tires SUBARU OUTBACK 2006 Owner's Manual

8-20 Driving tips
Hitch harness connector
8. Connect the hitch wire harness’s black
four-pin wire connector to the towing trail-
er’s wire harness.
9. Confirm proper function of the hitch
wire harness by individually activating the
brake, right turn signal, left turn signal,
stop, and parking lights on the trailer.
NOTE Always disconnect the trailer wire har-
ness before launching or retrieving a
watercraft. „ When you do not tow a trailer y Remove the ball mount from the hitch
receiver tube and insert the receiver cover
onto the hitch receiver tube.
y Place the dust cap over the four-pin
connector of the hitch wire harness to pro-
tect against possible damage.
y Occasionally lubricate terminals of the
four-pin connector using the terminal
grease. Trailer towing Your vehicle is designed and intended to
be used primarily as a passenger-carrying
vehicle. Towing a trailer puts additional
loads on your vehicle’s engine, drivetrain,
brakes, tires and suspension and has an
adverse effect on fuel economy.
If you do decide to tow a trailer, your safe-
ty and satisfaction depend upon proper
use of correct equipment and cautious op-
eration of your vehicle. Seek the advice of
your SUBARU dealer to assist you in pur-
chasing a hitch and other necessary tow-
ing equipment appropriate for your vehi-
cle. In addition, be sure to follow the in-
structions on correct installation and use
provided by the trailer and other towing
equipment manufacturers.
SUBARU assumes no responsibility for in-
juries or vehicle damage that result from
trailer towing equipment, or from any er-
rors or omissions in the instructions ac-
companying such equipment or for your
failure to follow the proper instructions.
„ Warranties and maintenance SUBARU warranties do not apply to vehi-
cle damage or malfunction caused by trail-
er towing. If you use your vehicle to tow a
trailer, more frequent maintenance will beDo not connect safety chains to part
of the vehicle other than the safety
chain hooks.
800210

8-24 Driving tips
1) Jack
2) Bathroom scale
The tongue load can be weighed with a
bathroom scale as shown in the following
illustration. When weighing the tongue
load, be sure to position the towing cou-
pler at the height at which it would be dur-
ing actual towing, using a jack as shown. F: Front
The tongue load can be adjusted by prop-
er distribution of the load in the trailer.
Never load the trailer with more weight in
the back than in the front; approximately
60 percent of the trailer load should be in
the front and approx imately 40 percent in
the rear. Also, distribute the load as even-
ly as possible on both the left and right
sides.
Be sure that all cargo is firmly secured to
prevent a change in weight distribution
while driving. „ Trailer hitches
Choose a proper hitch for your vehicle and
trailer.1 2
800250 F
60%
40% 50% 50% 800216
Never drill the frame or under-body
of your vehicle to install a commer-
cial trailer hitch. If you do, danger-
ous exhaust gas, water or mud may
enter the passenger compartment
through the drilled hole. Exhaust
gas contains carbon monoxide, a
colorless and odorless gas which is
dangerous, or even lethal, if inhaled.
Also, drilling the frame or under-
body of your vehicle could cause
deterioration of strength of your ve-
hicle and cause corrosion around
the drilled hole.
y Do not modify th e vehicle exhaust
system, brake system, or other
systems when installing a hitch or
other trailer towing equipment.
y Do not use axle-mounted hitches
as they can cause damage to the
axle housing, wheel bearings,
wheels or tires.

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:

9In case of emergency If you park your vehicle in an emergency ........ 9-2
Temporary spare tire .......................................... 9-2
Flat tires .............................................................. 9-4 Changing a flat tire ................................................. 9-4
Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
(if equipped) .......................................................... 9-9
Jump starting ...................................................... 9-10 How to jump start ................................................... 9-10
Engine overheating ........... ................................. 9-12If steam is coming from the engine
compartment ......................................................... 9-12
If no steam is coming from the engine
compartment ......................................................... 9-12
Towing ................................................................. 9-13 Towing and tie-down hooks .................................. 9-13
Using a flat-bed truck ............................................. 9-16
Towing with all wheels on the ground .................. 9-16
Rear gate (Station wagon) – if the rear gate
cannot be unlocked ........................................ 9-17
Maintenance tools .............................................. 9-18 Jack .......................................................................... 9-18
Jack handle ............................................................. 9-18
Other maintenance tools ........................................ 9-19

In case of emergency
9-3
The temporary spare tire is smaller and
lighter than a conventional tire and is de-
signed for emergency use only. Remove
the temporary spare tire and re-install the
conventional tire as soon as possible be-
cause the spare tire is designed only for
temporary use.
Check the inflation pressure of the tempo-
rary spare tire periodically to keep the tire
ready for use. The correct pressure is 60
psi (420 kPa, 4.2 kgf/cm 2
) .
When using the temporary spare tire, note
the following.
y Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h).
y Do not put a tire chain on the temporary
spare tire. Because of the smaller tire
size, a tire chain will not fit properly.
y Do not use two or more temporary
spare tires at the same time.
y Do not drive over obstacles. This tire
has a smaller diameter, so road clearance
is reduced. 1) Tread wear indicator bar
2) Indicator location mark
y When the wear indicator appears on the
tread, replace the tire.
y The temporary spare tire must be used
only on a rear wheel. If a front wheel tire
gets punctured, replace the wheel with a
rear wheel and install the temporary spare
tire in place of the removed rear wheel. NOTE If your vehicle is an AWD type with an
automatic transmission but is neither a
Turbo model nor a 3.0-liter model, de-
activate its All-Wheel-Drive capability
as follows: Before driving your vehicle
with the temporary spare tire, put a
spare fuse inside the FWD connector
located in the engi ne compartment and
confirm that the “ ” warning
light comes on. The All-Wheel-Drive
capability of the vehicle has now been
deactivated. After re -installing the con-
ventional tire, remove the spare fuse
from the FWD connector in order to re-
activate All-Wheel Drive.Never use any temporary spare tire
other than the original. Using other
sizes may result in severe mechani-
cal damage to the drive train of your
vehicle. 1
2 900209
600121

9-4 In case of emergency
Flat tires If you have a flat tire while driving, never
brake suddenly; keep driving straight
ahead while gradually reducing speed.
Then slowly pull off the road to a safe
place.
„ Changing a flat tire 1. Park on a hard, level surface, whenev-
er possible, then stop the engine.
2. Set the parking brake securely and
shift a manual transmission vehicle in re-
verse or an automatic transmission vehi-
cle in the “P” (Park) position.
3. Turn on the hazard warning flasher and
have everyone get out of the vehicle.
4. Put wheel blocks at the front and rear
of the tire diagonally opposite the flat tire. Sedan
1) Jack handle
2) Spare tire
3) Jack and tool buckety Do not jack up the vehicle on an
incline or a loose road surface.
The jack can come out of the jack-
ing point or sink into the ground
and this can result in a severe ac-
cident.
y Use only the jack provided with
your vehicle. The jack supplied
with the vehicle is designed only
for changing a tire. Never get un-
der the vehicle while supporting
the vehicle with this jack. y Always turn off the engine before
raising the flat ti re off the ground
using the jack. Never swing or
push the vehicle supported with
the jack. The jack can come out of
the jacking point due to a jolt and
this can result in a severe acci-
dent.
6001222
31
900242

In case of emergency
9-9
„ Tire pressure monitoring sys-
tem (TPMS) (if equipped)
The tire pressure mo nitoring system pro-
vides the driver with the warning message
indicated by sending a signal from a sen-
sor that is installed in each wheel when
tire pressure is severely low.
The tire pressure monitoring system will activate only when the vehicle is driven.
Also, this system may not react immedi-
ately to a sudden drop in tire pressure (for
example, a blow-out caused running over
a sharp object).Never place a tire or tire changing
tools in the passenger compartment
after changing wheels. In a sudden
stop or collisions, loose equipment
could strike occupants and cause
injury. Store the tire and all tools in
the proper place.
700352If the low tire pressure warning light
comes on while driving, never brake
suddenly and keep driving straight
ahead while gradually reducing
speed. Then slowly pull off the road
to a safe place. Otherwise an acci-
dent involving serious vehicle dam-
age and serious personal injury
could occur.
Check the pressure for all four tires
and adjust the pressure to the COLD
tire pressure shown on the vehicle
placard on the door pillar on the
driver’s side. If this light still comes
on while driving after adjusting the
tire pressure, a tire may have signif-
icant 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.
Do not inject any tire liquid or aero-
sol tire sealant into the tires, as this
may cause a malfunction of the tire
pressure sensors.
If the light flashes, promptly contact
a SUBARU dealer to have the sys-
tem inspected.

In case of emergency
9-15
– CONTINUED –6. Tighten the towing hook securely using
a wheel nut wrench.
After towing, remove the towing hook from
the vehicle and stow it in the tool bag.
Fit the fog light cover and towing hook
cover on the bumper. Rear towing hook:
The rear towing hook is located below the
center of the rear bumper.
Front tie-down hooks: The front tie-down hooks are located be-
tween each of the front tires and the front
bumper.
Rear tie-down hooks:
The rear tie-down hooks are located neary Do not use the towing hook ex-
cept when towing your vehicle.
y Be sure to remove the towing
hook after towing. Leaving the
towing hook mounted on the vehi-
cle could interfere with proper op-
eration of the SRS airbag system
in a frontal collision. 900252
Never use the rear towing hook to tie
the vehicle down. 600150 900253
900032

In case of emergency
9-19For how to use the jack, refer to “Flat
tires”.
„ Other maintenance toolsIn addition to a jack and a jack handle, the
tool bucket on your vehicle contains the
following maintenance tools.
Screwdriver
Towing hook
Wheel nut wrench 900259

Maintenance and service
Replacement of brake pad and lining ............... 11-31Breaking-in of new brake pads and linings ......... 11-32
Parking brake stroke .......................................... 11-32
Tires and wheels ................................................ 11-33 Types of tires .......................................................... 11-33
Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
(if equipped) .......................................................... 11-33
Tire inspection ........................................................ 11-34
Tire pressures and wear ........................................ 11-35
Wheel balance ........................................................ 11-37
Wear indicators ....................................................... 11-37
Tire rotation ............................................................. 11-37
Tire replacement ..................................................... 11-38
Wheel replacement ................................................. 11-38
Aluminum wheels ............................................... 11-39
Windshield washer fluid .................................... 11-39
Replacement of wiper blades ............................ 11-41 Windshield wiper blade assembly ........................ 11-41
Windshield wiper blade rubber ............................. 11-42
Rear window wiper blade assembly ..................... 11-42
Rear window wiper blade rubber .......................... 11-43
Battery ................................................................. 11-44
Fuses ................................................................... 11-45
Main fuse ............................................................. 11-47
Installation of accessories ................................ 11-47
Replacing bulbs .................................................. 11-48
Headlight ................................................................. 11-49
Parking light ............................................................ 11-50
Front turn signal light ............................................ 11-50
Front fog light (if equipped) ................................... 11-50 Rear combination lights ......................................... 11-51
Backup light (Station wagon) ................................ 11-52
License plate light .................................................. 11-53
Dome light ............................................................... 11-53
Map light .................................................................. 11-54
Door step light ........................................................ 11-54
Cargo area light (Station wa gon) .......................... 11-55
Trunk light (Sedan) ................................................. 11-55
High mount stop light (Sedan) .............................. 11-56