Subris

That is the term for Subaru drivers who over estimate the power of all wheel drive.   I had been thinking to myself, the other day, how common it is for people to forget that everyone has 4 wheel brakes, and they do little good on a frictionless, or nearly so, surface.

I made a post office run a day or so after Christmas.   It was a dark and stormy day.  Just getting dark.  Descanso had a pretty good dusting of snow.

As I was heading back home on the long, winding, elevation changing, out in the sticks, 2 lane, dark road, it started snowing like crazy.  It wasn't all snow; a wintry mix.

So, I drove slowly enough.  No problem.  Then there was no precip at all.  Fine.  Until I entered the spot with the downhill multiple S-curves.  The curves are such that you can't look down or ahead and glimpse the future; not like switchbacks.

All of a sudden the road is covered with a layer of snow and ice.  And I'm head for a ninety degree left on a downhill grade.  I touched the brakes and nothing, and the car was wanting to slide a little sideways with no brakes.

The one like a woman who yearns to be tamed was front wheel drive.  No comment.  That's mine in the Keys last year.  It's 4wd.

I was wondering if I'd fall off the edge.  I downshifted.  The rear wheels took enough of the load that I could make the turn.  It would have been very bad if a car was coming around the turn because I was sliding in the left lane and then almost off the right side of the curve.  I was on the wrong side for awhile.

Afterwards I thought it was a fun thing.  Once is enough and it was a lucky break.  Still, I am not so sure that I'd have made the turn if I'd only had front or only rear drive.  I could be wrong.  I've very rarely been in a situation that a front wheel drive car wouldn't have worked just fine.