peterp105 Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 i have an automatic 05 legacy. i noticed that if i am stoped at a light making a left turn i can accelerate very well, but when i start to go into the turn (on snow) it seems that the front end gets pushed, and then slides a little. is this normal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamgt Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 theres snow on the road. yes it is normal. AWD helps you go, but it doesnt help you stop or turn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwiener2 Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 It def helps you turn. You gotta find the sweet spot of how much throttle and how far the wheel is turned. The Re92's don't help much in this situation either. Find a snow covered parking lot and try all sorts of stuff and learn how the car reacts in different situations. Contrary to popular belief or actually popular belief is that AWD/4WD helps a car stop in snow....4WD/AWD can help you stop better, if you know how. Slamming on the brakes and hoping for the best won't be any better that a 2wd car. If you prepare for a stop and downshift, using the engine braking as much as possible and keeping the wheels spinning, you can stop sooner and with far more control than a 2wd. But if you downshift into too low a gear, you can induce a slide. Again, find a parking lot. Panic braking also isn't any better in a 4wd/awd My Mods List (Updated 8/22/17) 2005 Outback FMT Running on Electrons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beanboy Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 I usually give her a little gas, ease up a little bit so the fronts will bite then get off the gas so the back slides around. Get back on the gas, straighten the wheels in the direction you want to go and you are off! -B -B http://www.standardshift.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterp105 Posted January 27, 2005 Author Share Posted January 27, 2005 i did plan on teaching myself how to drive this car,as i knew it would be different. i have heard that i can put the automatic trans into sport shift mode, and drive snow covered back roads in 2nd gear, and it will provide less slippage? would this be true? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamgt Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 the only thing putting it in second gear does is effectively reduce the amount of torque going to the wheels. you can do the same thing by having a smart (light) left foot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sde Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 left foot? he has an auto. don't make things too difficult, .. it's just basic laws of physics.. if you have more gravity forces pulling you in any direction, you will be less stable, .. just use your body as a judge, .. if the car is making you lean in any direction, .. then your car is feeling that same sideways force at least 10 fold. approach corners at a speed that doesn't make you lean too much. same with accelleration and braking. or you could always try awd drifting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcgliss Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 The RE92's have weak lateral grip and even small slip angles will lose it. These OEM tires may help EPA mileage figures but not snow traction. As mentioned, learning subtle(!) throttle steering and weight transfer techniques will let you enjoy the car until the tires get changed out. JC, Chicagoland bassist & opentracker 2005 LGT 5MT Ltd wagon 2005 LGT 5MT Ltd sedan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBT Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 Putting the car in 1 or 2, regardless of sport mode or regular mode will lock the front and rear axles at 50/50 torque bias (balance) compared to the normal 45/55 f/r so you'll get a little more off idle and at speed "pull" from the front in those gears and, IMHO if driven correctly, less understeer. Also, as was mentioned putting the 5EAT in 2 starts the car in 2nd and keeps it there and will not up/down shift without manual override from the shifter (bump up/down). This reduces initial available torque and is helpful in starting and stopping on snow or less than great road surfaces. Just keep in mind that you want the wheels to "turn" not stop and slide so you retain as much steering/traction as possible. As was recommended, find an open lot with enough snow (preferable over ice but both will do) to enable you to break both the front and rear ends loose with throttle and braking inputs. Practice on/off throttle, brake steering and turning/drifting until they become second nature to you. And, oh BTW, make sure your tires are aired to the proper specs or just slightly higher front and rear (maintain the pressure bias) in order to make sure that your treads are as open as possible. Read up on www.tirerack.com about the difference correct tire pressures make in less than optimal driving conditions. HTH,SBT - Pro amore Dei et patriam et populum - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterp105 Posted January 27, 2005 Author Share Posted January 27, 2005 sounds good, i think i will go buy some nokian wr's at some point. i hear good things about them. i will also teach myself in the next storm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul G. Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 You didn't mention if your legacy is a GT or 2.5i model. The non-turbo, auto transmission Subaru is essentially a FWD, which sends power to the back wheels only upon slipping. That might explain your front end push. The manual is an true AWD, with power normally split among all 4 wheels. The auto GT also sends power to all wheels under normal circumstances. P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterp105 Posted January 27, 2005 Author Share Posted January 27, 2005 mine is the 2.5 i Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAS Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 Would anyone be able to elaborate a bit more on Paul's statement that the "non-turbo auto transmission Subaru is essentially a FWD?" For the automatic 2.5i, does the front / rear power distribution lock at ~50/50 in first and second gear as was discussed for the GT ? I also have the 2.5i auto, and haven't been able to find a detailed description about how the AWD system works on this particular model. Any suggestions about where to look for such information? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwiener2 Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 search the forum, it's in here My Mods List (Updated 8/22/17) 2005 Outback FMT Running on Electrons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBT Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 Would anyone be able to elaborate a bit more on Paul's statement that the "non-turbo auto transmission Subaru is essentially a FWD?" For the automatic 2.5i, does the front / rear power distribution lock at ~50/50 in first and second gear as was discussed for the GT ? I also have the 2.5i auto, and haven't been able to find a detailed description about how the AWD system works on this particular model. Any suggestions about where to look for such information? Thanks. On the 2.5i autobox, the two axles are coupled by an electro-hydraulic clutched center differential that essentially transfers 90 % of available torque to the front wheels and 10% to the rear wheels under normal driving conditions. That means that the car is "pushing" only slightly from the rear until the system detects a slip (as little as 1/8 of revolution) before it automatically transfers additional torque (to almost 100%) to the rear wheels or some portion front/rear until the wheel slip ceases. At that time it returns to the heavily front biased attitude that it had before slip detection. This happens seamlessly and with no drama and unless you are aware that wheels are spinning you won't feel it or hear it, it just happens. Would write more but got to get some sleep. SBT - Pro amore Dei et patriam et populum - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 ah, the world of understeering. Keefe Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agctr Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 The AWD system is set up for a bit of understeer but on snow well the wheels are pushing you in the direction that is getting grip and that is not necessarily where the tyres are pointing. Back off on the power, soon as you get it almost straight, then NAIL it and you will find a massive difference...... SNOW TYRES HELP TOO.... Adam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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