AWD questions on my 92 loyale. new ? look at number 3..please :)

[thehondaguy]

 

so this being my first subaru im a bit of a noob. haha actually a complete noob. so my questions are..

 

1. when is it safe to engage AWD mine has a push button on the shift knob. ( like when its in neutral, gear or what?)

 

2. how many miles can you drive it without disengaging AWD? my daily commute is 25 miles, one way. the roads can be slick so can i drive it the whole way with AWD engaged?

 

3.ok.. dad insist that if the tires in the front and rear arent exactly the same size when using 4x4 it will tear up the transmission and axles how true is this?

 

 

thanks in advance for the help!

 

john

Edited December 18, 2009 by thehondaguy

[mudduck]

Your loyale is 4WD not AWD. You can use 4WD on dirt, snow, ice, gravel just like a regular 4x4. Don't use it on dry pavement, concrete ect.

[thehondaguy]

ok my noobness is showing haha.

[ivantruckman]

i always shift the button wile going straight, and not while the wheels are spinning, not sure if its right , but it seems to work for me. and as said before , not on dry pavement

[robm]

You can use it on dry pavement, as long as you don't go around sharp corners. Not around town, in other words.

 

If you use it in 4WD on tight, icy corners, expect to slide out.

 

I use it on the highway when it is potentially slippery all the time, for miles and miles. Highway corners are not sharp.

 

As mentioned, do not shift into 4WD with wheels slipping, or while turning. It helps if you ease the gas when shifting.

[Qman]

There is absolutely no reason to use 4wd on dry pavement. Rule of thumb is dirt, gravel, ice or snow. If it isn't present do not use it. Also, push button can be engaged on the fly under 30mph.

[thehondaguy]

thanks for all the help guys.. she will be on the road friday when i get my tag.

[brysawn]

There is absolutely no reason to use 4wd on dry pavement. Rule of thumb is dirt, gravel, ice or snow. If it isn't present do not use it. Also, push button can be engaged on the fly under 30mph.

 

It can be engaged at any speed.

[backcountrycrui]

There is absolutely no reason to use 4wd on dry pavement. Rule of thumb is dirt, gravel, ice or snow. If it isn't present do not use it. Also, push button can be engaged on the fly under 30mph.

 

I use mine any time there is a chance that my tires will spin. And if it looks like the tires will be travelling over dry then wet or muddy or ice or snow multiple times then I just leave it engaged. I have gone over white pass between Packwood and Yakima MANY time with the 4wd engage the whole way. About 100 miles each way. And that car was finaly sold with 275k and NEVER a problem.

Just my thoughts

Mike

[MilesFox]

i would not run on dry pavement in an in-town driving situation in 4wd. i have driven in 4wd on pavement on county highway situations that have enough slide or wheel hop to let go of. not good to go around in all day, though.

 

i have used 4wd on wet highway driving where hydroplaning is an effect.

 

you can get away with drier pavement with the closer matching set of wheels you have

[GeneralDisorder]

On the lever actuated transmissions, dry surfaces aren't so much of an issue (with stock sized tires). You can force it out of 4WD. With the push-buttons though they will not come out till you unbind them.

 

You won't hurt anything as long as your tires are the same size/inflation. I use 4th gear Low range on my hatch because the 3rd gear syncro is totally wasted. I just skip 3rd, go to 4th low, then back into 2WD for freeway speeds.

 

GD

[thehondaguy]

i have factory wheels and 4 brand new tires. all the same size.

[thehondaguy]

new question added please help me out

[eulogious]

3.ok.. dad insist that if the tires in the front and rear arent exactly the same size when using 4x4 it will tear up the transmission and axles how true is this?

 

I would say to listen to your dad! He is correct on this. You MIGHT be able to drive it with incorrect tire size/match in snow and slick conditions for a short while and not damage it, in the long run you will destroy it.

[Breeke]

new question added please help me out

 

Listen to yer dad!

 

He is telling you the truth, not just the "I'm the Dad, you listen to me"

 

:-p

[robm]

It will also wear the tires faster. Keep them rotated, too, as even 10,000 miles will wear the front tires enough to notice a clunk as the you shift from 4WD to FWD. And it wont' want to drop out of 4WD, either.

[Ricearu]

I had 2 bigger tires on the front, and on a slick surface, it was squirly as hell. VERY UNCOMFORTABLE

[thehondaguy]

alright thanks guys.. i got 4 new 175/70/13's.. another ? where can i get aftermarket wheels? it has an odd pattern right? like 154x4 or something like that...92 loyale 4x4 thanks

[eman_79]

There is absolutely no reason to use 4wd on dry pavement. Rule of thumb is dirt, gravel, ice or snow. If it isn't present do not use it. Also, push button can be engaged on the fly under 30mph.

 

really though i engage mine all the time at any speed and it hasn't hurt it yet

and it's been through hell and back

[Dantes Inferno]

alright thanks guys.. i got 4 new 175/70/13's.. another ? where can i get aftermarket wheels? it has an odd pattern right? like 154x4 or something like that...92 loyale 4x4 thanks

 

You pretty much cant. Peugeot 505 wheels are pretty sweet and share the same pattern. Make sure you use the lug nuts that come from the peugeot or it wont work.

 

As for tire size issues. This is for the most part 100% true, but..... as will everything you can push it to the limit. You CAN run in 4wd with slight odd ball tires. However it WILL tear up your driveline UNLESS you are on extremely loose surfaces such as... gravel, snow, ice.. If on grippy surfaces you will bind your running gear and either cause wheel slippage, or you will brake an axle, diff, driveshaft, or your transmission. The same driveline damage can occur from driving in 4wd (with correct sized tires) if you are taking tight turns on a grippy surface. Since your left to right, and front to back wheel speeds will be different.

Edited December 19, 2009 by Dantes Inferno

[GeneralDisorder]

Your dad is *somewhat* correct. It won't tear anything up though. It will make it near impossible to drive on dry surfaces and will cause nasty tire wear. Off-road it wouldn't matter much unless the difference was quite large.

 

As I said - it's not *that* critical. They need to be the same size, and about the same inflation - the rubber in the tires will take up a lot difference though and if you pop it into 4WD on dry pavement and one tire is 10 psi different from the other's you aren't even going to notice it.

 

You'll figure it out when you start driving it. Check your tire pressure, make sure you have the same brand and size all the way around, and then just don't worry about it. I go in/out of 4WD all day long on my transmissions - if it's wet and slick sometimes I'll put it in high. If I want greater traction for a quick take off on a steep hill - same deal. You'll get the hang of taking it out of 4WD for turns and parking manuevers, etc.

 

I'll say this again so it's clear - YOU WILL NOT BREAK ANYTHING with stock size tires. It really doesn't matter what you do - you may get totally bound up and have tires chirping, etc..... it won't actually do damage unless you just forget it's in 4WD and drive it like that every day for a couple years.

 

GD

[zyewdall]

GD's right.... I've never broken anything in 4wd on hard surfaces -- it'll chirp the tires and bind and stuff, but with stock wheels, it doesn't seem to have enough torque to actually break it, just act very unhappy. So.... don't put it in 4wd on hard surfaces

[thehondaguy]

awesome thanks GD. so. i took the loyale in the 12 inches of sno we had and i absolutely LOVE IT! it was so fun and did wayy better than ki expected. its so fun