traction control SUBARU IMPREZA 2011 4.G User Guide

7-38Starting and operating
road with a snowy, gravel-covered, or
otherwise slippery surface .extrication of the vehicle when its
wheels are stuck in mud or deep snow
When the switch is pressed during engine
operation, the Vehicle Dynamics Control
OFF indicator light on the combination
meter illuminates. The Vehicle Dynamics
Control system will be deactivated and the
vehicle will behave like a model not
equipped with the Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol system. When the switch is pressed
again to reactivate the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system, the Vehicle Dynamics
Control OFF indicator light turns off.
With the Vehicle Dynamics Control system
deactivated, traction and stability en-
hancement offered by Vehicle Dynamics
Control system is unavailable. Therefore
you should not deactivate the Vehicle
Dynamics Control system except under
above-mentioned situations. NOTE . The Vehicle Dynamics Control sys-
tem will be activated automatically
when the engine is started.. If the switch is held down for 10
seconds or longer, the indicator light
turns off, the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system is activated, and the system
ignores any further pressing of the switch. To make the switch usable
again, turn the ignition switch to the“
LOCK ”position and restart the en-
gine.. When the switch is pressed to
deactivate the Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol system, the vehicle ’s running per-
formance is comparable with that of a
vehicle that does not have a Vehicle
Dynamics Control system. Do not de-
activate the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system except when absolutely neces-
sary.. Even when the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system is deactivated, compo-
nents of the brake control system may
still activate. When the brake control
system is activated, the Vehicle Dy-
namics Control operation indicator
light illuminates. Tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS) (U.S.-spec.
models)
Turbo models
Non-turbo models

Driving tips for AWD models
All-Wheel Drive distributes the engine
power to all four wheels. AWD models
provide better traction when driving on
slippery, wet or snow-covered roads and
when moving out of mud, dirt and sand.
By shifting power between the front and
rear wheels, SUBARU AWD can also
provide added traction during acceleration
and added engine braking force duringdeceleration.
Therefore, your SUBARU AWD vehicle
may handle differently than an ordinary
two wheel drive vehicle and it contains
some features unique to AWD. For safety
purposes as well as to avoid damaging
the AWD system, you should keep the
following tips in mind..
An AWD model is better able to climb
steeper roads under snowy or slippery
conditions than a two wheel drive vehicle.
There is little difference in handling,
however, during extremely sharp turns or
sudden braking. Therefore, when driving
down a slope or turning corners, be sure
to reduce your speed and maintain an
ample distance from other vehicles. . When replacing a tire, make sure you
use only the same size, construction,
brand, and load range as the original tires
listed on the tire placard. Using other
sizes, circumference or construction may
result in severe mechanical damage to the
drive train of your vehicle and may affect
ride, handling, braking, speedometer/od-
ometer calibration, and clearance be-
tween the body and tires. It also may be
dangerous and lead to loss of vehiclecontrol. . If you use a temporary spare tire to
replace a flat tire, be sure to use the
original temporary spare tire stored in the
vehicle. Using other sizes may result in
severe mechanical damage to the drive
train of your vehicle. . Always check the cold tire pressure
before starting to drive. The recom-
mended tire pressure is provided on the
tire placard, which is located under the
door latch on the driver ’s side. .
There are some precautions that you
must observe when towing your vehicle.
For detailed information, refer to “Towing ”
F 9-14.
WARNING
. Always maintain a safe driving
speed according to the road and
weather conditions in order to
avoid having an accident on a
sharp turn, during sudden brak-
ing or under other similar condi-tions.
. Always use the utmost care in
driving –overconfidence be-
cause you are driving an All-
Wheel Drive model could easily
lead to a serious accident. Driving tips
8-5

Uniform tire quality grading standards
This information indicates the rela-
tive performance of passenger car
tires in the area of treadwear,
traction, and temperature resis-
tance. This is to aid the consumer
in making an informed choice in the
purchase of tires.
Quality grades can be found where
applicable on the tire sidewall be-
tween tread shoulder and maxi-
mum section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Tem-
perature A
The quality grades apply to new
pneumatic tires for use on passen-
ger cars. However, they do not
apply to deep tread, winter type
snow tires, space-saver or tempor-
ary use spare tires, tires with
nominal rim diameters of 12 inches
or less, or to some limited produc-
tion tires.
All passenger car tires must con-form to Federal Safety Require-
ments in addition to these grades.
& Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a compara-
tive rating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under con-
trolled conditions on a specified
government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150
would wear one and one-half (1-
1/2) times as well on the govern-
ment course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires
depends upon the actual conditions
of their use, however, and may
depart significantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate. & Traction AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to
lowest, are AA, A, B and C. Those
grades represent the tire ’s ability to
stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled conditions on spe- cified government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire marked
C may have poor traction perfor- mance.
WARNING
The traction grade assigned to
this tire is based on straight-
ahead braking traction tests,
and does not include accel-
eration, cornering, hydroplan-
ing, or peak traction charac-teristics.
& Temperature A, B, C
The temperature grades are A (the
highest), B, and C, representing thetire ’s resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled con-
ditions on a specified indoor labora-
tory test wheel. Sustained high
temperature can cause the material
of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature
can lead to sudden tire failure. The
Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
13-15
– CONTINUED –

14-6Index
Heater operation (manual climate control system) .. .......... 4-5
High beam indicator light ............................................ 3-26
High mount stop light ................................................. 11-55
High/low beam change (dimmer) .................................. 3-32
Hill start assist (MT models) ............................... 7-42, 11-29
OFF indicator light .................................................. 3-23
To activate/deactivate ............................................. 7-42
Warning light ................................................. 3-22, 3-22
HomeLink
®................................................................ 3-41
Hook Cargo tie-down ...................................................... 6-13
Shopping bag ........................................................ 6-11
Towing and tie-down ............................................... 9-14
Horn ......................................................................... 3-51
Hose and connections ............................................... 11-14
I
Ignition switch .............................................................. 3-3
Light ....................................................................... 3-5
Illumination brightness control ...................................... 3-33
Immobilizer. ................................................................. 2-2
Indicator light (security indicator light) ....................... 3-25
Indicator light Coolant temperature low ......................................... 3-17
Cruise control ........................................................ 3-26
Cruise control set ................................................... 3-27
Front fog light ........................................................ 3-27
Headlight .............................................................. 3-27
High beam ............................................................ 3-26
Hill start assist OFF ................................................ 3-23
Immobilizer. ........................................................... 3-25 REV.
..................................................................... 3-28
Security ................................................................. 3-25
Select lever/Gear position ........................................ 3-26
Shift-up ................................................................. 3-26
SI-DRIVE .............................................................. 3-26
SPORT mode ........................................................ 3-25
Traction control OFF ............................................... 3-23
Turn signal ............................................................ 3-26
Vehicle Dynamics Control OFF ................................. 3-23
Vehicle Dynamics Control operation .. ........................ 3-23
Information display ...................................................... 3-29
Inside mirror .............................................................. 3-40
Interior lights ............................................................... 6-2
Internal trunk lid release handle .................................... 2-25
iPod
®operations ........................................................ 5-37
J
Jack and jack handle ................................................... 9-5
Jack-up point .............................................................. 9-6
Jump starting ............................................................. 9-11
K
Key............................................................................ 2-2 Number .................................................................. 2-2
Reminder chime ...................................................... 3-5
Replacement. .......................................................... 2-3
L
Leather seat materials ................................................. 10-5
License plate light ..................................................... 11-53