2002 SUBARU IMPREZA Owners Manual

Driving tips
8-34
Side mirrors
HB0085
After hitching a trailer to your vehicle, check that the
standard side mirrors provide a good rearward field of view without significant blind spots. If significant blind spots occur with the vehicle ’s standard side
mirrors, use towing mirrors that conform with Fed-
eral, state/province and/or other applicable regula-tions.
Trailer lights
Connection of trailer lights to your vehicle ’s electrical
system requires modifications to the vehicle ’s light-
ing circuit to increase its capacity and accommo-
date wiring changes. To ensure the trailer lights are
connected properly, please consult your SUBARU dealer. Check for proper operation of the turn sig-nals, the brake lights and parking lights each timeyou hitch up.
CAUTION
Direct splicing or other improper connection
of trailer lights may damage your vehicle
’s
electrical system and cause a malfunction of your vehicle ’s lighting system.
Tires
Make sure that all the tires on your vehicle are prop-
erly inflated to the pressure specified on the tire
placard located on the left center pillar of your ve-hicle.
Trailer tire condition, size, load rating and proper
inflation pressure should be in accordance with the
trailer manufacturer ’s specifications.
In the event your vehicle gets a flat tire when towing
a trailer, ask a commercial road service to repair the
flat tire.
If you carry a regular size spare tire in your vehicle
or trailer as a precaution against getting a flat tire,
be sure that the spare tire is firmly secured.

Driving tips
8-35
– CONTINUED –
WARNING
Never tow a trailer when the temporary spare tire is used. The temporary spare tire is not
designed to sustain the towing load. Use ofthe temporary spare tire when towing can result in failure of the spare tire and/or less
stability of the vehicle.
Trailer towing tips
CAUTION
Never exceed 45 mph (72 km/h) when tow-
ing a trailer in hilly country on hot days. When towing a trailer, steering, stability,
stopping distance and braking performancewill be different from normal operation. For
safety’ s sake, you should employ extra cau-
tion when towing a trailer and you should
never speed. You should also keep the follow-ing tips in mind:
Before starting out on a trip
Check that the vehicle and vehicle-to-hitch mount-
ing are in good condition. If any problems are apparent, do not tow the trailer.
Check that the vehicle sits horizontally with the
trailer attached. If the vehicle is tipped sharply up at
the front and down at the rear, check the total trailer
weight, GVW, GAWs and tongue load again, then
confirm that the load and its distribution are accept- able. Check that the tire pressures are correct.
Check that the vehicle and trailer are connected
properly. Confirm that. –the trailer tongue is connected properly to the
hitch ball. – the trailer lights connector is connected prop-
erly and trailer ’s brake lights illuminate when the
vehicle’ s brake pedal is pressed, and that the trail-
er’ s turn signal lights flash when the vehicle ’s turn
signal lever is operated. – the safety chains are connected properly.
– all cargo in the trailer is secured safety in posi-
tion.– the side mirrors provide a good rearward field of
view without a significant blind spot.
Sufficient time should be taken to learn the “feel”
of the vehicle/trailer combination before starting out
on a trip. In an area free of traffic, practice turning, stopping and backing up.

Driving tips
8-36
Driving with a trailer
You should allow for considerably more stopping
distance when towing a trailer. Avoid sudden brak-
ing because it may result in skidding or jackknifing
and loss of control. Avoid abrupt starts and sudden accelerations. If
your vehicle has a manual transmission, always start
out in first gear and release the clutch at moderate
engine revolution. Avoid uneven steering, sharp turns and rapid lane
changes. Slow down before turning. Make a longer than
normal turning radius because the trailer wheels will
be closer than the vehicle wheels to the inside of the
turn. In a tight turn, the trailer could hit your vehicle. Crosswinds will adversely affect the handling of
your vehicle and trailer, causing sway. Crosswindscan be due to weather conditions or the passing of
large trucks or buses. If swaying occurs, firmly grip the steering wheel and slow down immediately but
gradually. When passing other vehicles, considerable dis-
tance is required because of the added weight and
length caused by attaching the trailer to yourvehicle. Backing up with a trailer is difficult and takes
practice. When backing up with a trailer, never accelerate or steer rapidly. When turning back, grip the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand and
turn it to the left for a left turn, and turn it to the right
for a right turn.
OM-H2791
1) Left turn 2) Right turn
If the ABS warning light illuminates while the
vehicle is in motion, stop towing the trailer and have
repairs performed immediately by the nearest
SUBARU dealer.
Driving on grades
Before going down a steep hill, slow down and
shift into lower gear (if necessary, use 1st gear) in
order to utilize the engine braking effect and prevent
overheating of your vehicle ’s brakes. Do not make

Driving tips
8-37
– CONTINUED –
sudden downshifts. When driving uphill in hot weather, the air condi-
tioner may turn off automatically to protect the
engine from overheating. When driving uphill in hot weather, pay attention to
the water temperature gauge pointer (for all
vehicles) and AT OIL TEMP warning light (for AT
vehicles) since the engine and transmission are rel-
atively prone to overheating under these conditions.
If the water temperature gauge pointer approaches
the OVERHEAT zone or the AT OIL TEMP warning
light illuminates, immediately switch off the air condi-
tioner and stop the vehicle at the nearest safe place. Refer to the “Engine overheat ” section in chapter 9,
and “Warning and indicator lights ” section in chap-
ter 3. If your vehicle has a automatic transmission, avoid
using the accelerator pedal to stay stationary on an
uphill slope instead of using the parking brake or
foot brake. That may cause the transmission fluid to
overheat. Also, if your vehicle is equipped with an
automatic transmission, avoid driving with the gearselector lever in “D” when towing a heavy trailer to
prevent fluid overheating.
Parking on a grade
Always block the wheels under both vehicle and
trailer when parking. Apply the parking brake firmly. You should not park on a hill or slope. But if parkingon a hill or slope cannot be avoided, you shouldtake the following steps:
1. Apply the brakes and hold the pedal down.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks under boththe vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place, release the
regular brakes slowly until the blocks absorb theload.
4. Apply the regular brakes and then apply the
parking brake; slowly release the regular brakes.
5. Shift into 1st or reverse gear (manual transmis- sion) or
“P” (automatic transmission) and shut off the
engine.

9
9-1
– CONTINUED –
If you park your vehicle in case of
an emergency 9-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Temporary spare tire (if equipped) 9-3 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Flat tires 9-5
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Changing a flat tire 9-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jump starting 9-12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How to jump start 9-12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine overheating 9-14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If steam is coming from the engine compartment 9-14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If no steam is coming from the engine compartment 9-14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Towing 9-15
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Towing and tie-down eyes 9-16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using a flat-bed truck 9-18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Towing with all wheels on the ground 9-19 . . . . . . . . .
Maintenance tools 9-20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jack and jack handle 9-21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
In case of emergency

In case of emergency
9-2
If you park your vehicle in case of an emergency
HG3004AA
The hazard warning flasher should be used in day
or night to warn other drivers when you have to parkyour vehicle under emergency conditions.
Avoid stopping on the road. It is best to safely pull
off the road if a problem occurs.
The hazard warning flasher can be activated
regardless of the ignition switch position.
Turn on the hazard warning by pushing the hazard
warning flasher switch. Turn it off by pushing the switch again.NOTE When the hazard warning flasher is on, the turn
signals do not work.

In case of emergency
9-3
– CONTINUED –
Temporary spare tire (if equipped)
WARNING
Never tow a trailer when the temporary spare tire is used. The temporary spare tire is not
designed to sustain the towing load. Use ofthe temporary spare tire when towing canresult in failure of the spare tire and/or less
stability of the vehicle and may lead to an accident.
The temporary spare tire is smaller and lighter than
a conventional tire and is designed for emergency
use only. Remove the temporary spare tire and re-
install the conventional tire as soon as possible be-
cause the spare tire is designed only for temporary use.
Check the inflation pressure of the temporary spare
tire periodically to keep the tire ready for use. The
correct pressure is 60 psi (4.2 kg/cm2
, 420 kPa) .
When using the temporary spare tire, note the fol-lowing:
Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h).
Do not put a tire chain on the temporary spare tire.
Because of the smaller tire size, a tire chain will not
fit properly. Do not use two or more temporary spare tires at
the same time. Do not drive over obstacles. This tire has a smaller
diameter, so road clearance is reduced.
HG0106
1) Tread wear indicator bar
2) Indicator location mark
When the wear indicator appears on the tread, re-
place the tire.