speed SUBARU LEGACY 2003 3.G Manual Online

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HB4001CB
Tires and wheels Types of tires
You should be familiar with type of tires present on your vehicle.
All season tires
The factory-installed tires on your new vehicle are all season tires.
All season tires are designed to provide an adequate measure of trac-
tion, handling and braking performance in year-round driving includ-
ing snowy and icy road conditions. However all season tires do not
offer as much traction performance as winter (snow) tires in heavy or
loose snow or on icy roads.
All season tires are identified by “ALL SEASON ” and/or “M+S” (Mud &
Snow) on the tire sidewall. Summer tires
Summer tires are high-speed capability tires best suited for highway
driving under dry conditions.
Summer tires are inadequate for driving on slippery roads such as on
snow-covered or icy roads.
If you drive your vehicle on snow-covered or icy roads, we strongly
recommend the use of winter (snow) tires.
When installing winter tires, be sure to replace all four tires.

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Maintenance and service11-39
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Winter (snow) tires
Winter tires are best suited for driving on snow-covered and icy
roads. However winter tires do not perform as well as summer tires
and all season tires on roads other than snow-covered and icy roads.
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 immediately if you find any problem. NOTE When the wheels and tires strike curbs or are subjected to harsh
treatment as when the vehicle is driven on a rough surface, they can suffer damage that cannot be seen with the naked eye. This type of
damage does not become evident until time has passed. Try not todrive over curbs, potholes or on other rough surfaces. If doing so is
unavoidable, keep the vehicle ’s speed down to a walking pace or
less, and approach the curbs as squarely as possible. Also, makesure the tires are not pressed against the curb when you park thevehicle. If you feel unusual vibration while driving or find it difficult to
steer the vehicle in a straight line, one of the tires and/or wheelsmay be damaged. Drive slowly to the nearest authorized SUBARUdealer and have the vehicle inspected. Tire pressures and wear
Maintaining the correct tire pressures helps to maximize the tires ’ service
lives and is essential for good running performance. Check and, if nec-
essary, adjust the pressure of each tire (including the spare) at least
once a month (for example, during a fuel stop) and before any long jour-
ney.
Check the tire pressures when the tires are cold. Use a pressure gauge
to adjust the tire pressures to the values shown on the tire placard. The
tire placard is located on the door pillar on the driver ’s side.

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Abnormally high tire pressure (tread worn in center)
HSB013AA
Ride comfort is poor. Also, the tire magnifies the effects of road-sur-
face bumps and dips, possibly resulting in vehicle damage.
If the tire placard shows tire pressures for the vehicle when fully loaded
and for the vehicle when towing a trailer, adjust the tire pressures to the
values that match current loading conditions.
WARNING
Driving at high speeds with excessively low tire pressures can
cause the tires to deform severely and to rapidly become hot. Asharp increase in temperature could cause tread separation, and
destruction of the tires. The resulting loss of vehicle controlcould lead to an accident.
Wheel balance
Each wheel was correctly balanced when your vehicle was new, but the
wheels will become unbalanced as the tires become worn during use.
Wheel imbalance causes the steering wheel to vibrate slightly at certain
vehicle speeds and detracts from the vehicle ’s straight-line stability. It
can also cause steering and suspension system problems and abnormal
tire wear. If you suspect that the wheels are not correctly balanced, have
them checked and adjusted by your SUBARU dealer. Also have them
adjusted after tire repairs and after tire rotation.

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NOTE Loss of correct wheel alignment* causes the tires to wear on one side and reduces the vehicle
’s running stability. Contact your
SUBARU dealer if you notice abnormal tire wear.
* : The suspension system is designed to hold each wheel at a certain alignment
(relative to the other wheels and to the road) for optimum straight-line stability and
cornering performance. Wear indicators
Each tire incorporates a tread wear indicator, which becomes visible
when the depth of the tread grooves decreases to 0.063 in. (1.6 mm). A
tire must be replaced when the tread wear indicator appears as a solid
band across the tread.
OM-H0231
WARNING
When a tire ’s tread wear indicator becomes visible, the tire is
worn beyond the acceptable limit and must be replaced immedi-
ately. With a tire in this condition, driving at high speeds in wetweather can cause the vehicle to hydroplane. The resulting lossof vehicle control can lead to an accident.
NOTE
For safety, inspect the tire tread regularly and replace the tires be- fore their tread wear indicators become visible. A) New tread
B) Worn tread
1) Tread wear indicator

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Tire rotation
OM-H0230
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 tires 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 tiremust be kept on its original side of the vehicle.)
Replace any damaged or unevenly worn tire at the time of rotation. After
tire rotation, adjust the tire pressures and make sure the wheel nuts are
correctly tightened.
After driving approximately 600 miles (1,000 km), check the wheel nuts
again and retighten any nut that has become loose. Tire replacement
The wheels and tires are important and integral parts of your vehicle ’s
design; they cannot be changed arbitrarily. The tires fitted as standard
equipment are optimally matched to the characteristics of the vehicle
and were selected to give the best possible combination of running per-
formance, ride comfort, and service life. It is essential for every tire to
have a size and construction 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 com-
fort, braking performance, speedometer accuracy and odometer accu-

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racy. It also creates incorrect body-to-tire clearances and inappropriately changes the vehicle
’s ground clearance.
All four tires must be the same in terms of manufacturer, brand (tread
pattern), construction, and size. You are advised to replace the tires with
new ones that are identical to those fitted as standard equipment.
For safe vehicle operation, SUBARU recommends replacing all four tires at the same time.
WARNING
All four tires must be the same in terms of manufacturer, brand
(tread pattern), construction, degree of wear, speed symbol, loadindex and size. Mixing tires of different types, sizes or degrees ofwear can result in damage to the vehicle ’s power train. Use of dif-
ferent types or sizes of tires can also dangerously reduce con-trollability and braking performance and can lead to an accident. Use only radial tires. Do not use radial tires together with
belted bias tires and/or bias-ply tires. Doing so can dangerously
reduce controllability, resulting in an accident.
Wheel replacement
When replacing wheels due, for example, to damage, make sure the re-
placement wheels match the specifications of the wheels that are fitted
as standard equipment. Replacement wheels are available from
SUBARU dealers.
WARNING
Use only those wheels that are specified for your vehicle. Wheelsnot meeting specifications could interfere with brake caliper op-eration and may cause the tires to rub against the wheel wellhousing during turns. The resulting loss of vehicle control couldlead to an accident.

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phalt 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 acceleration,cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction characteristics.
Temperature A, B, C
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C, representing the
tire’ s resistance to the generation of heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled conditions on a specified indoor laboratory
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 grade C corresponds to a level of perfor-
mance which all passenger car tires must meet under the Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards No. 109. Grades B and A represent higher lev-
els of performance on the laboratory test wheel than the minimum re-
quired by law.
WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is established for a tire that isproperly inflated and not overloaded. Excessive speed, under-inflation, or excessive loading, either separately or in combina-tion, can cause heat buildup and possible tire failure.

14-8Security system status indicator light (if equipped) 3-18
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Selection of SPORTSHIFT mode (manual mode) 7-25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selector lever 7-16, 7-22
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Shift lock release 7-20, 7-29
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Shift position indicator (for AT vehicles) 3-18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Snow tires 8-14
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Spark plugs 11-21
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Specifications 12-2
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Speedometer 3-7
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Spotlight (if equipped) 6-3
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SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag) 1-43 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS airbag system monitors 1-62
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SRS airbag system servicing 1-63
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SRS airbag system warning light 3-11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS frontal airbag 1-48
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SRS side airbag (if equipped) 1-55
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Starting a flooded engine 7-11
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Starting the engine 7-10
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Starting the engine during cold weather below –4F ( –20 C) 7-11 . . . . . . . .
Starting the engine for a manual transmission vehicle 7-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Starting the engine for an automatic transmission vehicle 7-10 . . . . . . . . . . . .
State emission testing (U.S. only) 7-7
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Stopping the engine 7-12
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Storage compartment 6-5
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Subfloor storage (if equipped) 6-24
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Sun visors 6-4
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T
Tachometer 3-9
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Temperature A, B, C 13-3
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Temperature gauge 3-10
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Temporary spare tire 9-3
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Tilt steering wheel 3-36
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Tilting/sliding moonroof (Sedan) 2-30
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Tire chains 8-16
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Tire inspection 11-39
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