Advice On Driving In Snow

[AvrgJoe]

Lived in Reno last year and had to cross Donner Pass probably 20 times in the snow. A few big bags of kitty litter in the back adds a little weight and is good for traction/ice melt if you need to break one open. We would also roll up our tonneau cover when it snowed to allow the bed to fill with snow for the extra weight. Worked great.
The gladiator is so capable that when DOT stops travel on the pass unless you have chains, they’ll let the gladiator continue with just the “snow” tires you have. It was always one of the most capable vehicles in the snow covered roads.

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[Jar Jar Insano]

Not sure if you saw this, I am in norther canada and a little worried now but sounds like snow and ice build up is a real issue if this is accurate and not an isolated issue. I am waiting for the snow so I have many of the same questions as you op so thanks for the post!

Not sure I would call NB Northern Canada . It is North of the center of the universe (Toronto) but I would say to be called Northern Canada you need to be North of Edmonton at least. hahaha. To our American, friends, it's all the North Pole so maybe you're not wrong.

On a more relevant note, this video is discouraging. I do a lot of powder chasing and driving through snow storms is about every other weekend for 4-5 months. Being it was hardly snowing in that video, I'm not sure this vehicle will cut it unless it gets fixed.

 

[AKDrifter]

There was a big long thread about this exact thing last year. There is a defroster vent block kit available so you can force air across the whole windshield and not just in the middle. These guys must not watch the forum but this has already been taken care of in the aftermarket.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/24-Square-...h=item3b281733d0:g:ozQAAOxy~dNTHKhm:rk:6:pf:0

 

[ATLalien]

Interested to know also

I have driven the stock HT duelers in snow (Overland model), but it was "southern snow" so I'm sure you'll bear that in consideration. Drove from Atlanta to Nashville last winter and it snowed most of the way there. Really the roads were fine except for a few dodgy areas. The worst was going across Mt Eagle outside Nashville. There the snow was heavy to make visibility difficult for a very short time and there was about an inch of snow on the road surface itself. Ran it in 4H for about 10 miles without issue up to about 55 mph.

I've actually been relatively impressed with the HT Duelers for what they are. I've done a decent amount of off-roading with them as well and they do OK. They do make it look like a mail truck though, so I'll be switching them soon.

 

[Shackleton]

i Have a sport S and the last truck I had had push button 4x4. Do I need to be in neutral or stopped or both to shift into 4 wheel hi?

 

[Gvsukids]

i Have a sport S and the last truck I had had push button 4x4. Do I need to be in neutral or stopped or both to shift into 4 wheel hi?

Shifting Procedures
2H To 4H Or 4H To 2H
Shifting between 2H and 4H can be made with
the vehicle stopped or in motion. The preferred
shifting speed would be 0 to 45 mph (72 km/h).
With the vehicle in motion, the transfer case will
engage/disengage faster if you momentarily
release the accelerator pedal after completing
the shift. Do not accelerate while shifting the
transfer case. Apply a constant force when
shifting the transfer case lever.
NOTE:
 Do not attempt to make a shift while only the
front or rear wheels are spinning. The front
and rear driveshaft speeds must be equal for
the shift to take place. Shifting while only the
front or rear wheels are spinning can cause
damage to the transfer case.

 

[AKDrifter]

i Have a sport S and the last truck I had had push button 4x4. Do I need to be in neutral or stopped or both to shift into 4 wheel hi?

4H on the fly. I'll try to slow to 60 if I can on the freeway. Usually I'm in 4H out of the driveway but if the freeway is dry I will shift out of it until needed again.

 

[OneTraveler]

Does selectrac simply turn on and off 4WD when wheel slip is detected ? Or is it a different mechanical system that wont "bind up" in a turn ?

Anyone know ?

My current Gladiator doesn't have Selectrac (wish it did), but older Jeeps have. Yes, it's a mechanical system that won't bind in a turn. Older Jeeps of mine in winter were "set and forget"...

 

[WaterDR]

For someone who just wants to drive, is not very mechanical, and does t understand how things work, your Rover will be WAY better in the snow. Sorry to say.

on the other hand, part-time 4WD systems are way better off road. However, both can do well in both conditions.

When roads are slippery and snow covered just slip into 4WD. Set it and forget it.

when dry pavement or wet, leave in 2WD.

when roads are a combination, you need to be more vigilant and shift as needed. It would do auto sizing well in 2Wd.

on the other hand, youR biggest risk will be cornering in 2WD and throwing the rear end out.
The Rover will do better...the Gladiator will be WAY more fun.

IF...you are concerned or have issues, put Blizzaks on it.

 

[TJDave]

Adding to above: On road. Constantly monitor your outside temp guage. Snow at 30 degrees is more slippery than snow at 20 degrees.
Always keep plenty of space between you and the vehicle in front of you. Double or triple it.
If pavement looks wet, look for road spray coming off the tires of vehicles around you. If it disappears and the road still looks wet, slow way down...black ice.
Off road. Low air pressures and momentum. Do not spin your tires and dig. Never, ever go adventuring off road alone (one rig).

 

[MojaveBart]

My Gladiator is the Mojave with the Falken M/Ts. Drove great during the recent snow storm. snow and snow-packed roads with some ice with zero issues.

it drives like a truck and not like an AWD vehicle.

25+ years living in Colorado, when the snow sticks to the road I throw it into 4H. I figure safer than sorry. Not to mention a couple years ago, I thought the roads didn’t look too bad, had my Nissan Titan in 2H, hit black ice and spun it into the center divider.

 

[Sparty]

"4-Wheel drive doesn't equal 4-wheel stop"

I've been driving in snow all my life. I drive confidently, but you can see a wreck coming a mile away when some idiot flies by you doing 20-30mph more than they should. I usually find them in a ditch a couple miles up the road.

Conversely, there's idiots on the opposite side of the spectrum. You'll find them doing 20-30mph on a 70mph highway when there's only a dusting of snow. These people are just as dangerous.

 

[Sparty]

Also - bridges freeze before roads. You can tell when the temperature is dropping when you see (usually) trucks spun around looking at you on the other side of bridge. It's real easy to get sideways in a hurry. I always back my foot off the accelerator when I hit a bridge in these conditions.

Pay attention the next day and you can usually see evidence of people going off the road right after a bridge.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

So I live in Eagle River, AK and we get somewhere around 70" annually and this will be our 2nd full winter with the JT. Snow on the ground as I write this and supposed to be around 4 degrees on Halloween. Firstly, you picked great tires, the BFG KO2 in the snow flavor really are fantastic for winter driving. That is what I run on mine and was a good choice on your part. You definitely will need to use 4H anytime you feel the road is slick. If you have a rear tire spinning or feel it sliding pull it into 4H. I haven't ran weight over the axle, couldn't hurt if you wanted to try it. My defroster works very well, no complaints there even on days like in the picture. Keeps it fog and snow free. One of the biggest things in the snow trying to get momentum getting onto the freeway is use OffRoad+. The traction control will get you stuck, OffRoad+ turns the nannies down to let you get some speed.

I thought only Rubicon had the Offroad+ - or does Mojave have that, too?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

"4-Wheel drive doesn't equal 4-wheel stop"

I've been driving in snow all my life. I drive confidently, but you can see a wreck coming a mile away when some idiot flies by you doing 20-30mph more than they should. I usually find them in a ditch a couple miles up the road.

Conversely, there's idiots on the opposite side of the spectrum. You'll find them doing 20-30mph on a 70mph highway when there's only a dusting of snow. These people are just as dangerous.

I learned from professional drivers - two truck drivers and a boss who ran 24/7 wrecker service.
All of them said what Sparty said - go doesn't mean you can stop.
But further - it's pure physics. If you try to change speed or direction, that's where the trouble starts.
The truck drivers were like - always drive in as high a gear as possible without lugging. This way you won't have the power to break the tires loose - you'll reduce the tendency to spin the tires.
Keep the gears high, avoid speeding up or slowing down - if you must, do it slowly, and avoid changing directions - if you must, do it slowly.

I found plugging the center holes in the defroster helped. I had snow and ice build up in the upper corners of mine. It's not uncommon, though - I've had cars and trucks over the years where I'd simply toss my gloves on the center of the defrost to force the air out the ends to hit corners or ends of the glass. It helped putting those square plastic plugs in the center holes of the defrost.

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