ivantruckman Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 why would only one front wheel be spinning . when ever I engage the 4wd on my dl or loyale it locks the front axle . the rear is not locked . my loyale is a mad dog on packed snow or ice with mastercraft glacier grip 13 inch tires . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr sarcastic Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 I've high centered my subaru before, but its only been on the bank at the end if the driveway made by the snow plow. It's only happened because its semi packed snow and I didn't hit it at the right speed. In your typical snow, 12" or more from one storm or even more from multiple storms added up, I've had very good experiences. I run studded winter tires, and I've been doing it for 20 years so experience plays a part. I've had my subaru in such deep snow that it was higher then the bumper and coming over the windshield. Couldn't see where I was going, but the car wasn't stopping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 why would only one front wheel be spinning . when ever I engage the 4wd on my dl or loyale it locks the front axle . the rear is not locked . my loyale is a mad dog on packed snow or ice with mastercraft glacier grip 13 inch tires . You're high. The front diff does not lock. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l75eya Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 I've only ever high centered on dirt. Not snow. And I've plowed through some pretty tall piles of snow. 3 feet at least. On all weather tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spazomatic Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Like these guys have said....what tires have you got on there? No matter what fancy doodads a car has; it all comes down to those 4 tiny points of contact at the road. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suprjohn Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Interesting thread. A trick that has helped me in the past, is to shift to a higher gear (ie: 2nd to 3rd). My theory is that this keeps engine RPM's lower, which keeps the drive wheels from spinning so fast they dig down too quickly or create the melt/ice situation, while maintaining forward momentum. I've found this works on the flats, or low angle slopes, but not steep slopes. I have not had the opportunity to try my sub on snow yet; I'm kind of laid up right now. I did however, put on a set of General Arctic Altimaxx tires on. Got them from Tire rack.com for $50 a piece which is about half of the price I found anywhere else. They are made in Germany, have ample voids and sipes and seem to have a soft tread compound. They run smooth and quiet on the highway and can be studded. They will probably not be an 80K mile tire, but look like a good mud and snow tire which is important to me. They took very little weight to balance, which is a good thing. Can't wait till my torn rotator cuff is healed so I can work on my Sub some more. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr sarcastic Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 I took my gl-10 on its first road trip in the snow this weekend. It's got winterforce studded tires, d/r 5 speed. We got a foot of snow Saturday into Sunday, so naturally I decided to head to the mountains Sunday to snowboard. I left at 6am, right in the prime of the storm. Passing snow plows, maintained 40-50 in 5th most of the way. I had to cross over Franconia notch which is pretty damn close to the top of Mt Washington. The only sketchy part was the visibility... Plowing out of the driveway, driving on completely unplowed roads, none of that was an issue. It was a 130ish mile trip one way and it only took me 20-30 minutes longer then normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tundrabrat Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 I ran snow tires with studs on my GL10 without issues and we had our longest snow season on record. These cars benefit from light weight and great clearance but they have a very simple 4WD system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmoss5723 Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 I took my gl-10 on its first road trip in the snow this weekend. It's got winterforce studded tires, d/r 5 speed. We got a foot of snow Saturday into Sunday, so naturally I decided to head to the mountains Sunday to snowboard. I left at 6am, right in the prime of the storm. Passing snow plows, maintained 40-50 in 5th most of the way. I had to cross over Franconia notch which is pretty damn close to the top of Mt Washington. The only sketchy part was the visibility... Plowing out of the driveway, driving on completely unplowed roads, none of that was an issue. It was a 130ish mile trip one way and it only took me 20-30 minutes longer then normal. That sounds like an awesome drive. I love how quiet it is driving in fresh snow, and it's nice knowing that your car can get you where you need to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaru_dude Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 I think the Loyales have about 7"-7.5" of clearance at the rear diff??? If you're getting "high centered", your loyale is either lowered or there's more snow than you're saying. ESPECIALLY if your tires aren't even touching the ground like you said, you'd literally have to be in a foot of snow for the suspension to be fully extended. Probably more like a foot and a half because it'll settle with the weight of the car on top of it... You need good tires, and possibly a newer model with VDC and traction control. If you expect a 23 year old econobox to perform even HALF as well as a $40,000 SUV or pickup... then you've got a WHOLE lot to learn. At least you've found yourself in the right place for gathering information... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcmillonbe Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 +1 on tires. I won't drive in the snow with the summer tires on my VDC outback. I always switch over the winter wheels/snow tires before the first storm. The Subaru is only going to be as good as the tires. Although, the Brat is almost as good in the snow with all seasons as my Outback with winter tires. Probably helps that it is over 1000lbs lighter and runs on skinny tires and is a manual. Either way, both cars are outstanding in the winter, even though they are two totally different cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subnz Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Agree on tyres making the difference and driver experience in snow and also, ,knowing the limitations of your vehicle and also your own limitations / ability in driving in snow/winter conditions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
illspen Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 I had a 78 dl wagon in the mid 90s, 4 bald tiers, in one of the worst snow storms in 20 years. The only cars on the road were me and the cops. I drove fine without any problems. But was almost hit by several cops. Which would of been back cause I was homeless with no insurance, I loved my "boos of doom". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinny92loyale Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Instead of worrying about traction control I would definitely consider new snow tired and practicing throttle control. In most cases in the snow the key is momentum and not spinning the tires which is essentially what trac control is. Instead of trying to get up your driveway in first @4500rpm. Go in second at about 2000rpm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinny92loyale Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 And if your now in the market for snow tires I just picked up a set of goodyears new Nordics for 39 bucks and they have awesome tread! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ford'ssubaru's Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 I won't dog you but you definately have some issues. Even stripped spines in the hubs will cause the same thing. I rail our Sub's in the snow here in the PNW..... I have a Forester, Loyale and a GL. Just sayin..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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