Curious sound while playing in the snow...

Here’s a question for those who enjoy an empty parking lot covered with snow.

 

On more than one occasion I’ve taken the opportunity to become familiar with my GT-Limited wagon’s sliding characteristics in snow. Twice now I’ve noticed a sound that I’ve never heard in other car’s I’ve owned while performing the same maneuver. That is: I’ll bring the car up to speed, say 30 mph, turn in the wheel a little while pulling on the hand brake to bring the back end around. As soon as the hand brake goes on I hear a high-pitched whine that stops once the car is sideways. If I continue to maneuver by adding power to the wheels (Ya just gots to love a four wheel drive power slide!!!) I don’t hear the whine. It’s only in the initial braking that it appears.

 

Has anyone out there encountered the same thing or can shed some light on the situation? Am I torturing my baby too much?

I've heard that it's bad for the diff to use the handbrake while moving because it locks up rear tires, while the fronts still have power. I've heard that it doesn't hurt it too, but I'd just not. So, I think it's your differential that you're hearing as all the power is being transfered to the front?

The front and center diff will transmit power to the wheels that are turning the slowest, so when you pull the parking brake the center differential tries to put all of the power to the rears which are locked up.

It hurts, it probably your center diff whineing

Dont use the e brake on an AWD car its not good for it... if you do u gotta push in the clutch like a rwd car-In fact just don't do it. If you're in a RWD car you're also not supposed to pull the e-brake unless you push the clutch in otherwise you'll abrubtly stop the transmission which is the wheels are linked to via the driveshaft. The only car that is okay to pull an ebrake on w/o pushing the clutch in is a FWD, because the rear wheels arent linked to the transmission. Play safe.

Yeah, don't pull the handbrake unless you have to. Also if you have to push the clutch in to stop power from going to the wheels. If you really want to have fun in the snow with the legacy all you have to do is point your wheels where you want to go, give it a little gas so it starts going that way, then give it a lot of gas and the back end will swing right around. then counter steer and power out. This is so much fun to do and doesn't need the handbrake at all and rotates the car so quick. It takes a little while to master but you will be making hair pin turns soon

my last FWD car when i tried to do the same pull the e-brake move, everytime you did it, the ABS would kick in. In stead of sliding, the whole car would eventually hop around the back end....didn't make things nearly as fun as they could have been.

 

Do have to admit an emergency e-brake move has saved my ass at least twice so far though...

I had about 2inches of snow in nj yesterday and my 5 speed gt with the throttle and a slight jerk of the wheel I could kick the car side ways awesome feeling of the car when I hit the gas.

Thanks for the pointers guys. All of my previous cars have been FWD's, hence my ingrained technique. (My 93 Mazda MX3 was particulary fun. Its size and weight distribution gave it great balance and control.)

That whine is probably the handbrake mechanism slipping as the differentals will send power to the rear wheels to try to match the rotation of the front wheels. Its no good for any part of the car.

 

If you want to bring the arse end around steer and add power.