tmillard Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 If I was to turn off the AWD could I expect noticably better MPG? Just wondering. This is from the owners manual: If your vehicle is an AWD type with an automatic transmission but is neither a Turbo model nor a 3.0-liter model, deactivate its All-Wheel-Drive capability as follows: Before driving your vehicle with the temporary spare tire, put a spare fuse inside the FWD connector located in the engine compartment and confirm that the “ ” warning light comes on. The All-Wheel- Drive capability of the vehicle has now been deactivated. After re-installing the conventional tire, remove the spare fuse from the FWD connector in order to reactivate All-Wheel Drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.T.Subie Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Why did you buy a Subaru then Denial is your best friend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnAWD Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Try it, find out and report back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ej20_ftw Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Try it, find out and report back. +1 I would like to know as well.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opie Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 If you read the manual a little more you will find that it says you should only do this no more than 50 miles. If you drive the car like this all the time it will damage the viscous clutches in the center diff...resulting in a $1500+ tranny repair. So if you think you will save more than $1500 in fuel...go for it...of course that savings will all be lost when you have to repair the tranny... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmillard Posted May 25, 2008 Author Share Posted May 25, 2008 Why did you buy a Subaru then No offense and I know I am new here, but your question annoys me. I find it kind of smarmy as if I didn’t know what I was doing. I don't want to sound like a sensitive pu**y here. While I am not that concerned about the gas mileage, it is just a question that I am curious about. If in the summer I can disable it and get 5 more MPG why would I not do that for my commute? At approx. $0.125 per mile in just fuel costs why wouldn’t I want to save $0.50+ per gallon? I drive approx. 30k miles a year. When the weather is inclimate I can re-enable it. The reason to buy a Subie? Probably the same reasons most people here: Safe, reliable, AWD, one of the only companies that makes a decent wagon anymore, good looking, decent gas mileage, priced well, etc etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmillard Posted May 25, 2008 Author Share Posted May 25, 2008 If you read the manual a little more you will find that it says you should only do this no more than 50 miles. If you drive the car like this all the time it will damage the viscous clutches in the center diff...resulting in a $1500+ tranny repair. So if you think you will save more than $1500 in fuel...go for it...of course that savings will all be lost when you have to repair the tranny... Thank you for this follow up. I have not seen that in the manual yet. I had a girlfriend who had a '91 (I think it was a '91) who had the AWD disabled and didn't seem to have any issues so this got me thinking about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1anatic Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Oh...I am sure there will be an improvement. Possibly you will even see your fuel economy hit astronomical numbers while you are parked on the flat-bed and being towed. It really is a bad bad idea to use thsi feature for more than emergency cases. And I cannot think of any emergency which would require you to deactivate awd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmc032 Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 i mean it probably would. Subaru has been asked why they can't get better gas mileage and they have said a reason for it is because they will not sacrifice awd. Its a feature that is supposed to save your life in situations that are unexpected, so its not like it is only useful in the snow. I was going way too fast around a corner and it probably saved my life. So if you have it you might as well use it. Think of it like a seatbelt. Also I doubt it will save you that much money. Maybe like 20 bucks a month? But to answer your question the car most likely will get better gas mileage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawl Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 here is my half joking but totally awesome suggestion to you. buy a miata. 3k will get you a decent condition miata that will be bulletproof, gets 27-30 mpg and takes regular gas. your welcome but seriously i wouldnt mess with the drivetrain like that. if it's supposed to operate awd then why mess with it. a lot of money to be paid if something goes wrong. i figure if im going to push the cars limits it'd be in terms of what breaks when i throw too much power in it, not pushing the cars limits trying to save money on gas. car for sale. PM me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmillard Posted May 25, 2008 Author Share Posted May 25, 2008 Fair enough. I figured I would ask. Didn't know if some people had tried it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawl Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Fair enough. I figured I would ask. Didn't know if some people had tried it. but seriously get a miata. miata + lgt = match made in heaven. car for sale. PM me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmillard Posted May 25, 2008 Author Share Posted May 25, 2008 Now I just bought my 2.5i on Monday and have driven it all of 250 miles and I am averaging 29.4mpg. I am not unhappy with that but I am coming from a Civic LX with 36 MPG. For fun driving I have my bike, a Suzuki SV650S. This is one of the primary reasons I felt I could pass on the GT. I'll look into the Miata in maybe a year or 2. I have a kid on the way and feel I probably need all my extra income for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmillard Posted May 25, 2008 Author Share Posted May 25, 2008 oh yeah- the wife drives an '03 Jetta wagon TDI and is doing about 45-50 mpg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawl Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Now I just bought my 2.5i on Monday and have driven it all of 250 miles and I am averaging 29.4mpg. I am not unhappy with that but I am coming from a Civic LX with 36 MPG. For fun driving I have my bike, a Suzuki SV650S. This is one of the primary reasons I felt I could pass on the GT. I'll look into the Miata in maybe a year or 2. I have a kid on the way and feel I probably need all my extra income for him. if i had a carfax i could found that out. assumed you had a GT. i think you're good on gas mileage dude. 29.4 mpg is not bad at all. your car is tons more upscale and comfy than a civic. grats on the kid! car for sale. PM me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 If I was to turn off the AWD could I expect noticably better MPG? Just wondering. No you wouldn't notice any difference. The reason is that to get any difference at all you will have to disconnect the transmission at BOTH ends, not just in the gearbox, but also at the wheels. Otherwise you will still be driving the transmission for the rear differential, but through the wheels. And you will get worse tire wear on the driving tires too. So it's a bad idea from the beginning. And even if you were to disconnect the rear axle transmission completely you won't get much difference anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSFW Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Why did you buy a Subaru then To have AWD when the roads are snowy Just a theory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmillard Posted May 25, 2008 Author Share Posted May 25, 2008 your car is tons more upscale and comfy than a civic. You can say that again. I should have made the move a while ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmillard Posted May 25, 2008 Author Share Posted May 25, 2008 No you wouldn't notice any difference. The reason is that to get any difference at all you will have to disconnect the transmission at BOTH ends, not just in the gearbox, but also at the wheels. Otherwise you will still be driving the transmission for the rear differential, but through the wheels. And you will get worse tire wear on the driving tires too. So it's a bad idea from the beginning. And even if you were to disconnect the rear axle transmission completely you won't get much difference anyway. I asked this question only because of what I read in the owner's manual about switching it off when you have the spare tire on certain cars. It seemed like all you had to do was pull a fuse. I see what you are saying with that and how it would be a bad idea. I figure that is what forums are for. To ask questions and get feedback on bad ideas. I appreciate all who have replied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmillard Posted May 25, 2008 Author Share Posted May 25, 2008 To have AWD when the roads are snowy Just a theory word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack ffr1846 Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 tmillard, Your question is certainly a reasonable one. Although a different setup entirely, My Yukon XL (tow vehicle/plow truck) has a push button AWD shut off. With it in 2WD mode....15mpg. In AWD mode: 9. jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLegacy99 Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 I tested this when I had a auto Legacy. No improvement. Ehsnils already wrote reasoning why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1anatic Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 I think you should do it. I turned my AWD off and I put in 87 octane. See ...I am doing 30.3 mpg on the read-out which is really close to a real 29 mpg. (DON'T LISTEN TO ME ! The pictures are real though: 3 people, AC and cruise control at 60 mph, going with mom and dad to get my daddy's new CZ toy. Yeah, that's a turbo one as well.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hogmeat Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 whoo whooo for a whole 5.2 miles. I did a 45 mile trip with an average of 28.3 mpg. In a Stage 2 LGT...it's possible... I'm pleasantly surprised... It was most certainly worth the couple bucks and 10 mins of my time. CLICK HERE FOR THE HOGZAUST Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmillard Posted May 26, 2008 Author Share Posted May 26, 2008 What is a CZ toy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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