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Running in 4 Hi in the rain

MallCrawlLol

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JLUR here, chalk me up as one of the people who "needs to learn how to drive" and "should put a for sale sign on their jeep". I use 4h in the rain because the JLUR tires are abysmal on wet asphalt here in NOVA. If I want to turn onto FFX Pkwy or Reston pkwy in the rain from a light, I must use 4h. You barely have to give it any gas for the tires to slip on asphalt in the Rubi.

Now if I'm putting around and there's no urgency and no one around (wink), hell yeah 2h is fun as crap in the rain.
 

DougJaneway

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Does the JL not do the same thing the JK does when not in 4 lo?

I understood that part of traction control is the jeep would emulate a limited slip by clamping the brake on the wheel that is slipping thus transferring power to the wheel with grip.

My JK also cuts power when one wheel slips.

I look forward to getting either a JL or a Scrambler once all the details regarding code 22 and the diesels are released.
I was JUST about to say, I think one of the reasons it doesn't work well on pavement anymore is the BLD. The BLD is tuned for really loose slippery surfaces. If you notice in high 4, it really struggles to turn sharply. That's because the BLD thinks the car is slipping in the front and is applying breaks.
 

RubenZ

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Wtf, how does every other 2wd vehicle with crap tires drive In The rain? In all my life of driving, I don’t think I’ve had issues driving in the rain that I needed to engage 4wd lol.
 

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Guy N Cognito

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I'll cancel out your opinion with mine. I love the KO2s. Had a set on my FJ cruiser for 4 years and they still had about 80% tread when I traded it in so... Were great in four seasons of New England snow, rain, mud, off road, hills - you name it. Been cruising on my Rubicon since March, liked them so much I bought a set of 315's and they handled the last deluge we had here at 70MPH highway remarkably. I couldn't feel stronger about these tires. Just another opinion to balance things out.
Completely agree. It’s been raining here for 5 days straight, and the KO2s have performed flawlessly.
 

viper88

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Hello, new to the Jeep world, enjoying an 18 JLU Sport S. So I realized pretty quickly that my Jeep does not have a limited slip differential. I came from the muscle car world, and always have had LSD. Jeep slips in the rain on one particular up hill right turn from local road to 4 lane major road. Wife now hates when we take the Jeep out in the rain.

Is it ok to run the Jeep in 4HI while on wet roads for extended time??

Thanks.
How many miles on your JL or tires? It can possibly be the mold release agent from the new tires being slippery in the rain. New tires are made in molds, tire companies use a mold release agents during the manufacturing process. It is like a lubricant to help tires not stick in the molds. Kind of like Pam for cooking. It takes a couple of thousand of miles to wear the treads down so the mold release agent is worn off and not slippery. The rain would definitely make the slick traction worse. In addition to this, wet roads are slicker right at the beginning of the rain because the rain water has not washed off the oils on the road surface.
 

grady2hig

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I don't see the need for 4Hi on a wet road...its been raining here a lot the past few weeks and I never felt the need.
I guess maybe you could use it in a freek heavy down pour with an inch of water on the road...
 

digitalbliss

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In the rain, if you are continually slipping and sliding like that on a road ... a public road and you find it necessary to use 4H you are driving with poor technique and driving too fast.
Right, except the OP had a specific scenario. Stopped on a local road while pointing uphill. Turning onto a major highway. When wet, the tires spin. Not surprising to me. Obviously the highway has higher speeds and the local road itersects uphill with probably a small window down of visibility to get on and up to speed without getting run over. I've encountered many of such scenarios. No reason you can not use 4h in this scenario. Once you have made your turn, shift it back to 2h. No real reason to continually use 4h.

**Edit** I see that you have already discussed this with another member before I posted. Feel free to ignore.
 

digitalbliss

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Yup, in one of my posts in this thread I mentioned this. I did say, that I thought it was aok to use 4H up to the main highway. I just said, no way would I be riding around willy nilly on a regular highway in 4H on a rainy day in normal circumstances.
I edited my post, apparently in the middle of your reply.
 

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Shaved Ice

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I don't see the need for 4Hi on a wet road...its been raining here a lot the past few weeks and I never felt the need.
I guess maybe you could use it in a freek heavy down pour with an inch of water on the road...
I wonder how much geography plays in this difference of opinion. I am on team 4HI, if the roads are wet and have never had an issue with it in three decades plus of driving. It is very hilly and curvy as close to the Smoky Mountains as I live. A person is much more likely to slip here than other places with straight flat roads.
 

OldGuyNewJeep

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My cat's breath smells like cat food.
 

digitalbliss

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I wonder how much geography plays in this difference of opinion. I am on team 4HI, if the roads are wet and have never had an issue with it in three decades plus of driving. It is very hilly and curvy as close to the Smoky Mountains as I live. I am much more likely to slip here than other places with straight flat roads.
I don't know. But proper tires and driving habits are more important than AWD/4wd in almost all traction situations.

A good example is Subaru. They have a reputation of being snow eating winter machines. However, I have seen videos of a FWD Honda out preforming an AWD Subie in snowy/icy conditions because the Honda had proper snow tires and the Subie did not. I've also seen plenty of rigs with good MT tires get through nasty mud in 2wd while a street tire equipped vehicle in 4wd was stuck and spinning.

Basically what I'm saying is, that if you have proper tires and drive accordingly for the conditions, there will be only specific scenarios that 4wd is really truely needed. Yes, you can augment good diving and tires with 4wd and dramatically increase your traction which does one of a couple things. Let's you get through environments that other vehicles just can't get through regardless of tires or allows you to perform the same driving tasks but with (possibly) less risk. (ie driving faster in slippery environments). I think the majority of people (not necessarily pointing my finger at you or the OP) want to think that because they have AWD/4wd they are safer in less safe environments and that allows them to be less cautious and drive faster than they would otherwise in 2wd.
 

Biscuit

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...proper tires and driving habits are more important than AWD/4wd in almost all traction situations.

I think the majority of people (not necessarily pointing my finger at you or the OP) want to think that because they have AWD/4wd they are safer in less safe environments and that allows them to be less cautious and drive faster than they would otherwise in 2wd.
And four wheels slip just as well as two in slick conditions. For a lot of folks, 4WD just means they can get into more trouble; hence the saying, "4WD in and walk out."
 

Guy N Cognito

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I wonder how much geography plays in this difference of opinion. I am on team 4HI, if the roads are wet and have never had an issue with it in three decades plus of driving. It is very hilly and curvy as close to the Smoky Mountains as I live. A person is much more likely to slip here than other places with straight flat roads.
I live in a very hilly area and 4wd is never necessary in the rain
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