Crawling, throttle and brake control

[jlrockfly]

A friend just bought a Willys 4xe and while rock crawling / slow moving I noticed how bad he was in maintaining forward constant speed. It’s worse when going downhill where the brakes briefly lock and then release, making the jeep slide and loose control. I thought it was him but I tried and it was almost impossible to be smooth. I have a gas rubicon XR and I can brake or accelerate pretty smoothly on 4L. I imagine it’s the regen brake blending with the regular one. Is there a way to turn it off? Or any other trick you may know? Acceleration it’s also tricky as well

Sponsored

 

[Inkhero]

There is a button on the center console to turn max regen on/off, but the issue is the binary motor in the transmission which replaced a standard torque converter.

If they were using 4L electric, it's best to use the selec-speed button on the center console and manually shift to an appropriate speed for the obstacle and just ride the brake to help modulate over large obstacles.

If they were using 4L Hybrid or E-save, it's a matter of two-footed driving to try and smoothly tackle rocks and obstacles. It's not easy but with practice it can be manageable. Often I'm shouted at by my spotter to hurry up or slow down when... I really just wish I had a traditional torque converter.

 

[jlrockfly]

He was running on hybrid. Downhill is super noticeable (max regen off). I think when you depress the brake pedal it starts attempting to regen but since there is not much traction, it just slips. Is select track the slow cruise control? I noticed it did work fine with it engaged. 4xe does not have a torque converter?

 

[Inkhero]

He was running on hybrid. Downhill is super noticeable (max regen off). I think when you depress the brake pedal it starts attempting to regen but since there is not much traction, it just slips. Is select track the slow cruise control? I noticed it did work fine with it engaged. 4xe does not have a torque converter?

Yeah, selec-speed is basically cruise control, while you control the manual shifter. Correct, the 4xE replaced the torque converter with a binary electric motor to help provide instant torque. What you experienced is the negative side to that

 

[jlrockfly]

Wow, that’s super interesting. I also felt the low gears were not holding it back as it does on mine downhill but it could be just the ratio of the transfer case?

 

[us3r1d]

Wow, that’s super interesting. I also felt the low gears were not holding it back as it does on mine downhill but it could be just the ratio of the transfer case?

I don't know if the Willys has it, but the Rubicon has a hill-descent mode; I haven't tried it yet, though, so I can't promise that it works.

 

[Inkhero]

I don't know if the Willys has it, but the Rubicon has a hill-descent mode; I haven't tried it yet, though, so I can't promise that it works.

I called it the wrong term, but it's the same button. I should of said 'selec-speed' control. Edited my posts to avoid confusion.

It's best to apply light pressure to the brakes to help it smoothly roll over larger rocks otherwise it just clunks down hard.

 

[lindaspins]

Offroad, I typically will switch to manual mode and stay in 2nd-3rd etc., keeping the revs down to 1000 or so. I'm not sure why it thinks it needs to rev so hi but it will pull and jump if you don't get that addressed.
If I want to go electric, just staying in auto works really nicely on certain sections of trail. I'll use the selec-speed occasionally- I'm still getting to know it and I'm not 100% comfortable with it yet. Even with braking, it really wants to go at whatever speed is set, which isn't always in our best interest in every spot on the trail.
I've found the learning curve to be a bit higher wheeling the 4xe, especially coming to it from a JKUR. It's been interesting learning how to finesse it.

 

[us3r1d]

I called it the wrong term, but it's the same button. I should of said 'selec-speed' control. Edited my posts to avoid confusion.

It's best to apply light pressure to the brakes to help it smoothly roll over larger rocks otherwise it just clunks down hard.

Thanks; I was definitely confused.

 

[GATORB8]

4L Manual Mode, max regen off. 4L manual should automatically turn on the ICE. With 4.10s and the 4:1, even on 37s it will try to crawl through the brakes.

The trans mapping in 4L is crazy, it holds gear too long and slams gears in auto unless you are doing go fast sand stuff. If I'm on trail in 4L, I stay in manual, upshifting to a comfortable gear for anything above a crawl.

Select Speed annoys the hell out of me.

 

[Inkhero]

4L Manual Mode, max regen off. 4L manual should automatically turn on the ICE. With 4.10s and the 4:1, even on 37s it will try to crawl through the brakes.

The trans mapping in 4L is crazy, it holds gear too long and slams gears in auto unless you are doing go fast sand stuff. If I'm on trail in 4L, I stay in manual, upshifting to a comfortable gear for anything above a crawl.

Select Speed annoys the hell out of me.

Yeah if they make any improvements to the powertrain, the crawling experience in 4L is where I want them to focus the most. I know they wanted to offer instant torque, and it's fine for on-road and fast off-roading. However, like you said, it's often too aggressive for crawling.

I think selec-speed is great for starting out but it holds your hand, so after a while it becomes more engaging to just manage the throttle/brake pressure yourself. In this scenario, it would be great if they either adjusted the trans mapping to offer a smoother torque band in 4L by default, or even offered a button to switch on in place of "Off Road +" that gave us more control to finesse slowly over obstacles, without doing it for us.

Edit: So I just looked more into Off-Road Plus and it claims to have benefits to 4L that I wasn't aware of. From an article by Quadratec: What Is Jeep's Off-Road Plus Mode?

"With 4-Lo, this mode really shines at lower speed rock crawling. Once activated, the Off-Road Plus mode ensures a more controlled throttle response — providing precision and power which is much more important than raw speed when rock crawling.

Additionally, this mode can help traverse rocky terrain and slippery slopes by momentarily cutting power or applying significant brake force to specific wheels depending on the need to prevent wheel spin, therefore making sure the maximum amount of traction is maintained.

As far as the transmission, by engaging Off-Road Plus mode in 4-Lo, you’ll help keep constant delivery of power and prevent unnecessary upshifting when overcoming obstacles — ensuring maximum use of the engine torque. Also, Off-Road Plus mode will tweak the ESC in 4-Lo to be less restrictive, allowing the driver more flexibility in different off-road terrains.

Finally, utilizing Off-Road Plus in 4-Lo will help engage the rear locker when needed. This will keep both rear wheels rotating at the same rate in order to provide maximum traction during tricky, difficult obstacles."

My 2022 Rubi doesn't come with OR+, curious if it helps the 4xe crawling experience?

Sponsored