Subaru Legacy BN/BS (2015-2019) Owners Manual: Tire pressures and wear

Subaru Legacy BN/BS (2015-2019) Owners Manual / Maintenance and service / Tires and wheels / Tire pressures and wear

Maintaining the correct tire pressures helps to maximize the tires' service lives and is essential for good running performance.

Check and, if necessary, adjust the pressure of each tire (including the spare) at least once a month (for example, during a fuel stop) and before any long journey.

Tire placard

Check the tire pressures when the tires are cold. Use a pressure gauge to adjust the tire pressures to the values shown on the tire placard. The tire placard is located on the door pillar on the driver's side.

Driving even a short distance warms up the tires and increases the tire pressures.

Also, the tire pressures are affected by the outside temperature. It is best to check tire pressure outdoors before driving the vehicle.

When a tire becomes warm, the air inside it expands, causing the tire pressure to increase. Be careful not to mistakenly release air from a warm tire to reduce its pressure.

NOTE

The air pressure in a tire increases by approximately 4.3 psi (30 kPa, 0.3 kgf/cm2) when the tire becomes warm.
The tires are considered cold when the vehicle has been parked for at least 3 hours or has been driven less than 1 mile (1.6 km).

WARNING Do not let air out of warm tires to adjust pressure. Doing so will result in low tire pressure.

Incorrect tire pressures detract from controllability and ride comfort, and they cause the tires to wear abnormally.

Correct tire pressure (tread worn evenly)

Tire pressures and wear

Roadholding is good, and steering is responsive. Rolling resistance is low, so fuel consumption is also lower.

Abnormally low tire pressure (tread worn at shoulders)

Tire pressures and wear

Rolling resistance is high, so fuel consumption is also higher.

Abnormally high tire pressure (tread worn in center)

Tire pressures and wear

Ride comfort is poor. Also, the tire magnifies the effects of road surface bumps and dips, possibly resulting in vehicle damage.

WARNING Driving at high speeds with excessively low tire pressures can cause the tires to deform severely and to rapidly become hot. A sharp increase in temperature could cause tread separation, and destruction of the tires. The resulting loss of vehicle control could lead to an accident.

Tire inspection

Check on a daily basis that the tires are free from serious damage, nails, and stones. At the same time, check the tires for abnormal wear. Contact your SUBARU dealer immediately if you find an ...

Wheel balance

Each wheel was correctly balanced when your vehicle was new, but the wheels will become unbalanced as the tires become worn during use. Wheel imbalance causes the steering wheel to vibrate slightl ...

Other materials:

Ignition switch (models without pushbutton start system)
WARNING Never turn the ignition switch to "LOCK" while the vehicle is being driven or towed because that will lock the steering wheel, preventing steering control. And when the engine is turned off, it takes a much greater effort than usual to steer. ...