Vimy101 Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 Heifitz FTW! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdisco Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 Jeep's driver hit the gas, hard ^ Did not attend a Jeep owner dealer sponsered event. Went to a couple put on by Land Rover very helpful in explaining what all those knobs, levers, and switches are for, and shows how capable their vehicles really are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
one69chev Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 nice write up....as my first awd vehicle, i have had an unrealistic understanding on just how much this system would save my bacon......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garandman Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 Yesterday I saw a neighbor in a PathFinder sit and spin at least two of his wheels (that I could see) while not moving an inch trying to get out of an icy parking space. All he was doing was burning himself into a 3" deep ice hole. The only part of your car that touches the road are the tires. I'm really pleased with the WR's for the winter we've had. Who Dares Wins スバル Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbcracken Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 With all those folks trying to burn ice away, I wonder if they realize how much damage can be done to ones tires while "burning out" on ice. Very bad for tires and really bad driving practice as well. I would add that I am still amazed at how many folks buy cars, like ours or not, and spend all this money for horse power, tire/wheels, suspension, & brakes, but rarely take the time to actually learn how to max out what they have to begin with. Taking lessons either from pro's or friends on how to drive in both good and & bad conditions should be the first order of business before adding more to the car. I've read plenty of stories here in these forums of good drivers on stockers between folks in suped up cars on tracks because of the lack of driving skills. Writing a check to mechanically improve your car is easy...Learning how to drive it properly is harder but more rewarding. My schooling was self induced and I still have much to learn. My teachers so far have been a mid 70's Volvo station wagon, 1976 honda civic, 1980 240D Mercedes, 1988 Jetta GLi, 1986 Ford Bronco (worst car ever made), 1998 4Runner (175,000 miles), 1998 A4 Wagon, 2005 Legg GT. Of course all the vehicles behave differently in snow conditions, but I never got stuck, sometimes high centered, but never stuck. I have also never found myself needing to put chains on as I able to always coax the car thru various conditions. All of these cars have seen lots of snow, ice & wet road times and I could drive thru all these conditions. Cheers, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jigelow Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 You can buy a Stradivarius, but that won't make you Jascha Heifitz. Yeah! Idiots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordJim Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 All of these cars have seen lots of snow, ice & wet road times and I could drive thru all these conditions. You mean to tell me that it's not the fault of stock tires? Are you trying to tell me that quite possibly it's the driver? You just quit with all of your silly talk and go back to where you came from. Heretic! - Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLegacy99 Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 I was in my mom's RX400h yesterday and I watchin the screen. It runs mostly FWD accept during heavy acceleration, then the rear wheels kick in. The rears are driven by the electric motor only. There is another electric and the gasoline engine for the front wheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbcracken Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 You mean to tell me that it's not the fault of stock tires? Are you trying to tell me that quite possibly it's the driver? You just quit with all of your silly talk and go back to where you came from. Heretic! - Jim Unless your in need of a reason to upgrade your tires... Cheers, Mike (crawling back under my measely rock!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkiDaddy Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 What is this snow & ice you people speak of? I can attest that the 5Mt LGT makes a good beach tow vehicle for my jet ski. Until recently I had a trailer w/8" tires & the trailer would sink in pretty good in very soft sand, but the LGT just keeps on going, sand flying up pretty equally from all 4 wheels. Just keep the revs & momentum up in first & even hard corners in very soft sand are no problem w/the trailer. (It's about 500 pounds w/the ski on it). I only got ~stuck~ once when someone stopped right in front of me in very soft, deep sand. Once I unhooked the trailer it moved out smoothly, full air pressure & all. Fortunately 2 men can carry the ski (300 lbs) & the trailer can be moved by one man when empty. Yes, this is all on RE92s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSFW Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 A few years back I was in a bad storm. It had rained, the rain froze, then snow covered that. There was a horrible traffic jam. After 20 minutes I worked my way to the front. There was an intersection with a slight incline. At the front of the line of cars was a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Every time the light changed, the Jeep's driver hit the gas, hard. The rear tires started to spin, and the back of his car started to slide to the left. After about 3 seconds of this, the fronts started to work [....] Could you see the front wheels on both sides of that Jeep? I mean, what are the chances that the front wheel on the opposite side from you was also spinning while the back wheels were spinning? There's nothing to prevent Subarus with open front diffs from doing the same. I can't imagine why a manufacturer would design a control system that waited so long to engage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IwannaSportSedan Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 hey I wanna...wanna sell me your Miata? My wife loves that thing. I do too, but it is her car, and now paid off. I don't think she ever plans to sell... I keep trying to tell her that we should get a velocity red Mazdaspeed Miata, though... If we do, I'll let you know sorry about the jaunt off topic... Back on track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rougeben83 Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 Regardless, you may have AWD, but it ain't going to help you SLOW DOWN when you're going too fast than the conditions allow. Same deal with turning...though it's not as hopeless as a FWD vehicle or something like that, but AWD is a much more tricky animal to learn to control as it has a tendency to understeer at corner entry, and oversteer past the apex. And in real world situations, we're more talking about emergency situations where you are not prepared anyway, so having AWD during an emergency stop or when youre trying to take a corner way too fast and suddenly find yourself meeting a tree, isn't going to help. Don't rely on the technology to compensate for your bad behavior. It will bite you one day, leaving you swearing to the heavens at the side of the road "BUT IT HAS AWD WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul G. Posted February 20, 2007 Author Share Posted February 20, 2007 Could you see the front wheels on both sides of that Jeep? I mean, what are the chances that the front wheel on the opposite side from you was also spinning while the back wheels were spinning? There's nothing to prevent Subarus with open front diffs from doing the same. I can't imagine why a manufacturer would design a control system that waited so long to engage. I'm guessing the Jeep's power distribution mechanism was overwhelmed by the unnecessary and ridiculously heavy throttle use. P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krzyss Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 ...where you aren't not prepared anyway... I was taught that double negation, so common in Polish, are no-no in English. Krzys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdisco Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 Slow as possible, Fast as necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Charlie Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Don't rely on the technology to compensate for your bad behavior. It will bite you one day, leaving you swearing to the heavens at the side of the road "BUT IT HAS AWD WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!" You got that right. Any tool that will save you from your own stupidity isn't a tool at all. Assuming, however, that you don't do something stupid, AWD really is a magic bullet. It's better able to get you started. While you're moving, it is more capable of dealing with less traction. When slowing, it gives engine/transmission braking the same benefits it gave you earlier. Better than FWD, better than RWD, but not idiot proof. Mishandling or incompetence with any tool (but especially cars) can always have disastrous consequences, but a better tool is still a better tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rougeben83 Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 I was taught that double negation, so common in Polish, are no-no in English. Krzys Yes, yes grammar nazi Just to add, a lot of kids that bought the WRX's when they first came out ultimately found themselves in the situation I just described (IT HAS AWD WTF? IT MUST BE THE TIRES, IT JUST HAS TO BE!...thus the legend of the RE92 was born ). AWD is indeed a wonderful drive system, and the Subaru system in particular is very elegant in its mechanical simplicity, that just works in 99% of the situations that you throw at it. It'll make you faster, and just like a lot of auto mags say, it makes you feel and look like an absolute driving master at times, but that is a double-edge sword because when things DO go wrong, you're usually much less prepared for it, than say if you were in a Foxbody mustang in 3" of slush with bald all-seasons on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vimy101 Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 ^ All that means is you only have to walk half a block home after you've wrecked your Mustang. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLegacy99 Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Well anyway, Subaru has kept me comin back with their AWD. And Ill be back again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vimy101 Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 ^ I'm really enjoying my first AWDriving experience. The first time I really tested out was at a Lake Michiganside parking lot that had been partially drifted in by sand. I had been there before in a RWD car with VLSD. I got hopelessly stuck immediately and had to be pushed out. This time in similar sand, to the Spec.B it was nothing. Stop. Go. Take some pictures. Go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimGinCentralNJ Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Great read, Paul...thanks for posting this. With the first real taste of wintery stuff in many parts of the country, I've been noticing a lot of the 'interesting' posts here lately...having driven trucks (incl. some with quasi-AWD or auto-4WD modes) much of my life, I'm still impressed at what my Outback is capable of on the slippery stuff--especially with the studded WinterForce M+S's I run in the winter. As more and more car companies come out with their own approach to "all wheel drive", very few have impressed me in comparison to Subaru's various systems. My least favorite is the ever-popular "FWD 'till you need AWD" version....a totally reactive system. I know this meets the needs of the masses, but I've always hated the handling of FWD cars--especially in slippery conditions. And the more I read about some of the more complex systems out there, like Skyline GTR's, Infiniti's and some of the others....although they seem pretty cool, I'm not sure I'd want to have to pay someone to diagnose/fix a problem with them. This makes the "simple" variety of AWD used by Subaru a dead-ringer for me. And that DCCD systems sure sounds kinda' slick.... Maybe some day.... Cheers, Tim G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Charlie Posted February 22, 2007 Share Posted February 22, 2007 ^ All that means is you only have to walk half a block home after you've wrecked your Mustang. You got me- I'm still laughing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtmenace Posted February 22, 2007 Share Posted February 22, 2007 h. sh!t...'i drove my car in enough snow to keep the car from putting weight on the tires and i think the transmission is to blame...'i hope this was posted with sarcasm, otherwise you should hide under a rock.i have had 2 subies consecutively in the past 5 years and have experienced MA storms dropping over 3ft in one night and several east coast blizzards. I have had X5's unable to keep up with me in packed snow in my 02 LTD sedan with the stock craptenzas.know your boundaries.....also pwned... 85 505, 88 s-10, 91 leggy L wagon, 93 wranglerso i've had all types... and that subie just keeps calling me back (and they finally put a turbo in the GT)smells like subaru taking a hit for owner's lack of finesse/skillz/know-how. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerMan Posted February 22, 2007 Share Posted February 22, 2007 I never got my 2WD Ranger stuck in 3 winters living in Rochester and Buffalo NY. AWD ain't everything, learn to drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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