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174 messages, Last post on May 13, 2009 at 4:45 PM
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Replying to: outpost05 (Sep 08, 2008 12:42 pm) Even with FWD you would not want the rear end slipping and getting in front of you. |
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I had a 97 Legacy which had a pretty neat feature. I was wondering if Subaru still has it. There was a single fuse under the hood near the firewall. If you removed the fuse, the car would operate in front wheel drive mode only. Now, gas was cheaper "back in the day", so I wasn't very diligent in monitoring my mileage, but I seem to remember a 3-4 mpg increase when it was in FWD mode. In Colorado, where I live, you really only need AWD for a few months out of the year. Does anyone have any information on if that is still available in Subaru's?
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Replying to: unclestanky (Sep 17, 2008 12:42 pm) I really don't recommend it. Think of it this way - you save $5 a month on gas (whoopee), but lose the functionality of a $1750 option.
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Replying to: unclestanky (Sep 17, 2008 12:42 pm) Why would you want to go to FWD with a flat tire?
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Replying to: jim314 (Sep 18, 2008 8:32 am)
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Replying to: ateixeira (Sep 18, 2008 7:31 am) Inserting the fuse in the AWD slot permanently energizes the solenoid that uncouples the power to the rear wheels. The rear drive train still turns, being dragged by the rear wheels. The solenoid is not designed for a continuous duty and will soon burn up. |
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Replying to: ateixeira (Sep 18, 2008 10:29 am) On page 9-3 the 2008 Owners Manual says the spare only goes on the rear: "The temporary spare tire must be used only on a rear wheel. If a front wheel tire gets punctured, replace the wheel with a rear wheel and install the temporary spare tire in place of the removed rear wheel." As for disabling the AWD, the manual says that only applies to the 4EAT. On page 9-3 the manual says: "All AWD AT non-turbo models without Vehicle Dynamics Control system: Before driving your vehicle with the temporary spare tire, put a spare fuse inside the FWD connector in the main fuse box located in the engine compartment and confirm that the Front Wheel Drive warning light "AWD" in the combination meter comes on. The all wheel drive capability of the vehicle has now deactivated. After re-installing the conventional tire, remove the spare fuse from the FWD connector in order to reactivate all wheel drive." So, the steps called for by the Owners Manual are: FLAT ON FRONT 1. Remove a rear tire. 2. Install the temporary spare in its place. 3. Remove the flat front tire. 4. Install the rear tire in its place. 5. Remove the storage tray and its contents from the spare tire well. 6. Put the flat tire in the well. -- And for the 4EAT automatic transmission: 7. In the fusebox, install the spare fuse in the FWD slot to disable AWD. 8. A sticker on the temporary spare warns not to exceed 50 mph. 9. Don't drive too far in FWD or damage to drive train may occur. 10. After the flat tire is fixed, put all 3 tires back in their original places. 11. Remove the fuse to restore AWD. FLAT ON REAR 1. Remove flat tire. 2. Install the temporary spare in its place. 3. Remove the storage tray and its contents from the spare tire well. 4. Put the flat tire in the well. -- And for the 4EAT automatic transmission: 5. In the fusebox, install the spare fuse in the FWD slot to disable AWD. 6. A sticker on the temporary spare warns not to exceed 50 mph. 7. Don't drive too far in FWD or damage to drive train may occur. 8. After the flat tire is fixed, put the 2 tires back in their original places. 9. Remove the fuse to restore AWD. You can avoid all this trouble if you just replace the compact spare with a full size spare. Take out the storage tray and the compact spare, and put in a full size spare with the storage bucket to support the floor panel. I did, and it only cost about $200. Got an almost new steel wheel and Geolandar off eBay, and ordered the bucket from the dealer.
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Replying to: aatherton (Sep 27, 2008 3:48 pm) That's what I said. The donut, i.e. the temp spare, goes on the rear axle. The manual agrees with me. |
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2008 Forester XS. From the Bay Area to Eureka and back. Heading up was 26 and back 27.3 mpg. 6400 total miles on the car. The best I've seen was 29.2 -- that was probably coasting down from the Sierras.
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Replying to: johnv (Dec 12, 2008 1:36 pm) |
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