i recently bought a '91 lagecy ls. it was bought specifically for its handling in snowy, etc. conditions. this morning on my way to work i was following a newer suby and watched as it plowed through 2-3" of snow while i fish tailed and spun out. eventually i had to turn around for loss of momentum. now here i am missing work wondering: do i need to get snow specific tires and/ or is could there be something wrong with AWD. this is my first AWD car, but it sure was handling alot like my old front wheeler. please help! thanks, nm

Hi. A few thoughts. First, a dum question...you're sure this Legacy is AWD right? Not all of them were of that era. It has a rear diff and rear axles?

 

I'm assuming this is an auto trans. The FWD (front wheel drive) fuse under the hood should not be installed.

 

Also yes, dedicated snow tires definitely work better in snow. All seasons are ok but for serious snow not so much.

 

Depending on how new the newer soob you were following is, it may have had a limited slip rear diff and/or traction control and/or VDC which can make it able to traverse even rougher conditions than earlier soobs.

 

edit: also, how many miles does the vehicle have on? Sometimes higher mileage autos the transfer clutch plates can be worn out, reducing the amount of power it can transfer to the rear.

i recently bought a '91 lagecy ls. it was bought specifically for its handling in snowy, etc. conditions. this morning on my way to work i was following a newer suby and watched as it plowed through 2-3" of snow while i fish tailed and spun out. eventually i had to turn around for loss of momentum. now here i am missing work wondering: do i need to get snow specific tires and/ or is could there be something wrong with AWD. this is my first AWD car, but it sure was handling alot like my old front wheeler. please help! thanks, nm

If you're driving straight and fishtailing it's your tires failing. AWD is not going to help this.

 

If you drive on snow greater than 50% of the time, dont mind having a dedicated set of winter wheels, and dont care if your car handles like crap when the roads are plowed...then get some blizzak WS-50. Otherwise, get a set of some good allseasons such as BF goodrich Traction T/A's or Kuhmo Ecsta ASX. Some allseasons dont do well in the snow, but many do great. You just need to research a little. I just hope you're not driving on summer tires.

thanks for your quick reply. yes, my car is AWD and it is also an auto. she has around 133k on her. there isn't a fuse in the 4WD connector, and that's the way it should be, right? how does one tell if the clutch plate is worn? or is that something i should take it into the shop for? again, thanks for your help, nm

Right, under normal operation there should not be a fuse in the FWD holder.

 

If you go into a dry parking lot and make some tight circles, does it feel like the brakes are on or is there any binding or popping?

 

If you have a snowy parking lot maybe you can try hammering it some and see if the rear wheels are getting power.

tires make a HUGE HUGE Difference. more difference than AWD/FWD. i'll take a FWD with snow tires anyday over a car with AWD and regular all seasons. if you encounter a lot of snow, get studded snows.

i recently bought a '91 lagecy ls. it was bought specifically for its handling in snowy, etc. conditions. this morning on my way to work i was following a newer suby and watched as it plowed through 2-3" of snow while i fish tailed and spun out. eventually i had to turn around for loss of momentum. now here i am missing work wondering: do i need to get snow specific tires and/ or is could there be something wrong with AWD. this is my first AWD car, but it sure was handling alot like my old front wheeler. please help! thanks, nm

 

HOLD IT!

 

you have SNOW?

 

Im jelouse.

 

OK nough of that. Since this is new to you, do the one thing that all subarus love. Flush the tranny. Dirty fluid will affect the actuation of the clutch pack for the AWD. Not konly can it lock it up, but it can also delay engagement.

 

nipper

You could use the FWD fuse under the hood to diagnose it, too.

 

Find the empty parking lot w/snow, punch it; repeat w/the FWD fuse installed. If there's no difference you've got no AWD.

 

It could just be worn tires, since you couldn't keep up w/that other Subie. And if you haven't heard, Subies need all 4 tires replaced @ the same time - don't replace just 2. It is bad for Subie AWD trannys to have tires unevenly worn.

 

Studded snows are popular up here in the NW around Spokane. We get a lot of temps right around freezing during the winter, so on many mornings we'll be iced up, but by mid-morning it's thawed out. It also explains why we have so many potholes!

 

I, too, am jealous of your Tahoe snow!

 

Good luck.

Ken's Tire Center has the best snow tire prices in South Lake Tahoe.

 

Allied Tire in Carson City has good deals too.

 

If you need to have a shop look at and service your car, Norm's Auto Center (in SLT) is the absolute BEST in town:headbang: .

You could use the FWD fuse under the hood to diagnose it, too.

 

Find the empty parking lot w/snow, punch it; repeat w/the FWD fuse installed. If there's no difference you've got no AWD.

 

 

The same test works on dirt or gravel as well. If your AWD works, there will be a HUGE difference between fuse and no fuse - you can't miss it.

 

For tires, here are my recommendations:

 

dedicated snow/ice: Bridgestone Blizzak, some claim as good as studded tires, but they suck on dry roads

 

all-season plus good snow/ice handling: Nokian WR, almost as good as Blizzaks in snow, a good all-season tire in dry and rain

Since you spun out, I'd assume your AWD is working. Its the rear tires that would push your back end around.

 

Tires make a huge difference. My Legacy was not my daily driver for a while and would be wearing bald summer tires from going to roadcourses. It was hilarious the snow it would get stuck in. Oh, and spooling the turbo on a snow covered highway would kick the back end out and start spinning the tires.

 

So yeah, tires can make AWD nearly useless.

all-season plus good snow/ice handling: Nokian WR, almost as good as Blizzaks in snow, a good all-season tire in dry and rain

 

+1, the Nokian WR is the best All weather tire out there. It rivals snow tires in winter performance tests.

 

Disclaimer - I run dedicated snow tires, but have recommended the WR to friends who have been very happy.

 

BTW - In the snow, I liked driving my 1988 Saab 9000 (FWD) with 4 Nokian Hakka snows better than my 02 Legacy GT with the OEM Bridgestones. Tires are a very important part of the equasion.

 

Jack

Tire width makes a huge difference with AWD as well. My old 97 OBW had stock sized 205 (I think that's correct?) Blizzak snowtires and just whaled through the snow and ice like crazy. It was unstoppable. Then I trade up to an 02 OBW with 225 Blizzak snowtires and at the same speeds as the old car I was all over the road, almost as if the wider tires were riding up on top of the snow aquaplaning. I'm going to the narrowest snowtires that will fit the 17 inch rims of my latest 07 OBW this winter for sure.

Tire width makes a huge difference with AWD as well. My old 97 OBW had stock sized 205 (I think that's correct?) Blizzak snowtires and just whaled through the snow and ice like crazy. It was unstoppable. Then I trade up to an 02 OBW with 225 Blizzak snowtires and at the same speeds as the old car I was all over the road, almost as if the wider tires were riding up on top of the snow aquaplaning. I'm going to the narrowest snowtires that will fit the 17 inch rims of my latest 07 OBW this winter for sure. Just look at the width of the snow tires that the ralley cars use and you'll see what I mean.

Tire width makes a huge difference with AWD as well. My old 97 OBW had stock sized 205 (I think that's correct?) Blizzak snowtires and just whaled through the snow and ice like crazy. It was unstoppable.

 

Wasn't that scary?

The Auto's also have a lot more going on with their version of "AWD" than the manuals do. They have a solenoid that sends more or less power to the rear end. In normal conditions I beleive the auto's are 80 or 90% to the front wheels. It takes intervention from the transmission computer to make them hook up at 50/50.

 

But it probably IS your tires. Fishtailing signifiys you have plenty of power to the rear end but your tires can't bite off enough traction.

 

GD

The Auto's also have a lot more going on with their version of "AWD" than the manuals do. They have a solenoid that sends more or less power to the rear end. In normal conditions I beleive the auto's are 80 or 90% to the front wheels. It takes intervention from the transmission computer to make them hook up at 50/50.

 

But it probably IS your tires. Fishtailing signifiys you have plenty of power to the rear end but your tires can't bite off enough traction.

 

GD

Yup. Just like it would be if you had a strictly RWD car and floored it (which I did with my corvette a few times). That thing got really really squirelly in the rain if you weren't gentle on the pedal.

I can whip my back end out with nokian rsi tires all around. It has more to do with your lead foot, well at least if the tires are good.