Off-road For Beginners…

[Evilmunky]

Second the suggestion for taking an off-road course if you can. I took a course in Virginia that went through the off-roading basics including gear selection and how to pick a line. Definitely worth it.

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[TwelveGaugeSage]

One thing I suggest to newbies is to find a place you can slowly roll for a bit, put it in 4low 1st gear, and stand on the brake. It's good to know how much brake pressure you can apply, especially on a manual. In a manual Rubicon, it's damned near impossible to push hard enough to stall it with the ridiculously good crawl ratio.

 

[redrider]

No problem! I only learned by trial and error as well.

Or is that trail and error?

 

[Sazabi19]

and you can shift into 4h at any sane speed btw.

Not great to tell a new guy, maybe let them know a certain speed. I think it says not to shift into 4H above like 30-40mph. Some people like to do this on the highway in bad weather for extra piece of mind. Doing this above 30-40 can damage parts even though some people would want to do it.

In general if you think you can do 60+ and it's inclement weather then you don't need 4WD. I used it in snow before but only up to maybe 40.

Edit: Yes I know this thread is for offroading, I'd just had to have someone else read in here and think as long as they aren't doing 80-90 it's OK.

 

[obrianmcc]

... anything other than dirt roads, snow, etc you should use 4 LO ... and you need to be in N when going from 4HI to LO. Slightly rolling helps but not necessary.

 

[dcmdon]

I need to get used to 4L a little more. It always feels ultra jerky and less controllable, which is counterintuitive.

Thanks for the tips man - always looking to learn more.

One way to absolutely eliminate that is to put the truck into a higher gear. If you have a MT, start in 2nd gear when you don't need the ultra low gearing.

If you have an AT, put it in manual mode and start in 2nd or 3rd. Letting the torque converter spin a bit will smooth things out.

The low overall gearing and relatively high engine speed makes it difficult to be smooth in 4L and 1st gear. Raise the overall gearing (numerically lower) by selecting a higher gear from the transmission.

Then you always have the option to go lower by just downshifting. You are already in 4L so no drama.

 

[Gvsukids]

After all the input (much appreciate BTW, waaaaay better than the trollies on FB and such…), I think it’s about time for Jeep to make a “Let’s Fu*%in’ Party” button for on-demand activation of the full assortment of goodies we have

TC kill with the Tazer.

 

[MrJeep]

My rule for 4L is that anytime 1st gear in 4H feels at all "too high" put it in 4L. On the flip anytime higher gears feel "too low in 4L go to 4H. Here in the Northeast it's almost never a question, it's always 4L due to terrain but out west it's different.
The reason you have to be moving most of the time for 4L to engage is the dog teeth in the TC have to find their holes. If you are stopped there is only a small chance they will randomly be lined up and slide in, they almost always need the gears to be spinning. Same reason if you do it while there is too much speed in the T case you will hear the dog teeth grinding/skipping over the holes until it slows down enough for them to go in.
For me, learning how all the things actually work was much of the fun of learning to off road 20 years ago.

 

[Jeepin' John]

Not a 4h or 4l response, but general wheeling: driver mod is by far the best mod. Nothing wrong with buying a rubicon right out of the gate, but resist the urge to use your lockers. You'll learn WAY more by struggling on an obstacle with open diffs and finally figuring it out and getting over, than just flipping the "God Mode" switches and moving on up the trail without having learned anything. Catch your driving skill up to the unlocked rubicon's capability

 

[JoseQ_80]

Worst part of this is that I waited until I got home to proudly request my first BOH - only to find out that you have to check-in while you’re there to get it…lot of stuff to learn, but loving my newfound Jeep life!

Next time you go there "check in" to the app in the valley where you have cell signal, once you get up there the signal is bad, at least for me with T-Mobile.

So for example if you are at the Woodstock 7/11 off the I-81 exit to get your $5 day pass, check in while you are there, it will accept the check in.

Then request the badge after you finish the trail and go back down the mountain.

That station has a car wash too if you want to use it after doing the run.

 

[sass JT]

... anything other than dirt roads, snow, etc you should use 4 LO ... and you need to be in N when going from 4HI to LO. Slightly rolling helps but not necessary.

This!!! Never put your vehicle in park to engage 4 lo. Pop it into neutral, shift to 4lo, It works every time!

 

[atxatxatx]

Just saying that I like this thread, thanks to the honesty of the OP and the good genuine advice that has been posted. We all learn from this

 

[VolatileA]

Just saying that I like this thread, thanks to the honesty of the OP and the good genuine advice that has been posted. We all learn from this

Agreed!

 

[wchevron]

Good thread indeed. Spurred me to sign up for a 4x4 beginner class.

 

[dfwxjer]

Not sure if it’s been said and I’m too lazy to read all of this but pop it on 4 lo a bunch and it gets easier with time. They’re kinda sticky new.

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