Subaru Outback Manuals 2012 Outback Owner's Manual | Page 408

11-36 Maintenance and service & Tire replacement Vehicles equipped with unidirectional tires 1) Front Tire wear varies from wheel to wheel. To maximize the life of each tire and ensure that the tires wear uniformly, it is best to rotate the tires every 7,500 miles (12,000 km). Move the tires to the positions shown in the applicable illustration each time they are rotated. Replace any damaged or unevenly worn tire at the time of rotation. After tire rotation, adjust the tire 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. 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 detracts 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’s ground 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 a tire, you must use a tire that is of the same size, circumference, construction, brand (tread pattern), speed sym- bol and load index as the original tires listed on the tire placard. Using tires of other sizes, cir- cumferences or constructions may result in severe mechanical damage to the drive train of your vehicle and may affect ride, handling, braking, speedometer/ odometer calibration, and clear- ance between the body and tires. It also may be dangerous and lead to loss of vehicle control. . You must install four tires that are of the same size, circumference, construction, manufacturer, brand (tread pattern), degree of wear, speed symbol and load index. Mixing tires of different types, sizes or degrees of wear can result in damage to the vehicle’s power train. Use of different types or sizes of tires can also dangerously reduce controllability and braking per- formance and can lead to an accident.