2001 SUBARU FORESTER Owners Manual

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 8-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Driving tips for AWD vehicles 8-6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Off road driving 8-7
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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 8-14
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Corrosion protection 8-14
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Loading your vehicle 8-15
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Vehicle capacity weight 8-16
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
GVWR and GAWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and Gross Axle Weight Rating) 8-17
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Roof rail and crossbar (if equipped) 8-18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Trailer towing 8-22
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8-2
New vehicle break-in driving
– the first 1,000 miles
(1,600 km)
The p erformanc e and long life of your vehic le are d ep end ent on how you
hand le and c are for your vehic le while it is new. F ollow these instruc tions
d uring the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km): Do not rac e the eng ine. Break-in engine speed limit
Never exc eed 4,000 rp m eng ine sp eed exc ep t for b rie f ac c eleration
in an emerg enc y. Do not d rive at one c onstant eng ine or vehic le sp ee d for a long
time, either fast or slow. Avoid starting sud d enly and rap id ac c eleration, exc ep t in an emer-
g enc y. Avoid hard b raking , exc ep t in an emerg enc y.
The same b reak-in p roc ed ures should b e ap p lied to a newly-installed
or overhauled eng ine or when b rake p ad s or b rake li ning s are
rep lac ed with new ones.
Fuel economy hints
The following sug g estions will help to save your fu el.
Selec t the p rop er g ear p osition for the sp eed and r oad c ond itions.
Avoid sud d en ac c eleration or d ec eleration. Always a c c elerate g ently
until you reac h the d esired sp eed . Then try to main tain that sp eed for as
long as p ossib le. Do not p ump the ac c elerator and avoid rac ing the en g ine.
Avoid unnec essary eng ine id ling .
Keep the eng ine p rop erly tuned .
Keep the tires inflated to the c orrec t p ressure sho wn on the tire p lac -
ard , whic h is loc ated und er the d oor latc h on the d river’s sid e. Low p res-
sure will inc rease tire wear and fuel c onsump tion. Use the air c ond itioner only when nec essary.
Keep the front and rear wheels in p rop er alig nment.
Avoid c arrying unnec essary lug g ag e or c arg o.

Starting and operating8-3
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CONTINUED –
Engine exhaust gas (Carbon monoxide)
WARNING
Never inhale engine exhaust gas. Engine exhaust gas contains
carbon monoxide, a colorless and odorless gas which is danger- ous, or even lethal, if inhaled. Always properly maintain the engine exhaust system to pre-
vent engine exhaust gas from entering the vehicle. Never run the engine in a closed space, such as a garage,
except for the brief time needed to drive the vehicle in or out of it. Avoid remaining in a parked vehicle for a lengthy time while
the engine is running. If that is unavoidable, then use the ventila-tion fan to force fresh air into the vehicle. Always keep the front ventilator inlet grille free from snow,
leaves or other obstructions to ensure that the ventilation system
always works properly. If at any time you suspect that exhaust fumes are entering the
vehicle, have the problem checked and corrected as soon as pos-
sible. If you must drive under these conditions, drive only with allwindows fully open. Keep the trunk lid or rear gate closed while driving to prevent
exhaust gas from entering the vehicle.
NOTE Due to the expansion and contraction of the metals used in the
manufacture of the exhaust system, you may hear a crackling soundcoming from the exhaust system for a short time after the enginehas been shut off. This sound is normal.

8-4
Catalytic converter
WARNING
Avoid fire hazards. Do not drive or park the vehicle anywhere
near flammable materials (e.g. grass, paper, rags or leaves),
because the catalytic converter operates at very high tempera-tures. Keep everyone and flammable materials away from the
exhaust pipe while the engine is running. The exhaust gas is veryhot.
HB3003BA
The c atalytic c onverter is installed in the exhaust system. It serves as a
c atalyst to red uc e HC, CO and NOx in exhaust g ases, thus p rovid ing
c leaner exhaust.
To avoid d amag e to the c atalytic c onverter: Use only unlead ed fuel. Even a small amount of lead ed fuel will d am-
ag e the c atalytic c onverter. Never start the eng ine b y p ushing or p ulling the ve hic le.
Avoid rac ing the eng ine.
Never turn off the ig nition switc h while the vehic l e is moving .
Keep your eng ine tuned -up . If you feel the eng ine r unning roug h (mis-
firing , b ac kfiring or inc omp lete c omb ustion), have your vehic le c hec ked
and rep aired b y an authorized SUBARU d ealer. Do not ap p ly und erc oating or rust p revention treatm ent to the heat

Starting and operating8-5
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CONTINUED –
shield of c atalytic c onverter and the exhaust syste
m
Periodic inspections
To keep your vehic le in the b est c ond ition at all t imes, always have the
rec ommend ed maintenanc e servic es listed in the main tenanc e sc hed ule
in the “Warranty and Maintenanc e Booklet ” p erformed at the sp ec ified
time or mileag e intervals.
Driving in foreign countries
When p lanning to use your vehic le in another c ountr y:
Confirm the availab ility of the c orrec t fuel. (Refe r to Fuel Req uirement
sec tion in this c hap ter.) Comp ly with all reg ulations and req uirements of eac h c ountry.

8-6
Driving tips for AWD vehicles
WARNING
Always maintain a safe driving speed according to the road
and weather conditions in order to avoid having an accident on a sharp turn, during sudden braking or under other similar condi-tions. Always use the utmost care in driving – overconfidence
because you are driving an all wheel drive vehicle could easilylead to a serious accident.
HS0113
All wheel d rive d istrib utes the eng ine p ower to all four wheels. AWD
vehic les p rovid e b etter trac tion when d riving on sl ip p ery, wet or snow-
c overed road s and when moving out of mud , d irt and sand . By shifting
p ower b etween the front and rear wheels, SUBARU AWD c an also p ro-
vid e ad d ed trac tion d uring ac c eleration and ad d ed e ng ine b raking forc e
d uring d ec eleration.
Therefore, your SUBARU AWD vehic le may hand le d iffe rently than an
ord inary two wheel d rive vehic le and it c ontains so me features uniq ue to
AWD. For safety p urp oses as well as to avoid d amag i ng the AWD sys-
tem, you should keep the following tip s in mind : An AWD vehic le is b etter ab le to c limb steep er road s und er snowy or
slip p ery c ond itions than a two wheel d rive vehic le. There is little d iffer-

Starting and operating8-7
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CONTINUED –
enc e in hand ling , however, d uring extremely sharp t
urns or sud d en b rak-
ing . Therefore, when d riving d own a slop e or turnin g c orners, b e sure to
red uc e your sp eed and maintain an amp le d istanc e fr om other vehic les.
When rep lac ing a tire, make sure you use only the s ame size, c irc um-
ferenc e, c onstruc tion, b rand , and load rang e as the orig inal tires listed on
the tire p lac ard . Using other sizes, c irc umferenc e or c onstruc tion may
result in severe mec hanic al d amag e to the d rive tra in of your vehic le and
may affec t rid e, hand ling , b raking , sp eed ometer/od o meter c alib ration, and
c learanc e b etween the b od y and tires. It also may b e d ang erous and lead
to loss of vehic le c ontrol. Always c hec k the c old tire p ressure b efore starting to d rive. The rec -
ommend ed tire p ressure is p rovid ed on the tire p lac ard , whic h is loc ated
und er the d oor latc h on the d river ’s sid e.
Tire c hains should always b e p lac ed on the front wh eels only.
There are some p rec autions that you must ob serve wh en towing your
vehic le. For d etail information, see the “Towing ” sec tion in this c hap ter.
Off road driving
WARNING
Always maintain a safe driving speed according to the road
and weather conditions in order to avoid having an accident on asharp turn, during sudden braking or under other similar condi-tions. Always use the utmost care in driving – overconfidence
because you are driving an all wheel drive vehicle could easilylead to a serious accident.
Bec ause of the AWD feature and hig her g round c leara nc e, your Sub aru
c an b e d riven on ord inary road s or off-road . But p l ease keep in mind that
an AWD Sub aru is a p asseng er c ar and is neither a c onventional off-road
vehic le nor an all-terrain vehic le. If you d o take your Sub aru off-road , c er-
tain c ommon sense p rec autions suc h as the following should b e taken:
Make c ertain that you and all of your p asseng ers ar e wearing seat

8-8
b elts.
Carry some emerg enc y eq uip ment, suc h as a towing ro p e or c hain, a
shovel, wheel b loc ks, first aid kit and p ortab le p h one or c itizens b and
rad io. Drive c arefully. Do not take unnec essary risks b y d riving in d ang erous
areas or over roug h terrain. Slow d own and emp loy extra c aution at all times. Wh en d riving off-
road , you will not have the b enefit of marked traff ic lanes, b anked
c urves, traffic sig ns and the like. Do not d rive ac ross steep slop es. Instead , d rive ei ther straig ht up or
straig ht d own the slop es. A vehic le c an muc h more e asily tip over sid e-
ways than it c an end over end . Avoid d riving straig ht up or d own slop es
that are too steep . Avoid sharp turning maneuvers, esp ec ially at hig her sp eed s.
Do not g rip the insid e or sp okes of the steering wh eel. A b ad b ump
c ould jerk the wheel and injure your hand s. Instead d rive with your fin-
g ers and thumb s on the outsid e of the rim. If d riving throug h water, suc h as when c rossing sha llow streams, first
c hec k the d ep th of the water and the b ottom of the stream b ed for firm-
ness and ensure that the b ed of the stream is flat. Drive slowly and c om-
p letely throug h the stream. The water should b e sha llow enoug h that it
d oes not reac h the vehic le ’s und erc arriag e. Water entering the eng ine air
intake or the exhaust p ip e or water sp lashing onto elec tric al p arts may
d amag e your vehic le and may c ause it to stall. Neve r attemp t to d rive
throug h rushing water; reg ard less of its d ep th, it c an wash away the
g round from und er your tires, resulting in p ossib le loss of trac tion and
even vehic le rollover. Always c hec k your b rakes for effec tiveness immed iat ely after d riving
in sand , mud or water. Do this b y d riving slowly an d step p ing on the
b rake p ed al. Rep eat that p roc ess several times to d ry out the b rake
d isc s and b rake p ad s. Do not d rive or p ark over or near flammab le materia ls suc h as d ry
g rass or fallen leaves, as they may b urn easily. Th e exhaust system is
very hot while eng ine is running and rig ht after th e eng ine stop s. This
c ould c reate a fire hazard . After d riving throug h tall g rass, mud , roc k, sand , rivers, etc ., c hec k