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Comments
The VTM-4 system does transfer less and less power to the rear wheels as you speed up and eventually it is FWD only, unless there is slippage (you can be above 20mph for the rear wheels to kick in).
Bob, strange since you'd think that he'd know being a Chrysler mechanic. It is a purely mechanical viscous AWD coupling system, so I don't see why he would think that the system wouldn't work in reverse. Well in any case,I can tell you for sure that AWD does work in reverse. One or twice I've started driving down my snow covered street, realised that I left something in the garage, and backed up with no problems. The front wheels slip for an instant, and then the rear ones help out and I reverse uphill w/o problems.
I've also accidentally understeered ( snow covered ice) into a couple of small bushes while going around a cul-de-sac, and managed to back up. The only little damage was to my pride ;-) This was last year, and so far, the new BFGoodrich Control T/A M65 tires that the van is wearing seem to be a heck of a lot better than the Big-O-Tires (made by Pirelli)) that were on before. I had to work really hard trying to do donuts in the snow since the rearend just wouldn't come around fast enough because of the amount of grip that was present.
-mike
-mike
Bob's referring to Jake Moran, Mike Moran's brother (BugBomb on i Club). He works at Fitzgerald Chrysler, and he's also in one of the photos from Baltimore.
It's pretty intersting to hear his perspective on things. He said the PT Cruiser offered poor engine access, which is interesting because everyone's talking about slamming them. He also said the minivan trannys are still iffy, and it's a good idea to flush the ATF every 30k at least.
The industry has to get the AWD/4WD naming convention right. 4WD to me means it has a low range, plain and simple.
Otherwise it's AWD. So Honda's "Real Time 4WD" is actually part-time only AWD. So are most of the newcomers, like Tribute, Santa Fe, RAV4, etc.
-juice
Cheers,
-wdb
;-)
-juice
The Search feature is...comin' along...gettin' better...but still needs some work.
KarenS
Owner's Clubs host
-mike
Yup, ramon, traditional trucks lock into 4WD. That's why they are for slippery surfaces only, otherwise there would be binding in turns.
-juice
I think it would be a great idea to have a more in-depth technical write up on how our AWD systems work in addition to the information already available on the SOA website.
One reason is that a lot of common questions pop up: How quickly does each system react? What are their torque splits in different gears/speeds? How does it affect driving and handling? A lot of these questions have been answered on an ad hoc basis here, but it would be great to see them summarized in one FAQ.
A second reason is that with the VDC wagon and WRX, Subaru is introducing yet another flavor of AWD in their vehicles: VTD. How much more different is VTD compared to the Active AWD system?
Finally, as you know, Subaru owner demographics encompass a higher ratio of engineers and techies -- we like this sort of thing!
Ken
I know not to ride the clutch, but I feather it when in reverse, or else I'll shoot out, and also during parking maneuvers or when I'm trying to creep up in traffic. Is this correct? One day I was in traffic traveling less than 5mph so the car was struggling in 1st gear. I didn't want to ride the clutch. How should I have handled the sitch? Any advice is always appreciated.
Caroline
Drew
Host
Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
At very low speeds you can try being really light on the gas and use smooth throttle inputs too, if you get on or off it suddenly, the car will jerk). If that is still too fast, you have no choice but to engage the clutch and coast.
This "dance" is why even hardcore MT drivers sometimes favor an automatic in really heavy gridlock.
-Colin
A natural I'm not but neither would I trade a 5sp for an auto and I bet juice's wife would say the same.
Even the best MT drivers will find it necessary to slip the clutch a bit when driving at very slow speeds. The best thing to do is to learn the catch point of your clutch. By knowing the point of engagement, you can minimize the amount of slip in situations you describe. The best way to learn this is simply practice letting the clutch out slowly with no gas until you feel the car move forward ever so slighlty.
When I'm stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I'll give it a bit of gas in 1st and then coast in neutral as far as I can go.
BTW, I believe in NY (and probably other states too), you're not supposed to coast with the car out of gear for saftey reasons -- imagine being rear ended!
Ken
Thanks!
Patti
Hang in there and relax. I'm sure you won't be burning out your clutch too soon!
Patti
I would not worry about burning out the clutch. It wears slowly, and typically will last anywhere from 60k to 160k miles. Less if you abuse it at the 1/4 mile track.
I had a used Chevy Sprint while in College (hey, I was poor and it got 50mpg), and its clutch went at around 80k miles or so, IIRC.
Signs were obvious - it started slipping a lot, then 1st gear was very difficult to engage. Later you could even smell it burning, and eventually it just gave in completely.
Before that I had a beater Datsun that also had a worn clutch. It slipped so much that I used it to teach my wife - it's easier to learn when it doesn't engage suddenly.
Anyhow, don't sweat it. You should get at least 5 years of use out of it. They're also relatively cheap to replace (at least compared to rebuilding an auto tranny).
-juice
Winter tires make a huge difference over all seasons, even with AWD.
-Colin
Mark -- Check out Section 1216:
http://assembly.state.ny.us/cgi-bin/claws?law=128&art=57
Ken
Fantasticcccccccccccccccccccccccc.
Cheers Pat.
Rob, Cool that you took a driving class with your son! I'm dreaming of that day now. Let me know if you figure out a work-around for the "borrow the GT for a rally" issue.
Re: drew_ Jan 22, 2001 5:25pm
Drew, Bravo, BRAVO! Man you are plugged in to things automotive. Thanks for participating in these here parts. Your different perspective enhances the knowledge here and keeps us honest.
Re: KarenS Jan 23, 2001 8:10am
Karen, any chance of the "List all messages" returning? I understand the problem is the feature consumes a fair amount of resources but I hope a sufficiently large SQL cache would remedy that.
The lack of the "List all messages" feature is unfortunate: Edmunds was a valuable knowledge base and has become a sequential, temporal chat log. Without it, you can't find prior messages or refer people to them. With it, Edmunds becomes, to quote Sir Topham Hatt, "A really useful engine."
..Mike
..Mike
-mike
Their site offers no prices whatsoever. Any idea of the general price range?
-juice
-mike
If I went that route, though, the nudge bar would go well with it.
-juice
Thanks for the info on the NY laws. That is something I never knew about. I don't remember if I was told by the instructor who taught me to drive stick or not. I took one lesson so that I could drive home my first car, a 76 Corolla 5 spd that I bought for $75. One thing he did tell me that has always stuck in my mind: Just drive the car, and if you stall, you stall. Don't worry about any thing or any body who might be honking their horns (I learned in Brooklyn). Just put it in neutral and start all over. I've been driving stick for 13 years now, and have no intention of diving anything else again.
-Caroline
Being a native of Brooklyn myself (Park Slope) I hear you on the horn-happy drivers. I myself learned how to drive on Broadway in rush-hour Manhattan traffic. I learned on an automatic, but the crescendo of taxi cab horns behind me was enough to give me a case of sweaty palms.
Ken
Hang in there, the new OBS should be out in March at dealerships. If you're in the area, consider going to the Philadelphia show for a preview.
Driving in NYC is nuts. DC is very tame in comparison. Except for our circles, they can get a little hairy for some folks.
-juice
Stephen
Drive a big car and carry a large push-bar!
-mike
-juice
Sorry, but the "see all msgs" feature won't be returning. :-(
KarenS
Owner's Club host
-Frank P.
The hillholder disappeared around 96-97. It was a victim of the cable clutch making way for the hydraulic.
-Colin
-Frank P.
Are you saying those models don't use a hydraulic clutch?
Bob
-Caroline
I wouldn't be worried about the extra weight. You have to realise that these cars have a lot more torque than any Integra.
As far as I know, Australian spec Subarus are fitted with hydraulic brakes and a hill holder system. It seems to work just fine. I can only presume that they are not fitted to US spec cars for cost reasons.
Cheers
Graham
Could absolutely be a coincidence and cost cutting, but I've never heard of a North American Subaru with *both* a hydraulic clutch and the hill holder.
-Colin