[ipa]

I went up to Tahoe last weekend, first chance to drive the subie in the snow and it did great. I quickly learned that I am much better downshifting than braking. Does this mean the AWD system is better than the ABS? Is the ABS wheel specific? I took it from south lake to kirkwood on saturday morning, the heaviest day of snow. The mountain ended up closing, but they thought they might open a couple lifts. A bit later we were notified they were closing the highway and if we wanted out to go now. I took that to mean that I was to be driving in the worst possible conditions. Nevertheless, Stu the blue Subaru was sure-footed all the way back to the lake.

 

[canubaru]

ABS was not designed for better stopping power, not in snow or rain or any other driving conditions.

ABS was designed for better steering and control when braking, regardless of conditions.

in other words, the wheels will never ''lock up'' and therefore you never lose your ability to steer the car. this is ABS.

i learned the same thing in my 97 GT in my first snow. going up hill was EASY, no problem. but going down hill was very educational. and yes, DOWNSHIFTING is way better than braking.

in the 90s cars: (not sure about 05 - 09)
if an auto, put it in 2. you do not want a lot of torque at take off. the trans will stay in 2 forever. and then shift up for fuel economy. but when slowing down, let off the gas and down shift all the way to 1.

for the manual trans, start in 2, you do not need a lot of torque at take off.

less brake, more engine / trans.

have fun and be careful.