Snow stuck on the wiper arm prevents the
wiper from working effectively. If snow is
stuck on the wiper arm, pull off the road to
a safe place, then remove it. If you stop
the vehicle at road side, use the hazard
warning flasher to alert other drivers.
Refer to “ Hazard warning flasher ” F 3-8.
We recommend use of non-freezing type
wiper blades (winter blades) during the
seasons you could have snow and freez-
ing temperatures. Blades of this type give
superior wiping performance in snowy
conditions. Be sure to use blades that
are suitable for your vehicle.
CAUTIONDuring high-speed driving, non-
freezing type wiper blades may not
perform as well as standard wiper
blades. If this happens, reduce the
vehicle speed.
NOTE When the season requiring non-freez-
ing type wiper blades is over, replace
them with standard wiper blades.
& Corrosion protection
Refer to “ Corrosion protection ” F 10-4. & Snow tires WARNING. When you replacing or installing
winter tire(s), all four tires must
be the same for following items.
(a) Size
(b) Circumference
(c) Speed symbol
(d) Load index
(e) Construction
(f) Manufacturer
(g) Brand (tread pattern)
(h) Degrees of wear
For the items (a) to (d), you must
obey the specification that is
printed on the tire placard. The
tire placard is located on the
bottom of driver ’ s door pillar.
If all of four winter tires are not
the same for items (a) to (h), there
is a possibility that serious me-
chanical damage could occur to
the drive train of your car, and
affect the following.
— Ride
— Handling
— Braking — Speedometer/Odometer
calibration
— Clearance between the body
and tires
It also may be dangerous and
lead to loss of vehicle control,
and it can lead to an accident.
. Do not use a combination of
radial, belted bias or bias tires
since it may cause dangerous
handling characteristics and lead
to an accident.
Your vehicle is equipped with “ summer
tires ” as original equipment, which are
inadequate for driving on slippery roads
such as on snow-covered or icy roads.
When you choose to install winter tires on
your vehicle, be sure to use the correct tire
size and type. You must install four winter
tires that are of the same size, construc-
tion, brand and load range and you should
never mix radial, belted bias or bias tires
since this may result in dangerous hand-
ling characteristics. When you choose a
tire, make sure that there is enough
clearance between the tire and vehicle
body.
Remember to drive with care at all times
regardless of the type of tires on your
vehicle. Driving tips/Winter driving
– CONTINUED –8-9
Driving tips/Loading your vehicle
& Tire chains CAUTIONTire chains cannot be used on your
vehicle because of the lack of
clearance between the tires and
vehicle body.
NOTE When tire chains cannot be used, use
of another type of traction device (such
as spring chains) may be acceptable if
use on your vehicle is recommended
by the device manufacturer, taking into
account tire size and road conditions.
Follow the device manufacturer ’ s in-
structions, especially regarding max-
imum vehicle speed.
To help avoid damage to your vehicle,
drive slowly, readjust or remove the
device if it is contacting your vehicle,
and do not spin your wheels. Damage
caused to your vehicle by use of a
traction device is not covered under
warranty.
Make certain that any traction device
you use is an SAE class S device, and
use it on the front wheels only. Always
use the utmost care when driving with
a traction device. Overconfidence be- cause you are using a traction device
could easily lead to a serious accident.
& Rocking the vehicle If you must rock the vehicle to free it from
snow, sand, or mud, depress the accel-
erator pedal slightly and move the shift
lever/select lever back and forth between
“ 1 ” / “ 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
slippery, you can obtain better traction by
starting the vehicle with the transmission
in 2nd than in 1st (MT models and CVT
models).
If your vehicle is a CVT model, for
information about holding the transmission
in the 2nd position, refer to “ Selection of
manual mode ” F 7-26. Loading your vehicle WARNINGNever allow passengers to ride on a
folded rear seatback or in the trunk.
Doing so may result in serious
injury.
WARNING
. Never stack luggage or other
cargo higher than the top of the
seatback because it could tumble
forward and injure passengers in
the event of a sudden stop or
accident. Keep luggage or cargo
low, as close to the floor as8-10
In case of emergency/If you park your vehicle in case of an emergency
If you park your vehicle in
case of an emergency
The hazard warning flasher should be
used in day or night to warn other drivers
when you have to park your vehicle under
emergency conditions.
Avoid stopping on the road. It is best to
safely pull off the road if a problem occurs.
The hazard warning flasher can be acti-
vated regardless of the ignition switch
position.
Turn on the hazard warning by pushing
the hazard warning flasher switch. Turn it
off by pushing the switch again. NOTE When the hazard warning flasher is on,
the turn signals do not work.
Temporary spare tire WARNINGWhen a spare tire is mounted or a
wheel rim is replaced without the
original pressure sensor/transmitter
being transferred, the low tire pres-
sure warning light will illuminate
steadily after blinking for approxi-
mately one minute. This indicates
the tire pressure monitoring system
(TPMS) is unable to monitor all four
road wheels. Contact your SUBARU
dealer as soon as possible for tire
and sensor replacement and/or sys-
tem resetting.
CAUTION
. Never use any temporary spare
tire other than the original. Using
other sizes may result in severe
mechanical damage to the drive
train of your vehicle.
. Always conform to the following
instructions when using the tem-
porary spare tire. Otherwise, a
seriously dangerous situation
may occur.9-2
The temporary spare tire is smaller and
lighter than a conventional tire and is
designed for emergency use only. Re-
move the temporary spare tire and re-
install the conventional tire as soon as
possible because the spare tire is de-
signed only for temporary use.
Check the inflation pressure of the tem-
porary spare tire periodically to keep the
tire ready for use. The correct pressure is
as follows.
Mexico models: 33 psi (230 kPa, 2.3
kgf/cm 2
)
Other models: 60 psi (420 kPa, 4.2
kgf/cm 2
)
When using the temporary spare tire, note
the following.
. Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h).
. Do not put a tire chain on the temporary
spare tire. Because of the smaller tire size,
a tire chain will not fit properly.
. Do not use two or more temporary
spare tires at the same time.
. 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
. When the wear indicator appears on
the tread, replace the tire.
. The temporary spare tire must be used
only on a rear wheel. If a front wheel tire
gets punctured, replace the wheel with a
rear wheel and install the temporary spare
tire in place of the removed rear wheel.
. Always set the driver ’ s control center
differential to the manual mode and adjust
the initial LSD torque to the minimum. Maintenance tools Your vehicle is equipped with the following
maintenance tools.
. Jack
. Jack handle
. Screwdriver
. Towing hook (eye bolt)
. Wheel nut wrench In case of emergency/Maintenance tools
– CONTINUED –9-3
Tires and wheels & Types of tires You should be familiar with type of tires
present on your vehicle.
! All season tires
All season tires are designed to provide
an adequate measure of traction, handling
and braking performance in year-round
driving including snowy and icy road
conditions. However all season tires do
not offer as much traction performance as
winter (snow) tires in heavy or loose snow
or on icy roads.
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-covered and icy roads. However
winter tires do not perform as well as
summer tires and all season tires on roads
other than snow-covered and icy roads.
& Tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS) (if equipped) The tire pressure monitoring system pro-
vides the driver with a warning message
by sending a signal from a sensor that is
installed in each wheel when tire pressure
is severely low. The tire pressure monitor-
ing system will activate only when the
vehicle is driven. Also, this system may
not react immediately to a sudden drop in
tire pressure (for example, a blow-out
caused by running over a sharp object).
If you adjust the tire pressures in a warm
garage and will then drive the vehicle in
cold outside air, the resulting drop in tire
pressures may cause the low tire pressure
warning light to illuminate. To avoid this
problem when adjusting the tire pressures
in a warm garage, inflate the tires to
pressures higher than those shown on the
tire placard. Specifically, inflate them by an
extra 1 psi (6.9 kPa, 0.07 kgf/cm 2
) for
every difference of 10 8 F (5.6 8 C) between
the temperature in the garage and the temperature outside. By way of example,
the following table shows the required tire
pressures that correspond to various out-
side temperatures when the temperature
in the garage is 60 8 F (15.6 8 C).
Example:
Tire size: 245/40R18 97W
Standard tire pressures:
Front: 33 psi (230 kPa, 2.3 kgf/cm 2
)
Rear: 32 psi (220 kPa, 2.2 kgf/cm 2
)
Garage temperature: 60 8 F (15.6 8 C)Outside
temperature Adjusted pressure
[psi (kPa, kgf/cm 2
)]
Front Rear
30 8 F( − 1 8 C) 36 (250, 2.5) 35 (240, 2.4)
10 8 F( − 12 8 C) 38 (260, 2.6) 37 (255, 2.55)
− 10 8 F( − 23 8 C) 40 (275, 2.75) 39 (270, 2.7)
If the low tire pressure warning light
illuminates when you drive the vehicle in
cold outside air after adjusting the tire
pressures in a warm garage, re-adjust the
tire pressures using the method described
above. Then, increase the vehicle speed
to at least 20 mph (32 km/h) and check to
see that the low tire pressure warning light
turns off a few minutes later. If the low tire
pressure warning light does not turn off,
the tire pressure monitoring system may
not be functioning normally. In this event, Maintenance and service/Tires and wheels
– CONTINUED –11-31
Maintenance and service/Tires and wheels
& Tire rotation direction mark
Example of tire rotation direction mark
1) Front
If the tire has the rotation direction
specification, the tire rotation direction
mark is placed on its sidewall.
When you install a tire that has the tire
rotation direction mark, install the tire with
the direction mark facing forward. & Tire rotation
Vehicles equipped with 4 non-unidirec-
tional tires
1) Front
Vehicles equipped with unidirectional tires
1) Front Tire wear varies from wheel to wheel.
Move the tires to the positions shown in
the illustration each time they are rotated.
For the tire rotation schedule, refer to the
“ Warranty and Maintenance Booklet ” .
Replace any damaged or unevenly worn
tires at the time of rotation. After tire
rotation, adjust the tires pressures and
make sure the wheel nuts are correctly
tightened.
After driving approximately 600 miles
(1,000 km), 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 characteristics
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 tire to have a
size and construction matching those
shown on the tire placard and to have a
speed symbol and load index matching
those shown on the tire placard.
Using tires of a non-specified size detracts11-36
from controllability, ride comfort, braking
performance, speedometer accuracy and
odometer accuracy. It also creates incor-
rect body-to-tire clearances and inappro-
priately changes the vehicle ’ sground
clearance.
All four tires must be the same in terms of
manufacturer, brand (tread pattern), con-
struction, 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.
WARNING. When replacing or installing
tire(s), all four tires must be the
same for the following items.
(a) Size
(b) Circumference
(c) Speed symbol
(d) Load index
(e) Construction
(f) Manufacturer
(g) Brand (tread pattern)
(h) Degrees of wear For items (a) to (d), you must
obey the specification that is
printed on the tire placard. The
tire placard is located on the
driver ’ s door pillar.
If all four tires are not the same in
items (a) to (h), there is a possi-
bility that it may lead to serious
mechanical damage to the drive
train of your car and affect the
following factors.
— Ride
— Handling
— Braking
— Speedometer/Odometer
calibration
— Clearance between the body
and the tires
It also may be dangerous and
lead to loss of vehicle control,
and it can 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 re-
duce controllability, resulting in
an accident. & Wheel replacement When replacing wheels due, for example,
to damage, make sure the replacement
wheels match the specifications of the
wheels that are fitted as standard equip-
ment. Replacement wheels are available
from SUBARU dealers.
WARNINGUse only those wheels that are
specified for your vehicle. Wheels
not meeting specifications could
interfere with brake caliper opera-
tion and may cause the tires to rub
against the wheel well housing dur-
ing turns. The resulting loss of
vehicle control could lead to an
accident.
NOTE When any of the wheels are removed
and replaced for tire rotation or to
change a flat tire, always check the
tightness of the wheel nuts after driv-
ing approximately 600 miles (1,000 km).
If any nut is loose, tighten it to the
specified torque. Maintenance and service/Tires and wheels
11-37
Specifications/Specifications
& Electrical system Battery type and capacity (5HR) 55D23L
Alternator STI 12V-110A
Except STI 12V-130A
Spark plugs STI SILFR6A (NGK)
Except STI ILKAR8H6 (NGK)
& Tires Tire size 235/45R17 94W 245/40R18 97W
Wheel size
17 6 8J 18 6 8 1/2J
Pressure Front
33 psi (230 kPa, 2.3 kgf/cm 2
) 33 psi (230 kPa, 2.3 kgf/cm 2
)
Rear
32 psi (220 kPa, 2.2 kgf/cm 2
) 32 psi (220 kPa, 2.2 kgf/cm 2
)
Wheel nut tightening torque
89 lbf·ft (120 N·m, 12 kgf·m)* 1
*1: This torque is equivalent to applying approximately 88 to 110 lbf (40 to 50 kgf) at the end of the wheel nut wrench. If you have tightened the wheel
nuts by yourself, have the tightening torque checked at the nearest automotive service facility as soon as possible. For the wheel nut tightening
procedure, refer to “ Changing a flat tire ” F 9-4.
& Temporary spare tires Temporary spare tire size T145/70D17 205/50R17
Temporary spare tire inflation pressure
(recommended cold tire inflation pressure) 60 psi (420 kPa, 4.2 kgf/cm 2
) 33 psi (230 kPa, 2.3 kgf/cm 2
)
Wheel nut tightening torque
89 lbf·ft (120 N·m, 12 kgf·m)* 1
* 2
*1: This torque is equivalent to applying approximately 88 to 110 lbf (40 to 50 kgf) at the end of the wheel nut wrench. If you have tightened the wheel
nuts by yourself, have the tightening torque checked at the nearest automotive service facility as soon as possible.
*2: For the wheel nut tightening procedure, refer to “ Changing a flat tire ” F 9-4.12-8