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I have a 2014 forester. First time it snowed I slid off my driveway and one tire was off the ground. Had to get towed by a friend because that one wheel kept sp

I have a 2014 forester. First time it snowed I slid off my driveway and one tire was off the ground. Had to get towed by a friend because that one wheel kept spinning. I thought the brakes were supposed to stop that automatically. Didn’t happen. Second time I tried to drove through a small patch of snow I lost all traction and had to dig out all the wheels and rock it. It was 2” of melting snow over a 50 foot by 10 foot patch. Any ideas why? I’ve just avoided driving in the snow for over a decade. I really don’t see the hype vs my reality.

hmmm-i-wonder 2y ago
Sounds like a wrong tire problem, not an AWD problem to me. My parents also had a 2014 Forrestor. They parked it next to my shed when they went on a cruise one winter, and it crawled itself out of a 2 foot snowbank without shovelling it when they got back. That thing was a tank in snow and I definitely abused it when I had the chance. For the 'tire spinning in the air', sounds like the other tires must have been spinning too so there wasn't anywhere to transfer the power to, but I'm only guessing.
- HeyLaughingBoy 2y ago
  I agree. My RWD 350Z with winter tires would probably have handled both of those situations without batting an eyelash.
- snowingsnow 2y ago
  Nope just one wheel. Factory tires. I like everyone telling me it’s my fault for not having the right tires. Lol. Like the claims Subaru makes are only valid if I spend a grand on tires for my new car. If you have to tie yourself in knots to justify marketing you can fuck right off.
  - asa400 2y ago
    This applies to literally every car ever made, and doubly so to those that have open differentials. Every single car manufacturer on earth provides cheap tires from the factory to keep the sticker price down. You can either get mad or you can learn something. Good luck to you.
    - snowingsnow 2y ago
      Same to you.
  - hmmm-i-wonder 2y ago
    >Factory tires. I like everyone telling me it’s my fault for not having the right tires. Doesn't matter if you like it, it matters that they are right and you are wrong. >If you have to tie yourself in knots to justify marketing you can fuck right off. I will fuck off but that doesn't make you right, just obstinately wrong. https://gearjunkie.com/motors/winter-tires-vs-all-season-drive-test https://gearjunkie.com/motors/winter-tires-vs-all-season-dri...
asa400 2y ago
I second the sibling comment saying that this is likely a tire issue more than anything. If you're sliding down a snowy driveway or hill, no AWD/4WD in the world will save you from that, that's purely a mechanical grip issue, i.e., tires. Literally everything having to do with grip (getting unstuck, braking, handling, stopping) depends on tires. I'd recommend something like a Michelin CrossClimate or (depending on whether you're going to go on dirt/mud/trails) something like a Yokohama Geolandar G015. Going with something that is 3-peak Mountain Snowflake rated will help in the cold and snow. Failing that, if you're going to run a more economy/highway-focused tire, just make sure to replace them before they get too worn. Most tires' winter performance falls off a cliff when they're old. I don't know if the 2014 models have the X-mode system, but if they do, you'll want to enable it when driving on anything snow/dirt/gravel/sand, it will make the traction control brake vectoring power transfer more aggressive.

hmmm-i-wonder 2y ago

Sounds like a wrong tire problem, not an AWD problem to me. My parents also had a 2014 Forrestor. They parked it next to my shed when they went on a cruise one winter, and it crawled itself out of a 2 foot snowbank without shovelling it when they got back. That thing was a tank in snow and I definitely abused it when I had the chance. For the 'tire spinning in the air', sounds like the other tires must have been spinning too so there wasn't anywhere to transfer the power to, but I'm only guessing.

HeyLaughingBoy 2y ago
I agree. My RWD 350Z with winter tires would probably have handled both of those situations without batting an eyelash.
snowingsnow 2y ago
Nope just one wheel. Factory tires. I like everyone telling me it’s my fault for not having the right tires. Lol. Like the claims Subaru makes are only valid if I spend a grand on tires for my new car. If you have to tie yourself in knots to justify marketing you can fuck right off.
- asa400 2y ago
  This applies to literally every car ever made, and doubly so to those that have open differentials. Every single car manufacturer on earth provides cheap tires from the factory to keep the sticker price down. You can either get mad or you can learn something. Good luck to you.
  - snowingsnow 2y ago
    Same to you.
- hmmm-i-wonder 2y ago
  >Factory tires. I like everyone telling me it’s my fault for not having the right tires. Doesn't matter if you like it, it matters that they are right and you are wrong. >If you have to tie yourself in knots to justify marketing you can fuck right off. I will fuck off but that doesn't make you right, just obstinately wrong. https://gearjunkie.com/motors/winter-tires-vs-all-season-drive-test https://gearjunkie.com/motors/winter-tires-vs-all-season-dri...

asa400 2y ago

I second the sibling comment saying that this is likely a tire issue more than anything. If you're sliding down a snowy driveway or hill, no AWD/4WD in the world will save you from that, that's purely a mechanical grip issue, i.e., tires. Literally everything having to do with grip (getting unstuck, braking, handling, stopping) depends on tires. I'd recommend something like a Michelin CrossClimate or (depending on whether you're going to go on dirt/mud/trails) something like a Yokohama Geolandar G015. Going with something that is 3-peak Mountain Snowflake rated will help in the cold and snow. Failing that, if you're going to run a more economy/highway-focused tire, just make sure to replace them before they get too worn. Most tires' winter performance falls off a cliff when they're old. I don't know if the 2014 models have the X-mode system, but if they do, you'll want to enable it when driving on anything snow/dirt/gravel/sand, it will make the traction control brake vectoring power transfer more aggressive.