Choosing the right configuration

[neda7777]

Hello friends, I'm new here, but I'm not new to the world of SUVs and jeeps. I am going to Jordan by in my jeep and will be there most of the time driving sands and dunes. My question is this: what should I choose in the transfer case in the jeep wrangler rubicon jl in order to drive in the sand and also that there will be no damage to the vehicle assemblies and should I also disconnect the traction control in the vehicle? I would appreciate a professional answer.. Attached is a photo of the handle lever of the transfer case.

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[KevinC11]

4H Part Time
Turn on your Off Road pages.
Push and hold the ESC Button for 10 seconds.
Go tear up the sand dunes and maintain momentum. If you lose momentum, 4L is your other option. Try it with the transmission in manual mode and shift to desired gear/speed.

KevinC

 

[aldo98229]

I own a Sahara with the Selec-Trac. Yes, as indicated above, the most robust mode with the lowest chance of damage to the driveline over long distance would be to engage Part-Time 4H. In Part-Time mode, the clutches in the center will lock up and split torque 50-50 front and rear.

I have no opinion on disabling ESC. I find the system to be smart enough and so low intrusion so that I rarely ever bother disabling it. Perhaps it is a good preventive step if you are going to be driving hundreds of miles on loose sand. But I honestly doubt you will find ESC to be much of an issue.

Good luck!

 

[neda7777]

Isn't putting it in 4H part time a bit
dangerous when you drive at high speed in a car? It could be that the front and rear axles are not at the same speed and then something will break. Isn't it better to put you in 4H Auto mode? Because we drive there sometimes over 80 kmh

 

[Dyolfknip74]

Isn't putting it in 4H part time a bit
dangerous when you drive at high speed in a car? It could be that the front and rear axles are not at the same speed and then something will break. Isn't it better to put you in 4H Auto mode? Because we drive there sometimes over 80 kmh

On loose or slippery surfaces it's fine.

4H auto is 4x4 on demand. It's good for city streets that are sometimes slippery or the highway that's got crap on it.

You can do 80kms in either mode.

 

[rcadden]

I'll buck the trend here - 4H Auto is your bag.

This will keep the transmission in 2H unless/until you lose traction, at which point it automatically shifts into 4H. So it basically automates the shifting between 2H and 4H (hence the auto).

For sand/dunes, you're going to want to air your tires down to a lower PSI to get better traction, so you'll need a portable air compressor to be able to re-air up when you're done. The VIAIR 440p is a popular option.

I would also have some traction boards and/or a shovel. There are whole threads on how to wheel in the sand, or you could probably find some YouTube videos specifically geared toward sand/dune driving.

 

[Reinen]

Isn't putting it in 4H part time a bit
dangerous when you drive at high speed in a car? It could be that the front and rear axles are not at the same speed and then something will break. Isn't it better to put you in 4H Auto mode? Because we drive there sometimes over 80 kmh

This is a bit of a Goldilocks thing. It's not good to be in 4H at higher speeds on firm high traction surfaces, tires won't slip as they need to and it stresses the drivetrain. It's good on medium traction surfaces including sand where tires can slip but not much. It's not good on very slick surfaces such as snow & ice as it can cause you to skid and spin off the road in curves.

4WD Auto is not as good on sand because the front tires will only engage if the rear tires slip. On sand that means your rear tires are already digging a hole before your front tires help. Better to be in 4HI Part Time so they always help immediately.

Off-Road + is what you want to look into. Its name doesn't describe what it does well, but It's specifically for higher speed 4WD HI Part-Time driving in sandy desert. It adjusts your throttle, shift points and traction control accordingly.

Always lower your tire pressure in sand, it makes a tremendous difference.

 

[neda7777]

This is a bit of a Goldilocks thing. It's not good to be in 4H at higher speeds on firm high traction surfaces, tires won't slip as they need to and it stresses the drivetrain. It's good on medium traction surfaces including sand where tires can slip but not much. It's not good on very slick surfaces such as snow & ice as it can cause you to skid and spin off the road in curves.

4WD Auto is not as good on sand because the front tires will only engage if the rear tires slip. On sand that means your rear tires are already digging a hole before your front tires help. Better to be in 4HI Part Time so they always help immediately.

Off-Road + is what you want to look into. Its name doesn't describe what it does well, but It's specifically for higher speed 4WD HI Part-Time driving in sandy desert. It adjusts your throttle, shift points and traction control accordingly.

Always lower your tire pressure in sand, it makes a tremendous difference.

Hello
Thank you for your answer, I don’t have off-road + mode.
so i will go with 4h part time . Is that ok?

 

[aldo98229]

The issue with driving in loose sand on Auto mode for hours and hundreds of miles is that you risk overheating the clutch pack that engages and disengages 4WD automatically. Driving in Auto mode on-road with varying snow/slush/rain/dry conditions is one thing; driving for hours on loose sand is completely different. When you select Part-Time 4WD, it locks up the clutch pack, preventing it from overheating.

There are posts about this on the web.

 

[Headbarcode]

Hello
Thank you for your answer, I don’t have off-road + mode.
so i will go with 4h part time . Is that ok?

Part time 4hi, aired down, and traction control disabled will give you maximum benefit in loose sand.

Be safe and have fun!

 

[Reinen]

Hello
Thank you for your answer, I don’t have off-road + mode.
so i will go with 4h part time . Is that ok?

You sure? (you didn't mention the year of your JLR) It's a button on the dash next to the front & rear lockers switch. Pretty easy to miss.

No big deal if you don't have it. Go 4WD P/T with tires aired down. Traction control off if you don't have Off-Road +. Think of Traction Control as [On-Road] Traction Control. It works against you off-road, reducing power when wheels slip. Which is exactly what you don't want on sand. That will give you a better idea of when to have it on and when to turn it off.

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