2007 SUBARU FORESTER wheel

Driving tips 8-11
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speeds below 19 mph (30 km/h).
Always use the utmost care when driving
with tire chains – overconfidence because
you are driving with tire chains could eas-
ily lead to a serious accident. „
Rocking the vehicle
If you must rock the vehicle to free it from
snow, sand, or mud, depress the acceler-
ator pedal slightly and move the selector
lever back and forth between “D” and “R”
repeatedly. Do not race the engine. For
the best possible traction, avoid spinning
the wheels when trying to free the vehicle.
When the road surface is extremely slip-
pery, you can obtain better traction by
starting the vehicle with the transmission
in 2nd than 1st (both for MT and AT).
Refer to the “Automatic transmission” sec-
tion in chapter 7 for information on holding
the transmission in 2nd position.
Loading your vehicle
y Never allow passengers to ride on
a folded rear seatback or in the
cargo area. Doing so may result in
serious injury.
yNever stack luggage or other car-
go higher than the top of the seat-
back because it could tumble for-
ward and injure passengers in the
event of a sudden stop or acci-
dent. Keep luggage or cargo low,
as close to the floor as possible.
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yWhen 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.
yDo not pile heavy loads on the
roof. These loads raise the vehi-
cle’s center of gravity and make it
more prone to tip over.
ySecure lengthy items properly to
prevent them from shooting for-
ward and causing serious injury
during a sudden stop.
yNever exceed the maximum load
limit. If you do, some parts on
your vehicle can break, or it can
change the way your vehicle han-
dles. This could result in loss of
control and cause personal injury.
Also, overloading can shorten the
life of your vehicle.
yDo not place anything on the ex-
tended cargo area cover. Such
items could tumble forward in the
event of a sudden stop or a colli-
sion. This could cause serious in- jury.

8-18 Driving tips
Trailer towing
Your vehicle is designed and intended to
be used primarily as a passenger-carrying
vehicle. Towing a trailer puts additional
loads on your vehicle’s engine, drivetrain,
brakes, tires and suspension and has an
adverse effect on fuel economy.
If you do decide to tow a trailer, your safe-
ty and satisfaction depend upon proper
use of correct equipment and cautious op-
eration of your vehicle. Seek the advice of
your SUBARU dealer to assist you in pur-
chasing a hitch and other necessary tow-
ing equipment appropriate for your vehi-
cle. In addition, be sure to follow the in-
structions on correct installation and use
provided by the trailer and other towing
equipment manufacturers.
SUBARU assumes no responsibility for in-
juries or vehicle damage that result from
trailer towing equipment, or from any er-
rors or omissions in the instructions ac-
companying such equipment or for your
failure to follow the proper instructions. „Warranties and maintenance
SUBARU warranties do not apply to vehi-
cle damage or malfunction caused by trail-
er towing. If you use your vehicle to tow a
trailer, more frequent maintenance will be required due to the additional load. (Refer
to “Maintenance schedule under severe
driving conditions” in the “Warranty and
Maintenance Booklet”.)
Under no circumstances should a trailer
be towed with a new vehicle or a vehicle
with any new powertrain component (en-
gine, transmission, differential, wheel
bearings, etc.) for the first 1,000 miles
(1,600 km) of driving.
„ Maximum load limits
TTotal trailer weight
Total trailer weight
The total trailer weight (trailer weight plus
its cargo load) must never exceed the
maximum weight shown in the following
table.
Never exceed the maximum load
limits explained in the following. Ex-
ceeding the maximum load limits
could cause personal injury and/or
vehicle damage. y Adequate size trailer brakes are
required when the trailer and its
cargo exceed 1,000 lbs (453 kg)
total weight.
yBefore towing a trailer, check the
trailer total weight, GVW, GAWs
and tongue load. Make sure the
load and its distribution in your
vehicle and trailer are acceptable.
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Driving tips 8-21
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F: Front of vehicle
The tongue load can be adjusted by prop-
er distribution of the load in the trailer.
Never load the trailer with more weight in
the back than in the front; approximately
60 percent of the trailer load should be in
the front and approximately 40 percent in
the rear. Also, distribute the load as even-
ly as possible on both the left and right
sides.
Be sure that all cargo is firmly secured to
prevent a change in weight distribution
while driving.
„ Trailer hitches
Choose a proper hitch for your vehicle and
trailer.
The use of a genuine SUBARU trailer
hitch is recommended. A genuine SUBA-
RU hitch is available from your SUBARU
dealer.
If use of a non-genuine hitch is unavoid-
able, be sure the hitch is suited to your ve-
hicle and trailer. Consult with a profes-
sional hitch supplier to assist you in
choosing an appropriate hitch for your ve-
hicle. Be sure to follow all of the hitch man-
ufacturer’s instructions for installation and
use.
Never use a hitch that mounts only to the
rear bumper. The bumper is not designed
to handle that type of load.
For all types of hitches, regularly check
that the hitch mounting bolts and nuts are
tight.
F
60% 40% 50%
50%
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If the trailer is loaded with more
weight in the back of trailer’s axle
than in the front, the load is taken off
the rear axle of the towing vehicle.
This may cause the rear wheels to
skid, especially during braking or
when vehicle speed is reduced dur-
ing cornering, resulting in over-
steer, spin out and/or jackknifing.
Never drill the frame or under-body
of your vehicle to install a commer-
cial trailer hitch. If you do, danger-
ous exhaust gas, water or mud may
enter the passenger compartment
through the drilled hole. Exhaust
gas contains carbon monoxide, a
colorless and odorless gas which is
dangerous, or even lethal, if inhaled.
Also, drilling the frame or under-
body of your vehicle could cause
deterioration of strength of your ve-
hicle and cause corrosion around
the drilled hole.
y
Do not modify the vehicle exhaust
system, brake system, or other
systems when installing a hitch or
other trailer towing equipment.
y Do not use axle-mounted hitches
as they can cause damage to the
axle housing, wheel bearings,
wheels or tires.

8-24 Driving tips
olution. yAvoid uneven steering, sharp turns and
rapid lane changes. y Slow down before turning. Make a long-
er than normal turning radius because the
trailer wheels will be closer than the vehi-
cle wheels to the inside of the turn. In a
tight turn, the trailer could hit your vehicle. y Crosswinds will adversely affect the
handling of your vehicle and trailer, caus-
ing sway. Crosswinds can be due to
weather conditions or the passing of large
trucks or buses. If swaying occurs, firmly
grip the steering wheel and slow down im-
mediately but gradually. y When passing other vehicles, consider-
able distance is required because of the
added weight and length caused by at-
taching the trailer to your vehicle. 1) Left turn
2) Right turn
y 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.y If the ABS warning light illuminates
while the vehicle is in motion, stop towing
the trailer and have repairs performed im-
mediately by the nearest SUBARU dealer. T Driving on grades
y Before going down a steep hill, slow
down and shift into lower gear (if neces-
sary, use 1st gear) in order to utilize the
engine braking effect and prevent over- heating of your vehicle’s brakes. Do not
make sudden downshifts. y
When driving uphill in hot weather, the
air conditioner may turn off automatically
to protect the engine from overheating. y 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 relatively
prone to overheating under these condi-
tions. If the water temperature gauge
pointer approaches the OVERHEAT zone
or the AT OIL TEMP warning light illumi-
nates, immediately switch off the air con-
ditioner and stop the vehicle at the nearest
safe place. Refer to the “Engine overheat-
ing” section in chapter 9, and “Warning
and indicator lights” section in chapter 3. y If your vehicle has an automatic trans-
mission, avoid using the accelerator pedal
to stay stationary on an uphill slope in-
stead of using the parking brake or foot
brake. That may cause the transmission
fluid to overheat. y If your vehicle has an automatic trans-
mission, place the selector lever as fol-
lows:
Uphill slopes: “D” position
Downhill slopes: A low-speed gear posi-
tion to use engine braking
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Driving tips 8-25
TParking on a grade
Always block the wheels under both vehi-
cle and trailer when parking. Apply the
parking brake firmly. You should not park
on a hill or slope. But if parking on a hill or
slope cannot be avoided, you should take
the following steps:
1. Apply the brakes and hold the pedal
down.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks un-
der both the vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place, re-
lease the regular brakes slowly until the
blocks absorb the load.
4. Apply the regular brakes and then ap-
ply the parking brake; slowly release the
regular brakes.
5. Shift into 1st or reverse gear (manual
transmission) or “P” (automatic transmis-
sion) and shut off the engine.

9
In case of emergency
If you park your vehicle in case of an emergency .................................................. 9-2
Temporary spare tire (if equipped) ................... 9-2
Flat tires .............................................................. 9-3 Changing a flat tire ................................................. 9-3
Jump starting ...................................................... 9-7 How to jump start ................................................... 9-8
Engine overheating ............................................ 9-10 If steam is coming from the engine compartment ......................................................... 9-10
If no steam is coming from the engine compartment ......................................................... 9-10
Towing ................................................................. 9-10 Towing and tie-down hooks .................................. 9-11
Using a flat-bed truck ............................................. 9-12
Towing with all wheels on the ground .................. 9-12
Rear gate – if the rear gate cannot be unlocked .......................................................... 9-13
Moonroof – if the moonroof cannot be closed ............................................................... 9-13
Maintenance tools .............................................. 9-14 Jack and jack handle .............................................. 9-14

In case of emergency 9-3
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ready for use. The correct pressure is
60
psi (420 kPa, 4.2 kg/cm 2
).
When using the temporary spare tire, note
the following. y Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h).
y Do not put a tire chain on the temporary
spare tire. Because of the smaller tire
size, a tire chain will not fit properly. y Do not use two or more temporary
spare tires at the same time. y Do not drive over obstacles. This tire
has a smaller diameter, so road clearance
is reduced.
1) Tread wear indicator bar
2) Indicator location mark
y When the wear indicator appears on the
tread, replace the tire. 1) Spare fuse
2) FWD connector
NOTE
(All AWD AT models) Before driving
your vehicle with the temporary spare
tire, put a spare fuse inside the FWD
connector in the main fuse box located
in the engine compartment and con-
firm that the Front-wheel drive warning
light “AWD” in the combination meter
comes on. The all wheel drive capabili-
ty of the vehicle has now deactivated.
After re-installing the conventional tire,
remove the spare fuse from the FWD
connector in order to reactivate all
wheel drive.
Flat tires
If you have a flat tire while driving, never
brake suddenly; keep driving straight
ahead while gradually reducing speed.
Then slowly pull off the road to a safe
place. „ Changing a flat tire
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y Do not jack up the vehicle on an
incline or a loose road surface.
The jack can come out of the jack-
ing point or sink into the ground
and this can result in a severe ac-
cident.
yUse only the jack provided with
your vehicle. The jack supplied
with the vehicle is designed only
for changing a tire. Never get un-
der the vehicle while supporting
the vehicle with this jack.

9-4 In case of emergency
1. Park on a hard, level surface, whenev-
er possible, then stop the engine.
2. Set the parking brake securely and
shift a manual transmission vehicle in re-
verse or an automatic transmission vehi-
cle in the “P” (Park) position.
3. Turn on the hazard warning flasher and
have everyone get out of the vehicle.
4. Put wheel blocks at the front and rear
of the tire diagonally opposite the flat tire.1) Jack
2) Jack handle
3) Spare tire
5. Take out the spare tire, jack, and wheel
nut wrench.
The spare tire is stored under the floor of
the cargo area.
To remove the spare tire:
1. Open the lid and remove it. 2. Remove the storage compartment
bucket (Canada spec. non-turbo models).
3. Remove the storage compartment tray
(Except Canada spec. non-turbo models).
4. Turn the attaching bolt counterclock-
wise, then take spare tire out.
y
Always turn off the engine before
raising the flat tire off the ground
using the jack. Never swing or
push the vehicle supported with
the jack. The jack can come out of
the jacking point due to a jolt and
this can result in a severe acci-
dent.
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