mountainwalker Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 I believe I just saw a Subaru Outback model listed with 4WD. Thought they were only AWD. For mostly highway driving and some weekend mountain road driving all season (including weekend ski areas), would AWD or 4WD be preferable? Would hardly ever be using the car off road - only at the very start of hiking/biking trails I imagine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 every suby has been AWD since 1997........the 4WD era was mostly the 80's and they didnt have an outback at that time.....so it must be AWD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainwalker Posted May 12, 2008 Author Share Posted May 12, 2008 I thought so, owner must not realize AWD is not 4WD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aircraft engineer Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 most people don't make the distinction - AWD means it's always there. 4WD means that you can "choose" They just say 4WD and let it go - you need to know the difference between them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 sucks about the gas mileage with AWD.....but it sure makes you smile when you have 8 inches of snow of the road and drive right by that FWD honda struggling to get moving after a stop light........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 All wheel drive is also very good when dealing with wet roads, particularily during a heavy rain. Sure good tires help prevent hydroplaning, but the Subie AWD makes a big difference too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 well not that it doesnt do harm on anything but you could always throw in the FWD fuse if its an automatic......... i remember in the late 90's it was by the shock tower and i think they moved it to the fuse box on some models.......by the way does anyone know what year they stopped offering the FWD fuse holder on Subarus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinthe202 Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 most people don't make the distinction - AWD means it's always there. 4WD means that you can "choose" They just say 4WD and let it go - you need to know the difference between them There is also full-time 4wd which is different from AWD and 4WD. There was a good post about it in the old gen. forum a few months back if anyone is interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluestone Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Besides lower gas mileage, the other drawback of AWD is faster tire wear; AWD reduces tread life by, maybe, 25%. With gas prices going up, up, up and tires getting more and more costly, these factors might be something to consider for the really economy minded. Hmm, maybe I should chuck my Sube for a horse and buggy, a la the Pennsylvania Dutch. Naah, a horse eats like...well, a horse. And the prices of grains are going through the roof. Ah, I know! I'll get a rickshaw, and have one of my concubines power it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNY_Dave Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Besides lower gas mileage, the other drawback of AWD is faster tire wear; AWD reduces tread life by, maybe, 25%.With gas prices going up, up, up and tires getting more and more costly, these factors might be something to consider for the really economy minded. Hmm, maybe I should chuck my Sube for a horse and buggy, a la the Pennsylvania Dutch. Naah, a horse eats like...well, a horse. And the prices of grains are going through the roof. Ah, I know! I'll get a rickshaw, and have one of my concubines power it. Or, if you drive the way I do, the AWD probably extends the tire life beyond what it would otherwise be for me. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainwalker Posted May 13, 2008 Author Share Posted May 13, 2008 Or, if you drive the way I do, the AWD probably extends the tire life beyond what it would otherwise be for me. Dave What's your driving style? What's the best way to extend longevity with AWD, smooth and steady? Isn't that true in general? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Would that be an outback with 4wd and a v-4 or v-6 (I've seen all listed). Most people are clueless as to what is under thier hood. Its AWD. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 does anyone know what year they stopped putting the FWD fuse holder in Subarus?...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNY_Dave Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 What's your driving style? What's the best way to extend longevity with AWD, smooth and steady? Isn't that true in general? If you go smooth and steady you'll get max tire life. I usually ended up scuffing the tires in my other vehicles, sliding them just a bit. In the subie, I just gas it and they don't slide at all. So for me, the AWD is probably extending the tire life- less than a gentle driver would get, though. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 If you go smooth and steady you'll get max tire life. I usually ended up scuffing the tires in my other vehicles, sliding them just a bit. In the subie, I just gas it and they don't slide at all. So for me, the AWD is probably extending the tire life- less than a gentle driver would get, though. Dave In theory (this is only on our engineering paper) if you properly rotate the tires on a FWD car the tires supposedly will last the life of the car. Now i have never seen this, and have disputed it whenever i saw it. I think those suspension engineers have been hitting the old silicon fluid too hard.... That being said, being religous about tire rotation, infaltion, and maintanence will maximize the life of tires (dont look at me as i can never get more then 45,000 miles out of a set). nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankosolder2 Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 In theory (this is only on our engineering paper) if you properly rotate the tires on a FWD car the tires supposedly will last the life of the car. Now i have never seen this, and have disputed it whenever i saw it. I think those suspension engineers have been hitting the old silicon fluid too hard.... That being said, being religous about tire rotation, infaltion, and maintanence will maximize the life of tires (dont look at me as i can never get more then 45,000 miles out of a set). nipper Nipper, I agree with you; that engineering paper sounds dubious- I think FWD cars are the hardest on tires! FWD cars tend to be nose heavy, all the power and most of the braking done through the two front tires... Nathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2X2KOB Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 I guess that depends what "the life of the car" really means. One set of hard tires might last the short, desperate life of a 'Taurus' or an 'Alero'. Not a Subaru, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
four-fleet-feet Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Don't believe all that bullhockey about 'life of car' tires on FWDs. My last FWD (not a Subie) ate tires like a chainsaw. It wasn't my driving; it was the FWD, which was the only one I'd ever had. I can usually get 45-60k out of a set of tires, even loaded for camping or towing, and I'm rabidly fanatical about them. Hit one wear bar and they're GONE. My FWD went through most of a THIRD set in only 52k, and came with Michelins to begin with. They didn't even last the first 13k. No mechanical problems with the car; it just ate tires. ALL FOUR of them. I've NEVER seen good, fresh Michelins wear like that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Don't believe all that bullhockey about 'life of car' tires on FWDs. My last FWD (not a Subie) ate tires like a chainsaw. It wasn't my driving; it was the FWD, which was the only one I'd ever had. I can usually get 45-60k out of a set of tires, even loaded for camping or towing, and I'm rabidly fanatical about them. Hit one wear bar and they're GONE. My FWD went through most of a THIRD set in only 52k, and came with Michelins to begin with. They didn't even last the first 13k. No mechanical problems with the car; it just ate tires. ALL FOUR of them. I've NEVER seen good, fresh Michelins wear like that... i SAID it was unbelivable ..... For the record, i have never gotten good life out of michelins on any car. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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