fishtail - keeping rear end in line

[scottmcphee]

I'm new to AWD and the Legacy is kinda reminding me of my dad's 1982 Ford LTD wagon.. rear wheel driver, of course. Put that thing in a ditch or two in the winter.

 

I've got a 2.5i MT wagon.

 

Is there a recommended reading thread for driving tips for this beastie to keep it from breaking free and swinging out on the rear end??? Very bad on corners. And / or is there is a recommended suspension / wheel / tire tweak to help with this little problem, I'm all ears.

 

It's like the ratio of power could be dialed up more on the FW and less on the RW and I'd be happier.

They say it is 50/50 split AWD all the time for the MT.. right? <Maybe 60/40 front/rear would have been a better choice?>

 

 

Scott

[Guest]

Re92?

[mwiener2]

don't give it so much gas around turns. if you take a turn off gas it should slide flat

[rougeben83]

It'll be more predictable than the RWD. Being mechanical, it'll only shift power to the rear when the front starts to slip. Don't go into a corner too fast and you can actually step on the gas a hair sooner than you would on a rwd car.

[outahere]

What are your tire pressures?

[scottmcphee]

Re92?

 

Tires on my 2006 2.5i wagon, shipped to western Canada in January 2006 are: Yokohama Advan A82 tires. These are 17" on mags.

 

Pressure (just checked) is kept in tolerance of specs, 34 front, 33 rear. (This is actually 1 lb over for each tire above the sticker rating on the driver's side, but I don't trust this guage by 1 lb.. so)

[scottmcphee]

I guess the best advice has been said above "don't go into the corner too fast". That is pure good sense, for any car. It's just that on FWD (what I'm used to for the last 20 years) handling so neutral that using a little gas going into and on corners can pull the front end to where you'd wish the car would be and the rear would follow. On the Subie, using gas in these same circumstances just turns up the "wild" knob.

 

I was wondering if somebody has figured out some sweet combination to help with this.. you know, something like "dial the pressure down on the front 4 lbs, stiffen the front sway bar, put 2 sandbags above each rear wheel". Wishful thinking that's all.

 

Scott

[j255c]

after auto xing this weekend i can get the rear to turn around very nicely. Just brake while going into a turn and the rear end will come right around for ya, setting u up a little better for the turn.

[LittleBlueGT]

something like "dial the pressure down on the front 4 lbs, stiffen the front sway bar, put 2 sandbags above each rear wheel". Wishful thinking that's all.

 

Scott

 

All the above will help.

 

 

Just get some winter tires and be done with it. AWD does not stop any better then other cars. It has taken me years to convince many of my friends to get winter tires. Once they finally did they all (no exceptions!) have been very happy and would not go back.

[NSFW]

The main thing is just practice. Start slow, then go a little faster each time, and pay attention to how things are sliding. You might find the front end pushing out (understter) and you might find that letting off the gass and/or putting on the brakes brings the front end under control and kicks the rear end out. Once you get the car rotating with the initial turn-in, blipping the throttle may be enough to induce more oversteer (aka fun).

 

My thinking: if you don't want to slide, go slower. If you do want to slide, just (find an empty place and) go just a little faster, and use a throttle blip to get things sliding. That should leave you in a position where if you do nothing else (clutch in, idle), you just slide another 10-20 feet, stop, and re-asses what was happening when the slide started and how you could have gotten out of it. Repeat this many times, and eventually you'll get the practice you need to make things go the way you want, with more confidence.

 

My car understeers by default, and oversteers with a bit of encouragement. I assume Subarus are somewhat similar though they are probably somewhat different as well. Just practice.

 

And be safe, don't hit anything, and stay far away from people!

[rougeben83]

Quick lesson on getting your awd car slideways...approach turn, mash gas .

 

Practice, practice, practice. All the little stuff you can change on the car...even the big stuff...will be only be useful by having the basics down and then some.

 

Maybe that's why you can see fwd stock cavaliers pwn modded STi's in autocross and other motorsports events.

[AWD_Rules3830]

there is always the good old rally flick ...

[EL PAALO]

I like that the tail can be coaxed around.

[scottmcphee]

I like that the tail can be coaxed around.

 

but it's too easy on slippery roads

 

the oncoming traffic in the other lane doesn't share the same joy!

 

Scott

[PGT]

you mean you can get power on oversteer on A/S tires and non-turbo motor? You should call the local SCCA rally team and sign up!

 

now, if you mean drop throttle oversteer, well, that's why we get a puny 16mm rear sway bar as standard. If you've upgraded it, that's the culprit. The way to counteract? Get on the power again and steer around the turn (the weight shift will settle the back end down).

[rougeben83]

you mean you can get power on oversteer on A/S tires and non-turbo motor? You should call the local SCCA rally team and sign up!

 

now, if you mean drop throttle oversteer, well, that's why we get a puny 16mm rear sway bar as standard. If you've upgraded it, that's the culprit. The way to counteract? Get on the power again and steer around the turn (the weight shift will settle the back end down).

 

That's just the slow way around the corner . If you're getting tail happy out the corner, either be better with your throttle applications and/or apply it later.

 

The only time I can get my car to go full sideways is when I play in the dirt. I'm always last in rallyx but at least I'm having a blast doing it