I thought these things were awd

[Ricochet]

I nailed the gas on some gravel and couldn't get sideways at all.. I know mine is awd, it has a differential and rear driveshaft, but what gives? Is there more of a fwd bias?

[-JJ-]

if u could'nt get it side ways that means its working

[Ricochet]

but my front wheels were spinning..

[-JJ-]

thats interesting, when i have given it a boot full on gravel i get a bit of rear wheel slip and than grip all round... the australian models have an initial power ratio split of somethin like 65% rear 35% front, that then shifts depending where the grip is at!

[AFBeefcake]

US power spit is 90% front 10% rear until slip and then it with shift to 50% 50%.

[Radar]

Just recently there has been an interesting posting about why the front diff fails - spinning front wheels kill it !

The posting also explained the difference between the US model's tranny and the European model's. Probably the Aussie version has the European tranny, which doesn't let the front wheels spin. It also has a different power distribution.

My front wheels do not spin alone - on snow I can have all four wheels spinning at once - and turn the whole car on the spot like a caroussel

[mbtoloczko]

Originally Posted by Ricochet

I nailed the gas on some gravel and couldn't get sideways at all.. I know mine is awd, it has a differential and rear driveshaft, but what gives? Is there more of a fwd bias?

US model SVXes tend to understeer strongly, even in dirt.

[thundering02]

Yeah but even then I done "ScoobNuts" in the snow as well also had it plenty sideways on dirt. Which means I was getting the 50/50 transfer also we have a limited slip in the rear and that should help it some.

[SVXRide]

Put the car up on a lift and see if the rear wheels turn while in gear...you may have a bad solenoid C (i.e. you're not getting any power back to the rear wheels)
-Bill

[Earthworm]

...or worn clutches

[benebob]

Originally Posted by mbtoloczko

US model SVXes tend to understeer strongly, even in dirt.

Or even when going straight!

[Merz]

yes, mine understeers badly, especially in gravel. I almost slid off a cliff once because of it. I wish it were more rear wheel biased like the european models.

[n00b on demand]

I've heard alot of people say they experience alot of understeer. I find my car to be very neutral.

[Mr. Pockets]

Originally Posted by Ricochet

but my front wheels were spinning..

Then it is my opinion that your transfer clutch (or the solenoid that controls the pressure to it) is not working properly. I didn't see what you were doing or how you were trying to get your car sideways, but spinning front wheels is a tell-tale sign of trouble.

I believe a dealer will charge $500-$700 (somebody correct me if I'm off) to replace the transfer clutch plates and solenoid. You can do it yourself for far cheaper, but I will warn you that it's a delicate thing to do.

That's honestly my prognosis, without even seeing the car. If your front wheels spin, it's not working as intended.

By the way, this is a technical question, and such posts belong in the tech q&a forum. I have moved it there for you.

[Mr. Pockets]

Originally Posted by -JJ-

thats interesting, when i have given it a boot full on gravel i get a bit of rear wheel slip and than grip all round... the australian models have an initial power ratio split of somethin like 65% rear 35% front, that then shifts depending where the grip is at!

North America got a very different transaxle than the rest of the world. We're not to be trusted with a rear torque bias, apparently.

The transfer clutch that controls the torque split to the rear on our cars can be a weak link. Thankfully it can be treated as a consumable, and often is. Your car uses something else to drive the rear wheels - an actual geared center diff, I believe.

That's actually one of the few modifications I'd make to my car - swapping the transmission for the auto the rest of the world got.