2004 SUBARU OUTBACK tire type

11 - 4 4
2Maintenance and service
T
Winter (snow) tires
Winter tires are best suited for driving on snow-cov-
ered and icy roads. However winter tires do not per-
form as well as summer tires and all season tires on
roads other than snow-covered and icy roads. „ Tire inspection
Check on a daily basis that the tires are free from se-
rious damage, nails, and stones. At the same time,
check the tires for abnormal wear.
Contact your SUBARU dealer immediately if you find
any problem.
NOTE y When the wheels and tires strike curbs or are
subjected to harsh treatment as when the vehicle
is driven on a rough surface, they can suffer dam-
age that cannot be seen with the naked eye. This
type of damage does not become evident until
time has passed. Try not to drive over curbs, pot-
holes or on other rough surfaces. If doing so is un-
avoidable, keep the vehicle’s speed down to a
walking pace or less, and approach the curbs as
squarely as possible. Also, make sure the tires are
not pressed against the curb when you park the
vehicle. y If you feel unusual vibration while driving or find it difficult to steer the vehicle in a straight line, one
of the tires and/or wheels may be damaged. Drive
slowly to the nearest authorized SUBARU dealer
and have the vehicle inspected. „
Tire pressures and wear
Maintaining the correct tire pressures helps to maxi-
mize the tires’ service lives and is essential for good
running performance. Check and, if necessary, adjust
the pressure of each tire (including the spare) at least
once a month (for example, during a fuel stop) and be-
fore any long journey.
Check the tire pressures when the tires are cold. Use
UB8052BA

11 -4 9
2Maintenance and service
– CONTINUED –
shown on the tire placard.
Using tires of a non-specified size detracts from con-
trollability, ride comfort, braking performance, speed-
ometer accuracy and odometer accuracy. It also cre-
ates incorrect body-to-tire clearances and inappropri-
ately changes the vehicle’s ground clearance.
All four tires must be the same in terms of manufactur-
er, brand (tread pattern), construction, and size. You
are advised to replace the tires with new ones that are
identical to those fitted as standard equipment.
For safe vehicle operation, SUBARU recommends re-
placing all four tires at the same time.
yAll four tires must be the same in terms of
manufacturer, brand (tread pattern), construc-
tion, degree of wear, speed symbol, load index
and size. Mixing tires of different types, sizes or
degrees of wear can result in damage to the ve-
hicle’s power train. Use of different types or siz-
es of tires can also dangerously reduce control-
lability and braking performance and can lead
to an accident. y Use only radial tires. Do not use radial tires
together with belted bias tires and/or bias-ply tires. Doing so can dangerously reduce control-
lability, resulting in an accident.
„ Wheel replacement
When replacing wheels due, for example, to damage,
make sure the replacement wheels match the specifi-
cations of the wheels that are fitted as standard equip-
ment. Replacement wheels are available from
SUBARU dealers.
Use only those wheels that are specified for
your vehicle. Wheels not meeting specifica-
tions could interfere with brake caliper opera-
tion and may cause the tires to rub against the
wheel well housing during turns. The resulting
loss of vehicle control could lead to an acci-
dent.

13-2
Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
Consumer information and Reporting safety defectsFor U.S.A.
The following information has been compiled accord-
ing to Code of Federal Regulations “Title 49, Part
575”.
Tire information „
Tire labeling
Many markings (e.g. Tire size, Tire Identification
Number or TIN) are placed on the sidewall of a
tire by tire manufacturers. These marking can
provide you with useful information on the tire. T Tire size
Your vehicle comes equipped with P-Metric tire
size. It is important to understand the sizing sys-
tem in selecting the proper tire for your vehicles.
Here is a brief review of the tire sizing system
with a breakdown of its individual elements. V P Metric
With the P-Metric system, Section Width is mea-
sured in millimeters. To convert millimeters into
inches, divide by 25.4. The Aspect Ratio (Sec-
tion Height divided by Section Width) helps pro- vide more dimensional information about the tire
size. Example:
(1) P = Certain tire type used on light duty vehi-
cles such as passenger cars (2) Section Width in millimeters
(3) Aspect Ratio (= section height
÷ section
width).
(4) R = Radial Construction
(5) Rim diameter in inches V Load and Speed Rating Descriptions
The load and speed rating descriptions will ap-
pear following the size designation.
They provide two important facts about the tire.
First, the number designation is its load index.
Second, the letter designation indicates the tire’s
speed rating.P 225 / 60 R 16
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

13-4
Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
(2) Tire Size
(3) Tire Type Code (4) Date of Manufacture
The first two figures identify the week, starting
with “01” to represent the first full week of the cal-
endar year; the second two figures represent the
year. For example, 0101 means the 1st week of
2001. T
Other markings
The following makings are also placed on the
sidewall. V Maximum permissible inflation pressure
The maximum cold inflation pressure to which
this tire may be inflated. For example, “300 kpa
(44 PSI) MAX. PRESS” V Maximum load rating
The load rating at the maximum permissible
weight load for this tire. For example, “MAX.
LOAD 730 kg (1609 LBS) @ 300 kpa (44 PSI) MAX. PRESS.”
Maximum load rating applies only to the
tire, not to the vehicle. Putting a load rated
tire on any car does not mean the car can
be loaded up to the tire’s rated load.
V Construction type
Applicable construction of this tire.
For example, “TUBELESS STEEL BELTED RA-
DIAL” V Construction
The generic name of each cord material used in
the plies (both sidewall and tread area) of this
tire.
For example, “PLIES: TREAD 2 STEEL + 2
POLYESTER + 1 NYLON SIDEWALL 2 POLY-
ESTER” V Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG)
For details, refer to “Uniform tire quality grading
standards” in this chapter.

13-15
Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
– CONTINUED –
Uniform tire quality grading stan-
dards
This information indicates the relative perfor-
mance of passenger car tires in the area of
treadwear, traction, and temperature resistance.
This is to aid the consumer in making an in-
formed choice in the purchase of tires.
Quality grades can be found where applicable on
the tire sidewall between tread shoulder and
maximum section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
The quality grades apply to new pneumatic tires
for use on passenger cars. However, they do not
apply to deep tread, winter type snow tires,
space-saver or temporary use spare tires, tires
with nominal rim diameters of 12 inches or less,
or to some limited production tires.
All passenger car tires must confirm to Federal Safety
Requirements in addition to these grades. „Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified gov-
ernment test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one
and one-half (1-1/2) times as well on the govern-
ment course as a tire graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends upon the actual
conditions of their use, however, and may depart
significantly from the norm due to variations in
driving habits, service practices and differences
in road characteristics and climate. „
Traction AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are
AA, A, B and C. Those grades represent the
tire’s ability to stop on wet pavement as mea-
sured under controlled conditions on specified
government test surfaces of asphalt and con-
crete. A tire marked C may have poor traction
performance.
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction

14-8
Index
SRS side airbag
........................................................... 1-70
Starting the engine ...................................................... 7-10
State emission testing (U.S. only) ........................7-7
Stopping the engine ................................................... 7-12
Storage compartments .............................................. 6-5
Subfloor storage .......................................................... 6-25
Sun visors ....................................................................... 6-4
Sun shades .................................................................... 2-36
Supplemental Restraint System airbag (SRS) 1-62
Synthetic leather upholstery ...................................10-7
T
Tachometer .................................................................... 3-8
Temperature gauge .................................................... 3-9
Temporary spare tire ................................................. 9-3
Tie-down hooks ............................................................ 9-21
Tilt steering wheel ....................................................... 3-35
Tire
Chains ........................................................................ 8-15
Inspection ................................................................. 11-44
Pressures and wear ............................................. 11-44
Replacement ........................................................... 11-48
Rotation ..................................................................... 11-48
Tires .................................................................................. 12-5
Types .......................................................................... 11-43
Tires and wheels ......................................................... 11-43
Top tether anchorages .............................................. 1-52Towing
.............................................................................. 9-20
All wheels on the ground ....................................9-28
Flat-bed truck ........................................................... 9-27
Trailer
Hitch ............................................................................. 8-25
Hitches ........................................................................ 8-34
Towing ........................................................................ 8-28
Towing tips ................................................................ 8-37
Trunk lid ............................................................................ 2-26
Release handle ....................................................... 2-28
Trunk light ........................................................................ 11-79
Turn signal Indicator lights ......................................................... 3-17
Lever ............................................................................ 3-21
V
Valet mode ...................................................................... 2-18
Vanity mirror ................................................................... 6-5
VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control)
OFF switch ................................................................ 7-38
OFF indicator light ................................................. 3-16
Operation indicator light .....................................3-15
System ........................................................................ 7-34
Warning light ............................................................ 3-13
Vehicle
Capacity weight ...................................................... 8-18
Identification ............................................................. 12-13