2016 SUBARU WRX Owners Manual

Driving tips/Periodic inspections
operates at very high tempera-
tures.
. Keep everyone and flammable
materials away from the exhaust
pipe while the engine is running.
The exhaust gas is very hot.
Periodic inspections To keep your vehicle in the best condition
at all times, always have the recom-
mended maintenance services listed in
the maintenance schedule in the “ War-
ranty and Maintenance Booklet ” per-
formed at the specified time or mileage
intervals.
Driving in foreign countries When planning to use your vehicle in
another country:
. Confirm the availability of the correct
fuel. Refer to “ Fuel requirements ” F 7-3.
. Comply with all regulations and re-
quirements of each country.
8-4

Driving tips for AWD models WARNING. Always maintain a safe driving
speed according to the road and
weather conditions in order to
avoid having an accident on a
sharp turn, during sudden brak-
ing or under other similar condi-
tions.
. Always use the utmost care in
driving – overconfidence be-
cause you are driving an All-
Wheel Drive vehicle could easily
lead to a serious accident.
. When you replacing or installing
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 tires are not the same
for items (a) to (h), there is a
possibility that serious mechan-
ical 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.
CAUTION
If you use a temporary spare tire to
replace a flat tire, be sure to use the
original temporary spare tire stored
in the vehicle. Using other sizes may
result in severe mechanical damage
to the drive train of your vehicle. All-Wheel Drive distributes the engine
power to all four wheels. AWD models
provide better traction when driving on
slippery, wet or snow-covered roads and
when moving out of mud, dirt and sand.
By shifting power between the front and
rear wheels, SUBARU AWD can also
provide added traction during acceleration
and added engine braking force during
deceleration.
Therefore, your SUBARU AWD vehicle
may handle differently than an ordinary
two wheel drive vehicle and it contains
some features unique to AWD. For safety
purposes as well as to avoid damaging
the AWD system, you should keep the
following tips in mind.
. An AWD model is better able to climb
steeper roads under snowy or slippery Driving tips/Driving tips for AWD models
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Driving tips/Driving precaution
conditions than a two wheel drive vehicle.
There is little difference in handling,
however, during extremely sharp turns or
sudden braking. Therefore, when driving
down a slope or turning corners, be sure
to reduce your speed and maintain an
ample distance from other vehicles.
. Always check the cold tire pressure
before starting to drive. The recom-
mended tire pressure is provided on the
tire placard, which is located under the
door latch on the driver ’ s side.
. Frequent driving of an AWD vehicle
under hard-driving conditions such as
steep hills or dusty roads will necessitate
more frequent replacement of the follow-
ing items than that specified in the
“ Warranty and Maintenance Booklet ” .
– Engine oil
– Brake fluid
– Rear differential gear oil
– Manual transmission oil (MT mod-
els)
– Continuously variable transmission
fluid (CVT models)
– Front differential gear oil (CVT
models)
. There are some precautions that you
must observe when towing your vehicle.
For detailed information, refer to “ Towing ”
F 9-12. Driving precaution Water entering the engine air intake or the
exhaust pipe or water splashing onto
electrical parts may damage your vehicle
and may cause it to stall. Never attempt to
drive through rushing water; regardless of
its depth, it can wash away the ground
from under your tires, resulting in possible
loss of traction and even vehicle rollover. Winter driving & Operation during cold
weather Carry some emergency equipment, such
as a window scraper, a bag of sand,
flares, a small shovel and jumper cables.
Check the battery and cables. Cold
temperatures reduce battery capacity.
The battery must be in good condition to
provide enough power for cold winter
starts.
It normally takes longer to start the engine
in very cold weather conditions. Use an
engine oil of a proper grade and viscosity
for cold weather. Using heavy summer oil
will make it harder to start the engine.
Keep the door locks from freezing by
squirting them with deicer or glycerin.
Forcing a frozen door open may damage
or separate the rubber weather strips
around the door. If the door is frozen,
use hot water to melt the ice, and after-
wards thoroughly wipe the water away.
Use a windshield washer fluid that con-
tains an antifreeze solution. Do not use
engine antifreeze or other substitutes
because they may damage the paint of
the vehicle.8-6

SUBARU Windshield Washer Fluid con-
tains 58.5% methyl alcohol and 41.5%
surfactant, by volume. Its freezing tem-
perature varies according to how much it
is diluted, as indicated in the following
table. Washer Fluid Con-
centration Freezing Temperature
30% 10.4 8 F( − 12 8 C)
50% − 4 8 F( − 20 8 C)
100% − 49 8 F( − 45 8 C)
In order to prevent freezing of washer
fluid, check the freezing temperatures in
the table above when adjusting the fluid
concentration to the outside temperature.
If you fill the reservoir tank with a fluid with
a different concentration from the one
used previously, purge the old fluid from
the piping between the reservoir tank and
washer nozzles by operating the washer
for a certain period of time. Otherwise, if
the concentration of the fluid remaining in
thepipingistoolowfortheoutside
temperature, it may freeze and block the
nozzles.
CAUTION
. Adjust the washer fluid concen-
tration appropriately for the out- side temperature. If the concen-
tration is inappropriate, sprayed
washer fluid may freeze on the
windshield and obstruct your
view, and the fluid may freeze in
the reservoir tank.
. State or local regulations on
volatile organic compounds may
restrict the use of methanol, a
common windshield washer anti-
freeze additive. Washer fluids
containing non-methanol anti-
freeze agents should be used
only if they provide cold weather
protection without damaging
your vehicle ’ s paint, wiper blades
or washer system.
! Before driving your vehicle
Before entering the vehicle, remove any
snow or ice from your shoes because that
could make the pedals slippery and
driving dangerous.
While warming up the vehicle before
driving, check that the accelerator pedal,
brake pedal, and all other controls operate
smoothly.
Clear away ice and snow that has
accumulated under the fenders to avoid
making steering difficult. During severe winter driving, stop when and where it is
safe to do so and check under the fenders
periodically.
! Parking in cold weather
WARNINGSnow can trap dangerous exhaust
gases under your vehicle. Keep
snow clear of the exhaust pipe and
from around your vehicle if you park
the vehicle in snow with the engine
running.
CAUTION. Do not use the parking brake
when parking for long periods in
cold weather since it could freeze
in that position.
. When the vehicle is parked in
snow or when it snows, raise the
wiper blades off the glass to
prevent damage to them.
. When the vehicle has been left
parked after use on roads heavily
covered with snow, or has been
left parked during a snowstorm,
icing may develop on the brake
system, which could cause poor
braking action. Check for snow Driving tips/Winter driving
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Driving tips/Winter driving
or ice buildup on the suspension,
disc brakes and brake hoses
underneath the vehicle. If there
is caked snow or ice, remove it,
being careful not to damage the
disc brakes and brake hoses and
ABS harness.
When parking for long periods in cold
weather, you should observe the following
tips.
1. For MT models, place the shift lever in
the “ 1 ” or “ R ” position. For CVT models,
place the select lever in the “ P ” position.
2. Use tire stops under the tires to
prevent the vehicle from moving.
! Refueling in cold weather
To help prevent moisture from forming in
the fuel system and the risk of its freezing,
use of an antifreeze additive 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 extended period, it is best to have
the fuel tank filled to capacity. & Driving on snowy and icy
roads To prevent skidding and slipping, avoid
sudden braking, 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 sudden 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 beha-
vior can cause the wheels to lock, possibly
leading to loss of vehicle control.
An anti-lock brake system (ABS) en-
hances your vehicle ’ s braking perfor-
mance on snowy and icy roads. For
information on braking on slippery sur-
faces, refer to “ ABS (Anti-lock Brake
System) ” F 7-36 and “ Vehicle Dynamics
Control system ” F 7-38.
WARNING
Do not use the cruise control on
slippery roads such as snowy or icy
roads. This may cause loss of
vehicle control. CAUTIONAvoid prolonged continuous driving
in snowstorms. Snow will enter the
engine ’ s intake system and may
hinder the airflow, which could re-
sult in engine shutdown or even
breakdown.
! Wiper operation when snowing
Before driving in cold weather, make sure
the wiper blades are not frozen to the
windshield or rear window.
If the wiper blades are frozen to the
windshield, use the defroster and the
temperature set for maximum warmth until
the wiper blades are completely thawed.
Refer to “ Climate control ” F 4-1.
If your vehicle is equipped with a wiper
deicer, use it. It is helpful to thaw the
windshield wiper blades. Refer to “ Defog-
ger and deicer ” F 3-112.
When driving in snow, if frozen snow starts
to stick on the surface of the windshield
despite wiper operation, use the defroster
and the temperature set for maximum
warmth. After the windshield gets warmed
enough to melt the frozen snow on it,
wash it away using the windshield washer.
Refer to “ Windshield washer ” F 3-103.8-8

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
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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

possible.
. Stow cargo and luggage in the
trunk whenever possible.
. To prevent cargo and luggage
from sliding forward during brak-
ing, do not stack anything in the
enlarged trunk. Keep cargo and
luggage low, as close to the floor
as possible.
. 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 vehi-
cle ’ s center of gravity and make it
more prone to tip over.
. Secure lengthy items properly to
prevent them from shooting for-
ward and causing serious 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 personal
injury. Also, overloading can
shorten the life of your vehicle. . Do not place cargo or luggage in
or on the following locations as
the item may get under the
clutch, brake, or accelerator ped-
al and prevent the pedals from
being depressed properly, block
the driver ’ s vision, or hit the
driver or passengers, causing
an accident:
– At the feet of the driver
– On the front passenger or rear
seats (when stacking items)
– On the rear shelf
– On the instrument panel
– On the dashboard
CAUTION
Do not carry spray cans, containers
with flammable or corrosive liquids
or any other dangerous items inside
the vehicle.
NOTE For better fuel economy, do not carry
unneeded cargo. & Vehicle capacity weight
Vehicle placard
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 on the
vehicle placard attached to the driver ’ s
side door pillar. It includes the total weight
of the driver and all passengers and their
belongings, any optional equipment such
as a roof rack or bike carrier, etc. Driving tips/Loading your vehicle
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