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legacy in snow not so great

18 messages,  Last post on Jan 24, 2011 at 7:07 PM

You are in the Subaru Legacy & Outback Forum.

What is this discussion about? Subaru Legacy, Subaru, Sedan, Wagon

Messages Page 1 of 2

#1 of 18 legacy in snow not so great by jtny1

Dec 12, 2010 (9:13 am)

OK so I have owned a foe subarus. I won't say my 2010 legacy is bad in the snow but I would say it is not as good as my old subarus. Very disappointing. It slides more, anti lock breaks kick in more and traction is not as good. I talked with subaru and they say new tires would help. Bottom line I never had to replace tires on a subaru when it was fairly new, I knwo the awd is not the same to probally improve the gas milleage (mine has the automatic tranny) and I don't like it. Other than that I love the car but am probally going to trade it in on an equinox or something else. I drove the equinox and it was better in snow and slush by far! Subaru use to have the best awd, something happened!

#2 of 18 Re: legacy in snow not so great [jtny1] by steine13

Dec 12, 2010 (9:36 am)

Replying to: jtny1 (Dec 12, 2010 9:13 am)
Once you have a "decent" AWD system, and Subaru certainly qualifies, the problems you're seeing have to be tires.
 
You say you "never had to replace tires on a subaru when it was fairly new" but you probably never had 17" wheels and sporting pretensions with a Legacy.
 
If you have AWD and live where it snows, I believe you have to have snow tires, otherwise why bother with AWD? $600+ ought to by you 16" steelies and a set of namebrand snow tires -- I've had very good luck with Blizzaks and FWD in Michigan.
 
Good luck -Mathias

#3 of 18 Re: legacy in snow not so great [steine13] by fibber2

Dec 12, 2010 (10:07 am)

Replying to: steine13 (Dec 12, 2010 9:36 am)
Absolutely agree! Before you toast a few grand on trading in a new car, spend $700 at Tire Rack on a nice alloy wheel and snow tire package. Snow tires make a world of difference.
 
I have bought 4 such packages over the years for our 2 cars. Their alloys are so inexpensive that it almost doesn't pay to have tires remounted when you get a new set. I'm going to Craig's list the old set to recover part of the expense. A new set of alloys every couple of years gives a fresh look to the car, and makes it unique.

#4 of 18 My Legacy is good in snow by easypar

Dec 12, 2010 (3:42 pm)

I haven't noticed the "new" awd as being bad, but it's been 7 years since I had my last subaru. I've got a '10 Legacy and I spent 3+ weeks up in the snow last winter, both CO and UT and mine handled just fine. OTOH I've lived in the UP of MI, Watertown NY and Bavaria and never had a problem. Most of those places were with RWD.
No sudden moves, no sudden changes, no problems.

#5 of 18 Re: My Legacy is good in snow [easypar] by steine13

Dec 12, 2010 (4:56 pm)

Replying to: easypar (Dec 12, 2010 3:42 pm)
Oh man, we got our first real snow today in mid-MI and we got it but good. 1" overnight with temps around freezing, then 4" around noon and temperatures starting to drop from 34 to now 17 while it snowed another couple inches. Wind picked up too and shifted north.
 
The driving is OK -- Vibe FWD w/ new snows -- but the windshield wipers ice up and won't work. I hate it. Tonight 10 degrees and windchill of -10 by morning. No word yet on school closures or not. I'm sick of winter before it started...
 
Cheers -Mathias

#6 of 18 Re: My Legacy is good in snow [steine13] by xwesx

Dec 13, 2010 (11:23 am)

Replying to: steine13 (Dec 12, 2010 4:56 pm)
We are very well settled into winter here (even though yes, technically we have another week + to winter!). The last several days have been a near-constant -20F, but no wind, so it is quite tolerable.
 
The best part about winter tires in these temperatures? No flat-spottting!
 
To reply to the OP, the AWD system is better if anything than in previous years simply as a result of the more responsive system. The stock tires, however, are junk on snow/ice. Why do they do this? Apparently to save a little money on the OE and annoy the %$# out of their customers.
 
The system will do what it must to see the car along, but if there is little/no traction, there is only so much it can do - especially when it comes to stopping! Put decent tires on it, and it will take you more places than you'll likely care to go.
 
I was out for a drive in our '10 Forester with my children on Saturday, and somehow *whistles innocently* found myself out on the Tanana River dike and surrounding mud-bogging trails. Of course, everything is froze up and covered with about 12-14" of of snow, but it was still fun to traverse the bumps, inclines, etc. At some point, we found ourselves in Wonderland, with the little trail we were on - all but unused in the last couple of months - closing up in front of us. It was a tiny little windy thing, so I was loathe to back out of it, but eventually the shrubs that enclosed it were rubbing both sides and the top simultaneously, and the trail was still getting smaller!
 
I decided to save the paint and back out of it, which was tedious but doable. After we arrived home, I could see that those shrubs did a number on the car, but I think it will buff out come Spring.

#7 of 18 FWD in snow by ateixeira

Dec 13, 2010 (11:31 am)

Come over and borrow my long wheelbase FWD vehicle in snow, it'll convince you that yours can't be that bad.
 
Going up hills, weight shifts back, and FWD spins the tires uselessly. VSC only makes it worse, retarding whatever momentum you had. I have to back up, turn VSC off, and try again.
 
Trust me, yours is not that bad...

#8 of 18 Re: legacy in snow not so great [jtny1] by kmaurer

Jan 02, 2011 (9:20 am)

Replying to: jtny1 (Dec 12, 2010 9:13 am)
I own a 2011 Legacy 3.6R. I used to own a 2008 Legacy 2.5i. The tires make a world of difference. I got 17" snow tires (used the base wheels, wish I had bought a second set, but that's another story), and the car now drives beautifully in the snow. No slipping, little ABS kicking in, no wheel spin. Invest in some snow tires; you'll be glad you did.

#9 of 18 Re: legacy in snow not so great [kmaurer] by ateixeira

Jan 03, 2011 (10:00 am)

Replying to: kmaurer (Jan 02, 2011 9:20 am)
While true, the 3.6R also gets the superior VTD AWD system.

#10 of 18 Legacy in snow by easypar

Jan 04, 2011 (4:00 pm)

Has anyone tried Bridgestone Dueler H/L? My wife has those on her Lexus RX (2wd) and I drove it last week in some snow and I thought they were much better than the Michelins had been.

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