2001 SUBARU FORESTER Owners Manual

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.

Starting and operating8-19
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CONTINUED –

When luggage is put on the slats (Vehicles with roof slats only)
When p utting any lug g ag e on the slats, make sure th e total weig ht of
the lug g ag e on the slats of the roof c ross b ar kit d oes not exc eed 100
lb. (45 kg) . Overload ing may c ause d amag e to the roof and c rea te a
safety hazard . Plac e the heaviest load at the b otto m, nearest the roof,
and evenly d istrib ute the lug g ag e. Always sec ure th e lug g ag e with
strap s, rop es or nets. Installing carrying attachments on the cross bars
When installing any c arrying attac hment suc h as a b ike c arrier, ski
c arrier, kayak c arrier, etc . on the c ross b ars, fol low the manufac turer’s
instruc tions and make sure that the attac hment is s ec urely fixed to the
c ross b ars. Use only attac hments d esig ned sp ec ific a lly for the c ross-
b ars. A set of the c ross b ars is d esig ned to c arry load s (c arg o and
attac hment) of not more than 150 lb. (68 kg). Before op erating the
vehic le, make sure that the c arg o is p rop erly sec ur ed on the attac h-
ment.
NOTE Remember that the vehicle ’s center of gravity is altered with the
weight of the load on the roof, thus affecting driving characteris- tics.
Drive carefully. Avoid rapid starts, hard cornering and abruptstops. Crosswind effects will be increased. Removal and installation of the crossbars CAUTION
Do not carry cargo on the roof when the crossbars are removed. Luggage on the roof will be thrown forward or backward in sud-den stops or rapid accelerations, resulting in a dangerous roadhazard.
The c rossb ars c an b e removed when you d o not use th e roof to c arry
c arg o. n To remove the crossbar
1. Loosen without removing the T-30 torx head sc rew from eac h
c rossb ar end sup p ort and c lamp .

8-202. Move the end sup p ort and inner c lamp to unhook un
d er the b ot-
tom of the roof rail on b oth sid es.
3. Carefully raise the c rossb ar from roof rails. NOTE It may be necessary to move the Front crossbar rearward, near the center of the roof rail for easier removal. Use care not tocross-thread the screw in the insert if it has been removed. n To install the crossbar
Front crossbar:
Front c rossb ar has the Load Lab el on left-hand sid e .
HS1006BB
1. Before p lac ing the c rossb ar on the roof rails, ma ke sure that the
T-30 torx head sc rew is fully loosened from eac h end sup p ort .
2. Slid e the inner c lamp on the end sup p ort outward as far as p os-
sib le.
3. With the front d irec tion arrow lab el on the top r ig ht sid e of the
c rossb ar p ointing toward the front of the vehic le, c arefully p lac e the
c rossb ar ac ross the top of the vehic le so that the c rossb ar end sup -
p orts rest on the top of the roof rails ap p roximate ly 6 inc hes (150 mm)
rearward in the front rad ius of the roof rail.
4. Move the end sup p ort and inner c lamp to hook und e r the b ottom
of the roof rail on b oth sid es and loosely assemb le the T-30 torx
head sc rew with the tool p rovid ed into the thread ed insert in the inner
c lamp on eac h end of the c rossb ar.

Starting and operating8-21
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CONTINUED –
NOTE It may be necessary to start the inner clamp and end support at the center of the roof rail for easier installation, then move the
crossbar forward. Use care not to cross-thread the screw in theinsert if it has been removed.
5. Ad just the alig nment of the c rossb ar on the roof
rails and tig hten to
30 to 35 inc h lb s. (3.4 to 4.0 N-m, 0.35 to 0.41 kg -m) with the torx
tool p rovid ed . If availab le, you may use a T-30 tor x b it and torq ue
wrenc h to tig hten the c rossb ar torx head sc rew.
Rear crossbar:
HS1007BB
Install the rear c rossb ar in the same manner as the front c rossb ar.
NOTE The rear crossbar should be positioned 6 inches (150 mm) for- ward of the rear radius in the roof rail.
NOTE
Before each use of the roof crossbar, make sure the four T-30 cross- bar clamp screws have been checked, and re-tightened, if neces-
sary, to 35 in. lbs. (4.0 N-m, 0.41 kg-m), as outlined in Step #5 above.

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 operating8-23
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CONTINUED –
CAUTION
Adequate size trailer brakes are required when the trailer and
its cargo exceed 1,000 lbs (453 kg) total weight. Before towing a trailer, check the trailer total weight, GVW,
GAWs and tongue load. Make sure the load and its distribution inyour vehicle and trailer are acceptable.
n Total trailer weight
The total trailer weig ht (trailer weig ht p lus its c arg o load ) must never
exc eed the maximum weig ht shown b elow.
Model
ConditionsMaximum total trailer weight
MT modelsWhen towing a trailer without brakes.1,000 lbs (453 kg)
When towing a trailer with brakes.2,000 lbs (906 kg)
AT modelsWhen towing a trailer without brakes.1,000 lbs (453 kg)
When towing a trailer with brakes.2,000 lbs (906 kg)
When towing a trailer on a long uphill grade continuously for over 5 miles (8 km) with an outside temperature of104 °F (40 °C) or above.1,000 lbs (453 kg)
OM-H2781
Total trailer weight

8-24n
Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) and Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
The Gross Vehic le Weig ht (GVW) must never exc eed th e Gross
Vehic le Weig ht Rating (GVWR).
Gross Vehic le Weig ht (GVW) is the c omb ined total of the weig ht of the
vehic le, d river, p asseng ers, lug g ag e, trailer hitc h , trailer tong ue load
and any other op tional eq uip ment installed on your vehic le. Therefore,
the GVW c hang es d ep end ing on the situation. Determi ne the GVW
eac h time b efore g oing on a trip b y p utting your ve hic le and trailer on
a vehic le sc ale.
GVWR is shown on the c ertific ation p late loc ated on the d river’s d oor
jamb of your vehic le.
HS0143
Gross Vehicle Weight Certification plate
HS0142
nGross Axle Weight (GAW) and Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GAWR)
The total weig ht ap p lied to eac h axle (GAW) must ne ver exc eed the
Gross Axle Weig ht Rating (GAWR). The front and rear GAWs c an b e
ad justed b y reloc ating p asseng ers and lug g ag e insid e the vehic le.
The front and rear GAWR are also shown on the c erti fic ation p late.