First snow

[Yzfguy]

Got my 4 Dr Willys this past July, and today is the first day tha

t there were quick snow accumulations on the way home from work.
I was very impressed with the 4WD auto. Never slipped, and I was driving around stuck cars on hills, some had to be pulled by trucks with straps. It felt like a walk in the park.
Interior was so comfy, heated everything and the heater just kicks ass.
My one gripe is how fast my led headlights became caked in snow. I had read about it, but I've been so happy with how bright they are that I had forgotten. About 20 minutes into the drive, it seemed like my lights were off. If there wasn't a set of tail lights for me to follow, I wouldn't have been able to see. When I found a pullover, I cleared them and all was good, but I can't imagine having to pull over every half hour to do this on a road trip in the snow. Does this only happen with super wet snow, or is this a thing all the time?
Anyway, I absolutely love this Jeep, I'm so glad I got it and to me, it's the ideal summer, winter, and everything in between vehicle.

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[Reinen]

Mostly only happens with warm wet snow. The colder it is the better it is. That's the one Achilles Heel with LED headlights, they won't melt collecting snow.

I'm surprised nobody makes a clear headlight dome for the JL. Snow only collects there because the headlights are recessed. Just the slightest flush dome over the headlights would prevent a lot of snow from collecting there. (anybody listening?)

 

[Mine&Hers]

Oracle heated led lights work great, but they are pricey ?

 

[Headbarcode]

Mostly only happens with warm wet snow. The colder it is the better it is. That's the one Achilles Heel with LED headlights, they won't melt collecting snow.

I'm surprised nobody makes a clear headlight dome for the JL. Snow only collects there because the headlights are recessed. Just the slightest flush dome over the headlights would prevent a lot of snow from collecting there. (anybody listening?)

Yeah, it has more to do with the recess than it being led. It creates a pocket of turbulence that gives the snow a chance to collect.

After 30+ years of driving in the worst part of snow storms to operate heavy equipment, I've had to make those long drives in a number of different personal vehicles. Even recessed halogens will collect snow that blocks the light until they are physically cleared. The heat that they generate only melts the snow directly in front of the hot spot, but the reflector remains blocked.

My wife's Nissan Juke has halogen projection headlamps. They are slightly recessed by about a half inch, but are tilted back, so they don't collect as much and as fast.

I, for one, don't mind having to pull over to clear them here and there during a long drive. It's also nice to clear the buildup at the base and sides of the windshield to maximize visibility. After all, it's a small price to pay for awesome forward lighting during the other 95% of the time that it's not snowing.

 

[jjvincent]

I even have snow tires on mine. It goes great. I will admit, my Alltrack is better as the driving dynamics of it in the snow is pretty impressive (especially when you use launch control and code the read diff to be more aggressive).

 

[Reinen]

I even have snow tires on mine. It goes great. I will admit, my Alltrack is better as the driving dynamics of it in the snow is pretty impressive (especially when you use launch control and code the read diff to be more aggressive).

True, AWD is better in on-road snow than 4WD. AWD has the traction and can drive faster with more control in the cold white stuff, up to a point. Although 4WD has to drive slower, it's far less likely to become outright stuck than AWD.

 

[jjvincent]

True, AWD is better in on-road snow than 4WD. AWD has the traction and can drive faster with more control in the cold white stuff, up to a point. Although 4WD has to drive slower, it's far less likely to become outright stuck than AWD.

AWD is better for regular street driving. I'm not going to off road my Alltrack. I can easily get through about a foot of snow with the Alltrack. After that, it's high centered. As for the Jeep, I can deal with more snow and especially when I want to go skiing and it's snowing like crazy and I'm one of the idiots out on the road. I'm really hoping for a massive snow storm that dumps like 2+ ft so I can see how well it goes. So far, 1ft is a piece of cake.

 

[Reinen]

AWD is better for regular street driving. I'm not going to off road my Alltrack. I can easily get through about a foot of snow with the Alltrack. After that, it's high centered. As for the Jeep, I can deal with more snow and especially when I want to go skiing and it's snowing like crazy and I'm one of the idiots out on the road. I'm really hoping for a massive snow storm that dumps like 2+ ft so I can see how well it goes. So far, 1ft is a piece of cake.

If it's fresh and untouched, 4 feet is a piece of cake. You'll plow right through it with a bow wake. The problem only comes when snow is high enough to pile up on the hood and windshield. You can move but you can't see a damn thing.

Speaking from experience.

 

[bthomp]

If it's fresh and untouched, 4 feet is a piece of cake. You'll plow right through it with a bow wake. The problem only comes when snow is high enough to pile up on the hood and windshield. You can move but you can't see a damn thing.

Speaking from experience.

Agreed with a caveat. If it's a heavy, wet snow, it will become a problem at much lower accumulations. In Colorado, spring snows can be really heavy and the Jeep is just not heavy enough to get to the pavement.

 

[LuvHydro]

Last winter after a pretty good snow, before they cleared the road, I pulled up to a red light in my wife's AWD SUV next to a DC in a Wrangler with a smug look on his face.

When it changed I really blew him away. He wouldn't even look over at the next light.

Her car won't spin it just goes. It's fasinating really.

It's doubtful Hazel will see any on road snow. Our state slathers the roads with salt. But I might run the rock bsckroads just for fun.

 

[Reinen]

Agreed with a caveat. If it's a heavy, wet snow, it will become a problem at much lower accumulations. In Colorado, spring snows can be really heavy and the Jeep is just not heavy enough to get to the pavement.

Well, that snow will just pack itself into a retaining wall. You'd need to put on the tracks for that.

 

[Reinen]

Last winter after a pretty good snow, before they cleared the road, I pulled up to a red light in my wife's AWD SUV next to a DC in a Wrangler with a smug look on his face.

When it changed I really blew him away. He wouldn't even look over at the next light.

Her car won't spin it just goes. It's fasinating really.

It's doubtful Hazel will see any on road snow. Our state slathers the roads with salt. But I might run the rock bsckroads just for fun.

I've always said 4WD vs AWD in the snow is like the race between the Tortoise and the Hare. The AWD Hare will talk smack and run circles around the 4WD Tortoise, until it can't and the 4WD Tortoise slowly and steadily continues on to the finish line.

 

[LuvHydro]

I've always said 4WD vs AWD in the snow is like the race between the Tortoise and the Hare. The AWD Hare will talk smack and run circles around the 4WD Tortoise, until it can't and the 4WD Tortoise slowly and steadily continues on to the finish line.

Agreed. Our side road drifts badly and the county takes days to clear it. Her little rig blasted through snow that was almost 2 feet deep. She was scared, but it was fun AF.

 

[Reinen]

Agreed. Our side road drifts badly and the county takes days to clear it. Her little rig blasted through snow that was almost 2 feet deep. She was scared, but it was fun AF.

My biggest concern there would be ripping the front bumper off the AWD. My wife did that in her Subaru. Watching her yell about her cheap piece of crap bumper was hilarious.

 

[LuvHydro]

My biggest concern there would be ripping the front bumper off the AWD. My wife did that in her Subaru. Watching her yell about her cheap piece of crap bumper was hilarious.

It was a concern, but we had no choice. I didn't have my Jeep then and my 2wd (well non-LSD, so 1 wheel drive) pickup wouldn't have made it 10 feet.

Took awhile to clean all the snow outta the grill. ?

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