[s-cars] V8 Torsen Diffs

[Dave Ellis]

Hey Taka,

I tried several sizes of snow tire on my 2000 Impreza RS here in Ottawa 
one weekend in varying snow conditions back in late 2000.  As a result 
of testing (all with the same brand/model of tire with the help of a 
local Subaru enthusiast and tire shoppe owner) I found that the best 
tire width for my Impreza was 195 for deeper snow, and 205 for a mix of 
snow, ice, and wet road conditions.  Anything wider just made the car 
loose and and pre-disposed to following ruts in the snow.

I haven't had the same opportunity to test varying tire widths on my '93 
S4 yet, but so far have tried 225, 215, and 195 width snow tires (of 
varying makes/models/wear) on it, and found much the same behaviour when 
exceeding a 215 width in the deep stuff.  195 was great in the deep 
stuff for forward traction, but was far too narrow to offer even 
adequate lateral grip and had too little contact patch to brake 
effectively on wet, dry, or icy roads.  I might consider 225 though if I 
lived in an area with less snow and more icy and wet/slushy conditions.

Dave Ellis
'93 S4
'99.5 A4 1.8t



Taka Mizutani wrote:

>Maybe it's just me, 'cos I have never taken a winter driving course,
>but to me it's interesting that a car that can be quite benign and
>boring pushed hard at the track/autox can be loads of fun and quite
>unstoppable in the snow. I'm experiencing the exact opposite- the car
>that is fun in dry/wet conditions has become a real handful in the
>snow.
>
>I know that I need to conduct further testing next season with
>properly sized snows, but the STi is a really loose, unstable car in
>this snow, running with the factory-spec'd 225/45R17 tires. I'm
>downsizing to 205/50 next year, possibly going to Hakka2 (unstudded)
>otherwise WR-H. I'm pretty sure Subaru doesn't understand how to spec
>snow tires properly- these tires are way too wide for snow, I'm
>floating on top of a thick layer of loose snow.
>
>Igor-
>What size and model snow tires are you running on your S6?
>
>Pizzo-
>What size and model tire are you running on your Evo?
>
>Taka
>  
>