7-3
Starting and operating
– CONTINUED –
impair driveability and fuel economy. !Gasoline for California-certified LEV
Your vehicle was certified to California’s low emission
vehicle (LEV) standards as indicated on the under-
hood tune-up label. It is designed to optimize engine
and emission performance with gasoline that meets
the clean burning low-sulfur California gasoline spec-
ifications. If you live in any other state than California,
your vehicle will operate on gasoline meeting Federal
specifications. Gasoline sold outside California is per-
mitted to have higher sulfur levels, which may affect
the performance of your vehicle’s catalytic converter
and may produce a sulfur exhaust odor or smell.
SUBARU recommends that you try a different brand of
unleaded gasoline having lower sulfur to determine if
the problem is fuel related before returning your vehi-
cle to an authorized dealer for service. ! Gasoline for cleaner air
Your use of gasoline with detergent additives will help
prevent deposits from forming in your engine and fuel
system. This helps keep your engine in tune and your
emission control system working properly, and is a
way of doing your part for cleaner air. If you continu-
ously use a high quality fuel with the proper detergent
and other additives, you should never need to add any
fuel system cleaning agents to your fuel tank. Many gasolines are now blended with materials called
oxygenates. Use of these fuels can also help keep the
air cleaner. Oxygenated blend fuels, such as MTBE
(Methyl Tertiary Butyl ether) or ethanol (ethyl or grain
alcohol) may be used in your vehicle, but should con-
tain no more than 15% MTBE or 10% ethanol for the
proper operation of your SUBARU.
In addition, some gasoline suppliers are now produc-
ing reformulated gasolines, which are designed to re-
duce vehicle emissions. SUBARU approves the use ofreformulated gasoline.
If you are not sure what the fuel contains, you should
ask your service station operators if their gasolines
contain detergents and oxygenates and if they have
been reformulated to reduce vehicle emissions.
As additional guidance, only use fuels suited for your
vehicle as explained below. "
Fuel should be unleaded and have an octane rating
no lower than that specified in this manual. " Methanol (methyl or wood alcohol) is sometimes
mixed with unleaded gasoline. Methanol can be used
in your vehicle ONLYif it does not exceed 5% of the
fuel mixture AND if it is accompanied by sufficient
quantities of the proper cosolvents and corrosion in-
hibitors required to prevent damage to the fuel system.
Do not use fuel containing methanol EXCEPT under
8-13
Driving tips
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pipe and from around your vehicle if you parkthe vehicle in snow with the engine running.
! Refueling in cold weather
To help prevent moisture from forming in the fuel sys-
tem and the risk of its freezing, use of an antifreeze ad-
ditive in the fuel tank is recommended during cold
weather.
Use only additives that are specifically designed for
this purpose. When an antifreeze additive is used, its
effect lasts longer if the tank is refilled whenever the
fuel level reaches half empty.
If your SUBARU is not going to be used for an extend-
ed period, it is best to have the fuel tank filled to capac-
ity. ! Driving on snowy and icy roads
To prevent skidding and slipping, avoid sudden brak-
ing, abrupt acceleration, high-speed driving, and
sharp turning when driving on snowy or icy roads.
Always maintain ample distance between your vehicle
and the vehicle ahead of you to avoid the need for sud-
den braking.
To supplement the foot brake, use the engine brake
effectively to control the vehicle speed. (Shift into a lower gear when necessary.)
Avoid shifting down abruptly. Such behavior can
cause the wheels to lock, possibly leading to loss of
vehicle control.
An anti-lock brake system (ABS) enhances your vehi-
cle’s braking performance on snowy and icy roads.
Refer to the “ABS (Anti-lock Brake System)” section in
chapter 7 for information on braking on slippery sur- faces.
NOTE
The following tires are summer tires. Compared
with winter and all-season tires, summer tires give
significantly less grip on snowy and icy road sur-
faces. Avoid driving on snowy and icy road sur-
face with summer tires."
225/45R17 tires for WRX-STi
" Optional 215/45R17 tires for WRX
Do not use the cruise control on slippery roads
such as snowy or icy roads. This may cause
loss of vehicle control.
