2004 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX Owners Manual

8-18
Driving tips
"
When you carry something inside the vehicle,
secure it whenever you can to prevent it from
being thrown around inside the vehicle during
sudden stops, sharp turns or in an accident." Do not pile heavy loads on the roof. These
loads raise the vehicle’s center of gravity and
make it more prone to tip over." Secure lengthy items properly to prevent
them from shooting forward and causing seri-
ous injury during a sudden stop." Never exceed the maximum load limit. If you
do, some parts on your vehicle can break, or it can change the way your vehicle handles. This
could result in loss of control and cause per-
sonal injury. Also, overloading can shorten the
life of your vehicle. "
Do not place anything on the rear shelf be-
hind the rear seatback (for sedan) or the ex-
tended luggage cover (for wagon). Such items
could tumble forward in the event of a sudden
stop or a collision. This could cause serious in-
jury.
Do not carry spray cans, containers with flam-
mable or corrosive liquids or any other danger-
ous items inside the vehicle.
NOTE
For better fuel economy, do not carry unneeded
cargo.
HS8005BA

8-19
Driving tips
– CONTINUED –
!Vehicle capacity weight The load capacity of your vehicle is determined by
weight, not by available cargo space. The maximum
load you can carry in your vehicle is shown as the Ve-
hicle Capacity Weight on the tire information label at-
tached to the driver’s side door jamb. It includes the to-
tal weight of driver and all passengers and their be-
longings, any optional equipment such as a trailer
hitch, roof rack or bike carrier, etc., and the tongue
load of a trailer.
The tire information label also shows recommended
tire inflation pressure under full loading and trailer tow-
ing conditions. Adjust tire inflation pressures accord-
ing to the loading conditions. For the tire inflation pres-
sures, refer to the “Tires and wheels” section in Chap-
ter 11.
HG8014BA
UGB510BA

8-20
Driving tips
!
GVWR and GAWR (Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating and Gross Axle Weight Rating)
The certification plate attached to the driver’s side
door jamb shows GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rat-
ing) and GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating).
The GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) must never exceed
the GVWR. GVW is the combined total of weight of the
vehicle, fuel, driver, all passengers, luggage, any op-
tional equipment and trailer tongue load. Therefore,
the GVW changes depending on the situation. The
GVWR equals Curb Weight (actual weight of your ve-
hicle – including standard equipment, fluids, emergen- cy tools and spare tire assembly) plus the vehicle ca-
pacity weight.
In addition, the total weight applied to each axle
(GAW) must never exceed the GAWR. The front and
rear GAWs can be adjusted by relocating luggage in-
side the vehicle.
Even if the total weight of your luggage is lower than
the vehicle capacity weight, either front or rear GAW
may exceed the GAWR, depending on the distribution
of the luggage.
If you carry heavy loads in the vehicle, you should con-
firm that GVW and front and rear GAWs are within the
GVWR and GAWR by putting your vehicle on a vehi-
cle scale, found at a commercial weighing station.
Do not use replacement tires with a lower load range
than the originals because they may lower the GVWR
and GAWR limitations. Replacement tires with a high-
er load range than the originals do not increase the
GVWR and GAWR limitations.
UGB510CA

8-21
Driving tips
– CONTINUED –
!Roof rail and crossbar (if equipped)
1) Crossbar kit
The roof rail is not designed to carry cargo by itself.
Cargo can be carried after securing the roof crossbar
kit to the roof rail and installing the appropriate carry-
ing attachment. When installing the roof crossbar kit,
follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
When you carry cargo on the roof using the roof cross-
bar kit and a carrying attachment, never exceed the
maximum load limit explained below. You should also
be careful that your vehicle does not exceed the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and front and rear Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR). See the “Loading
your vehicle” section in this chapter for information on
loading cargo into or onto your vehicle. The maximum
load limit of the cargo, crossbars and carrying attach-
ment must not exceed 100 lb. (45 kg). Place the heavi-
est load at the bottom, nearest the roof, and evenly
distribute the cargo. Always properly secure all cargo.
"
For cargo carrying purposes, the roof rail
must be used together with a roof crossbar kit
and the appropriate carrying attachment. The
roof rail must never be used alone to carry car-
go. Otherwise, damage to the roof or paint or a
dangerous road hazard due to loss of cargo
could result. " When using the roof crossbar kit, make sure
that the total weight of the crossbars, carrying
attachment and cargo does not exceed the
maximum load limit. Overloading may cause
damage to the vehicle and create a safety haz-
ard.
! Installing carrying attachments on the cross-
bars
When installing any carrying attachment such as a
1
HG8015BB

8-22
Driving tips
bike carrier, ski carrier, kayak carrier, cargo basket,
etc. on the crossbars, follow the manufacturer’s in-
structions and make sure that the attachment is se-
curely fixed to the crossbars. Use only attachments
designed specifically for the crossbars. A set of the
crossbars is designed to carry loads (cargo and at-
tachment) of not more than
100 lb. (45 kg). Before op-
erating the vehicle, make sure that the cargo is prop-
erly secured on the attachment.
NOTE
Remember that the vehicle’s center of gravity is al-
tered with the weight of the load on the roof, thus
affecting the driving characteristics.
Drive carefully. Avoid rapid starts, hard cornering
and abrupt stops. Crosswind effects will be in-
creased. ! Removal and installation of the crossbars
The crossbars can be removed when you do not use the roof to carry cargo. " To remove the crossbar
1. Loosen and remove the T-30 torx® head screw
from the top of each crossbar end support.
2. Rotate the lower clamp on the bottom of each end
support downward approximately 90 °.
3. Carefully raise the crossbar from roof rails. "
To install the crossbar
Front crossbar:
Front crossbar has 100 LBS. Load Label on left-hand
side.
1 2
3 4
5
6
7
a
8
F
F
UG8031BB

8-23
Driving tips
– CONTINUED –
F: Front of vehicle
1) T30 torx® head screw
2) Front arrow label
3) Front crossbar
4) 100LBS load label
5) Lower clamp
6) Roof rail end support
7) Joint line
8) Front arrow label
a: 3 inches (76 mm)
1. Before placing the crossbar on the roof rails, make
sure that the T-30 torx® head screw is removed from
the top of each crossbar end support.
2. Rotate the lower clamp on the bottom of each end
support downward approximately 90 °.
3. With the front direction arrow label on the top right
side of the crossbar pointing toward the front of the ve-
hicle, carefully place the crossbar across the top of the
vehicle so that the crossbar end supports rest on the
top of the roof rails approximately 3 inches (76 mm)
rearward from the seam (joint) between the front roof
rail support and the roof rail.
4. Rotate (raise) the lower clamp up to the bottom of
the roof rail and loosely tighten the T-30 torx® head
screw with the torx® wrench provided, through the top
of the end support and into the threaded insert in the
lower clamp on each end of the crossbar.NOTE
It may be necessary to squeeze the lower clamp
and the end support together to compress the
pads and gain a better alignment of the pieces
while trying to start the screw. Use care not to
crossthread the screw in the insert.
5. Adjust the alignment of the crossbar on the roof
rails, and if available, use a T-30 torx® bit and torque
wrench and tighten the T-30 torx® head screws to 30
to 35 inch lbs. (3.4 to 4.0 N-m, 0.35 to 0.41 kg-m) of
torque (or tighten securely with the torx® wrench pro-
vided).

8-24
Driving tips
Rear crossbar:
F: Front of vehicle
1) T30 torx® head screw
2) Front arrow label
3) Rear crossbar 4) Roof rail end support
5) Joint line
6) Front arrow label
a: 0 inch (0 mm)
Install the rear crossbar in the same manner as the front crossbar.
NOTE
The rear crossbar should be positioned just in
front of the rear seam (joint) between the rear roof
rail support and the roof rail.
Do not carry cargo on the roof when the cross-
bars are removed. Luggage on the roof will be
thrown forward or backward in sudden stops or
rapid accelerations, resulting in a dangerous
road hazard.
NOTE
Before each use of the roof crossbar, make sure
the four T-30 crossbar clamp screws have been
checked, and retightened if necessary to 35 inch
lbs. (4.0 N-m, 0.41 kg-m), as outlined in Step #5
above.
FR ONTONT6 3
F
2
1
5
a
4
F
HG8016BC

8-25
Driving tips
– CONTINUED –
Trailer hitch (if equipped)
The trailer hitch is designed to tow a Class 1 rated
load. A maximum of 2,000 lbs. (906 kg) gross trailer
weight and a maximum of 200 lbs. (90 kg) gross
tongue weight are permissible for the trailer hitch.
When you tow a trailer, follow the instructions in the
section “Trailer towing” in this chapter.
" Never exceed the maximum weight specified
for the trailer hitch. Exceeding the maximum
weight could cause an accident resulting in se-
rious personal injuries. Permissible trailer
weight changes depending on the situation. Re-
fer to the section “Trailer towing” in this chap-
ter for possible recommendations and limita- tions. " Trailer brakes are required when the towing
load exceeds 1,000 lbs. (453 kg). Be sure your
trailer has safety chains and that each chain
will hold the trailer’s maximum gross weight.
Towing trailers without safety chains could cre-
ate a traffic safety hazard if the trailer separates
from the hitch due to coupling damage or hitch
ball damage. "
Be sure to check the hitch pin and safety pin
for positive locking placement before towing a
trailer. If the ball mount comes off the hitch re-
ceiver, the trailer could get loose and create a
traffic safety hazard. " Use only the ball mount supplied with this
hitch. Use the hitch only as a weight carrying
hitch. Do not use with any type of weight dis-
tributing hitch.
! Connecting a trailer
1. Remove the receiver cover from the hitch receiver
tube. Then insert the ball mount into the hitch receiver
tube.