2H vs 4H

[Badmofo63]

Your Jeep came with an Owner’s Manual. It’s a book. You know, that thing with layers of stacked paper glued together on one edge. It has words that will explain this topic.
Choose your reading area....

I like it that you took the time to reply but chose to be an unhelpful prick instead.
Jackass.

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[GearWhore]

Good info shares! A few experience points of my own:
1. I keep mine in 2H almost always, though when the roads or trails are slick, I will use 4H as necessary (heavy rain, snow/ice actually on roadway, etc.). You don't want to keep it in 4H on dry pavement or even some gravel as it will cause bind in the transfer-case when turning due to differential wheel speeds. You can drive highway or whatever in 4H, but when you pull into a parking lot, shift back to 2H (if conditions allow).

2. As previously recommended, take your Jeep to a parking lot or other large, empty area where you can play with the driving characteristics of 2H and 4H, both in the dry and in wet/snow/dirt. Safe way to get more comfortable with the feelings and sounds. Start slow and build. Tight turns, wide turns, stopping, starting, etc. Won't take long. I make my wife practice with me over the first snowfall or two each year, maybe 30 min each.

3. SNOW TIRES! (or more accurately "winter tires) Huge difference. I grew up in MN where snow tires were the knobby things you put on the back of the RWD sedan for winter months. About 9 years ago I got my first set of Blizzaks. They changed my winter driving. So much more traction. 4H can help you accelerate, but proper tires will help you stop and turn! The rubber is much softer as it warms, so you will need to change out the tires in spring and fall or you will tear through the winter tires in warm weather. I get 3-4 winters out of a set.

 

[txj2go]

I stay in 2H until I can't go any farther, and this was a good plan and worked well with our WJ, but I'm learning it doesn't work so well with the JL. On my last trail we did well with 2H but when we got to the point where we needed 4H, and then 4L, we were on a hill and couldn't shift into 4L. So it doesn't hurt to anticipate a little bit and be ready.

 

[Turchman]

If it is snowing and slippery, I always put it in 4H. 2H can allow your rear end to come out very quickly, risking a spin out. I never use it if the roads are just wet though.

 

[Rpk99]

Some good advice in this post.. My personal preference is to stay in 2H til I can't go any more or I dont feel safe in 2wd then pull the stick. I've been driving wranglers a long time and always ran A/Ts although winter tires are a real plus in colder temps. I'm still waiting on my first Fiat wrangler I hope there's not that big of a difference in the handling and drive ability. I may have to rethink the 2wd thing in snow. And always remember....they go like hell in bad weather but they all stop the same.

 

[rotlex]

New to this forum, but have owned plenty of 4x4's. In general, I've found my Wrangler more capable than most even in 2H. (surprising for a rear wheel drive). With that said, I've always used 4H with even the lightest of snows. For me a basic rule of thumb is if the road is wet, not just damp from a sprinkle, 4H is fine, especially snow wise. It really only needs a little bit of slip to not cause issues.

 

[jeep-v]

That's really odd behaviour; between hill assist and traction control, you should have no issue going up a hill in wet weather. Maybe don't put some much skinny pedal into it?

It is not me with skinny pedal - it is 2.0 Turbo engine - it puts 5 times more torque at low RPM than V6 and rear tires just could not handle it during wet starts, especially uphill or when exiting turns.

 

[Heimkehr]

It is not me with skinny pedal - it is 2.0 Turbo engine - it puts 5 times more torque at low RPM than V6 and rear tires just could not handle it during wet starts, especially uphill or when exiting turns.

I'm wondering if a throttle control device, with the Eco (or equivalent) setting active, would tame the skinny pedal to suit your requirements.

 

[McGilli]

4H is good for temporary use only. I have to switch to 4H during rain as car has trouble to start from stop going uphill, it just spins rear wheels and fishtailing constantly. Once in 4H - it is good, but you may get some wheel "jumping" during sharp turns, like u-turn on narrow road. Not as smooth as AWD vehicles in those situations.

Timely - glad to read this...

Came off a trail the other day, and I just forgot to take it out 4H before jumping back onto the pavement roads - went over to a parking lot and was pulling in and had to make a hard right turn into the lot - and it felt like the wheels were.. skipping... out of sync or something - and it freaked me out... Saw I was still in 4H and then was like 'ugh what have I done'

 

[jeep-v]

Here is Jeep explanation for part time 4x4. From this pretty good informative page (4x4 FAQ):
Why can't you use a part-time 4x4 system on dry surfaces?
Part-time 4x4 systems lock the front and rear axles together so the front and rear wheels turn at the same speed. If attempting to turn or drive on dry surfaces, binding (''crow hop'') and driveline noise (a ''bang'' or ''shudder'') will occur, which can lead to overheating and early part failure.

Learn more about 4x4 systems

Why does "crow hop” occur?
Crow hop happens when using the 4x4 part-time system on dry pavement or during turns. 4x4 part-time systems don’t use a center differential, so the front and rear wheel axles are locked together. If attempting to maneuver or turn on dry pavement, the tires will lose traction, causing driveline noise, such as a ''bang'' or vehicle ''shudder''.

 

[jeep-v]

I'm wondering if a throttle control device, with the Eco (or equivalent) setting active, would tame the skinny pedal to suit your requirements.

I wish I could find settings for wet road condition or Eco, but I could not find one, Traction kicks in, but too late and too little - the car is already in the trouble. It almost looks like they did not code it for 2.0T torque and it is still configured for V6 responses that are not adequate.

 

[TheRaven]

It is not me with skinny pedal - it is 2.0 Turbo engine - it puts 5 times more torque at low RPM than V6 and rear tires just could not handle it during wet starts, especially uphill or when exiting turns.

I wish I could find settings for wet road condition or Eco, but I could not find one, Traction kicks in, but too late and too little - the car is already in the trouble. It almost looks like they did not code it for 2.0T torque and it is still configured for V6 responses that are not adequate.

Ok wait...I think you have this backwards. The 3.6l is putting out over 100lbft at 1500rpm, while the 2.0l doesn't hit that number until 2500rpm. The 3.6l has ALOT more low end torque than the 2.0l. In fact, the 3.6l has significantly more torque until the 3000rpm mark, at which point the 2.0l surpasses it slightly.

This is expressly why I chose the 3.6l over the 2.0l. I had the 2.0l in my wife's Cherokee and we both hated it.

 

[aldo98229]

This is expressly why I chose the 3.6l over the 2.0l. I had the 2.0l in my wife's Cherokee and we both hated it.

Cherokee uses a FWD/AWD ZF 9-speed automatic transmission. That transmission has proved highly problematic, even on Acura and Audi models.

My brother owned a 2015 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk with the 9-speed auto: the transmission literally died the week the factory 3-Year warranty ended.

My JL has the V6 and love it. But so do those who have the 2.0T. I wonder if your poor experience with the 2.0T on the Cherokee was due to that 9-speed transmission.

The V6 with the 8-speed on my JL feels a lot more powerful and refined than it ever did on any of my JKs with the 5-speed auto.

 

[TheRaven]

Cherokee uses a FWD/AWD ZF 9-speed automatic transmission. That transmission has proved highly problematic, even on Acura and Audi models.

My brother owned a 2015 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk with the 9-speed auto: the transmission literally died the week the factory 3-Year warranty ended.

Fortunately the transmission was trouble-free. The problem with the motor was how high it needs to rev to make power. The 3.6l is a world of difference.

 

[Oldbear]

fully noted. Far from an aggressive driver. Especially in snow soI would be driving what the road conditions will allow me. So that I know, 4H is better tractionsI’m snow, ice driving normal but doesn’t mean braking will be any better. Can I still drive in 2H on snow?

You certainly “can” drive in 2H on snow, but why would you? Extra traction makes getting around a lot easier. 2H gives you a front engine rear wheel drive vehicle, arguably the worst combination in snow & ice.

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