Subaru Forester: 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 afterwards thoroughly wipe the water away.

Use a windshield washer fluid that contains an antifreeze solution. Do not use engine antifreeze or other substitutes because they may damage the paint of the vehicle.

SUBARU Windshield Washer Fluid contains 58.5% methyl alcohol and 41.5% surfactant, by volume. Its freezing temperature varies according to how much it is diluted, as indicated in the following table.

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 the piping is too low for the outside temperature, it may freeze and block the nozzles.

- Adjust the washer fluid concentration appropriately for the outside temperature. If the concentration 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 antifreeze additive. Washer fluids containing non-methanol antifreeze 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 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

Do not use the parking brake when parking for long periods in cold weather since it could freeze in that position.

Instead, observe the following.

1. Place the shift lever in the “1” or “R” position for manual transmission models, or place the select lever in the “P” position for automatic transmission models.

2. Use tire stops under the tires to prevent the vehicle from moving.

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 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.

Snow 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.

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, highspeed 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 behavior can cause the wheels to lock, possibly leading to loss of vehicle control.

An anti-lock brake system (ABS) enhances your vehicle’s braking performance on snowy and icy roads. For information on braking on slippery surfaces, refer to “ABS (Anti-lock Brake System)” and “Vehicle Dynamics Control system”.

Do not use the cruise control on slippery roads such as snowy or icy roads. This may cause loss of vehicle control.

Avoid prolonged continuous driving in snowstorms. Snow will enter the engine’s intake system and may hinder the airflow, which could result 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 or rear window, perform the following procedure.

- To thaw the windshield wiper blades, use the defroster with the airflow selection in “” and the temperature set for maximum warmth until the wiper blades are completely thawed. Refer to “Climate control”.

- If your vehicle is equipped with a wiper deicer, use it. It is helpful to thaw the windshield wiper blades. Refer to “Defogger and deicer”.

- To thaw the rear wiper blade, use the rear window defogger. Refer to “Defogger and deicer”.

When driving in snow, if frozen snow starts to stick on the surface of the windshield despite wiper operation, use the defroster with the airflow set to “” and the temperature control dial 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 “Washer”.

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”.

We recommend use of non-freezing type wiper blades (winter blades) during the seasons you could have snow and freezing temperatures. Blades of this type give superior wiping performance in snowy conditions. Be sure to use blades that are suitable for your vehicle.

During high-speed driving, nonfreezing 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-freezing type wiper blades is over, replace them with standard wiper blades.

Corrosion protection

Refer to “Corrosion protection”.

Snow tires

- When replacing original tires with winter (snow) tires, make sure you use only the same size, construction and load range as the original tires listed on the tire placard. Using other sizes and construction may affect speedometer/ odometer calibration and clearance between the body and tires. It also may be dangerous and lead to loss of vehicle control.

- You must install four winter tires that are of the same size, construction, brand, and load range.

Mixing other sizes or constructions may result in severe mechanical damage to the drive train of your vehicle and may affect ride, handling, braking and speedometer/odometer calibration.

It also may be dangerous and lead to loss of vehicle control.

- 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 “all season tires” as original equipment, which are designed to provide an adequate measure of traction, handling and braking performance in year-round driving. In winter, it may be possible to enhance performance through use of tires designed specifically for winter driving conditions.

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, construction, brand and load range and you should never mix radial, belted bias or bias tires since this may result in dangerous handling 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.

Tire chains

Tire 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 instructions, especially regarding maximum 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 because 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 accelerator 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 1st (both for MT and AT).

If your vehicle is an AT model, for information about holding the transmission in the 2nd position, refer to “Selection of manual mode”.