2 Door in Winter

[shibby]

Hello all! I'm looking into buying a 2020 2-Door JL when they become available. I'm coming from a Chevy Silverado where I had to load the back end with weight and even still sometimes have to put it in 4WD on my commute when it was snowing to prevent from fishtailing. For the most part though, I felt pretty safe and I knew I would always get through any snow in my way.

This would likely be my main winter vehicle on snowy days in Maine, and I'm wondering how others find the 2 door models to be in the winter. I've heard the short wheelbase can be difficult to drive in snowy weather. Should I need to put weight in the back, or will the short wheelbase prevent the need for that?

I am also looking to have a soft top. Does the rear plastic ever thaw out on the cold days if it's iced over? Just wondering about visibility in my rearview mirror.

Thank you for any advice!

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[karynm8621]

When we had our 2 door JK it was great in the snow. We never got stuck and it was pretty stable. We never added extra weight. FWIW I’m in NH.

The heaters on Jeep are pretty hot too so it’s comfortable in the winter. You shouldn’t have any issues

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

We didn’t get our usual amount of snow in CT this year, but when it did snow my 2dr was great. It’s a lot lighter than a pickup, but that short wheelbase is easy to maneuver.

 

[Litfuse]

The only problem with the softtop is the rear window gets caked with dust, dirt and junk very quickly. You will want to clean it often, but is hard to do in the winter. You don’t just want to wipe it down, as it will leave scratches and you also don’t want to run a softtop through an automatic car wash.

 

[Strommen95]

You will be fine in a 2 door if you don’t drive too fast for the conditions. 4 door will do a bit better in snow due to the wheelbase and added weight, but 2 door is still great in the snow. I wouldn’t worry about it.

 

[marjamr]

I’m in North Central PA. Lots of snow. I’ve owned 3 Wranglers, all two doors. With the short wheel base, don’t try any quick, jerky maneuvering on slippery roads. You could do a donut.
Put on a good set of of winter tires(ATs or snow tires.)
I plowed snow with two of my Wranglers. They are excellent winter vehicles.
For the dirty rear window on the soft top, use a spray bottle with warm water and just spray the dirt from the top down. This washes the dirt off without scratching the plastic. It doesnt make the window crystal clear but it will be good enough for you to see through. Don’t forget to spray the rear camera lens too.

 

[dfwmountainbiker]

A 4 door handles much better in the snow due to length; my 2 door (TJ) would spin easily on ice

 

[Sorbs]

 

[Sorbs]

 

[RichD]

I ran a soft top this winter. It's garaged so I never had any snow or ice accumulation. The rear window is near vertical, so I can see ice sticking much anyways. But as others have said, it does get pretty grungy from road salt.

 

[ZeroTrev]

I didn't have any traction or fishtailing in the snow we had here in Colorado. I would currently not recommend a soft top though, they let in to much snow.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/2-door-soft-top-issues.16260/

 

[GreyFox]

No problems at all. The 2 door heats up quickly, so any ice will melt off the soft top. Mine is garage kept, so I usually don't have the ice/snow build up unless I'm somewhere other than home. Just don't do anything to your soft top windows. Let them melt naturally as they will scratch.

Now, if I could talk my husband into moving to Maine. I used to live in Bangor. Loved it!

 

[Shepherd12]

I’m in NW PA, and I have full confidence in my 2-door (Rubicon) in snowy conditions. If the tail is hanging out in the turn, it’s because I’m playing with it. Completely controllable.

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