All wheel or 4 wheel

[Bob Miller]

I would like your opinion on all wheel drive vs 4 wheel drive. I
would like to get a all wheel drive in the future are they as good or
better then 4 wheel drive on the snow. Thank you for any help you can
give me. Bob

 

[Le Bernadin]

(e-mail address removed) (Bob Miller) wrote in @storefull-2233.public.lawson.webtv.net:

I would like your opinion on all wheel drive vs 4 wheel drive. I
would like to get a all wheel drive in the future are they as good or
better then 4 wheel drive on the snow. Thank you for any help you can
give me. Bob

Most AWD Scoobies these days are 90/10 meaning unless rear traction is
needed, the vehicle is essentially a FWD. Its only re-distributed to true
AWD under conditions that warrant it.

I believe the WRX and naturally STI are fulltime AWD but there are
certainly people who are more versed in this that can add their 2 cents.

 

[Marc Soloway]

Close, Subaru has a couple of different AWD systems,
Auto, Hydraulic fluid shift within the transfer case plates get pushed
together 60/40 maximum split Electronic, disable with fuse when using small
spare or AT temp light comes on.

5 speed Manual Viscous differential Coupling, plates separated by silicone
gets thick and binds plates when heated, slipping 90/10 this is also used on
the models which have Ltd slip rear's (XS and above Foresters, All Outbacks,
but the sport, 2.5 GT, and WRX and STi.) STi also has an electronic suretrac
system in the front.

VDC, Vehicle dynamics control, only on the VDC 6 Cyl OB, is an electronic
system which will even depower 4 of the 6 cyl, can slow one wheel and speed
up another. (only for the truly aggressive driver or for severe avoidance
situations.) There is also a VTD, Variable Torque Distribution which routes
55 to the rear.

Now that should clear up the mechanics

AWD has an open center differential which allows for varying amounts of
power, you are less likely to Hydroplane, you will track truer in the
corners (4WD jumps in tight turns) it is better on the roads. 4WD is better
off the Roads. When our plow truck gets stuck we pull it out with a Subie.

Marc Soloway
Natick Subaru Sales
Natick, MA

 

[Dominic Richens]

I would like to get a all wheel drive in the future are they as good or
better then 4 wheel drive on the snow.

AWD is better for street driving in crappy weather. The main advantage you
want over 2WD is that the torque on each drive wheel is 1/2, so you are less
likely to lose traction, especially in corners. I have heard that in a 4WD
you have to be careful going round tight corners in slippery conditions as
the rear wheels are trying to go the same speed as the front (i.e. no center
differential), so they spin out and you fish-tail. All Subaru AWD have some
form of limited slip center differential so it helps too if you have one
wheel or both wheels on an axel on ice.

4WD would be better in unplowed back country roads where you are not trying
to go fast, just trying to go.

 

[J999w]

4WD would be better in unplowed back country roads where you are not trying

to go fast, just trying to go.

That would partially explain why my '87 XT 4wd crawls through deep snow better
than my '92 Legacy AWD ! (narrower tires on the XT too).

jw
milwaukee

 

[Tony Hwang]

Hi,
If you have to ask that question, drive AWD, you may damage 4X4
drive train.
Tony

 

[David]

I would like your opinion on all wheel drive vs 4 wheel drive. I
would like to get a all wheel drive in the future are they as good or
better then 4 wheel drive on the snow. Thank you for any help you can
give me. Bob

Most "4WD" vehicles are part time, and if you're using them on snow
on the road, it's to get unstuck, or to drive slowly. I'm sure it's fine for
snowy conditions*, but AWD is more pleasant for on road driving.

Full time 4WD is very similar to AWD, but often (always?) comes with features
that make it better for off-roading:
1. At least one locking diff
2. Low-range off-road gearing.

Full time 4WD tends to be only available on expensive trucks, although if
memory serves, Kia may offer it too. OTOH, for nearly all of my driving,
I think I'd rather be driving my Forester than a Kia Sorrento.



* (footnote) Last time I was in a vehicle that got stuck, it was a truck with a primitive
PT 4WD system on an unploughed road. We were spinning one front and one back
tire, and finally backed out (actually we continued on our bikes, then backed out after
returning to the truck), since we couldn't procede. We had been chopping away fallen
trees & branches to get as far as we did.

The truck may have had an advantage over my Sube as it had better clearance, but it's
advantage sure wasn't in its drive system, as I have an LS rear diff, and should be able
to spin 3 tires instead of 2. Also my tires are in better shape, which in this case I think
mattered more than the drive system.

 

[Frank Logullo]

I would like your opinion on all wheel drive vs 4 wheel drive. I
would like to get a all wheel drive in the future are they as good or
better then 4 wheel drive on the snow.

In my experience, it is about the same. An important point missed in this
thread is that all Subies come with ABS.
Also, this time of year in the northern hemisphere, most of the vehicles you
see in ditches are 4WD.
Stupid drivers do not understand that all vehicles have 4 wheel brakes and
irregardless of drive do not stop faster ;(
Frank

 

[BSackamano]

I always add the 4WB option. It's worth the money...

 

[GTT]

I don't mean to pick at what may be a typo, but what is a "4WB" option?
I'm willing to learn something new!

 

[David]

I don't mean to pick at what may be a typo, but what is a "4WB" option?
I'm willing to learn something new!

4 wheel brakes, referring to the part below.

 

[Åke Johansson]

And some does not understand that "all wheel" is identical to "4 wheel".
Most vehicles have exactly four wheels.

 

[David]

And some does not understand that "all wheel" is identical to "4 wheel".
Most vehicles have exactly four wheels.

Manufacturers mean different things by the terms though (although not that different).
In neither case does a part-time system have a center differential. Although sometimes
manufacturers and comsumers differ on what is and isn't a part-time system.

It helps to define the terms before making a decision on which is better. I didn't do
that (although I may have clarified it a little in my first post), but I didn't say which
is better either.

 

[GTT]

Okay, sorry. It was not nearly so naked in the earlier post. I see the
humor
now!