Pardon my lack of knowledge, but this is my first time driving an AWD car, let alone an STI, so bear with me as I ask these probably dumb questions. I have these tires : http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...&autoModel=Impreza WRX 4-Door&autoModClar=STI and am wondering how much slippage I should feel when driving on snowy roads. My drive in this morning felt fine until I decided to make a left turn from a stand still and then i felt the car slip a little bit (but not an unmanageable slip) I don't want to drive around like a crazy person, but I was hoping I could get a reasonable estimate as to how nicely this car should drive in the winter with these tires. I also leave the C. Diff at Auto, should I set it to manual and change this to something more specific? Thanks in advance, New Subaru driver
I do not condone wreck less driving..... BUT, one of the best ways is to go in an empty lot, and learn your car. Its really hard/impossible to tell you how much slippage you can expect. Because we have no idea how heavy or light of a foot you have. Of course some tires are better, but with STi HP driving the tires, its easy to get sideways. Also, check out a winter control clinic/class. Those are REALLY good. I think NF puts on one in the winter. (at least I saw pictures of one when there was snow on the ground) I also think an Audi group puts several on as well. But really, seat time is best. Even if you're not "screwing around", just driving around the neighborhood with snow on the ground is VERY good.. Hope this helps
Tony is right, practice makes perfect. You could have the best AWD and snow tires in the world but you can still wreck if you don't know how your car behaves when you lose traction. A flat empty parking lot that you know doesn't have hidden obstacles is an easy/safe way to learn to control your car in the snow and I would encourage you to try the different settings for your DCCD. When you are driving around town "Auto" is probably best but you should get a feel for what the locked center diff feels like and how it changes the behavior of the car. Also, keep in mind that AWD doesn't help you stop one bit so don't get overconfident. Oh and beware of hidden curbs when you are getting sideways in a parking lot because that can be an expensive repair.
I live over by the Wayzata High School Parking lot and i believe that there is lots of space over there on the weekend. maybe i'll take it out there if there is still snow on the ground then. I'll also play around with the DCCD while driving it there and see what it feels like Thanks folks!
those are all seasons, they wont be as good as winter tires especially when turning/stopping. It also doesnt help that your car has a ton of torque.
They'll do fine, not great or amazing though unless you're comparing to other all season tires. All car's slip and slide a bit if you want it to, even with the best "winter" tires My car was slipping and sliding today, but I made it do that Those tires will be fine. I drove on Potenza RE92 for 3 years without any issues or accidents
right, that's what i figured. It's worlds better than the summer performance tires that were on the car when i purchased it. I'm hoping to save some money and get winters next year. I'll just make sure to be safe out there
The idea of seat time in a controlled environment is awesome, just do some homework and have a list of idea's what exactly you'll want to work on otherwise you'll have mixed results and soon the training becomes shenanigans lol. You'll want to start learning to drive with a very light grip on the wheel so you may notice the slightest slippage. Also it's crucial that you learn to start looking way ahead and keep your eyes moving, look where you want to go. Anytime you're driving on low traction surfaces you'll want to start judging just how long it will take to get the results you want when you apply your inputs. For example if it takes about 4 seconds to make a left turn at a certain speed and condition you'll want to start apply that much earlier before the turn. And if you need to apply a little braking to shift the weight to the front to assist in front grip. The biggest challenge in winter driving is understeer, the sooner you learn to induce the rear the better your options will be. I increase my tire pressures when the snow is thick and heavy often at max or just above, and lower my PSI when it's icy. All my street cars have winter tires, it makes it a joy to drive and it helps to keep my excitement in my pants and my insurance low. Hope that helps.
They're all seasons so definitely not as good as four real snow tires. Probably slip and slide around some. There's no substitute for real snow tires.
***cough*** DEREK ***cough** He's right. These are what I use for my winter setup. Best ratings at the time for snow for all-seasons. Have been doing awesome, and lets me procrastinate more before switching to a summer setup in the spring vs snow tires.
Nah, yall are wrong. At every stop light, plant your right foot on the gas, side step the clutch and hold on for dear life. If someone gets in your way, that's why you have a horn. And the only correct way around a turn is sideways!
Ok, all joking aside, definitely find a safe space to explore the limits of your tires and car. But be careful not to get too over confident, as there are still other idiots out there on the road that you need to look out for. Yes, AWD helps you accelerate faster, and snow tires help you brake and turn better...but the idiot behind you on bald summer tires can't stop any faster PS: keeping your center diff in auto is normally the best. If you have an 08+ STI, putting the center diff into "Auto +" will yield better traction in slippery conditions, at a small expense of cornering ability. This is another good thing to experiment with in a safe space...try comparing the center diff in full open (manual mode, only one small bar) to full lock (manual mode, full bars to LOCK).
I was out driving my 08 STi today with Blizzak WS60's. It gripped really well, but even with those tires if you get on it the back end will come out and tires will spin. I have those continentals on my wife's WRX and they seem to do well on that car. If your STI is an 08+ with idrive, try using the i setting, it reduces the fun factor, but makes it easier to control in the winter.
This is exactly what i ended up doing last night. setting it to I made a good difference when it came to taking turns.
Yes, for an all-season, Its the best out there, but not as good as a winter tire. I got this tire as a back up to my winter set
