2011 Subaru Forester Owner's Manual - Page 378

Maintenance and service 11-31 ! 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) (U.S.-spec. models) The tire pressure monitoring system provides 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 monitoring 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/cm2) for every difference of 108F (5.68C) 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 outside temperatures when the temperature in the garage is 608F (15.68C). Example: Tire size: P215/65R16 96H Standard tire pressures: Front: 30 psi (210 kPa, 2.1 kgf/cm2) Rear: 29 psi (200 kPa, 2.0 kgf/cm2) Garage temperature: 608F (15.68C) Outside temperature Adjusted pressure [psi (kPa, kgf/cm2)] Front 308F (−18C) 108F (−128C) −108F (−238C) 33 (230, 2.3) 35 (240, 2.4) 37 (255, 2.55) Rear 32 (220, 2.2) 34 (235, 2.35) 36 (250, 2.5) Outside temperature Adjusted pressure [psi (kPa, kgf/cm2)] Front Rear 33 (230, 2.3) 35 (240, 2.4) 37 (255, 2.55) 35 (240, 2.4) 37 (255, 2.55) 39 (270, 2.7) 308F (−18C) 108F (−128C) −108F (−238C) Example: Tire size: P225/55R17 95H Standard tire pressures: Front: 32 psi (220 kPa, 2.2 kgf/cm2) Rear: 30 psi (210 kPa, 2.1 kgf/cm2) Garage temperature: 608F (15.68C) 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, go to a SUBARU dealer to have the system inspected as soon as possible. While the vehicle is driven, friction between tires and the road surface causes the tires to warm up. After illumination of the low tire pressure warning light, any increase in the tire pressures caused by an increase in the outside air temperature or by an increase in the temperature in the - CONTINUED -