Did I screw up and buy the wrong truck?

[dcmdon]

1st step should probably be to buy a set of Rubicon or Mojave take-offs.

Don't buy MT (mud) tires unless you drive a truck with them installed. They are very loud and much MUCH worse in the snow than AT tires.

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[Gvsukids]

1st step should probably be to buy a set of Rubicon or Mojave take-offs.

Don't buy MT (mud) tires unless you drive a truck with them installed. They are very loud and much MUCH worse in the snow than AT tires.

The takeoff M/T tires are very quiet and decent in the snow.

 

[AstroZombie]

Thank you OP!!

Aux switches?

yes the aux switches. I couldn't think of what to call it hahahaa

 

[dcmdon]

The takeoff M/T tires are very quiet and decent in the snow.

Not compared to the Falken AT tires.

Have you driven both recently?? I did when I was test driving Gladiators.

I drove a base with street tires
Willies with mudders
Rubicon with mudders
Mojave with AT.

No comparison. The mud tires are always louder.

Re snow. Let's get more specific. If you are on freshly fallen snow on a trail, I'm sure the mudders will be fine. But when it comes to packed snow and slush, it's all about sipes. Not huge lugs. Look at dedicated snow tires. Sipes everywhere. Look at the Falkens - lots of sipes. Look at any mudder, zero sipes.

It makes a difference.

The other thing factor is what you are comparing against. When I was looking to buy a gladiator and asked about noise and ride, anyone who said "I've had a Jeep for 25 years" . . . their opinion was worthless.

Absolutely worthless. They have no baseline.

If instead someone said "I have an Audi A6 and my Gladiator is . .. . " Well then their opinion mattered. People who have been driving jeeps have no perspective.

My perspective when it comes to noise and ride is in comparison to my old car. When it comes to the snow, it's with respect to my wife's AWD Volvo wagon with a set of Michelin snow tires on it.

My Jeep last year was very good on the snow. But it was still far far inferior to my wife's wagon. So this year I've purchased a set of Nokians. I will be spending more than half of my time in NH this winter with a need to drive regardless of the conditions., so it's a no-brainer.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Not compared to the Falken AT tires.

Have you driven both recently?? I did when I was test driving Gladiators.

I drove a base with street tires
Willies with mudders
Rubicon with mudders
Mojave with AT.

No comparison. The mud tires are always louder.

Re snow. Let's get more specific. If you are on freshly fallen snow on a trail, I'm sure the mudders will be fine. But when it comes to packed snow and slush, it's all about sipes. Not huge lugs. Look at dedicated snow tires. Sipes everywhere. Look at the Falkens - lots of sipes. Look at any mudder, zero sipes.

It makes a difference.

The other thing factor is what you are comparing against. When I was looking to buy a gladiator and asked about noise and ride, anyone who said "I've had a Jeep for 25 years" . . . their opinion was worthless.

Absolutely worthless. They have no baseline.

If instead someone said "I have an Audi A6 and my Gladiator is . .. . " Well then their opinion mattered. People who have been driving jeeps have no perspective.

My perspective when it comes to noise and ride is in comparison to my old car. When it comes to the snow, it's with respect to my wife's AWD Volvo wagon with a set of Michelin snow tires on it.

My Jeep last year was very good on the snow. But it was still far far inferior to my wife's wagon. So this year I've purchased a set of Nokians. I will be spending more than half of my time in NH this winter with a need to drive regardless of the conditions., so it's a no-brainer.

Tires make all the difference whether it be on road or off road.

My worthless opinion from a 45 year old who has been driving Jeeps for 25+.

 

[Tstrausburg]

So, I’m 57 years old and just bought my first Jeep… and in fact, my first 4x4.

I didn’t do enough homework before buying and bought a “Sport S” trim and just realized that the thing has open diffs front and rear. I pulled my build sheet and it says “conventional differentials” on both ends. I don’t plan to do any serious off-roading… no rock climbing or deep mudding, and I live in SC, so no deep snow… but I DO plan to do SOME… like forest service roads in the NC mountains and some mild “Jeep trails”, so I will encounter some steep/slippery hills and some water crossings and mud. I plan to upgrade the tires to something a little more aggressive that the basically street tires that came on the thing.

I don’t think I need lockers, but I would have expected any 4x4 that costs this much - especially a JEEP - to have at least “limited slip” diffs as standard equipment! Even my last truck - a base model 2009 2WD Toyota Tacoma that cost less than $14k brand new had a limited slip rear diff. Now, it was an automatic brake-actuated limited slip rather than a mechanical/clutch pack unit, but still… better than just an open diff! Do I even have that in this Jeep? I guess I can get the same effect by giving it some brake myself while also giving it some throttle and trying to move forward if (when) I get stuck.

Loving this truck otherwise, but the open diffs are a pretty big disappointment. Am I going to get stuck in even just a little bit of mud? Is it possible/easy/practical to upgrade my diffs to limited slip? Did I totally screw up and buy the wrong truck - or will it be ok?

You’ll be absolutely fine. Very few 4x4 trucks have factory lockers until you get into their higher level off-road packages and even then the number is very small. Most just have standard 4WD and electronic traction control to help. And like many have said, you can always add them. I’ve been out to off-road parks in PA and it goes right over rocks and through mud. I’ve only used the rear locker one time.

 

[dcmdon]

Tires make all the difference whether it be on road or off road.

My worthless opinion from a 45 year old who has been driving Jeeps for 25+.

It's the right opinion.

I'll share 2 stories.

Back in the early 2000s, my wife had a Miata. It was a great car that was super fun to drive. But when we encountered our first snowfall I knew that the gum-ball summer tires had to go.

I bought a set of Blizzaks or Arctic Alpens, I forget, which, and the car was suddenly a BLAST to drive in the snow. It had a limited slip and with the traction of the snows, it was like riding a motocrosser in the snow. Huuuuggeeee drifts were lots of fun, with enough traction to reel it all in when you wanted. Just a ton of fun.

At the time I had a 2004 Subaru STi. The original STi had no stability control. I got the car in March and did not buy snows for it because winter was almost over. On its R compound Bridgestones it was absolutely terrifying with even a dusting of snow. The most sophisticated AWD system on the road didn't matter because the tires provided no grip. By the next winter I had a set of snows mounted on spare wheels and it was an absolute beast in the snow. The only thing that could stop it was its low ground clearance.

It was the best snow car I've ever owned. I'm guessing it will be beat this winter by my Jeep. I just picked up my Nokians. I suspect they will make the Jeep nearly unstoppable.

 

[PyrPatriot]

Unless you've changed it, if you have a Max Tow, you have a limited slip rear end.

Nope. Early 2020 models came with open diffs. Limited Slip was only available as an option after October 2019 productions and mine was one of the last ones in September. Learned all this while trying to find the correct answer on what oil to use, and to this day I get three different answers from the manual, Jeep engineers, and the JT's project manager.

 

[PyrPatriot]

The takeoff M/T tires are very quiet and decent in the snow.

Agreed. Ice, different story. My Falkens have yet to get me stuck in mud while I have seen wranglers and 4Runners with lockers struggle using KM3s, Nittos, and that hybrid mud terrain tirea

 

[brianinca]

I've had the Eaton TrueTrac in a Ford and now on my YJ, replacing clutch type LSD's, and they are my favorite traction control device BY FAR.

I wish my JTR had an LSD function like that, but the Eaton locking version of the TrueTrac was removed from market a decade or so ago.

We use the rear locker a lot in 2Hi on moderate terrain, but you can go incredibly far in plain 2Hi. Until you have to turn in rutted snow, then 4Hi is your friend.

If you install a gear-based limited slip differential, you'll be ahead of those of us with the factory clutch-based systems.

A limited slip differential helps some in rain and also in brisk driving, both of which help put power down into both back wheels. In snow, or rain with full power, you can end up with the traction control kicking in to help prevent both back tires from spinning and the back end from walking sideways. I find the limited slip plus factory traction control makes for a lot of traction while accelerating in the rain.

Other mods to consider are Apex Autolynx front sway bar disconnect, some Timbren offroad bump stops to avoid crashing noises while fully articulated, and some little skid plates for the back control arm and shock mounts.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

….I wish my JTR had an LSD function like that, but the Eaton locking version of the TrueTrac was removed from market a decade or so ago…

Are you talking about the old Detroit Electrac?

 

[brianinca]

Yep, that was a neat combination of features. Guess it was too fragile to keep on the market.

Are you talking about the old Detroit Electrac?

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Yep, that was a neat combination of features. Guess it was too fragile to keep on the market.

I think the big actuator hanging off the diff cover probably scared most people away.

 

[Rusty PW]

Yep, that was a neat combination of features. Guess it was too fragile to keep on the market.

Power Wagons use a gear driven LSD/electric Locker from AAM. It's a stout unit.

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