2006 Subaru Forester Owner's Manual - Page 231

8-6

Driving tips

Off road driving

Because of the AWD feature and higher

ground clearance, your SUBARU can be

driven on ordinary roads or off-road. But

please keep in mind that an AWD

SUBARU is a passenger car and is nei-

ther a conventional off-road vehicle nor an

all-terrain vehicle. If you do take your

SUBARU off-road, certain common sense

precautions such as the following should

be taken:

y

Make certain that you and all of your

passengers are wearing seatbelts.

y

Carry some emergency equipment,

such as a towing rope or chain, a shovel,

wheel blocks, first aid kit and cell phone or

citizens band radio.

y

Drive carefully. Do not take unneces-

sary risks by driving in dangerous areas or

over rough terrain.

y

Slow down and employ extra caution at

all times. When driving off-road, you will

not have the benefit of marked traffic

lanes, banked curves, traffic signs and the

like.

y

Do not drive across steep slopes. In-

stead, drive either straight up or straight

down the slopes. A vehicle can much

more easily tip over sideways than it can

end over end. Avoid driving straight up or

down slopes that are too steep.

y

Avoid sharp turning maneuvers, espe-

cially at higher speeds.

y

Do not grip the inside or spokes of the

steering wheel. A bad bump could jerk the

wheel and injure your hands. Instead drive

with your fingers and thumbs on the out-

side of the rim.

y

If driving through water, such as when

crossing shallow streams, first check the

depth of the water and the bottom of the

stream bed for firmness and ensure that

the bed of the stream is flat. Drive slowly

and completely through the stream. The

water should be shallow enough that it

does not reach the vehicle’s undercar-

riage. Water entering the engine air intake

or the exhaust pipe or water splashing

onto electrical parts may damage your ve-

hicle and may cause it to stall. Never at-

tempt to drive through rushing water; re-

gardless of its depth, it can wash away the

ground from under your tires, resulting in

possible loss of traction and even vehicle

rollover.

y

Always check your brakes for effective-

ness immediately after driving in sand,

mud or water. Do this by driving slowly

and stepping on the brake pedal. Repeat

that process several times to dry out the

brake discs and brake pads.

y

Do not drive or park over or near flam-

mable materials such as dry grass or fall-

en leaves, as they may burn easily. The

exhaust system is very hot while the en-

gine is running and right after the engine

stops. This could create a fire hazard.

y

After driving through tall grass, mud,

rocks, sand, rivers, etc., check that there

is no grass, bush, paper, rags, stones,

sand, etc. adhering to or trapped on the

underbody. Clear off any such matter from

the underbody. If the vehicle is used with

these materials trapped or adhering to the

underbody, a mechanical breakdown or

fire could occur.

y

Secure all cargo carried inside the vehi-

cle and make certain that it is not piled

higher than the seatbacks. During sudden

stops or jolts, unsecured cargo could be

thrown around in the vehicle and cause in-

jury. Do not pile heavy loads on the roof.

Those loads raise the vehicle’s center of

gravity and make it more prone to tip over.

y

If you must rock the vehicle to free it

from sand or mud, depress the accelera-

tor pedal slightly and move the selector le-

ver back and forth between “D” and “R” re-

peatedly. 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

2006 Subaru Forester Owner's Manual - Page 231

2006 Subaru Forester Manual

Page 231 highlights