4H on the highway safe???

[word302]

I've driven over half-a-million miles, all my life in climates with plenty of winter, and I have never skidded off the road in snow and ice. I did 233,000 miles in an AWD Subaru, and have done some 200,000 miles in Jeeps, and I can assure you, you can do a lot more/go faster safely with that AWD in snowy conditions than you can do in a Jeep with a part-time 4WD sys. I've experienced it extensively. Love my Jeep... but the t-case is inferior to a good AWD (especially a Subie) on a snowy road.

I’d rather drive my wife’s Honda Civic in the snow than a wrangler with any transfer case.

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[word302]

Then you may end up being one of the many typical "brah"s that we haul out of our canyons every winter.

Here's an example of a classic "shouldn't have been in 4WD" accident, losing control in the latter half of an icy curve and sliding off the road. Right after many 2WD & AWD vehicles make the same curve at the same speed in the same conditions. The truck was traveling downhill where there was zero need for the additional acceleration traction that 4WD provides and it succumbed to the traction loss that 4WD causes in curves.

So people who don’t know what they’re doing I might agree with you. An experienced driver can drive in snow in 4wd without issue, but we sure as hell aren’t going 60.

 

[LaunchMedia]

4Hi for me when highways are questionable (which is somewhat frequent in WI winters). Speed doesn't kill. Variation in speed kills. I drive with traffic, 4 Hi and no cruise control. Agree that AWD cars and SUV's are better in snow but I only have one vehicle. I am more likely to use 2 hi on the interstate as it is more predictable than back highways for being clear but will use 4 hi whenever in doubt.

 

[J0E]

I’ve been getting conflicting information about running 4H on the highway (part time 4WD - so locked center diff). Is it safe to do? I mostly use it on I70 through colorado (Idaho springs to vail pass) during winter. I’ve heard it can bind up your driveshaft and cause you to lose traction/damage your drivetrain. (I70 can be quite windy and speeds can reach 80mph) However, I’ve also heard this is BS especially in low traction situations like a snowstorm… I’ve also noticed it has been extremely useful in said driving conditions…

Why would you want to? That lock on the transfer case says it's locked. Having raced on ice I can tell you a locked xfer case is like locking an axle. You're guaranteed it's going to cause the wheels to loose their static friction and go into a spin. At highway speeds you get less stability. On dry pavement you're putting enormous stress on you driveline.

Next time it snows go to a parking lot and test it out.

If you get the option for full time 4 WD that doesn't add a lock to the xfer case on the console, that's another story.

Get 4 studded tires and leave it in EDIT: 4L not 4H.

 

[Reinen]

So people who don’t know what they’re doing I might agree with you. An experienced driver can drive in snow in 4wd without issue, but we sure as hell aren’t going 60.

That's the big thing, isnt it. Don't try to keep up with the Subarus. They can go faster in that stuff, specially in curves. But when it gets deep and rough they'll get stuck long before 4WD does. 4WD is the tortoise, AWD is the hare.

 

[word302]

That's the big thing, isnt it. Don't try to keep up with the Subarus. They can go faster in that stuff, specially in curves. But when it gets deep and rough they'll get stuck long before 4WD does. 4WD is the tortoise, AWD is the hare.

Again, I’d rather drive my Civic in snow than my Jeep. Obviously Subarus are a better, if not the best tool for the job.

 

[grimmjeeper]

As someone who grew up in the great white north with RWD vehicles, I've learned many things.

1. No matter what, when the roads are slick with snow and/or ice, excessive speed is dangerous.
2. Sometimes you need speed to make it up a hill. So you have to balance speed with safety.
3. Best thing on any vehicle for snow driving are good tires.
4. Second best thing for snow driving is weight over the driving wheels.
5. Given enough weight over the rear tires, a RWD vehicle will out perform a FWD vehicle in the snow for one simple reason. When the drive wheels in RWD start to spin you can still steer. In FWD, spinning the drive wheels causes you to lose steering control.
6. 4WD and AWD is good for getting moving and keeping your momentum going uphill. It doesn't help with much else (at least without a lot of training and experience in high speed driving in low traction conditions).
7. AWD does have an advantage over part time 4WD due to the center diff keeping the tires from spinning.
8. 4WD does have an advantage over AWD due to the locked center diff when you've lost traction and need to get moving.
9. Traction aiding devices (limited slip, electronic traction control, etc.) All really help.

When to comes to picking a vehicle to drive in the snow, I liked the Subaru Crosstrek I used to have for light stuff. But when the snow gets heavy and deep, my old XJ with the np242 tcase with full time 4wd and TrueTrac limited slip front and rear with Duratracs would blow right through anything. Now that it's been sold, my current Wrangler with only part time 4wd is my go to. With 35" Duratracs, I rarely have to put it in 4wd and I get through just fine.

The last thing I'd want in snow is a FWD car with no ground clearance.

 

[lowmpg]

I find some of the comments regarding not wanting to drive a Wrangler in the snow hilarious. In fact, any comment against a solid axle 4WD in the snow. I've driven solid axle 4WD vehicles for over a decade through Maryland's crappy snow, black ice, sleet, etc., never had a single problem. Me thinks.....it is the DRIVER

 

[ALK]

I find some of the comments regarding not wanting to drive a Wrangler in the snow hilarious. In fact, any comment against a solid axle 4WD in the snow. I've driven solid axle 4WD vehicles for over a decade through Maryland's crappy snow, black ice, sleet, etc., never had a single problem. Me thinks.....it is the DRIVER

I will say, my TJ with 33x12.50.15 isn't the most stable thing on snow but that doesn't mean I don't know how to safely drive it, either.
The argument that AWD vehicles like Subarus are better on snow covered roads is pretty spot on.

 

[word302]

There’s a big difference between heavy snow that some of you guys hit frequently and the 2-3” we typically get in the PNW, which then slightly melts and refreezes. I absolutely drive my Jeep in the snow, I just realize there are much better tools for the job. Straight axle really has nothing to do with it.

 

[grimmjeeper]

There’s a big difference between heavy snow that some of you guys hit frequently and the 2-3” we typically get in the PNW, which then slightly melts and refreezes. I absolutely drive my Jeep in the snow, I just realize there are much better tools for the job. Straight axle really has nothing to do with it.

I'd still take a Jeep over a FWD econobox any day. But I actually know how to drive in snow and my vehicles are prepped for it.

And yeah, solid axle vs independent suspension doesn't make much difference.

 

[word302]

I'd still take a Jeep over a FWD econobox any day. But I actually know how to drive in snow and my vehicles are prepped for it.

And yeah, solid axle vs independent suspension doesn't make much difference.

Tires are everything

 

[Hennessey17]

Agree with the others, no issue with 4Hi on the interstate in low traction situations (snow storms). It's detrimental to your mileage, tire wear, etc, so no reason to run it with no traction issues, and it can bind a little in turns at low speed with good traction.

Most important thing to remember is 4wd helps you go, but does not help you stop.

TIRES, TIRES, TIRES.... good tires is the most important thing when it comes to traction... especially in winter conditions.

I drove through an ice storm in 2dr Accord from Denver to Breckinridge... but the tires were made for ice and snow.

I've been driving since '92 and have always lived in winter climates, but I never had AWD or 4WD until 2016. Even this past winter, I only put it in 4WD 4 or 5 times... most of my snowy driving was in RWD.

 

[BRuby]

Sedan Subie for rally driving on ice and packed snow. Fantastic on rain covered as well. Hairpins at speed no problem. Power slides and straightens right out. Very predictable.

Rubicon for unpacked and deeper snow. We drive both interchangeably every winter driving to ski resorts. Any fresh dump pow days Rubicon for the win easy. 4Hi no problem. But you must drive within your tire slippage limits and know how your vehicles handle when they break loose.

80 mph on a highway snow covered in a JL is a train wreck just waiting to happen. 4Hi or 2Hi.

Subie with winters can get high centered - so can become useless in the deep stuff. Rubicon comparably is a tank. Any snow storms when no one dares take their FWD or RWD out - we drive the tank. Traction is amazing with a deep 3MPSF tread depth. But probably as important or more so is driver skill and expertise.

 

[Joaquim]

Driving 60mph in a winter storm is just plain idiotic, especially in a Jeep or anything else with a high center of gravity.

Okay you drive at low speeds and get rear ended by a semi or other traffic that is going much faster and cause an accident then - I don’t think you completely understand the dangers of not moving with the flow of traffic, are you saying a jeep is incapable of it?

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