tbolt1003 Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 My dad just bought a new Outback after my raves about my Impreza and seeing how it handles the snow. We just had a fresh 4-5" of snow today and dad was anxious to try out his Outback in it. Something doesn't seem right with his AWD. From a stop on a hill, when he gives the car gas, the front tires spin and the rears appear to be gripping, the engine will bog, but the car won't move. If he engages X-Mode, same thing without the bogging. If he turns traction control off, the car jerks back and forth, with power visually shifting to all wheels, but no real forward movement. If he really gets on the gas, all (4) wheels start to spin, and the car will move up the hill. I've read through the owner's manual and can't seem to find anything suggesting why the AWD system doesn't seem to be functioning properly. If I do the same hill in my '95 Impreza, all (4) of my tires spin and dig in...up the hill I go. Is there something about the new Subarus that would cause this odd behavior? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbhrps Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 tbolt1003, I wonder if he has the right tires. Are they snow tires? In my opinion the stock tire 225's are too wide for use in snow. I've owned one of each generation OBW LTD since 97, and every one has been superb in the snow if ......... you have the correct winter tires, and if you size them correctly. I run as narrow a winter tire as will safely fit on the winter rims without crowning. At present the 215's I'm running cut through the snow, rather than push the snow at slow speeds and aqua planing up on top of the snow at speed. Check out the width of the winter tires that ralleye cars use (yes they're studded). They are less than half the width of the tires they run in summer ralleyes. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbolt1003 Posted March 21, 2015 Author Share Posted March 21, 2015 He's running the stock Bridgestone Dueler H/Ts that came on the car. It only has about 300 miles on it. I suggested to him it may be the tires, but confused why only the front tires are spinning until you really get on the gas. He's losing faith in the car already. He's hinted at taking it back to the dealer and turning it back in. I told him let me work on some info; there might be something we are missing or there could be a fault with the system. He's agreed to keep it for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 So he steps on the gas, sins the front wheels, the rear wheels are moving the car, and it feels like it is bogging down. Sounds like the traction control is doing its job even though the driver is wanting more power when he should be backing off somewhat to gain traction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbolt1003 Posted March 21, 2015 Author Share Posted March 21, 2015 When the front wheels are spinning, the car isn't moving forward at all. It doesn't seem like the rears are doing anything, almost like it's only a front wheel drive car. Maybe it is the traction control and I'm used to how my older Impreza gives power to all (4) wheels all the time in snow. He's disappointed because my Impreza goes right up the hill, while he's sitting there spinning the front tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 If possible, ask the dealer to let you take another 15 OB or even another model year out for a spin. Under the same circumstances, see if this is a design "feature" or flaw. Need to compare apples to apples. tbolt, do you have snow tires on your Imprezza? Unless there is ice beneath the snow, all of my Subies have gone in the snow. Sometimes I need to back off on the gas to let it grip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbolt1003 Posted March 21, 2015 Author Share Posted March 21, 2015 Yes, I have dedicated snows on my Impreza. I know his all-season tires are at a disadvantage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbolt1003 Posted March 21, 2015 Author Share Posted March 21, 2015 We figured it out, the AWD system is working properly. Not sure what dad was doing, but the car is functioning properly. He's happy and keeping the Outback now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86 Wonder Wedge Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 I wonder if he was trying to "feather" or modulate the throttle like you would in a cable-throttle car (or non-trac/VDC car). Since this is DBW, it will do that work for you, so all you do is keep your foot lightly down and the car will sort the rest. Constantly stabbing or working the pedal will only confuse the system and try to get him to knock it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbolt1003 Posted March 21, 2015 Author Share Posted March 21, 2015 I think that's exactly what he was doing. He's used to pushing the gas to go-go-go, and was on and off the throttle. He's coming from a 99 Dodge Durango with a completely different drive system and he has to get used to the Subaru system. He's in his late 60s and trying to deal with new technology. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 The trans control unit has to sense a bit of slip of the front wheels before the rears will engage. This is a slight disadvantage of the auto trans because the fronts are constantly driven wheels, and the rears are driven by a clutch pack that will not transfer power until the TCU senses slippage so there may be a slight delay, but it will engage the rears after a second or so. It's better if you ease onto the throttle rather than hammer it right away. If your Impreza has a manual trans, all 4 wheels are driven at the same time so there is no delay in engagement of the rear wheels. And like 86 said, with the electronic throttle, the throttle opening is slow so its going to have a slight delay before the engine responds to a change in throttle pedal position. Quick repeated on/off throttle changes will cause it to act very strange. And wide all-season tires are a definite disadvantage in snow. I've seen many an SUV have all 4 wheels spinning and hardly be able to move through 3-4 inches of snow because the tires are so wide and have a road based tread design. A set of dedicated snow tires with a 205 width instead of the 225 (or whatever size they are now) will make it unstoppable in snow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86 Wonder Wedge Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 A set of dedicated snow tires with a 205 width instead of the 225 (or whatever size they are now) will make it unstoppable in snow. This is true. My 2WD Loyale (with 175/70/13 All seasons) could plow right through snow. Our Blizzak'd Liberty sucked with its 225 tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbolt1003 Posted March 23, 2015 Author Share Posted March 23, 2015 He's going to do dedicated snows next winter for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbhrps Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 tbolt10003, My error on the tire size that I step down to on my winter tires. They are a 205's, not the 215's I previously stated. Compared to the original 225's that my 2012 OBW LTD came with (summer tires), the 205's make a whole lot of difference in improving the winter drivability of the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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