Subaru 05' Outback and newer, DANGEROUS ON ICE!

I agree, the stock Potenza tires that come with the Outback are very dangerous. There are many postings on the web from people who complain that they perform poorly on ice and snow. I originally thought the problem was with those tires,and I replaced them. But that didn't fix my problem.

The problem is not related to the brakes either. The fishtailing sometimes occurs after the car is fully warmed up, and has be moving for several hours.

The Subaru forum link above will reveal that people from all over the country are complaining about the same fishtailing. The number of complaints are not large, though. I was wondering that this being an unusually snowy winter in Washington, if the problem hasn't manifested itself in much greater numbers here this winter.

As I mentioned above, the problem is not related to the tires, the alignment, or the driver. Something changed in the 2005 and later Outback models. If enough people recognize that the fishtailing is due to a car defect and not the road conditions, then we can complain to the dealers in mass, and hopefully get them to correct the problem. At least some of these models are very dangerous to drive in snow and ice.

Bryan

I have a 08 LL Bean and I have experienced what you are talking about. I felt it when I was running my summer wheels and tires(18" 235/50/18) squirmy on the ice. I think it is the power transfer to the wheel that is slipping on the ice. I put Blizzak ws60 tires on my stock 17" wheels and I have not felt the problem since. I know on my car there is a traction control switch. I would try turning it off when in very icy conditions this way you wont have the computer transferring power back and forth to slipping tire. Quite a weird sensation.

"Please, this problem is specific to 2005 Subaru outbacks and newer. It is not related to driver skill, or tires. I believe something is wrong with the car. I am asking if others have a Outback that does the same thing."

Bryan


Bryan,

I did answer your question. I have driven outbacks plenty of times. They have a bad understeer. (think of a boat trying to turn, it take awhile to come around). This is going to kick the rear end around. It is all about grip. It doesn't matter how many wheels you have spinning or what kind of car it is. My buddy just got a good set of snows for his outback and he can't believe the difference it makes for the handling on snow and ice. There is nothing wrong with your outback. If you insist on driving on snow and ice with all season tires then you can help keep the car gripping with a bit of left foot braking. (Practice this in a big parking lot. ) This will push the rear of the car into the road and improve grip. Good luck.

Gregg

Bryan, you said you got new M/S tires, which I have to assume means Mud and Snow "Traction" tires as defined by WSDOT. Which tires did you buy? I'm very interested since my girlfriend recently bought a new Outback. If the stock Bridgestones are no good I want to recommend something safer ASAP.

The power transfer theory where the traction systems is sending power to one wheel or the other in a situation where there is some ongoing slip is interesting, though switching off the traction control is the last thing I would try to see if the fishtailing goes away! Gentle braking to a point where the fishtailing stops and then reapplying power seems more prudent.

Does anyone know the weight distribution of the Subi? The newer models to ride higher and more truck-like, and the salesman pointed out that the boxer engine has a lower center of gravity. However there's all that drivetrain hardware and glass to account for.

Robert

Robert,
The tires I have installed are Goodyear Assurance Tripletred. They were very highly rated when I bought them, but apparently are no longer available. For a good tire summary see the following link. You will see that the stock tire that came with my car (Bridgestone Potenza RE 92) is at the bottom of the list for performance.

www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/sur...isplay.jsp?type=HPAS

Cochise, my car does not have a traction control switch. There is a location for it, and there is a discussion in the users manual, but it has not been installed.
Interesting that Subaru was thinking of allowing the driver to override the traction control system back in 2005. Wonder why?

Thanks Bryan. I have a front wheel drive turbo and there's a traction control switch on the console. The dealer said "don't ever switch that off", so I toggled it as soon as he stepped out of the car. A big "TCS OFF" appeared in the instrument cluster, so surely this is not a recommended setting [Hmm... I bet I could smoke the tires...]. Anyway there must be a practical reason for it so I will consult my owners manual and post back. Did you learn anything on the subaru forum?