perdido34

I have a 2010 A4 Quattro (no sport diff), my wife has a 2011 Subaru Impreza. If I go around a corner on a slushy road in my Audi and the car is sliding into oversteer, the oversteer suddenly stops and the car then travels in a straight line; the skid has been corrected. I'm assuming this is the traction control system, correct?

So does anybody happen to know what system Subaru uses and how it will handle similar skids?

audi8k

If the ESP intervenes you will see the yellow ESP (skid) light briefly turn on.

DennisM

Is the Impreza auto or manual?
I've never driven a Subaru with traction control (and my wife hasn't had her Q5 in snow yet), but in a sliding situation both of Subaru's AWD systems react more quickly when you keep your foot on the accelerator. My wife was skidding going downhill in her automatic Outback and regained traction by gently staying on the gas.

From Subaru.com:

My advice is to find a big empty parking lot in the snow to see how both cars react in a sliding situation. You don't even have to be going that fast to force the car into a slide and get a feel for the AWD.

-Dennis

markcincinnati

ESP is "helping" get you out of the skid on the Audi. I assume the Subaru has a similar system. . . .

perdido34

It's a 5-speed manual. We'll give your parking lot test a try...

Before buying the QA4, I owned a Saab 9-2x manual (which is mechanically the same as a 2005 WRX). AWD, no traction control. What worked best in a cornering skid with that car was taking my foot off the gas, declutching, and waiting a fraction of a sec for the skid to stop, then going into gear and applying the gas gently. But it had no traction control. The A4 is far superior in the snow due to traction control.

DennisM

I presume the new Impreza will also be better due to VDC and TCS.

Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC)
VDC electronic stability control utilizes sensors which constantly monitor wheel speed, steering angle, brake pressure, vehicle yaw rate and lateral g-forces. If VDC detects a difference between the driver's intended path and the one the vehicle is actually taking, VDC applies braking power and/or reduces engine torque to help correct vehicle path.

Traction Control System (TCS)
VDC also incorporates an all-wheel, all-speed traction control system which, when sensing a loss of traction, applies braking force and reduces engine torque to the slipping wheel or wheels as necessary to maintain vehicle motion.

In my Forester XT without traction control, I've never had any issues with skidding except when I've braked too hard at a stop. The Nokian WRG2's I now run on the Forester and Q5 help with braking.

-Dennis

QUA77R0

The B8 A4 ESP is exceptional. At a recent track day at Infineon Raceway, it was raining pretty heavily in the morning and I had the opportunity to swap some seat time in a Porsche 996 Turbo. The Porsche owner felt (as did I) that the Audi had better grip than the Porsche AWD system. The transfer of power was certainly smoother in the Audi than the Porsche. I chalk it up to electronics/ESP programming. I was reviewing some video footage the other day and it was funny (for me not them) to watch a BMW M Coupe fishtailing all the way from T1 to T4. At least he managed to keep it on the track which is more than I can say for at least 6 people that morning. The ESP complements the quattro system really well and can be felt distributing power smoothly.

Be careful testing in a parking lot. Things can be alot of fun on snow until you dig through it and hit ice...whole different ball game. Ice, natures humbler.

UmIsThisThingOn

Or a parking bumper!

Old Dog

Ah, your comment brings back some old memories . Although this happened decades ago, it supports what you said. A buddy decides to show his four friends some power turns in a large parking lot. Luckily in those days stores were not opened on Sundays. Any ways, off he goes and starts his power turn. Well, he soon found himself sliding backwards and unable to stop. Me and a couple of friends are sitting in the back seat watching him slide helplessly backwards. Now fast approaching is a construction barrier and we know we are going to hit it. We sure did, but it only resulted in minor damage, a broken left taillight.

So, yes, ice is nature's humbler .

redherring

My '09 Forester XT Ltd. (with TCS and VDC) drives almost identically to my A4 in the snow; really the only difference is the ground clearance in the Subaru (good) and resultant higher center of gravity (not so good). The Audi feels a little more stable and connected to the road, while the Subaru will plow through deeper stuff; otherwise I find the feel to be quite similar.