[epsylum]

The 02 Subaru Legacy GT is the first AWD car I have ever owned. It is fully loaded with heated everything (heated seats, heated/defrosting mirrors, little electric defroster that thaws out the windshield wipers), plus it is obviously AWD. Well the first big snow came the other day. I must say this car rocks in the snow. I am still getting used to how it wants to slide and have not done my usual sliding around in an empty parking lot to get used to it very much yet. But its performance in the snow was amazing. When everyone was slipping and sliding just trying to accelerate, I was accelerating almost like normal (some tire slippage, but not too much if I stayed out of the revs).

If this thing proves to be as reliable as other Subaru owners say they are, I think I may become a die-hard Soobie fan.

[FoxMustang]

Pretty cool, isn't it? That's one thing I miss about my old Impreza, the AWD could pull the car through damn near anything like it was nothing.

Just remember, it won't help you slow down any faster

[epsylum]

Originally posted by FoxMustang
Just remember, it won't help you slow down any faster

Yeah, my ABS was getting a workout.

[Mr V]

My wife loves her Forester. She runs studded snow tires in the winter!!! Ans she even lets me drive it once in a while!!!
So impressed that when my Chevy Blazer dies its replacement will be a Subaru.(Her Forester does better in the snow that my 4WD Blazer with snow tires).

[epsylum]

More snow forecasted for tomorrow (around a foot). I get to play in the snow again! This time I will be on the look out for an empty parking lot to play amateur rally driver.

[epsylum]

Well it is coming down pretty good. School got cancelled, but not work. So out I went into it. I and a brand new Audi A6 4.2 Quattro were driving into downtown like it was a bright shiny summer day while passing cars slipping and sliding every where. There were a lot less cars on the road than usual. Probably has something to do with the police telling people to stay home. As I neared where I work, I started to drift my car around the near-empty side streets of downtown Indianapolis. Man that was a fun ride to work.

I am sold. As long as I live in an area where snow storms are a given in the winter, I will have an AWD car if possible.

[Warp]

Originally posted by epsylum
There were a lot less cars on the road than usual. Probably has something to do with the police telling people to stay home.

Um...yeah...probably.

[Spydermonkey]

Stop over to www.NASIOC.com there's a giant scoobie community.

BTW, I hae winter but I love playing in the snow. I used to have a 02 WRX, now I have a 06 WRX.

[STG]

I bought an extra set of wheels with Bridgestone Blizzak LM25 high speed snow tires for my '05 Legacy GT.

There are plenty of threads on Subaru sites about one car winter accidents.

[Bushflyr]

What he said. Take it easy for a while. Growing up in RWD drive cars, my right foot is trained to do just the opposite of what it should in an AWD when things go sideways. When I'm driving hard and totallly focused slides are bliss and easily managed. OTOH if you're not expecting it and lift off the gas when it starts to slide, like you would in a RWD, the Subie will swap ends faster than you can blink.

It's definitely worthwhile to get a nice set of aftermarket wheels for summer and put some snows or even studs, depending on where you live, on the stock wheels.

[epsylum]

Originally posted by Bushflyr
What he said. Take it easy for a while. Growing up in RWD drive cars, my right foot is trained to do just the opposite of what it should in an AWD when things go sideways. When I'm driving hard and totallly focused slides are bliss and easily managed. OTOH if you're not expecting it and lift off the gas when it starts to slide, like you would in a RWD, the Subie will swap ends faster than you can blink.

It's definitely worthwhile to get a nice set of aftermarket wheels for summer and put some snows or even studs, depending on where you live, on the stock wheels.

I am. I only get sideways with it in empty parking lots to get used to it. I did notice what you are saying about the difference between RWD and AWD corrections. The AWD likes to drive out of a slide (letting the front wheels pull it through). Last winter I had a FWD car, while it was fun in the dry, in the snow the front just plowed and slid everywhere.

While sideways and on the gas the Subie is very controllable though. It doesn't snap into a slide quite as easily as my last two RWD cars ('86 300zx and '95 Cougar XR7 V-8), but once there it doesn't want to keep going on around like them either.

BTW I think that is it for the snow this year (even though it was below freezing today when it was 70 only 2 days ago). I think the summer and winter wheel and tire combos will be the way to go though.

[STG]

My Legacy GT is an auto and the torque delivery is biased to the rear - it feels like a RWD in most cases. The manual version has a different AWD set up and may have a 50 / 50 torque split.

[Bushflyr]

With that kind of weather, non-studded snows sound like a better option. You really only want studs in those places where it snows and then sticks around for 2 months unless you like changing tires a lot. Those *****Hat$ that put their studs on in October and don't take them off till April even though they live in Seattle drive me nuts.

[epsylum]

Originally posted by Bushflyr
With that kind of weather, non-studded snows sound like a better option. You really only want studs in those places where it snows and then sticks around for 2 months unless you like changing tires a lot. Those *****Hat$ that put their studs on in October and don't take them off till April even though they live in Seattle drive me nuts.

Yeah there is no real need for studs here or even a full on snow tire IMO. Just some good all seasons work fine (which is what I have on now). But aftermarket wheels make sense as you can still accidentally find a snow covered curb or whatever.

[Bushflyr]

Most people run the aftermarket wheels in the summer and stockers in the winter. You can usually pick up stockers cheap if you bend one.