8
Driving tips New vehicle break-in driving –
the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km) 8-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fuel economy hints 8-3
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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 8-13
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Tire chains 8-14
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Rocking the vehicle 8-15
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Loading your vehicle 8-15
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Vehicle capacity weight 8-16
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GVWR and GAWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and Gross Axle Weight Rating) 8-17
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Roof rail and crossbar (if equipped) 8-18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Trailer hitch (if equipped) 8-22
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Trailer towing 8-26
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8-14
Do not use a combination of radial, belted bias or bias tires
since it may cause dangerous handling characteristics and lead to 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 erfor-
manc e in year-round d riving . In winter, it may b e p ossib le to enhanc e
p erformanc e throug h use of tires d esig ned sp ec ific a lly for winter 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. All four tires should b e of the same size,
c onstruc tion, b rand and load rang e and you should n ever mix rad ial,
b elted b ias or b ias tires sinc e this may result in d ang erous hand ling
c harac teristic s.
Rememb er to d rive with c are at all times reg ard less of the typ e of tires on
your vehic le.
Tire chains
CAUTION
Tire chains cannot be used on P205/55R16 tires for GT modelsand P225/60R16 tires for OUTBACK models because of lack of
clearance between the tires and body.
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.
