Brug Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I have a 2001 Forester & have heard that it could be changed from All Wheel Drive to Front Wheel Drive. Is this possible & how would I do it. Many thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 welcome columbus! keep in mind you can do anything you want with enough time and money. you can make a Pontiac GTO FWD if you want to. give me $75,000 and i'll make that happen. why would you want to do this, are you doing it yourself, what do you know, and most important what kind of transmission do you currently have - auto or manual? and why? if you're trying to convert your current trans to run in FWD mode, that's pointless for gas mileage. if it's a manual, that's hard. you'll need to buy an older FWD trans and convert. that's going to suck, but it's possible. if it's an automatic, just put the FWD fuse in the fuse holder in the engine bay. or cut the duty C wire and remove all the rear components. or get an older FWD trans and convert....have fun with that. possible, yes. easy, no. i've done it but it would be much harder since your vehicle is a generational change after they did away with FWD transmissions in the mid 90's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
presslab Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I have a 2001 Forester & have heard that it could be changed from All Wheel Drive to Front Wheel Drive. Is this possible & how would I do it.Many thanks. I'd guess you could pull the rear diff, rear axles, and the rear part of the propshaft. This would save a bit of weight, about 75 lbs. You might save 1 MPG if you are lucky from the weight and friction savings. The newer drivetrains are not designed to be used in FWD mode for extended periods of time and it will wear out prematurely. This is what Subaru says although I can't remember where I read it at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I'd guess you could pull the rear diff, rear axles, and the rear part of the propshaft. on a manual can't do that without other major work. unless he can intentionally destroy his viscous coupling center diff. or convert to FWD. You might save 1 MPG if you are luckyi can verify that! i've done it a few times on auto's and manuals (older gen you could do it because the center diff is different) because of bad ujoints or diffs and no parts to fix. no gas mileage difference for my vehicles/driving style. The newer drivetrains are not designed to be used in FWD mode for extended periods of time and it will wear out prematurely. no doubt, i wouldn't want to do it for an extended period with the intention of going back to 4WD. otherwise it would probably be fine. i've done it for extended periods and i'm not convinced it really makes much difference. i never had a problem and don't expect too if everything else is up to par. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeshoup Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 Find a FWD transmission out of early EJ soob (pre-97 I think). One from a Legacy or Impreza. Then, you can pull the rear diff and other junk in the back. Its not as hard as Gary is making it out to be, but I don't see the point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
presslab Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 Ah yes the new 5MT drives the front through the VC rather than the rear, right? There is a diff in there too?! The '02+ autos had VTD, STi 6MT has DCCD, which is a planetary center diff with electronic clutch, yes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 (edited) Ah yes the new 5MT drives the front through the VC rather than the rear, right? There is a diff in there too?! It's a differential, the power goes to the path of least resistance, Front or rear. If you are taking off in a straight line with traction at all 4 wheels, all 4 wheels get the same drive. If a rear wheel slips, power drops off to all wheels until VC kicks in, then power is shifted forward. If a front wheel slips, VC kicks in and sends power to the rear. There is not an inherant bias towards the front as there is on the Automatics. *DCCD* excluded. Edited January 21, 2009 by Gloyale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
presslab Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 It's a differential, the power goes to the path of least resistance, Front or rear. If you are taking off in a straight line with traction at all 4 wheels, all 4 wheels get the same drive. If a rear wheel slips, power drops off to all wheels until VC kicks in, then power is shifted forward. If a front wheel slips, VC kicks in and sends power to the rear. There is not an inherant bias towards the front as there is on the Automatics. *DCCD* excluded. Ah so the VC is in parallel with part of the diff... Is it in parallel with the two outputs or with the input and one of the outputs? From the diagrams it looks like it is in parallel with the input and the front output... I have heard of Vanagon Syncro owners driving for hundreds of miles through the VC when they break a rear axle. Not recommended, but it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausubaru92 Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 The VC ties the front output to the rear output. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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