2002 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX four wheel drive

Starting and operating
7-6
State emission testing (U.S. only) At state inspection time, remember to tell your inspection or service station in advance not to
place your Subaru AWD vehicle on a two-wheel
dynamometer. Otherwise, serious transmission
damage will result.
Some states have started using dynamometers in
their state inspection programs in order to meet their
obligation under federal law to implement stricter
vehicle emission standards to reduce air pollution
from cars. A dynamometer is a treadmill or roller-like testing device that allows your car ’s wheels to turn
while the car remains in one place. Depending onthe severity of a state ’s air pollution problems, the
states must adopt either a “basic” or “enhanced”
vehicle emission inspection test. Normally, a portion of the basic emission test consists of an emission
inspector inserting an analyzer probe into the
exhaust pipe of an idling vehicle for a short period
of time. States with more severe air pollution prob-
lems are required to adopt an enhanced vehicleemission test. This test simulates actual driving
conditions on a dynamometer and permits more
accurate measurement of tailpipe emitted pollution
than the basic emission test. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)and states using two-wheel dynamometers in their
emission testing programs have
EXEMPTED
Subaru AWD vehicles from the portion of the testing
program that involves a two-wheel dynamometer.
There are some states that use four-wheel
dynamometers in their testing programs. When
properly used, that equipment will not damage an
AWD Subaru vehicle.
Under no circumstances should the rear wheels be
jacked off the ground, nor should the driveshaft be
disconnected for state emission testing.
WARNING
Testing of an All-Wheel Drive vehicle must
NEVER be performed on a single two-wheel
dynamometer. Attempting to do so will resultin uncontrolled vehicle movement and may
cause an accident or injuries to persons
nearby.

Driving tips
8-6
Driving in foreign countries
When planning to use your vehicle in another coun-
try:Confirm the availability of the correct fuel. (Refer
to the “Fuel requirement ” section in chapter 7.)
Comply with all regulations and requirements of
each country. Driving tips for AWD vehicles
HS0113
All wheel drive distributes the engine power to all
four wheels. AWD vehicles provide better traction
when driving on slippery, wet or snow-covered
roads and when moving out of mud, dirt and sand.
By shifting power between the front and rear wheels,
SUBARU AWD can also provide added traction dur-
ing acceleration and added engine braking force during deceleration.
Therefore, your SUBARU AWD vehicle may handle
differently than an ordinary two wheel drive vehicle
and it contains some features unique to AWD. For safety purposes as well as to avoid damaging the

Driving tips
8-14
gerous and lead to loss of vehicle control. You must install four winter tires that are of
the same size, construction, brand, and loadrange. Mixing other sizes or constructions
may result in severe mechanical damage to
the drive train of your vehicle and may affect
ride, handling, braking and speedometer/ odometer calibration. It also may be danger-ous and lead to loss of vehicle control. Do not use a combination of radial, belted
bias or bias tires since it may cause danger-ous handling characteristics and lead to an accident.
Your vehicle is equipped with “all season tires ” as
original equipment, which are designed to provide
an adequate measure of traction, handling and
braking performance in year-round driving. In winter,
it may be possible to enhance performance through
use of tires designed specifically for winter drivingconditions.
The optional 17-inch tires for the WRX are summer
tires. Compared with winter and all-season tires,
summer tires give significantly less grip on snowy
and icy road surfaces. Therefore, use of winter tires
is strongly recommended when driving with such
road conditions. When you choose to install winter tires on your ve-
hicle, be sure to use the correct tire size and type.
You must install four winter tires that are of the samesize, construction, brand and load range and you
should never mix radial, belted bias or bias tires
since this may result in dangerous handling charac-
teristics. When you choose a tire, make sure that
there is enough clearance between the tire and ve-
hicle body.
Remember to drive with care at all times regardless
of the type of tires on your vehicle.
Tire chains
Driving on snowy grades or icy roads may require
the use of tire chains, in which case put the chains
on the front wheels only. Use only SAE class S type
chains that are of the correct size for your tires so asnot to damage the vehicle body or suspension.
When driving with tire chains, drive at speeds below 19 mph (30 km/h).
When a temporary spare tire is on a front wheel, re-
place the temporary spare tire with the rear tire onthe same side of the vehicle, and then fit chains on
the front tires.
Always use the utmost care when driving with tire

Maintenance and service
11-37
– CONTINUED –
Parking brake stroke
HB4001CA
Check the parking brake stroke according to the
maintenance schedule in the “Warranty and Mainte-
nance Booklet ”. When the parking brake is properly
adjusted, braking power is fully applied by pulling
the lever up seven to eight notches gently but firmly(about 44 lb, 196 N, 20 kg). If the parking brake le-
ver stroke is not within the specified range, have the brake system checked and adjusted at your
SUBARU dealer. Tires and wheels
Types of tires
All season tires
All season tires are designed to provide an ade-
quate measure of traction, handling and braking
performance in year-round driving including snowy
and icy road conditions. However all season tires do
not have adequate traction performance compared
with winter (snow) tires in heavy or loose snow or on
icy road.
All season tires are identified by “ALL SEASON ”
and/or “M+S” (Mud & Snow) on the tire sidewall.
Summer tires
Summer tires are high-speed capability tires best
suited for highway driving under dry conditions.
Summer tires are inadequate for driving on slippery
roads such as on snow-covered or icy roads.
If you drive your vehicle on snow-covered or icy
roads, we strongly recommend the use of winter
(snow) tires.
When installing winter tires, be sure to replace all
four tires.
Winter (snow) tires
Winter tires are best suited for driving on snow-cov-

Maintenance and service
11-43
– CONTINUED –
check the wheel nuts again and retighten any nut that has become loose. Tire replacement
The wheels and tires are important and integral
parts of your vehicle ’s design; they cannot be
changed arbitrarily. The tires fitted as standard
equipment are optimally matched to the characteris-
tics of the vehicle and were selected to give the best
possible combination of running performance, ride
comfort, and service life. It is essential for every tireto have a size and construction matching those
shown on the tire placard and to have a speed sym-
bol and load index matching those shown on the tire
placard.
Using tires of a non-specified size detracts from
controllability, ride comfort, braking performance,
speedometer accuracy and odometer accuracy. It
also creates incorrect body-to-tire clearances and
inappropriately changes the vehicle ’s ground clear-
ance.
All four tires must be the same in terms of manufac-
turer, brand (tread pattern), construction, and size.
You are advised to replace the tires with new ones
that are identical to those fitted as standard equip- ment. For safe vehicle operation, SUBARU recommends
replacing all four tires at the same time. NOTE Unidirectional tires: Some tires have a specified direction of rotation. A tire of this type has an ar-
row or other mark on its side wall to indicate the direction of rotation. Install it in a manner the direction of rotation is correct when the vehicleis driven forward.
WARNING

All four tires must be the same in terms of
manufacturer, brand (tread pattern), construc-
tion, degree of wear, speed symbol, load indexand size. Mixing tires of different types, sizesor degrees of wear can result in damage to ve-
hicle’ s power train. Use of different types or
sized of tires can also dangerously reduce
controllability and braking performance andcan lead to an accident. Use only radial tires. Do not use radial tires
together with belted bias tires and/or bias-ply tires. Doing so can dangerously reduce con-
trollability, resulting in an accident.