twright Posted January 27, 2004 Share Posted January 27, 2004 Why would my 2 Subaru's be so different? We have a 98 Forester (AT) & a 92 Legacy (MT) and I swear I feel much safer/surer on snow/ice/rain in my Legacy. My husband bought the Forester (used) in March 01 & in the next snow storm we had in Northern VA I felt it didn't have near the traction my Legacy (bought new in 92) had. I tested them again today in the ice storm we're having here in NC and, boy, my Legacy just grabs on to the ice and snow and won't slide a bit but I was ready to call off my drive just a quarter mile from home in my Forester, unsure if I would slide off the road! Why would this be? The tires on both cars were in comparable shape. Is it the manual transmission vs. automatic? Thanks for any help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUBE555 Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 The tires may still be in good shape, but what tires exactly do you run? Some tires may look similar but handle altogether different. Part may be the AT versus MT. I'm not much for an AT in the snow, I have a lot more confidance in my MT Legacy GT than any AT I've driven thus far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twright Posted January 28, 2004 Author Share Posted January 28, 2004 The Forester has Goodyear tires (probably M&S), the Legacy has Toyo (again, probably M&S). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ20Legacy Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 I think a lot of it could be the weight and center of gravity. The Forester obviously weighs a whole bunch more, has a taller ride height and roll center. It could also have a shorter wheelbase but I don't know enough about the '92 Legacy... (Forester is built on the Impreza chassis). The AT is actually better at transfering torque and does so more quickly, more effectively, and more fully. I always feel more confident in a MT... it scares me to drive an auto sometimes :). But technically speaking, the AT should be capable of better traction. Tires could definitely make a difference, but if you're on a side hill the more top-heavy Forester would [b]definitely[/b] tend to slide sideways more easily, and it would be more difficult to go up slippery hills in because of its weight. I say turn the wheel and floor the gas!... it'll go where you want it to :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ20H-TT Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 Well a lower Centre of Gravity always helps. The Auto is good for traction but unless u manually select a lower gear they don't use engine breaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evolutionmovement Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 I was at the Subaru dealer the other day and saw them move a Forester on the snow. The front tires spun before the rear gripped and it went. Was like watching a Honda CRV. 90% of the torque goes to the front wheels generally with the AT, I thought, until it slips and sends power back. The MT was more 50/50 at all times. I could be wrong, but that lag would explain what I saw. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlord Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 well guys. the m/t subaru transmissions (torque transfer) arn't really all that different from the a/t but the m/t has a viscouse in place of the autos clutchpack. see this link for more info it explains it well. [url]http://www.rslibertyclub.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2281[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subyluvr2212 Posted February 1, 2004 Share Posted February 1, 2004 They're [i]completely different![/i] The MT AWD system is entirely mechanical/fluid. There is a simple viscous coupling that uses fluid thermodynamics to adjust the torque split. If the back wheels start spinning, the fluid in the coupling warms up and gets thicker, then that forces the torque to the front wheels. The split is normally 50:50, with a small amount of variation allowed on either side. The AT AWD system is electronically controlled. The Duty Solenoid C (IIRC) adjusts ATF line pressure to the various clutches in the clutch pack to vary the torque split based on inputs that the computer reads from each wheel's speed. The split is normally 90:10 (with the exception of the new VTD systems, which are 45:55) and can change all the way to 50:50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlord Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 have a look at what I said, the fact that the front wheels are driven perminantly, with no form what soever of any type of differential/slippage system between the gear box and the front diff. the rear diff howeve has either a multiplate clutch (a/t) or a viscouse coupling (m/t) to alow slippage. what I was trying to point out was the form of slippage system between the rear output shaft (of the gearbox) and the rear diff, and the fact that there isn' any between the front diff and the gear box, so yeah go have a look at an old range rover or something similar, you'll get what I'm on about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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