2001 SUBARU FORESTER tires

Starting and operating8-11
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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 During cold weather below –4°F ( –20 °C)
If the eng ine is d iffic ult to start using the norma l method (without
d ep ressing the ac c elerator p ed al), turn the ig nitio n switc h to the
“ START ” p osition while slig htly d ep ressing the ac c elerator p ed al.
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.
When the vehic le has b een left p arked after use on road s heavily c ov-
ered with snow, or has b een left p arked d uring a sn owstorm, ic ing
may d evelop on the b rake system, whic h c ould c ause p oor b raking
ac tion. Chec k for snow or ic e b uild up on the susp en sion, d isc b rakes
and b rake hoses und erneath the vehic le.
If there is c aked snow or ic e, remove it, b eing c ar eful not to d amag e
the d isc b rakes and b rake hoses and ABS harness. n Refueling in cold weather
To help p revent moisture from forming in the fuel s ystem and the risk
of its freezing , use of an antifreeze ad d itive in t he fuel tank is rec om-

Starting and operating8-13
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turned fully to the rig ht until the wip er b lad es ar
e c omp letely thawed
out. To thaw out the rear wip er b lad e, use the rear wind ow d efog g er.
When d riving in snow, if frozen snow starts to stic k on the surfac e of
the wind shield d esp ite wip er op eration, use the d ef roster with the air-
flow c ontrol d ial in “
” and the temp erature c ontrol d ial turned fully
to the rig ht. After the wind shield g ets warmed enou g h to melt the fro-
zen snow on it, wash it away using the wind shield w asher.
Snow stuc k on the wip er arm p revents the wip er from working effec -
tively. If snow is stuc k on the wip er arm, p ull off the road to a safe
p lac e, then remove it. If you stop the c ar at road sid e, use the hazard
warning flasher to alert other d rivers.
We rec ommend use of non-freezing typ e wip er b lad es d uring the sea-
sons you c ould have snow and sub -zero temp erature.
Snow tires
WARNING
When replacing a tire, make sure you use only the same size,
circumference, construction, brand, and load range as the origi- nal tires listed on the tire placard. Using other sizes, circumfer-
ence or construction may result in severe mechanical damage tothe drive train of your vehicle and may affect ride, handling, brak-ing, speedometer/odometer calibration, and clearance betweenthe body and tires. It also 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 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

8-14c orrec t tire size and typ e. All four tires should b
e of the same size,
c onstruc tion, c irc umferenc e, 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 ang er-
ous 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
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
serious 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 etween “D ” and “R ” rep eated ly. Do not rac e the eng ine. For the b est p os-
sib le trac tion, avoid sp inning the wheels when tryi ng 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).
Refer to the “Automatic transmission ” sec tion in this c hap ter for informa-
tion on hold ing the transmission in 2nd p osition.
Corrosion protection
Refer to the “Corrosion p rotec tion ” sec tion (c hap ter 10).

8-16
Vehicle capacity weight
HS0251
HS0250
Tire information label
The load c ap ac ity of your vehic le is d etermined b y weig ht, not b y avail-
ab le c arg o sp ac e. The maximum load you c an c arry in your vehic le is
shown as the Vehic le Cap ac ity Weig ht on the tire in formation lab el
attac hed to the d river ’s sid e d oor jamb . It inc lud es the total weig ht of
d river and all p asseng ers and their b elong ing s, any op tional eq uip ment
suc h as a trailer hitc h, roof rac k or b ike c arrier, etc ., and the tong ue load
of a trailer.
The tire information lab el also shows rec ommend ed t ire inflation p ressure
und er full load ing and trailer towing c ond itions. A d just tire inflation p res-
sures ac c ord ing to the load ing c ond itions. For the tire inflation p ressures,
refer to the “Tires and wheel ” sec tion in Chap ter 11.

Starting and operating8-17
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GVWR and GAWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and
Gross Axle Weight Rating)
HS0143
Certification plate
The c ertific ation p late attac hed to the d river ’s sid e d oor jamb 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
exc eed the GAWR. The front and rear GAWs c an b e ad j usted b y reloc at-
ing 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

8-18tires with a hig her load rang e than the orig inals d
o not inc rease the
GVWR and GAWR limitations. Roof rail and crossbar (if equipped)
CAUTION
For cargo carrying purposes, the roof rail must be used
together with a roof cross bar kit. The roof rail must never be used alone to carry cargo. Otherwise, damage to the roof or paintor a dangerous road hazard due to loss of cargo could result. When using the roof cross bar kit, make sure that the total
weight of the crossbars, carrying attachment and cargo does not
exceed the maximum load limit. Overloading may cause damageto the vehicle and create a safety hazard.
HS1005BB
The roof rail is not d esig ned to c arry c arg o b y its elf.
Carg o c an b e c arried on the roof after sec uring the roof c ross b ar kit to
the roof rail. When installing the roof c ross b ar k it on the roof rail, follow
the manufac turer ’s instruc tions. When you c arry c arg o on the roof us ing
the roof c ross b ar kit, never exc eed maximum load l imit exp lained b elow.
You should also b e c areful that your vehic le d oes n ot exc eed the Gross
Vehic le Weig ht Rating (GVWR) and front and rear Gro ss Axle Weig ht Rat-
ing (GAWR). See the “Load ing your vehic le ” sec tion in this c hap ter for
information on load ing c arg o into or onto your vehi c le.

8-22Trailer towing
Your c ar is d esig ned and intend ed to b e used p rimar
ily as a p asseng er-
c arrying vehic le. Towing a trailer p uts ad d itional load s on your c ar’s
eng ine, d rivetrain, b rakes, tires and susp ension an d has an ad verse
effec t on fuel ec onomy.
If you d o d ec id e to tow a trailer, your safety and satisfac tion d ep end
up on p rop er use of c orrec t eq uip ment and c autious o p eration of your
vehic le. Seek the ad vic e of your SUBARU d ealer to a ssist you in p ur-
c hasing a hitc h and other nec essary towing eq uip men t ap p rop riate for
your vehic le. In ad d ition, b e sure to follow the in struc tions on c orrec t
installation and use p rovid ed b y the trailer and ot her towing eq uip ment
manufac turers.
SUBARU assumes no resp onsib ility for injuries or ve hic le d amag e that
result from trailer towing eq uip ment, or from any e rrors or omissions in
the instruc tions ac c omp anying suc h eq uip ment or for your failure to fol-
low the p rop er instruc tions.
Warranties and maintenance
SUBARU warranties d o not ap p ly to vehic le d amag e or malfunc tion
c aused b y trailer towing . If you use your vehic le t o tow a trailer, more
freq uent maintenanc e will b e req uired d ue to the ad d itional load .
(Refer to “Maintenanc e sc hed ule und er severe d riving c ond ition s” in
the “Warranty and Maintenanc e Booklet ”.)
Und er no c irc umstanc es should a trailer b e towed wi th a new vehic le
or a vehic le with any new p owertrain c omp onent (eng ine, transmis-
sion, d ifferential, wheel b earing s, etc .) for the f irst 1,000 miles (1,600
km) of d riving . Maximum load limits
WARNING
Never exceed the maximum load limits explained below. Exceed- ing the maximum load limits could cause personal injury and/or
vehicle damage.

Starting and operating8-27
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Trailer hitches
WARNING
Never drill the frame or under-body of your vehicle to install a
commercial trailer hitch. If you do, dangerous exhaust gas, wateror mud may enter the passenger compartment through the drilledhole. Exhaust gas contains carbon monoxide, a colorless andodorless gas which is dangerous, or even lethal, if inhaled. Also,drilling the frame or under-body of your vehicle could cause dete-rioration of strength of your vehicle and cause corrosion aroundthe drilled hole.
CAUTION
Do not modify the vehicle exhaust system, brake system, or
other systems when installing a hitch or other trailer towingequipment. Do not use axle-mounted hitches as they can cause damage to
the axle housing, wheel bearings, wheels or tires.
Choose a p rop er hitc h for your vehic le and trailer.
The use of a g enuine SUBARU trailer hitc h is rec omm end ed . A g enu-
ine SUBARU hitc h is availab le from your SUBARU d eal er.
If use of a non-g enuine hitc h is unavoid ab le, b e su re the hitc h is
suited to your vehic le and trailer. Consult with a p rofessional hitc h
sup p lier to assist you in c hoosing an ap p rop riate h itc h for your
vehic le. Be sure to follow all of the hitc h manufac turer’s instruc tions for
installation and use.
Never use a hitc h that mounts only to the rear b ump er. The b ump er is
not d esig ned to hand le that typ e of load .
For all typ es of hitc hes, reg ularly c hec k that the hitc h mounting b olts
and nuts are tig ht.