towing capacity SUBARU OUTBACK 2004 4.G Owners Manual

8-1
8
Driving tips
New vehicle break-in driving – the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km) .............................. 8-2
Fuel economy hints ...................................... 8-2
Engine exhaust gas (Carbon monoxide) .... 8-3
Catalytic converter ....................................... 8-4
Periodic inspections .................................... 8-5
Driving in foreign countries ......................... 8-6
Driving tips for AWD vehicles ..................... 8-6
Off road driving ............................................ 8-8
Winter driving ............................................... 8-11 Operation during cold weather ........................ 8-11
Driving on snowy and icy roads ...................... 8-12
Corrosion protection ........................................ 8-13
Snow tires .......................................................... 8-14
Tire chains ......................................................... 8-15
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) ............................ 8-25 Connecting a trailer .......................................... 8-25
When you do not tow a trailer .......................... 8-27
Trailer towing ................................................ 8-28 Warranties and maintenance ........................... 8-28
Maximum load limits ......................................... 8-29
Trailer hitches ................................................... 8-34
Connecting a trailer .......................................... 8-35 Trailer towing tips ............................................. 8-37

8-37
Driving tips
– CONTINUED –
cal system and cause a malfunction of your ve-
hicle’s lighting system.
Connection of trailer lights to your vehicle’s electrical
system requires modifications to the vehicle’s lighting
circuit to increase 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
Never tow a trailer when the temporary spare
tire is used. The temporary spare tire is not de-
signed 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.
Make sure that all the tires on your vehicle are properly
inflated.
The recommended cold tire pressure under trailer tow-
ing 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 recom-
mended pressure when the tires are cold. Normal
pressure should be maintained in the front tires.
Trailer tire condition, size, load rating and proper infla-
tion pressure should be in accordance with the trailer
manufacturer’s specifications.
In the event your vehicle 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 tipsyNever exceed 45 mph (72 km/h) when towing
a trailer in hilly country on hot days. y When towing a trailer, steering, stability,
stopping distance and braking performance
will be different from normal operation. For
safety’s sake, you should employ extra caution
when towing a trailer and you should never

13-9
Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
– CONTINUED –
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 rotation, adjust the tire pres-
sures and make sure the wheel nuts are correct-
ly tightened. A tightening torque specification
and a tightening sequence specification for the
wheel nuts can be found “Flat tires” in Chapter 9. „Vehicle load limit – how to determine
The load capacity of your vehicle is determined
by weight, not by available cargo space. The
load limit of your vehicle is shown on the vehicle
placard attached to the driver’s side B-pillar. Lo-
cate the statement “The combined weight of oc-
cupants and cargo should never exceed XXX kg
or XXX lbs” on your vehicle’s placard.
The vehicle placard also shows seating capacity
of your vehicle.
The total load capacity includes the total weight
of driver and all passengers and their belong-
ings, any cargo, any optional equipment such as
a trailer hitch, roof rack or bike carrier, etc., and
the tongue load of a trailer. Therefore cargo ca- pacity can be calculated by the following method.
Cargo capacity = Load limit – (total weight of oc-
cupants + total weight of optional equipment +
tongue load of a trailer (if applicable))
For towing capacity information and weight lim-
its, refer to “Trailer towing” in Chapter 8. T
Calculating total and load capacities vary-
ing seating configurations
Calculate the available load capacity as shown in
the following examples:
Example 1A
UBD009BA

13-14
Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
„
Adverse safety consequences of over-
loading on handling and stopping and on tires
Overloading could affect vehicle handling, stop-
ping distance, vehicle and tire as shown bellow.
This could lead to an accident and possibly result
in severe personal injury. y Vehicle stability will deteriorate.
y Heavy and/or high-mounted loads could in-
crease the risk of rollover.y Stopping distance will increase.
y Brakes could overheat and fail.
y Suspension, bearings, axles and other body
parts could break or experience accelerated
wear that will shorten vehicle life. y Tires could fail.
y Tread separation could occur.
y Tire could separate from its rim.
„ Steps for Determining Correct Load
Limit
1. Locate the statement “The combined weight
of occupants and cargo should never exceed
XXX pounds” on your vehicle’s placard. 2. Determine the combined weight of the driver
and passengers that will be riding in your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver
and passengers from XXX kilograms or XXX
pounds.
4. The resulting figure equals the available
amount of cargo and luggage load capacity. For
example, if the “XXX” amount equals 1,400 lbs
(635kg). and there will be five- 150 lbs (68 kg)
passengers in your vehicle, the amount of avail-
able cargo and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs.
(1,400 – 750 (5 x 150) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage
and cargo being loaded on the vehicle. That
weight may not safely exceed the available car-
go and luggage load capacity calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load
from your trailer will be transferred to your vehi-
cle. Consult this manual to determine how this
reduces the available cargo and luggage load
capacity of your vehicle.

14-8
Index
SRS side airbag
........................................................... 1-70
Starting the engine ...................................................... 7-10
State emission testing (U.S. only) ........................7-7
Stopping the engine ................................................... 7-12
Storage compartments .............................................. 6-5
Subfloor storage .......................................................... 6-25
Sun visors ....................................................................... 6-4
Sun shades .................................................................... 2-36
Supplemental Restraint System airbag (SRS) 1-62
Synthetic leather upholstery ...................................10-7
T
Tachometer .................................................................... 3-8
Temperature gauge .................................................... 3-9
Temporary spare tire ................................................. 9-3
Tie-down hooks ............................................................ 9-21
Tilt steering wheel ....................................................... 3-35
Tire
Chains ........................................................................ 8-15
Inspection ................................................................. 11-44
Pressures and wear ............................................. 11-44
Replacement ........................................................... 11-48
Rotation ..................................................................... 11-48
Tires .................................................................................. 12-5
Types .......................................................................... 11-43
Tires and wheels ......................................................... 11-43
Top tether anchorages .............................................. 1-52Towing
.............................................................................. 9-20
All wheels on the ground ....................................9-28
Flat-bed truck ........................................................... 9-27
Trailer
Hitch ............................................................................. 8-25
Hitches ........................................................................ 8-34
Towing ........................................................................ 8-28
Towing tips ................................................................ 8-37
Trunk lid ............................................................................ 2-26
Release handle ....................................................... 2-28
Trunk light ........................................................................ 11-79
Turn signal Indicator lights ......................................................... 3-17
Lever ............................................................................ 3-21
V
Valet mode ...................................................................... 2-18
Vanity mirror ................................................................... 6-5
VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control)
OFF switch ................................................................ 7-38
OFF indicator light ................................................. 3-16
Operation indicator light .....................................3-15
System ........................................................................ 7-34
Warning light ............................................................ 3-13
Vehicle
Capacity weight ...................................................... 8-18
Identification ............................................................. 12-13

GAS STATION REFERENCE
Fuel: T2.5 Liter models
Use only unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of
87 AKI or higher. T 3.0 Liter models
Use premium unleaded gasoline with an octane rat-
ing of 91 AKI or higher. Regular unleaded gasoline
with an octane rating of 87 AKI may be used if nec-
essary. For optimum engine performance and drive-
ability, it is recommended that you use premium
grade unleaded gasoline. „ Fuel octane rating
This octane rating is the average of the Research
Octane and Motor Octane numbers and is common-
ly referred to as the Anti Knock Index (AKI). Refer to “Fuel” section in this manual. Fuel capacity:
16.9 US gal (64 liters, 14.1 Imp gal) Engine oil:
Use only API classification SL with the words “EN-
ERGY CONSERVING” and the New API certifica-
tion mark (starburst mark) displayed on the contain-er. Engine oil capacity:
2.5 liter models: 4.2 US qt (4.0 liters, 3.5 Imp qt)
3.0 liter models: 5.6 US qt (5.3 liters, 4.6 Imp qt)
Cold tire pressure: Tire size P205/60R15 90H P205/55R16 89H P225/60R16 97H
Wheel size 15 x 6JJ 16 x 6 1
/2 JJ
Pressure Front 32 psi (220 kPa, 2.2 kg/cm 2
) 30 psi (210 kPa, 2.1 kg/cm 2
)
Rear 30 psi (210 kPa, 2.1 kg/cm 2
) 29 psi (200 kPa, 2.0 kg/cm 2
)
Rear at trailer towing – 32 psi (220 kPa, 2.2 kg/cm
2
)
Temporary
spare tire Size T135/70R16 T145/80R16
Pressure
60 psi (420 kPa, 4.2 kg/cm2
)