Does anyone know how to do this?

 

check the fuse box, see which fuse disables awd (on autos) and pull it. the fwd light should go on when you start the car back up...then you go fwd (im assuming this would kick ass if you can get a set of slicks and run it at the track. your times should be better)

 

Their is a fuse labled FWD but there isn't a fuse in it. I think you need to put a fuse in there to make it FWD but i don't know which one.

 

oh my bad, i never actually bothered to check the fuses (just got car)

 

Have any of you automatic owners considered using the option in the front fusebox to disable AWD and run 2WD just to see how it runs?

Your kidding. Is this a real option ?!

 

There is a fuse for it but who knows which one to put in. I heard of auto DSMs doing this on there cars. It's an auto thing

 

Re: Re: Disable AWD

Your kidding. Is this a real option ?!

if you got an auto, you can disengage the center diff with that fuse thingy to divert all power to the front wheels...unfortunately you got an open diff up there so it'll be like launching a civic. get a posi and youll be good.

 

yeah but could you imagine your trap speed! or your topend with two wheels turning instead of 4!

 

you know with slicks, fwd only will net you better times. awd has the greatest drivetrain loss, and with slicks you shouldnt be spinning the tires (very much).

 

There is no way on an 02-03-04 WRX Automatic to disable the AWD via just pulling out a "Fuse", thats just in the RS's 98 and 99 i believe.


Rob

 

There is a spot on the under-hood fuse box to place a fuse to disengage the diff. I think it takes a 15 amp fuse but the only problem is that this only works if have a 2.5 RS. It won't work with the turbo- charged WRX, it says it in the owners manual for non-turbo only. I wanted to check it with a multi meter to make sure there is no current, but from what I can tell the 2-wheel drive fuse space is not even wired up. Also, there should be a light on the dash that lights up when 2-wheel is engaged. So unless you have a RS, you will just have to stick with all-wheel drive

 

03 WRX Wagon - Disable AWD

There is a spot on the under-hood fuse box to place a fuse to disengage the diff. I think it takes a 15 amp fuse but the only problem is that this only works if have a 2.5 RS. It won't work with the turbo- charged WRX, it says it in the owners manual for non-turbo only. I wanted to check it with a multi meter to make sure there is no current, but from what I can tell the 2-wheel drive fuse space is not even wired up. Also, there should be a light on the dash that lights up when 2-wheel is engaged. So unless you have a RS, you will just have to stick with all-wheel drive

I've not checked my manual yet, but I did call the dealer and spoke with the service manager re: disable AWD in case of flat tire & use of donut spare. The svc manager acknowledged that in fact the AWD disable procedure works on the WRX (Turbo). She didn't get into the technical details and warned me that very bad things would happen to the car if the AWD remained disabled for an extended period of time. I asked for more specific information such as, 'what type of wear would running in FWD do to the center diff?', etc., she declined to answer on account that she didn't know and obviously feared liability issues. She kept saying, 'well, it's your car'...

To test: I took a 15amp spare fuse and inserted it into the FWD fuse block.

I really didn't have the opportunity to spin the front wheels, but the traction did feel loose. Steering was oddly easier. Acceleration was noticably quicker. The ride was strangely quieter and the vehicle definately felt 'less' stable. Of course, if the disable in fact doesn't work for the Turbo, then these effects were 'placebo' like and I'm just inventing them.

 

when I purchased my 03 WRX, the salesman bought me a full tank of gas and while we were filling the tank, he popped the hood and told me to use a fuse and insert it to a slot to disable the AWD - i have to do this in a case that if i have to tow my car somewhere, for repairs and what not. he did not mention any long term effects or anything bad. but he said that if they tow the car and the AWD is engaged, it'll will mess it up. so he reminded me over not to forget that.

 

sill a little confused why would you want to make your car fwd?

 

what I wanted to know is... if you disable the AWD and go to a 2WD dyno and check the numbers

 

You had an interested enthusiast as a salesman

when I purchased my 03 WRX, the salesman bought me a full tank of gas and while we were filling the tank, he popped the hood and told me to use a fuse and insert it to a slot to disable the AWD - i have to do this in a case that if i have to tow my car somewhere, for repairs and what not. he did not mention any long term effects or anything bad. but he said that if they tow the car and the AWD is engaged, it'll will mess it up. so he reminded me over not to forget that.

My service manager is not so knowledgeable. Although the Salesforce had no problems telling me that I'd smoke the Lancer Evo. Not so easy.

Also, I know of only two ways to tow the car. 1) Flatbed and 2) towing with all 4 wheels on the ground. There isn't a scenario described where you can disable the AWD and go two-up on a wrecker.

 

i've had my old cavalier and my 2001 s-10 towed on two wheels. the front wheels being latched on some sort of tow. - my step father has one of these trailers.

My service manager is not so knowledgeable. Although the Salesforce had no problems telling me that I'd smoke the Lancer Evo. Not so easy.

Also, I know of only two ways to tow the car. 1) Flatbed and 2) towing with all 4 wheels on the ground. There isn't a scenario described where you can disable the AWD and go two-up on a wrecker.

 

i've had my old cavalier and my 2001 s-10 towed on two wheels. the front wheels being latched on some sort of tow. - my step father has one of these trailers.

Was your cavalier or S10 AWD? I'm thinking 4WD if at all, which we know is completey different due to the nature of the differential configuration. If you lift the front of a wrx off the ground and spin one of the rear wheels, the opposite rear wheel will spin backwards. Won't get too far without significant problems with that one. (Just to keep this real, I haven't verified that this is true either.) Any experts out there?

Riptex

 

nevermind... :rotfl: I re-read the previous statement.. i'm a moron.. :rotfl:

Was your cavalier or S10 AWD? I'm thinking 4WD if at all, which we know is completey different due to the nature of the differential configuration. If you lift the front of a wrx off the ground and spin one of the rear wheels, the opposite rear wheel will spin backwards. Won't get too far without significant problems with that one. (Just to keep this real, I haven't verified that this is true either.) Any experts out there?

Riptex

 

1433 good posts, you're bound to miss one...

nevermind... :rotfl: I re-read the previous statement.. i'm a moron.. :rotfl:

You're obviously not a moron.

 

I have a '02 RS 4EAT, the fuse is for when you have to put a spare (which is smaller than the rest of the wheels), to make it FWD so you don't damage the center differential when you are running different sized wheels/tires. As for running the FWD for an extended period of time, I remember reading somewhere either on wrxforum or nastysocks saying that it will do long term damage to the differential, I'll have to look for the exact post, but that's what I remember off the top of my head.

 

I have a '02 RS 4EAT, the fuse is for when you have to put a spare (which is smaller than the rest of the wheels), to make it FWD so you don't damage the center differential when you are running different sized wheels/tires. As for running the FWD for an extended period of time, I remember reading somewhere either on wrxforum or nastysocks saying that it will do long term damage to the differential, I'll have to look for the exact post, but that's what I remember off the top of my head.

THANKs! That is one point on the It's bad to do side.

I have to tell ya, I have driven this car about 15 miles in FWD only. It would be desirable to continue to do this, but I'm going to pull the fuse until I know, definitively, that it is safe.

:baaa:

 

THANKs! That is one point on the It's bad to do side.

I have to tell ya, I have driven this car about 15 miles in FWD only. It would be desirable to continue to do this, but I'm going to pull the fuse until I know, definitively, that it is safe.

:baaa:

Back to AWD and not surprisingly, I like it better this way.

 

what if you wired a switch to this fuse. then you could awd launch then flip the switch and turn in to srt4. we can call it the srt boost switch

....but seriously, how bad would it be to change from awd to fwd while WOT?
and how bad would it be to do 1/4 runs with fwd? your not turning very much and i would assume turning(like canyon runs) alot hurts the center diff more then going striaght.

 

That's interesting, I wonder, since the AWD in the 4EAT is electronically controlled through an electromagnetic clutch, if that would work. Undoubtly I would think that it would be a considerable strain on the tranny. I have not personallly changed my car to FWD, but i would imagine that it would be faster, since AWD has such a big percentage of drivetrain loss. Especially off the line, if you aren't building revs, and there really isn't enough power to overcome the AWD grip at such low RPM's. From a roll, I would be almost certain that it would be faster.