Is it more advantageous to me if I turn of my AWD in the summer months. my friend think it a must
Turn off? Is that possible? There are thousands of AWD vehicles here in the desert with summer temperatures above 100F for 5 months, nobody stops driving their AWD vehicle.
I didn’t know you could turn off AWD. I thought that the big selling point of AWD is that you didn’t have to fool with switching from 2-wheel to 4-wheel drive.
Did you hear your friend’s suggestion correctly?
AWD cannot be turned off in Subarus.
Yes, and no…
In older Subarus, there was a special fuse holder mounted on or near the passenger-side shock mount, and by inserting a fuse, it was possible to turn-off the AWD mechanism, and essentially make it into a FWD vehicle temporarily in the event of having to mount a temporary spare tire. However, an upgrade in their AWD mechanisms eliminated that feature in recent years.
I can’t say for sure when that feature was eliminated, but I am tempted to say that it went bye-bye sometime around the 2004 or 2005 model year.
Instead of taking advice about an expensive to repair drive system I would talk to the Subaru dealer service department . Or I would just drive the vehicle as it is because that sounds like a silly suggestion.
In 2014 models, you can turn off traction control but not the AWD.
Your friend’s wrong…keep that in mind from now on.
My recollection from driving my boss’s Subaru wagon on a long trip in the 1980s: there was a lever or switch near the shift lever; it switched the car from AWD to FWD. The idea was maybe a little less wear and tear and a little better MPG when in FWD.
No longer. Full time AWD. Used to be able to get FWD Subarus.
Suggest to not try that (presuming it’s possible to do) without first consulting a dealership. The Subaru automotive engineers likely didn’t anticipate the vehicle would be used in that configuration so didn’t test for suspension and steering system stability and safety.
That was then, this is now, and there hasn’t been a switch for changing from AWD to FWD on Subarus for a couple of decades, at least.
Has your “knowledgeable” friend told you exactly HOW to do this?
Everyone has opinions, but sharing unsupportable opinions with others can lead to expensive problems for the gullible person who believes “experts” like your friend.
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Even if it was possible it would be just like a 2 wheel drive vehicle so there would be nothing to test for.
I have heard stories of people removing some parts (driveshaft?) to permanently change a Subaru to FWD, for MPG reasons.
Maybe not. It is quite possible that the friend might have referred to turning off the traction control and the OP confused that with the AWD. If that was what the friend was thinking, then that friend does have a point.
When doing some “spirited cornering”, the traction control will apply some braking to the inside front wheel to reduce understeer. Under the right conditions, and if you apply a bit of extra throttle at the right moment, it will kick the backend out into a drift. It’s fun as long as you can handle it.
That could be, but then the friend advised the OP to disable one of the car’s safety features without being clear about it, and without making sure the OP knew what they meant. Still not good.
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I can’t imagine someone doing something that stupid to their Subaru to gain a few MPGs.
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"When doing some “spirited cornering”, the traction control will apply some braking to the inside front wheel to reduce understeer. Under the right conditions, and if you apply a bit of extra throttle at the right moment, it will kick the backend out into a drift. It’s fun as long as you can handle it."
With the exception of gymkhana (now solo) racing with a stock 1960 Austin Healey Sprite Mk1. I never purposely exceeded a cars actual adhesion limits. I limited my non professional skills to 8/10ths. At age 66 I have reduced my limit to 6/10ths. I still love clipping a perfect apex although much slower.