so i was wondering my rx has a 4wd lever and diff. lock. when is it in 4wd to you have to use the lever? or is it in all the time. this could be a dumb question. but i was curious....

Its always in 4WD. The lever is to switch from high to low range.

Its always in 4WD. The lever is to switch from high to low range.

I think a more precise answer would be that it's always in AWD. The diff. lock is what puts it in 4WD.

It's FT4WD, which is different from regular 4WD, and slightly different from AWD as well. If you want to be completely precise about it.

 

GD

To add my 2 cents...

 

You're car is in AWD with the lever down. All wheel's are powered. When you lift the lever up, it puts it into a lower range of AWD, lower gearing for...say climbing steep inclines.

 

When you flip the diff lock, it splits the power %50 to the front wheels and %50 to the rear. Only use this on slippery surfaces like gravel, mud, snow. I'd be careful with the gravel part. If you use it on pavement, you can break some components of your drivetrain.

I have an RX transmission in my lifted wagon. I'm SO LAZY that I haven't wired up the diff lock yet.. maybe in a couple more years

 

I cruise around town in low gear and once in a while put it into high gear depending on what speed limit I'm under. It makes it easier to let the car go as fast as it seems to want without having to worry about it much.

It's usually in low gear when I get onto the freeway, do the acceleration thing, and then shift into 5-low and finally 5-high. If traffic's slow on the freeway I'll maybe go back into 5-low.

 

My wagon has larger tires than your RX, though, but I offer my example because I (and many others) don't consider the RX an offroad car as much as a street car. Think of the high/low as more of a gear splitter.

so you can use the lever on dry pavement?? just not the diff. lock switch right?

so you can use the lever on dry pavement?? just not the diff. lock switch right?

 

Correct.

 

Lever is for gearing

 

Diff lock is for locked 4WD traction (slippery stuff only)

sweet thanks guys. i wasn't really sure. i always thought if you used 4wd on pavement it grenaded axles and trannys.

I read once that Subaru gave the RX a higher low gear to use in rally's. It wasnt so much a low range 4WD, but a half a gear between 3rd and 4th. Instead of having the rally drivers downshift an entire gear, they could clutch, throw it in low, and keep the rpm's where they needed it.

 

When I owned my RX, i used it all the time. On twisty, windy back mountain roads it worked great. Uphill inclines I would accelerate out of low range, put it in high range and still have plenty of power left to keep me going.

 

Damn I miss that car

Yeah, it's pretty awesome

 

The RX 4WD is pavement-friendly because it's unlockable. When it's locked, as described above, it's for use on variable traction surfaces only.

Yup I cruise mine around town in low range a lot. It is just easier to get her moving, and is just plain fun to zip around in the mountains!

i was out playing around today. it def. makes driving around corners more fun

Im going to have to try this on the way home and see

It's FT4WD, which is different from regular 4WD, and slightly different from AWD as well. If you want to be completely precise about it.

 

GD

 

based on this notion, it would be an 'awd' with an open diff. but if the diff is open then 100% of the power can go to the front or rear, and with an open front diff, 100% to just one wheel. so tecnically not "all wheel drive" and withthe diff locked its a true 4wd (because it will bind on pavement)

I read once that Subaru gave the RX a higher low gear to use in rally's. It wasnt so much a low range 4WD, but a half a gear between 3rd and 4th. Instead of having the rally drivers downshift an entire gear, they could clutch, throw it in low, and keep the rpm's where they needed it.

 

When I owned my RX, i used it all the time. On twisty, windy back mountain roads it worked great. Uphill inclines I would accelerate out of low range, put it in high range and still have plenty of power left to keep me going.

 

Damn I miss that car

 

i would do a '3rd gear split' or "simulated 6 spd.

 

start off in lo 1,2,3, then stay in 3 and hi, then 4 hi and 5hi. you will get a lot of power band out of 3rd gear by splitting it that way.

So you can shift from high to low gears while moving?

Yes, clutch and shift like it were any other gear.

Nice I was wondering if that would work but never tried it.

do you have to be in nuetral to shift from low to high or hight to low?

No.

Not sure about the RX FT4WD box, but with the regular ones, you are supposed to be going in a straight line. I don't beleive this holds true for the RX's transmission.

clutch and shift like it were any other gear.

 

No need to be in neutral. No need to be going in a straight line.

 

The RX tranny is nothing like a standard dual range EA81 or EA82 transmission.

 

EA81 & EA82 dual range 4WD transmissions do not have a center differential. The front diff is connected to the rear output via a shaft. This shaft has absolutly no free play and is locked 50/50 front and rear. This is why you must be going slow, in a straight line and on gravel/mud/snow/ice in order to shift and use 4WD.

 

the RX Tranny on the other hand has an open center differential. It is always in 4WD and the center differential transfers the power to front and rear. being open, it is not locked and you are able to use your 4WD when turning, on pavement, regardless of conditions. Shifting from high range to low range is like shifting any other gear, 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc... makes no difference. Clutch, shift, enjoy!

 

However, when you flip the "diff lock" switch, it takes the center differential and locks it. This makes it act like the other EA Dual Range tranny's by locking 50/50 front and rear. This is when you must be careful and not use it on pavement.

 

Hopefully that has cleared some things up.

-Brian

yep thanks

Difference between AWD and FT4WD (to my understanding and everything I've ever seen on the matter) is:

FT4WD has a lockable center diff.

AWD does not.

AWD and FT4WD can have open or LSD centre diffs.

 

RX center diffs are open and pretty much useless on dirt roads, in my experience.

 

 

RX FT4WD have a 1.19 to 1 low range, compared to the PT4WD, standard, which have 1.59 to 1 gearing.