Winter driving tips?

[jrf]

No. You NEVER use 4wd on asphalt.

I never use 4 wheel drive unless I am loosing traction. I keep it in 2 wheel drive as long as I can maintain reasonable speed and control. Once conditions deteriorate to the point where the rear tires are just spinning and I am not moving forward much I engage 4wd. Due to the vastly different types of snow, slush, ice and how that can all develop there really isn't an amount of snow that triggers it. I base it off of how the vehicle is handling. I have driven through 6"+ in 2wd but needed 4wd to get through 2". Every storm is different.

This man speaks the truth. Clearly you've driven a lot in the snow. I agree 100% with what he said. To clarify a little...you can use 4wd on asphalt/concrete...as long as the asphalt/concrete has something slippery on it like snow/ice/slush. I could ONLY see using 4wd in the rain if it was a horrendous rain and the roads were flooded and you had almost bald tires...but...that would be pretty darn rare.

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[furrymurray]

I guess let me clarify. First, I said when it rains really hard which on roads where I live means that you are basically driving in pockets of water. If you are in 2 wheel drive driving through this it wants to pull you in different directions. When in 4H the handling is much better controlled and you are not being pulled by the water. I have read my owners manual on all of these vehicles and they do state to not drive on dry surfaces including asphalt. In wet, slippery, muddy, snowy or slushy circumstances 4H can be useful. I don't drive in 4H if its just a little rain or just because the roads are wet and I don't drive over the recommended speed of 55. That being said,of the 30 years I have been driving 4x4s I have never had any mechanical issues with any of the four wheel drive systems. I may have burned a little more gas or had a little more tire wear but no issues.

 

[PyrPatriot]

How hard is it, and in what ways, is driving in 4H on pavement? How do AWD vehicles avoid this harm?

Is 4H ok to use on gravel/dirt roads (not driving at a slow crawl, actually driving 35-50mph on them)

 

[hjdca]

How hard is it, and in what ways, is driving in 4H on pavement? How do AWD vehicles avoid this harm?

Is 4H ok to use on gravel/dirt roads (not driving at a slow crawl, actually driving 35-50mph on them)

AWD use a viscous coupler without a transfer case, not gears and a gear reduction like a true 4WD. It is a totally different technology that allows slipping of the drivetrain on non-slippery surfaces. True 4WD with a transfer case, counts on tire slipping on slippery surfaces during turns.

yes, you can use 4WD, high and low on any dirt or gravel road -- speed is governed only by safety and common sense.

 

[propkillr]

Like this?

 

[MarineHawk]

FWIW, I think you can drive in a straight line on dry pavement without any problems. I know it would be rare to need this, but could happen if there are intermittent patches of dry and snowy pavement on a straight road. Unless you're turning, you're not making one front tire try to go faster than one rear tire or vice versa, which is what causes the damage when the transfer case is locked up.

 

[Choj]

Like this?

That little dusting of snow? I hope you don't need 4WD for that.

 

[PyrPatriot]

That little dusting of snow? I hope you don't need 4WD for that.

There isn't even anything sticking to pavement.

Nothing stuck to pavement here. And we didn't even salt the roads

 

[Gladiator4Runner]

Don't forget to use "Ramming speed" like the Deathmobile from Animal House in case you encounter a huge snowdrift!

 

[SleepyJeep]

LOL I did put mine in 4H and drive today just cuz it was a good excuse to put it in 4H and test it out.... Granted the snow wasn't bad but I figured I would give it a go. In all the other Jeeps I have owned as well I have never really babied the 4H - I have put the Jeep in 4H in rain, mild snow, heavy snow etc and never had issues with the transfer cases. For me sometimes regardless of the handling, say in severe rain - I like the psychological comfort of having 4H while driving, so I do it. Might not make a lot of technical sense, but it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside

 

[basicGlad]

Upfront, uptop here... I appreciate all the anecdotal evidence, but I want to know more of the science on why no 4h on a high traction surface.

Has anyone played around with the AutoStick feature of the automatics? Manually down shifting to slow down and upshifting for difficult climbs seems like it would be useful.

Sorry no, I have a the 6MT

If it snows enough to cover the road, so that it's very slippery, then you can safely go to 4H. You can shift at any speed but your rear tires cannot be slipping as you shift.

I wouldn't turn off traction control unless there was a serious risk of being stuck. And it takes a really deep snow to get to that point.

Good to know, thank you for the gague of when to use 4h on road in snow. I am in the NE corner, Maine, and we often deal with unplowed roads. Traction control on saved me from spinning out on a busy road today ~40mph during a lane change. I thought I was going to Mario kart spin like I got hit with a shell and before I could react the JT snapped back straight.

The best tip is to get real snow tires, not all season or even 4 season

truth

FWIW, I think you can drive in a straight line on dry pavement [in 4h]... Unless you're turning, you're not making one front tire try to go faster than one rear tire or vice versa, which is what causes the damage when the transfer case is locked up.

@Tim yes/no/maybe?

 

[Tim]

Upfront, uptop here... I appreciate all the anecdotal evidence, but I want to know more of the science on why no 4h on a high traction surface.

Sorry no, I have a the 6MT



Good to know, thank you for the gague of when to use 4h on road in snow. I am in the NE corner, Maine, and we often deal with unplowed roads. Traction control on saved me from spinning out on a busy road today ~40mph during a lane change. I thought I was going to Mario kart spin like I got hit with a shell and before I could react the JT snapped back straight.

truth

@Tim yes/no/maybe?

Maybe. I wouldn’t. It’s nearly impossible to drive perfectly straight or have tires inflated exactly the same. Somewhere, something affecting how fast (rpm) each tire is spinning will be a little different. It’s no big deal when a tire can slip i.e. snow, ice, dirt, mud, gravel, etc. On a dry pavement surface the tires have good grip and don’t slip. This causes tension within the drivetrain be it at the transfer case or driveshaft or differential or whatever. Eventually something has to give. Maybe a tire breaks free momentarily. Maybe your driveshaft snaps. Maybe you just get extra wear in your differential. Who knows? It really is best to use 4wd when it’s actually needed. It’s cool to have all these bells and whistles available but just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. Four wheel drive isn’t for dry pavement. It’s not for rain. Maybe if you’re driving through floods and feet of water it’s needed but that isn’t a common occurrence. Four wheel drive can be really awesome in snow and experience will dictate when to use it. Get snow tires. Drive within your ability. Use 4wd when it’s really needed.

 

[PyrPatriot]

I think this guy explains it well.



Don't Jeeps have a transfer case that acts like a locking center differential?

 

[Rebornfungus]

Has anyone played around with the AutoStick feature of the automatics? Manually down shifting to slow down and upshifting for difficult climbs seems like it would be useful.

Yes. I love the setup on the gladiators shifter for this and have been playing with it since I got it in prep for the snow and just for funsies.

I originally wanted a manual but my wife and I both disliked the clutch bite. It does everything functionally that I would with a clutch without risk of stalling.

I don’t ever really up-shift with it. I just toss it in D and let it smoothly manage that. But popping in neutral to coast and sliding over to the manual side to downshift I use a lot or to maintain/control speed when just slowing and braking’s not really needed. Makes it a bit more fun than just leaving it in D too.

 

[Rebornfungus]

FWIW, I think you can drive in a straight line on dry pavement without any problems. I know it would be rare to need this, but could happen if there are intermittent patches of dry and snowy pavement on a straight road. Unless you're turning, you're not making one front tire try to go faster than one rear tire or vice versa, which is what causes the damage when the transfer case is locked up.

You’ll feel and hear the difference with 4WD engaged while turning. It’ll handle like crap and not feel right if you’re on asphalt vs a loose surface where it’s needed. You’ll get the hang pretty quickly of when you need to throw it in and out of 4WD as needed to maintain proper control. if it’s full on snow al over. No harm in keeping it in a lot. Especially as you learn the feeling. Safer to have all 4 tires biting than only the back 2.

And I don’t know about all this adding bags of sand and salt stuff. I drove a ram 1500 for the last 15 years even in canada during the winter every year and never had a need to do this. If you drive carefully and at safe speeds and engage 4WD as need you’ll be fine.

even with all these precautions it’s night and day if you are on a snow rated tire vs an all season.

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