SUBARU TRIBECA 2007 1.G Owners Manual

8-6 Driving tips
Your B9 TRIBECA is classified as a utility
vehicle. Utility vehicles feature a higher
ground clearance which enables them to
be used for wide applications including
off-road driving, but a higher center of
gravity in relation to the tread width as
compared with ordinary passenger cars
makes vehicles of this type more likely to
roll over. In reality, utility vehicles have a
significantly higher rollover rate than other
types of vehicles. The high ground clear-
ance of this vehicle is a real advantage,
giving you a better view of the road and al-
lowing you to anticipate problems earlier.
However, remember that your utility vehi-
cle is not designed for high-speed corner-
ing comparable to ordinary passenger
cars and that your vehicle could roll over if you make a sharp turn at high speed. If
you do take your SUBARU off-road, cer-
tain common sense precautions such as
the following should be taken: y
Make certain that you and all of your
passengers are wearing seatbelts. y Carry some emergency equipment,
such as a towing rope or chain, a shovel,
wheel blocks, first aid kit and cell phone or
citizens band radio. y Drive carefully. Do not take unneces-
sary risks by driving in dangerous areas or
over rough terrain. y Slow down and employ extra caution at
all times. When driving off-road, you will
not have the benefit of marked traffic
lanes, banked curves, traffic signs and the
like. y Do not drive across steep slopes. In-
stead, drive either straight up or straight
down the slopes. A vehicle can much
more easily tip over sideways than it can
end over end. Avoid driving straight up or
down slopes that are too steep. y Avoid sharp turning maneuvers, espe-
cially at higher speeds. y Do not grip the inside or spokes of the
steering wheel. A bad bump could jerk the
wheel and injure your hands. Instead drive
with your fingers and thumbs on the out-
side of the rim.y If driving through water, such as when crossing shallow streams, first check the
depth of the water and the bottom of the
stream bed for firmness and ensure that
the bed of the stream is flat. Drive slowly
and completely through the stream. The
water should be shallow enough that it
does not reach the vehicle’s undercar-
riage. Water entering the engine air intake
or the exhaust pipe or water splashing
onto electrical parts may damage your ve-
hicle and may cause it to stall. Never at-
tempt to drive through rushing water; re-
gardless of its depth, it can wash away the
ground from under your tires, resulting in
possible loss of traction and even vehiclerollover. y
Always check your brakes for effective-
ness immediately after driving in sand,
mud or water. Do this by driving slowly
and stepping on the brake pedal. Repeat
that process several times to dry out the
brake discs and brake pads.y Do not drive or park over or near flam-
mable materials such as dry grass or fall-
en leaves, as they may burn easily. Theexhaust system is very hot while the en-
gine is running and right after engine
stops. This could create a fire hazard.y After driving through tall grass, mud,
rocks, sand, rivers, etc., check that there
is no grass, bush, paper, rags, stones,
sand, etc. adhering to or trapped on the
y Whenever strong crosswinds are
present, slow down sufficiently to
maintain control of your vehicle.
Remember that your vehicle, with
its higher profile and center of
gravity, is more likely to be affect-
ed by crosswinds than ordinary
passenger cars.
yAlways use the utmost care in
driving – overconfidence because
you are driving an All-Wheel Drive
vehicle could easily lead to a seri-
ous accident.

Driving tips 8-7
– CONTINUED –
underbody. Clear off any such matter from
the underbody. If the vehicle is used with
these materials trapped or adhering to the
underbody, a mechanical breakdown or
fire could occur. y
Secure all cargo carried inside the vehi-
cle and make certain that it is not piled
higher than the seatbacks. During sudden
stops or jolts, unsecured cargo could be
thrown around in the vehicle and cause in-
jury. Do not pile heavy loads on the roof.
Those loads raise the vehicle’s center of
gravity and make it more prone to tip over. y If you must rock the vehicle to free it
from sand or mud, depress the accelera-
tor pedal slightly and move the selector le-
ver back and forth between “D” and “R” re-
peatedly. Do not race the engine. For the
best possible traction, avoid spinning the
wheels when trying to free the vehicle. y When the road surface is extremely
slippery, you can obtain better traction by
starting the vehicle with the transmission
in 2nd than 1st. y Never equip your vehicle with tires larg-
er than those specified in this manual. y Wash the vehicle’s underbody after off-
road driving. Suspension components are
particularly prone to dirt buildup, so they
need to be washed thoroughly. y Frequent driving of an AWD vehicle un-
der hard-driving conditions such as rough roads or off roads will necessitate more
frequent replacement of engine oil, brake
fluid and transmission oil than that speci-
fied in the maintenance schedule de-
scribed in the “Warranty and Maintenance Booklet”.
Remember that damage done to your
SUBARU while operating it off-road and
not using common sense precautions
such as those listed above is not eligible for warranty coverage.
Winter driving „
Operation during cold weath- er
Carry some emergency equipment, such
as tire chains, a window scraper, a bag of
sand, flares, a small shovel, and jumper cables.
Check the battery and cables. Cold tem-
peratures reduce battery capacity. The
battery must be in good condition to pro-
vide enough power for cold winter starts.
Use an engine oil of proper grade and vis-
cosity for cold weather. Heavy summer oil
will cause harder starting.
Keep the door locks from freezing by
800201

8-8 Driving tips
squirting them with deicer or glycerin.
Forcing a frozen door open may damage
or separate the rubber weather strips
around the door. If the door is frozen, use
hot water to melt the ice, and afterwards
thoroughly wipe the water away.
Use a windshield washer fluid that con-
tains an antifreeze solution. Do not use
engine antifreeze or other substitutes be-
cause they may damage the paint of the
vehicle.
SUBARU Windshield Washer Fluid con-
tains 58.5% methyl alcohol and 41.5%
surfactant, by volume. Its freezing temper-
ature varies according to how much it is di-
luted, as indicated in the following table.
In order to prevent freezing of washer flu-
id, check the freezing temperatures in the
table above when adjusting the fluid con-
centration to the outside temperature.
If you fill the reservoir tank with a fluid with
a different concentration from the one
used previously, purge the old fluid from the piping between the reservoir tank and
washer nozzles by operating the washer
for a certain period of time. Otherwise, if
the concentration of the fluid remaining in
the piping is too low for the outside tem-
perature, it may freeze and block the noz-zles.
T
Before driving your vehicle
Before entering the vehicle, remove any
snow or ice from your shoes because that
could make the pedals slippery and dan-
gerous.
While warming up the vehicle before driv-
ing, check that the accelerator pedal,
brake pedal, and all other controls operatesmoothly.
Clear away ice and snow that has accu-
mulated under the fenders to avoid mak-
ing steering difficult. During severe winter
driving, stop when and where it is safe to do so and check under the fenders period-
ically. T
Parking in cold weather
Do not use the parking brake when park-
ing for long periods in cold weather since
it could freeze in that position. Instead, ob-
serve the following.
1. Place the selector lever in “P” position.
2. Use tire stops under the tires to prevent
the vehicle from moving.
When the vehicle is parked in snow or
when it snows, raise the wiper blades off
the glass to prevent damage to them.
When the vehicle has been left parked af-
ter use on roads heavily covered with
snow, or has been left parked during a
snowstorm, icing may develop on the brake system, which could cause poor
braking action. Check for snow or ice
buildup on the suspension, disc brakes
and brake hoses underneath the vehicle.
Washer Fluid
Concentration Freezing
Temperature
30% 10.4 °F (–12 °C)
50% –4 °F (–20 °C)
100% –49 °F (–45 °C)
Adjust the washer fluid concentra-
tion appropriately for the outside
temperature. If the concentration is
inappropriate, sprayed washer fluid
may freeze on the windshield and
obstruct your view, and the fluid
may freeze in the reservoir tank.
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.

Driving tips 8-9
– CONTINUED –
If there is caked snow or ice, remove it,
being careful not to damage the disc
brakes and brake hoses and ABS har-ness. T
Refueling in cold weather
To help prevent moisture from forming in
the fuel system and the risk of its freezing,
use of an antifreeze additive in the fuel
tank is recommended during cold weath- er.
Use only additives that are specifically de-
signed for this purpose. When an anti-
freeze additive is used, its effect lasts
longer if the tank is refilled whenever the
fuel level reaches half empty.
If your SUBARU is not going to be used for
an extended period, it is best to have the
fuel tank filled to capacity. „ Driving on snowy and icy
roads
To prevent skidding and slipping, avoid
sudden braking, abrupt acceleration, high-
speed driving, and sharp turning when
driving on snowy or icy roads.
Always maintain ample distance between
your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you
to avoid the need for sudden braking.
To supplement the foot brake, use the en-
gine brake effectively to control the vehi-
cle speed. (Shift into a lower gear when necessary.)
Avoid shifting down abruptly. Such behav-
ior can cause the wheels to lock, possibly
leading to loss of vehicle control.
An anti-lock brake system (ABS) enhanc-
es your vehicle’s braking performance on
snowy and icy roads. Refer to the “ABS
(Anti-lock Brake System)” and “Vehicle
Dynamics Control system” section in
chapter 7 for information on braking on
slippery surfaces. T
Wiper operation when snowing
Before driving in cold weather, make sure
the wiper blades are not frozen to the
windshield or rear window. If the wiper
blades are frozen to the windshield or rear
window, use the defroster with the airflow
control button in the “ ” position and
the temperature control dial set for maxi-
mum warmth until the wiper blades are
completely thawed out. If your vehicle is
equipped with a wiper deicer, it is helpful
to thaw the windshield wiper blades. To
thaw out the rear wiper blade, use the rear
window defogger.
When driving in snow, if frozen snow
starts to stick on the surface of the wind-
shield despite wiper operation, use the de-
froster with the airflow control button in
“ ” and the temperature control dial
set for maximum warmth. After the wind-
shield gets warmed enough to melt the
frozen snow on it, wash it away using the
windshield washer.
Snow stuck on the wiper arm prevents the
wiper from working effectively. If snow is
stuck on the wiper arm, pull off the road to
a safe place, then remove it. If you stop
the vehicle at road side, use the hazard
warning flasher to alert other drivers.
We recommend use of non-freezing type
Do not use the cruise control on
slippery roads such as snowy or icy
roads. This may cause loss of vehi-
cle control.
Avoid prolonged continuous driving
in snowstorms. Snow will enter the
engine’s intake system and may
hinder the air flow, which could re-
sult in engine shutdown or even
breakdown.

8-10 Driving tips
wiper blades (winter blades) during the
seasons you could have snow and sub-
zero temperatures. Blades of this type
give superior wiping performance in
snowy conditions. Be sure to use blades
that are suitable for your vehicle.
NOTE
When the season requiring non-freez-
ing type wiper blades is over, replace
them with standard wiper blades. „Corrosion protection
Refer to the “Corrosion protection” section
(chapter 10). „
Snow tires
Your vehicle is equipped with “all season
tires” which are designed to provide an
adequate measure of traction, handling
and braking performance in year-round
driving. In winter, it may be possible to en-
hance performance through use of tires
designed specifically for winter driving
conditions.
If you choose to install winter tires on your
vehicle, be sure to use the correct tire size
and type. You must install four winter tires
that are of the same size, construction,
brand and load range and you should nev-
er mix radial, belted bias or bias tires since
this may result in dangerous handling
characteristics. When you choose a tire,
make sure that there is enough clearance
between the tire and vehicle body.
Remember to drive with care at all times
regardless of the type of tires on your ve-
hicle.
Your vehicle comes with P255/55R18
“all season tires” as original equip-
ment. You should be aware that some
winter tires with that same size desig-
nation may actually be too large for the
vehicle and may cause rubbing on
sharp turns. Listed in the following is
the winter tire size that we recommend.
During high-speed driving, non-
freezing type wiper blades may not
perform as well as standard wiper
blades. If this happens, reduce the
vehicle speed.
y
When replacing original tires with
winter (snow) tires, make sure you
use only the same size and con-
struction as recommended. Using
other sizes or construction may
affect speedometer/odometer cal-
ibration and clearance between
the body and tires. It also may be
dangerous and lead to loss of ve-
hicle control.
yYou must install four winter tires
that are of the same size, circum-
ferences, construction, brand,
and load range. Mixing other siz-
es, circumferences or construc-
tions may result in severe me-
chanical damage to the drive train
of your vehicle and may affect
ride, handling, braking and speed-
ometer/odometer calibration. It
also may be dangerous and lead
to loss of vehicle control.
yDo not use a combination of radi-
al, belted bias or bias tires since it
may cause dangerous handling
characteristics and lead to an ac-
cident.

Driving tips 8-11
– CONTINUED –
Recommended winter (snow) tire size
P255/55R18 stud less
„ Tire chains
Driving on snowy grades or icy roads may
require the use of tire chains, in which
case put genuine SUBARU spring chains
on the front wheels only. Genuine
SUBARU spring chains are available from
your SUBARU dealer. These chains can
be installed on “all season tires” as origi-
nal equipment. Never install them on win- ter (snow) tires.
When driving with tire chains, drive at
speeds below 19 mph (30 km/h). When a
temporary spare tire is on a front wheel,
replace the temporary spare tire with the
rear tire on the same side of the vehicle,
and then fit chains on the front tires.
Always use the utmost care when driving
with tire chains – overconfidence because you are driving with tire chains could eas-
ily lead to a serious accident. „
Rocking the vehicle
If you must rock the vehicle to free it from
snow, sand, or mud, depress the acceler-
ator pedal slightly and move the selector
lever back and forth between “D” and “R”
repeatedly. Do not race the engine. For
the best possible traction, avoid spinning
the wheels when trying to free the vehicle.
When the road surface is extremely slip-
pery, you can obtain better traction by
starting the vehicle with the transmission
in 2nd than 1st.
Refer to the “Automatic transmission” sec-
tion in chapter 7 for information on holding
the transmission in 2nd position.
Loading your vehicle
Tire chains cannot be used on tires
listed in the following because of
lack of clearance between the tires
and vehicle body.
All model: P255/55R 18 winter (snow) tires
Never allow passengers to ride on a
folded rear seatback or in the cargo
area. Doing so may result in serious
injury.
y Never stack luggage or other car-
go higher than the top of the seat-
back because it could tumble for-
ward and injure passengers in the
event of a sudden stop or acci-
dent. Keep luggage or cargo low,
as close to the floor as possible.
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8-12 Driving tips
NOTE
For better fuel economy, do not carry
unneeded cargo. „Vehicle capacity weight
The load capacity of your vehicle is deter-
mined by weight, not by available cargo
space. The maximum load you can carry
in your vehicle is shown on the vehicle
placard attached to the driver’s side door
pillar. It includes the total weight of the
driver and all passengers and their be-
longings, any optional equipment such as
a trailer hitch, roof rack or bike carrier,
etc., and the tongue load of a trailer.
yWhen you carry something inside
the vehicle, secure it whenever
you can to prevent it from being
thrown around inside the vehicle
during sudden stops, sharp turns
or in an accident.
yDo not pile heavy loads on the
roof. These loads raise the vehi-
cle’s center of gravity and make it
more prone to tip over.
ySecure lengthy items properly to
prevent them from shooting for-
ward and causing serious injury
during a sudden stop.
yNever exceed the maximum load
limit. If you do, some parts on
your vehicle can break, or it can
change the way your vehicle han-
dles. This could result in loss of
control and cause personal injury.
Also, overloading can shorten the
life of your vehicle.
yDo not place anything on the ex-
tended luggage cover. Such items
could tumble forward in the event
of a sudden stop or a collision.
This could cause serious injury.
Do not carry spray cans, containers
with flammable or corrosive liquids
or any other dangerous items inside
the vehicle.
800202
B00326

Driving tips 8-13
– CONTINUED –
„
GVWR and GAWR (Gross Ve-
hicle Weight Rating and
Gross Axle Weight Rating)
Certification label
The certification label attached to the driv-
er’s side door shows GVWR (Gross Vehi-
cle Weight Rating) and GAWR (Gross
Axle Weight Rating).
The GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) must
never exceed the GVWR. GVW is the
combined total of weight of the vehicle, fu-
el, driver, all passengers, luggage, any
optional equipment and trailer tongue
load. Therefore, the GVW changes de-
pending on the situation.
In addition, the total weight applied to
each axle (GAW) must never exceed the GAWR. The front and rear GAWs can be
adjusted by relocating luggage inside the vehicle.
Even if the total weight of your luggage is
lower than the vehicle capacity weight, ei-
ther front or rear GAW may exceed the
GAWR, depending on the distribution of
the luggage.
When possible, the load should be evenly
distributed throughout the vehicle.
If you carry heavy loads in the vehicle, you
should confirm that GVW and front and
rear GAWs are within the GVWR and
GAWR by putting your vehicle on a vehi-
cle scale, found at a commercial weighingstation.
Do not use replacement tires with a lower
load range than the originals because
they may lower the GVWR and GAWR
limitations. Replacement tires with a high-
er load range than the originals do not in-
crease the GVWR and GAWR limitations.
„
Roof rail and crossbar (if
equipped)
800203
yFor cargo carrying purposes, the
roof molding must be used to-
gether with a roof crossbar kit and
the appropriate carrying attach-
ment. Otherwise, damage to the
roof or paint or a dangerous road
hazard due to loss of cargo could
result.
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8-14 Driving tips
Cargo can be carried after securing the
roof crossbar kit to the roof rail and install-
ing the appropriate carrying attachment.
When installing the roof crossbar kit, fol-
low the manufacturer’s instructions.
When you carry cargo on the roof using
the roof crossbar kit and a carrying attach-
ment, never exceed the maximum load
limit explained in the following. You should
also be careful that your vehicle does not
exceed the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR) and front and rear Gross Axle
Weight Rating (GAWR). See the “Loading
your vehicle” section in this chapter for in-
formation on loading cargo into or onto
your vehicle. The maximum load limit of
the cargo, crossbars and carrying attach-
ment must not exceed 150 lbs (67.5 kg).
Place the heaviest load at the bottom,
nearest the roof, and evenly distribute the
cargo. Always properly secure all cargo. T
Installing carrying attachments on
the crossbars
When installing any carrying attachment
such as a bike carrier, ski carrier, kayak
carrier, cargo basket, etc. on the cross-
bars, follow the manufacturer’s instruc-
tions and make sure that the attachment is
securely fixed to the crossbars. Use only
attachments designed specifically for the
crossbars. A set of the crossbars is de-
signed to carry loads (cargo and attach-
ment) of not more than 150 lbs (67.5 kg).
Before operating the vehicle, make sure
that the cargo is properly secured on the
attachment.
NOTE
Remember that the vehicle’s center of
gravity is altered with the weight of the
load on the roof, thus affecting the
driving characteristics.
Drive carefully. Avoid rapid starts, hard
cornering and abrupt stops. Crosswind
effects will be increased. T
Removal and installation of the
crossbars
Each of the two roof molding has two
mounting points for crossbars. Each
mounting point is fitted with a cover. Use a
screwdriver to remove the covers. When
installing the crossbars on the roof mold-
ing, follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
y
When using the roof crossbar kit,
make sure that the total weight of
the crossbars, carrying attach-
ment and cargo does not exceed
the maximum load limit. Overload-
ing may cause damage to the ve-
hicle and create a safety hazard.
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Driving tips 8-15
– CONTINUED –
Trailer hitch (if equipped)
1) Trailer hitch
The trailer hitch is designed to tow a Class
1 rated load. The maximum gross trailer
weight and maximum gross tongue weight
are indicated in the following table. When you tow a trailer, follow the instruc-
tions in the next section “Trailer towing”. „
Connecting a trailer
1. Remove the receiver cover from the
hitch receiver tube. Then insert the ball
mount into the hitch receiver tube.
2. Insert the hitch pin into the hole on the
y Never exceed the maximum
weight specified for the trailer
hitch. Exceeding the maximum
weight could cause an accident
resulting in serious personal inju-
ries. Permissible trailer weight
changes depending on the situa-
tion. Refer to the next section
“Trailer towing” for possible rec-
ommendations and limitations.
1
800256
yTrailer brakes are required when
the towing load exceeds 1,000 lbs
(453 kg). Be sure your trailer has
safety chains and that each chain
will hold the trailer’s maximum
gross weight. Towing trailers
without safety chains could create
a traffic safety hazard if the trailer
separates from the hitch due to
coupling damage or hitch ball
damage.
yBe sure to check the hitch pin and
safety pin for positive locking
placement before towing a trailer.
If the ball mount comes off the
hitch receiver, the trailer could get
loose and create a traffic safetyhazard.
yUse only the ball mount supplied
with this hitch. Use the hitch only
as a weight carrying hitch. Do not
use with any type of weight dis-
tributing hitch.
Maximum
gross trailer
weight Maximum gross tongue weight
vehicle with-
out cooling kit 2,000 lbs
(906 kg) 200 lbs
(90 kg)
vehicle with cooling kit 3,500 lbs
(1,587 kg) 350 lbs
(158 kg)
800257