheel. To
maximize the life of each tire and ensure
that the tires wear uniformly, it is best to
rotate the tires every 7,500 miles (12,500
km). Rotating the tires involves switching
the front and rear ti res on the right-hand
side of the vehicle and similarly switching
the front and rear tires on the left-hand
side of the vehicle. (Each tire must be kept
on its original side of the vehicle.)
Replace any damaged or unevenly worn
tire at the time of rotation. After tire rota-
tion, adjust the tire pressures and make
sure the wheel nuts are correctly tight-
ened.
After driving approximately 600 miles
(1,000 km), check the wheel nuts again
and retighten any nut that has become
loose.
„ Tire replacementThe wheels and tires are important and in-
tegral parts of your vehicle’s design; they
cannot be changed arbitrarily. The tires fit-
ted as standard equipment are optimally
matched to the characteristics of the vehi-
cle and were selected to give the best pos-
sible combination of running performance,
ride comfort, and service life. It is essential
for every tire to have a size and construc-
tion matching those shown on the tire placard and to have a speed symbol and
load index matching those shown on the
tire placard.
Using tires of a non-specified size detracts
from controllability, ride comfort, braking
performance, speedometer accuracy and
odometer accuracy. It also creates incor-
rect body-to-tire clearances and inappro-
priately changes the vehicle’s ground
clearance.
All four tires must be the same in terms of
manufacturer, brand (tread pattern), con-
struction, and size. You are advised to re-
place the tires with new ones that are
identical to those fitted as standard equip-
ment.
For safe vehicle operation, SUBARU rec-
ommends replacing all four tires at the
same time.
„ Wheel replacement When replacing wheels due, for example,
to damage, make sure the replacement
wheels match the specifications of the
wheels that are fitted as standard equip-
ment. Replacement wheels are available
from SUBARU dealers. y All four tires must be the same in
terms of manufacturer, brand
(tread pattern), construction, de-
gree of wear, speed symbol, load
index and size. Mixing tires of dif-
ferent types, sizes or degrees of
wear can result in damage to the
vehicle’s power train. Use of dif-
ferent types or si zes of tires can
also dangerously reduce control-
lability and braking performance
and can lead to an accident.
y Use only radial tires. Do not use
radial tires together with belted
bias tires and/or bias-ply tires. Do-
ing so can dangerously reduce
controllability, resulting in an ac-
cident.