GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I was wondering does AWD work on Reverse Gear?

Interesting question. I would assume so. But I'm merely assuming. No knowledge of the system...

Interesting question, I don't know. I would assume so since the AWD system is after the trans and not part of it. It would operate independent of the trans no matter which direction the output shaft of the trans was turning. However, that's just a guess.

I was thinking the same thing...not quite so techniclly though..I was thining "a car can lose traction going in reverse, so it probably works!"

I was driving my AWD vibe at the beach. I decided to take it into the soft sand. It was driving ok when I was going forward, car war driving. Then, I stopped to look around. Then, I decided to reverse out. I gave it a little gas and i wasn't going anywhere so i gave it more gas and still nowhere. Finally, I got out of the car and found that the front end of the car has sunk, with the chasis touching the sand. The back end of the car did not dig down.To me, this scenario the reverse is not awd.

I assume once you went forward the AWD kicked in again?

The sand was too soft and the front wheels was too far down. I wasn't able to go anywhere in D or R. I had a guy with a Ford F-350 dually 4x4 pull me out. I strapped the strapps thru the driver rear wish bone suspension.

Yeah, I guess it would be more effective if we had more ground clearance...

Unless you're like me, you don't drive long distances in reverse, so it shouldn't become too much of a problem...

Yeah...I suppose...but then again, this was only a sand test...might perform differently on ice or something...

Yeah, but he also said his front end got buried...lots of factors that could vary between snow and sand...

Someone can test in the winter and report back. Then I'll be satisfied.

quote:Unless you're like me, you don't drive long distances in reverse, so it shouldn't become too much of a problem...I drive in reverse very little, why do you drive long distances in reverse? Seems kinda impractical.

I have a tendency to get halfway up the street, and then question if I remembered to close the garage. Rather than pull a k-turn, I just throw it in R and go the 1/4 to 1/2 mile in reverse.

OK here is the picture of my Vibe front end sunk in sand......

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Yup... I put it in Drive and the wheels kept spinning and the car wasn't moving.

It was suggested to me that I deflate my tires after I was pulled out. I didn't dare to go on the soft sand again.

i agree. i mean come on, is sand slippery and wet?

quote:i agree. i mean come on, is sand slippery and wet?dry sand like that is pretty tough sometimes. It doesn't pack, stays sort of fluid, and would give better traction/support if it was damp. Can't make a castle out of sand that dry.

This was dry, soft and fine sand. Yes, the guy who pulled me out suggested to let some air out.

you know, no one ever replied to the winter test.sorry for bringing this up again.

I had my Toyota 4X4 on the beach at Outer Banks. It has 12 inches of ground clearance. Driving in the sand feels weird. It's very soft and loose and if you stop in the loose sand it's hard to get moving again. It's nothing like driving in snow. I never got stuck but it sure felt like I was going to, several times.I'd say its very risky taking an AWD Vibe onto the beach where I was at. It doesn't have the ground clearance, low range nor the torque to churn through loose sand. Of course I could be wrong, thats why I asked. As for the Vibe, no official word yet if AWD works in reverse. Guess I'll have to find a gravel road, put it in reverse and get out the car and look. Maybe there is someone we can call from GM to find out.If our AWD Vibes don't work in reverse, I'm a little surprised and disappointed they make no mention of it in the owners manual.

to test why not jack up all four corners get in and put in reverse and see what tires start to rotate!!

I'd probably find out that way but thats sounds like too much work.

Hey,I hear what you're saying about the AWD not working in reverse, plus what you've experienced, but I called the Pontiac 1-800 number on their website yesterday and asked if the AWD works in reverse.They said they'd research it and call me back the next day. Today they called to tell me the Versatrak system on the Vibe does in fact work in reverse. Howere only 44% of the torque wilk go to the back wheels.Not sure why your back wheels weren't engaging to help get you out of the sand. It doesn't make any sense. I'm going to try backing up on some snow sometime and have someone stand outside the car to see if the back wheels are spinning at all.

Quote, originally posted by Man of Steel »Hey,I hear what you're saying about the AWD not working in reverse, plus what you've experienced, but I called the Pontiac 1-800 number on their website yesterday and asked if the AWD works in reverse.They said they'd research it and call me back the next day. Today they called to tell me the Versatrak system on the Vibe does in fact work in reverse. Howere only 44% of the torque wilk go to the back wheels.Not sure why your back wheels weren't engaging to help get you out of the sand. It doesn't make any sense. I'm going to try backing up on some snow sometime and have someone stand outside the car to see if the back wheels are spinning at all.so are they saying that the rear tires only get 44% of torque in reverse or at all?

They didn't specify going forward or in reverse. For what its worth, I did my own experiment on a slope in front of my house a little while ago. It snowed yesterday and the street has some packed snow and ice. I backed up in reverse with the door open, looking my drivers side rear wheel and I saw it spin then it stopped and I kind of felt what I think was the other back wheel trying to spin, then again I saw the drivers side rear wheel spinning again. I know what I saw, I' not crazy, it works in reverse on snow and ice.

yes awd does work in reverse i got stuck in the snow up here made the woman drive and tried pushing it out and saw the front and back tires spinning

I also checked mine in "R" on my steep driveway with 3" of snow. Yes, it works. IN "R" The right front and left rear do most of the work. The opposite tires basically do the job in "D" when more than one is needed.

Interesting! When I tested it out last winter my rear wheels didn't spin, only the fronts. I'll have to test it out again.

Told you., I'm not crazy!

What does disturb me however, is why AWD doesn't work for some folks in certain situations.

First of all all wheel drive is not four wheel drive, the difference is AWD has a differential at the transfer case and at each axle, this allows the front wheels to rotate at a different speed than the rear wheels. This is necessary to have if the terrain does not let the wheels slip, such as in gravel, dirt, sand snow etc. Four wheel drive does not have a differential in the transfer case, this is why you can not use it on dry pavement, especially if you are turning. Another bit of info alot of people are mistaken about is that neither four wheel drive or AWD will always drive all four wheels. What usually will happen is that one front and one rear wheel will loose traction and spin, now all the power is spinning the two wheels with no traction, thus you are stuck. To combat this you can lightly apply the brakes while you are giving it a little gas, this will transfer some power to the wheel that has traction. The real cure is to have limited slip differentials or the best for real off road is a locking differential.I would guess that your vibe was high centered enough to allow for no traction for the front end and that the AWD system would not transfer enough power to the rear to drag the car across the sand. Trick to driving an AWD vehicle in the sand is to never stop in the loose sand.Here is a picture of my Jeep CJ7, it has locking differentials front and rear so all four tires turn all the time and at the same speed no matter what. This makes for incridible traction but it is very hard on tires and steers tough when all tires have good traction (hardpacked dirt). I love my lockers!

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