tires SUBARU OUTBACK 2001 3.G User Guide

8
Driving tips New vehicle break-in driving –
the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km) 8-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fuel economy hints 8-3
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine exhaust gas (Carbon monoxide) 8-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Catalytic converter 8-4
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Periodic inspections 8-5
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Driving in foreign countries 8-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Driving tips for AWD vehicles 8-6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Off road driving 8-7
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Winter driving 8-10
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Snow tires 8-14
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Tire chains 8-16
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Rocking the vehicle 8-16
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Loading your vehicle 8-17
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Vehicle capacity weight 8-18
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
GVWR and GAWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and Gross Axle Weight Rating) 8-19
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Roof rail and crossbar (if equipped) 8-20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Trailer hitch (if equipped) 8-24
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Trailer towing 8-28
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Driving tips8-3
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CONTINUED –
Fuel economy hints
The following sug g estions will help to save your fu
el.
Selec t the p rop er g ear p osition for the sp eed and r oad c ond itions.
Avoid sud d en ac c eleration or d ec eleration. Always a c c elerate g ently
until you reac h the d esired sp eed . Then try to main tain that sp eed for as
long as p ossib le. Do not p ump the ac c elerator and avoid rac ing the en g ine.
Avoid unnec essary eng ine id ling .
Keep the eng ine p rop erly tuned .
Keep the tires inflated to the c orrec t p ressure sho wn on the tire p lac -
ard , whic h is loc ated und er the d oor latc h on the d river’s sid e. Low p res-
sure will inc rease tire wear and fuel c onsump tion. Use the air c ond itioner only when nec essary.
Keep the front and rear wheels in p rop er alig nment.
Avoid c arrying unnec essary lug g ag e or c arg o.
Engine exhaust gas (Carbon monoxide)
WARNING
Never inhale engine exhaust gas. Engine exhaust gas contains
carbon monoxide, a colorless and odorless gas which is danger-ous, or even lethal, if inhaled. Always properly maintain the engine exhaust system to pre-
vent engine exhaust gas from entering the vehicle. Never run the engine in a closed space, such as a garage, ex-
cept for the brief time needed to drive the vehicle in or out of it. Avoid remaining in a parked vehicle for a lengthy time while
the engine is running. If that is unavoidable, then use the ventila-tion fan to force fresh air into the vehicle. Always keep the front ventilator inlet grille free from snow,
leaves or other obstructions to ensure that the ventilation system
always works properly.

Driving tips8-7
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CONTINUED –
ing . Therefore, when d riving d own a slop e or turnin
g c orners, b e sure to
red uc e your sp eed and maintain an amp le d istanc e fr om other vehic les.
When rep lac ing a tire, make sure you use only the s ame size, c irc um-
ferenc e, c onstruc tion, b rand , and load rang e as the orig inal tires listed on
the tire p lac ard . Using other sizes, c irc umferenc es or c onstruc tion may re-
sult in severe mec hanic al d amag e to the d rive train of your vehic le and
may affec t rid e, hand ling , b raking , sp eed ometer/od o meter c alib ration, and
c learanc e b etween the b od y and tires. It also may b e d ang erous and lead
to loss of vehic le c ontrol. If you use a temp orary sp are tire to rep lac e a flat tire, b e sure to use
the orig inal temp orary sp are tire stored in the veh ic le. Using other sizes
may result in severe mec hanic al d amag e to the d rive train of your vehic le.
Always c hec k the c old tire p ressure b efore starting to d rive. The rec -
ommend ed tire p ressure is p rovid ed on the tire p lac ard , whic h is loc ated
und er the d oor latc h on the d river ’s sid e.
Tire c hains should always b e p lac ed on the front wh eels only.
There are some p rec autions that you must ob serve wh en towing your
vehic le. For d etail information, see “Towing ” sec tion in c hap ter 9.
Off road driving
WARNING
Always maintain a safe driving speed according to the road
and weather conditions in order to avoid having an accident on asharp turn, during sudden braking or under other similar condi-tions. Always use the utmost care in driving – overconfidence
because you are driving an all wheel drive vehicle could easilylead to a serious accident.
All AWD models except OUTBACK
Your AWD vehic le is neither a c onventional off-road vehic le nor an all
terrain vehic le. It is a p asseng er c ar d esig ned p ri marily for on-road
use. The AWD feature g ives it some limited off-road c ap ab ilities in sit-
uations in whic h d riving surfac es a relatively leve l, ob struc tion-free

Driving tips8-9
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CONTINUED –
b ump c ould jerk the wheel and injure your hand s. In
stead d rive with
your fing ers and thumb s on the outsid e of the rim. If d riving throug h water, suc h as when c rossing sha llow streams,
first c hec k the d ep th of the water and the b ottom o f the stream b ed
for firmness and ensure that the b ed of the stream is flat. Drive slowly
and c omp letely throug h the stream. The water should b e shallow
enoug h that it d oes not reac h the vehic le ’s und erc arriag e. Water en-
tering the eng ine air intake or the exhaust p ip e or water sp lashing
onto elec tric al p arts may d amag e your vehic le and m ay c ause it to
stall. Never attemp t to d rive throug h rushing water ; reg ard less of its
d ep th, it c an wash away the g round from und er your tires, resulting in
p ossib le loss of trac tion and even vehic le rollover .
Always c hec k your b rakes for effec tiveness immed iat ely after d riv-
ing in sand , mud or water. Do this b y d riving slowl y and step p ing on
the b rake p ed al. Rep eat that p roc ess several times to d ry out the
b rake d isc s and b rake p ad s. Do not d rive or p ark over or near flammab le materia ls suc h as d ry
g rass or fallen leaves, as they may b urn easily. Th e exhaust system is
very hot while eng ine is running and rig ht after en g ine stop s. This
c ould c reate a fire hazard . After d riving throug h tall g rass, mud , roc k, sand , rivers, etc ., c hec k
that there is no g rass, b ush, p ap er, rag s, stones, sand , etc . ad hering
to or trap p ed on the und erb od y. Clear off any suc h matter from the
und erb od y. If the vehic le is used with these materi als trap p ed or ad -
hering to the und erb od y, a mec hanic al b reakd own or fire c ould oc c ur.
Sec ure all c arg o c arried insid e the vehic le and mak e c ertain that it
is not p iled hig her than the seatb ac ks. During sud d en stop s or jolts,
unsec ured c arg o c ould b e thrown around in the vehic le and c ause
injury. Do not p ile heavy load s on the roof. Those load s raise the ve-
hic le ’s c enter of g ravity and make it more p rone to tip o ver.
If you must roc k the vehic le to free it from sand o r mud , d ep ress
the ac c elerator p ed al slig htly and move the selec to r lever b ac k and
forth b etween “D ” and “R ” rep eated ly. Do not rac e the eng ine. For the
b est p ossib le trac tion, avoid sp inning the wheels w hen trying to free
the vehic le. When the road surfac e is extremely slip p ery, you c a n ob tain b etter

8-10trac tion b y starting the vehic le with the transmiss
ion in 2nd than 1st
(b oth for MT and AT). Never eq uip your vehic le with tires larg er than tho se sp ec ified in
this manual. Freq uent d riving of an AWD vehic le und er hard -d rivi ng c ond itions
suc h as roug h road s or off road s will nec essitate m ore freq uent re-
p lac ement of eng ine oil, b rake fluid and transmissi on oil than that sp e-
c ified in the maintenanc e sc hed ule d esc rib ed in the “Warranty and
Maintenanc e Booklet ”.
Rememb er that d amag e d one to your Sub aru while op er ating it off-
road and not using c ommon sense p rec autions suc h as those listed
ab ove is not elig ib le for warranty c overag e.
Winter driving
HB3010AA
Operation during cold weather
Carry some emerg enc y eq uip ment, suc h as tire c hains , a wind ow
sc rap er, a b ag of sand , flares, a small shovel, and jump er c ab les.
Chec k the b attery and c ab les. Cold temp eratures red uc e b attery c a-
p ac ity. The b attery must b e in g ood c ond ition to p r ovid e enoug h p ow-
er for c old winter starts.
Use an eng ine oil of p rop er g rad e and visc osity for c old weather.
Heavy summer oil will c ause hard er starting .

Driving tips8-11
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CONTINUED –
Keep the d oor loc ks from freezing b y sq uirting them
with d eic er or
g lyc erin.
Forc ing a frozen d oor op en may d amag e or sep arate t he rub b er
weather strip s around the d oor. If the d oor is froz en, use hot water to
melt the ic e, and afterward s thoroug hly wip e the wa ter away.
Use a wind shield washer fluid that c ontains an anti freeze solution. Do
not use eng ine antifreeze or other sub stitutes b ec a use they may d am-
ag e the p aint of the vehic le.n Before driving your vehicle
Before entering the vehic le, remove any snow or ic e from your shoes
b ec ause that c ould make the p ed als slip p ery and d an g erous.
While warming up the vehic le b efore d riving , c hec k that the ac c elera-
tor p ed al, b rake p ed al, and all other c ontrols op er ate smoothly.
Clear away ic e and snow that has ac c umulated und er the fend ers to
avoid making steering d iffic ult. During severe wint er d riving , stop
when and where it is safe to d o so and c hec k und er the fend ers p eri-
od ic ally. n Parking in cold weather
WARNING
Snow can trap dangerous exhaust gases under your vehicle. Keep snow clear of the exhaust pipe and from around your
vehicle if you park the vehicle in snow with the engine running.
Do not use the p arking b rake when p arking for long p eriod s in c old
weather sinc e it c ould freeze in that p osition. Ins tead , ob serve the fol-
lowing :
1. Plac e the shift lever in “1 ” or “R ” for manual transmission vehic les,
and in “P ” for automatic transmission vehic les.
2. Use tire stop s und er the tires to p revent the veh ic le from moving .
When the vehic le is p arked in snow or when it snows , raise the wip er
b lad es off the g lass to p revent d amag e to them.

8-14
Snow tires All models except Outback
WARNING
When replacing original tires with winter (snow) tires, make
sure you use only the same size, construction and load range as the original tires listed on the tire placard. Using other sizes andconstruction may affect speedometer/odometer calibration and
clearance between the body and tires. It also may be dangerousand lead to loss of vehicle control. You must install four winter tires that are of the same size, cir-
cumferences, construction, brand, and load range. Mixing othersizes, circumferences or constructions may result in severe me-
chanical damage to the drive train of your vehicle and may affect
ride, handling, braking and speedometer/odometer calibration. Italso may be dangerous and lead to loss of vehicle control. Do not use a combination of radial, belted bias or bias tires
since it may cause dangerous handling characteristics and leadto an accident.
Your vehic le is eq uip p ed with “all season tires ” whic h are d esig ned to
p rovid e an ad eq uate measure of trac tion, hand ling a nd b raking p er-
formanc e in year-round d riving . In winter, it may b e p ossib le to en-
hanc e p erformanc e throug h use of tires d esig ned sp e c ific ally for win-
ter d riving c ond itions.
If you c hoose to install winter tires on your vehic le, b e sure to use the
c orrec t tire size and typ e. You must install four w inter tires that are of
the same size, c onstruc tion, b rand and load rang e a nd you should
never mix rad ial, b elted b ias or b ias tires sinc e t his may result in d an-
g erous hand ling c harac teristic s. When you c hoose a tire, make sure
that there is enoug h c learanc e b etween the tire and vehic le b od y.
Rememb er to d rive with c are at all times reg ard less of the typ e of tires
on your vehic le.

Driving tips8-15
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CONTINUED –

Outback models only
WARNING
When replacing original tires with winter (snow) tires, make
sure you use only the same size and construction as recom- mended. Using other sizes or construction may affect speedome-ter/odometer calibration and clearance between the body and
tires. It also may be dangerous and lead to loss of vehicle con-trol. You must install four winter tires that are of the same size, cir-
cumferences, construction, brand, and load range. Mixing othersizes, circumferences or constructions may result in severe me-
chanical damage to the drive train of your vehicle and may affect
ride, handling, braking and speedometer/odometer calibration. Italso may be dangerous and lead to loss of vehicle control. Do not use a combination of radial, belted bias or bias tires
since it may cause dangerous handling characteristics and leadto an accident.
Your vehic le is eq uip p ed with “all season tires ” whic h are d esig ned to
p rovid e an ad eq uate measure of trac tion, hand ling a nd b raking p er-
formanc e in year-round d riving . In winter, it may b e p ossib le to en-
hanc e p erformanc e throug h use of tires d esig ned sp e c ific ally for win-
ter d riving c ond itions.
If you c hoose to install winter tires on your vehic le, b e sure to use the
c orrec t tire size and typ e. You must install four w inter tires that are of
the same size, c onstruc tion, b rand and load rang e a nd you should
never mix rad ial, b elted b ias or b ias tires sinc e t his may result in d an-
g erous hand ling c harac teristic s. When you c hoose a tire, make sure
that there is enoug h c learanc e b etween the tire and vehic le b od y.
Rememb er to d rive with c are at all times reg ard less of the typ e of tires
on your vehic le.
Your Outback comes with P225/60R16 “all season tires ” as origi-
nal equipment. You should be aware that some winter tires with that same size designation may actually be too large for the

8-16vehicle and may cause rubbing on sharp turns. Listed below is the winter tire size that we recommend.
Recommended winter (snow) tire size P215/60R16 Studless
Tire chains
CAUTION
Tire chains cannot be used on tires listed below because of lack
of clearance between the tires and vehicle body. P205/55R16 tires for GT models
P225/60R16 tires for OUTBACK models
P215/60R16 winter (snow) tires for OUTBACK models
Driving on snowy g rad es or ic y road s may req uire th e use of tire c hains,
in whic h c ase p ut the c hains on the front wheels on ly. Use only SAE
c lass S typ e c hains that are of the c orrec t size fo r your tires so as not to
d amag e the vehic le b od y or susp ension.
When d riving with tire c hains, d rive at sp eed s b elo w 19 mp h (30 km/h).
When a temp orary sp are tire is on a front wheel, re p lac e the temp orary
sp are tire with the rear tire on the same sid e of t he vehic le, and then fit
c hains on the front tires.
Always use the utmost c are when d riving with tire c hains – overc onfi-
d enc e b ec ause you are d riving with tire c hains c oul d easily lead to a se-
rious ac c id ent. Rocking the vehicle
If you must roc k the vehic le to free it from snow, sand , or mud , d ep ress the
ac c elerator p ed al slig htly and move the selec tor le ver b ac k and forth b e-
tween “D ” and “R ” rep eated ly. Do not rac e the eng ine. For the b est p ossib le
trac tion, avoid sp inning the wheels when trying to free the vehic le.
When the road surfac e is extremely slip p ery, you c a n ob tain b etter trac -
tion b y starting the vehic le with the transmission in 2nd than 1st (b oth for
MT and AT).

Driving tips8-19
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CONTINUED –

GVWR and GAWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and
Gross Axle Weight Rating)
HBF019BB
The c ertific ation lab el attac hed to the d river ’s sid e d oor shows GVWR
(Gross Vehic le Weig ht Rating ) and GAWR (Gross Axle Weig ht Rating ).
The GVW (Gross Vehic le Weig ht) must never exc eed th e GVWR. GVW is
the c omb ined total of weig ht of the vehic le, fuel, d river, all p asseng ers,
lug g ag e, any op tional eq uip ment and trailer tong ue load . Therefore, the
GVW c hang es d ep end ing on the situation. The GVWR eq uals Curb
Weig ht (ac tual weig ht of your vehic le – inc lud ing stand ard eq uip ment,
fluid s, emerg enc y tools and sp are tire assemb ly) p l us the vehic le c ap ac -
ity weig ht.
In ad d ition, the total weig ht ap p lied to eac h axle (GAW) must never ex-
c eed the GAWR. The front and rear GAWs c an b e ad jus ted b y reloc ating
lug g ag e insid e the vehic le.
Even if the total weig ht of your lug g ag e is lower t han the vehic le c ap ac ity
weig ht, either front or rear GAW may exc eed the GAW R, d ep end ing on
the d istrib ution of the lug g ag e.
If you c arry heavy load s in the vehic le, you should c onfirm that GVW and
front and rear GAWs are within the GVWR and GAWR b y p utting your
vehic le on a vehic le sc ale, found at a c ommerc ial w eig hing station.
Do not use rep lac ement tires with a lower load rang e than the orig inals
b ec ause they may lower the GVWR and GAWR limitation s. Rep lac ement
tires with a hig her load rang e than the orig inals d o not inc rease the
GVWR and GAWR limitations.