Jeep snow performance, need advice.

[Stingrey]

My $0.02

Don't use 4wd on the highway unless you need it. I don't know exactly when that would be. I have never needed to use 4wd on the highway. Look at all the 1wd cars that where (likely) driving on the highway without any issues.

The tires you have are 3 season tires. Surprised a dealership would not try to sell you on a set of winter rated tires but regardless of what they told you, you should get some. We all know it's not about getting going (although it helps) but it's all about stopping and keeping under control.

KO2s are ok if you want a convenient year round tire but dedicated winters will be even better for those 4-5 months of cold weather.

As asked already...what's your tire pressure?

P.s.
You're in Ontario. We get a minuscule insurance rate reduction for having winter tires.

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[ResponsibleAdult]

That definitely caught me by surprise.. I'm used to AWD with the front wheel doing most of the work.
Yep those are the current tires I have, man you guys know your Jeeps. lol

So would you guys suggest 2WD with traction control on for regular driving even if there's a bit of snow on the road? And if it there's more snow, then go 4H?

Yeah we're at the tail end of winter, I'll try a few things and definitely revisit the winter tires next season.

I’m considering winter tires, and I run K02s. You need winters.

Spend some time thinking about whether you want to keep your stock wheels, or put winters on them next year, and upgrade to something else for your 3 seasons. Check out the website for Just Jeeps to give you some ideas on pricing.

Stay safe during the roller coaster of this week’s weather!

 

[Kreegrr]

It helps a lot actually, learned a ton from all your posts, ty!
I also got a better picture of what might of happened.. My Jeep is about one'ish week old and when I bought it, there was a 3" lift kit on it with 35" on, the dealership was selling that kit for $7k so I said no thanks, I'll get aftermarket if needed. So they took off the kit and wheels but never did a wheel re-alignment.. I took it in the dealership this morning and the mechanic said the alignment was waay off. That's probably why my back end was pulling out as much as it did, as soon as there was in enough snow, it wanted to go in the direction it was pointing.. At odds to where I wanted to go. lol.. Anyways, now I can literally let the steering go(safely) for a bit and it keeps a straight line.. I'll take that with my new aquired knowledge from your post, buy new winter tires and I should be all set..

 

[ResponsibleAdult]

It helps a lot actually, learned a ton from all your posts, ty!
I also got a better picture of what might of happened.. My Jeep is about one'ish week old and when I bought it, there was a 3" lift kit on it with 35" on, the dealership was selling that kit for $7k so I said no thanks, I'll get aftermarket if needed. So they took off the kit and wheels but never did a wheel re-alignment.. I took it in the dealership this morning and the mechanic said the alignment was waay off. That's probably why my back end was pulling out as much as it did, as soon as there was in enough snow, it wanted to go in the direction it was pointing.. At odds to where I wanted to go. lol.. Anyways, now I can literally let the steering go(safely) for a bit and it keeps a straight line.. I'll take that with my new aquired knowledge from your post, buy new winter tires and I should be all set..

That’s a crappy dealer.

What part of the province?

 

[jerseymike]

Your 4HI comment is interesting. I am kind of surprised he needs it while driving on only 2"-3' of snow. That's nothing. My bet is too fast for conditions.

I would definitely use 4HI in 2-3", then again I am not in Ontario, 2-3" in NJ is a decent amount of snow and would certainly warrant 4HI

 

[Badweissenbier]

I would definitely use 4HI in 2-3", then again I am not in Ontario, 2-3" in NJ is a decent amount of snow and would certainly warrant 4HI

Yea around here(WV) 2-3 means 4WD and a bit of care, But flat straighter roads and 2wd is just fine.

 

[Jeep It]

That’s a crappy dealer.

What part of the province?

It helps a lot actually, learned a ton from all your posts, ty!
I also got a better picture of what might of happened.. My Jeep is about one'ish week old and when I bought it, there was a 3" lift kit on it with 35" on, the dealership was selling that kit for $7k so I said no thanks, I'll get aftermarket if needed. So they took off the kit and wheels but never did a wheel re-alignment.. I took it in the dealership this morning and the mechanic said the alignment was waay off. That's probably why my back end was pulling out as much as it did, as soon as there was in enough snow, it wanted to go in the direction it was pointing.. At odds to where I wanted to go. lol.. Anyways, now I can literally let the steering go(safely) for a bit and it keeps a straight line.. I'll take that with my new aquired knowledge from your post, buy new winter tires and I should be all set..

Hope that resolves the issue, but I’m a little surprised the stock tires didn’t do better for you. My JLU Sport S with the stock Goodyears has done great in up to 5" of snow in 2H. I’ve only needed 4H a couple of times starting out on a slippery grade.

That being said, I’m getting K02’s when the Goodyear’s are worn out.

 

[Niteshooter]

I'm just outside of Toronto, prefer Blizzaks on ice as they have good grip. Problem with 4wd is you can get going but stopping can be a problem especially on ice. Down here people don't know how to drive, slow down or have winter tires so even if you are all set they aren't.

 

[BIGDOGS]

I live in Minneapolis, so this is an important topic!!
The new JLU Sahara with the Goodyear Wrangler Kevlars was horrible in snow!
Swapped them out for Hankook Dynapro ATM and is now amazing!
Have had those on my 15 Cherokee Trailhawk for 2 seasons and they are an amazing tire.
Quiet. More aggressive look and performance. And they stick like glue.
And the ride improved.

 

[Chomper]

I live in Minneapolis, so this is an important topic!!
The new JLU Sahara with the Goodyear Wrangler Kevlars was horrible in snow!
Swapped them out for Hankook Dynapro ATM and is now amazing!
Have had those on my 15 Cherokee Trailhawk for 2 seasons and they are an amazing tire.
Quiet. More aggressive look and performance. And they stick like glue.
And the ride improved.

Meh. My experience was different. I have a non-Selectrac Sahara with the LSD and Wrangler kelvars. I had no issues getting around after a January storm with 9 inches of snow. Didn't seem any worse than the BFG All-Terrain KOs and Cooper Discoverer AT3s I had on my old Xterra Off Road.

 

[AbeWay]

Hey guys,

Just had the absolute worst snow driving experience with my new Wrangler Unlimited JL, Almost spun out 3 times on 4Hi at 50km on about 2-3 inches of snow on a straight road.. It was greasy but really surprised how bad my it was handling the road.. Note, my new JL runs currently with all weather tires.. Just picked up the Jeep and dealership said I'd be fine for the rest of the winter on stock tires..Here's my question, would winter tires stabilize the driving by a good margin? I need my Jeep to be rock solid in snow conditions, family and stuff.. you know, I need to have complete trust in the handling. Now having said that, I know if it's freezing rain or all ice condition, no guarantees there.

I live in NE Wyoming so I have a lot of experience with the snow. All seasons are okay just not the stock michelin's, they're crap . If you have the automation you need to go into manual shifting .I found the 8 speed is a little finicky in the snow. Otherwise use your best judgement

 

[NewNLJeep]

Just went through our first winter with a Wrangler, 2019 without selec trak. I put toyo gsi 5 winters on it and all was good. Never had a problem.....and I’m in western newfoundland......have used blizzaks and Michelin x ice in the past.....dedicated snow tires are the key, hell even the lower end firestone winter hawks are great.

 

[aldo98229]

BTW, Selec-Trac does not give you greater traction in snow. All it does is make it more convenient to drive in winter conditions. Particularly when you drive on roads that constantly switch from bare to snow/slush back to bare. Select-Trac adds an “Auto” Mode that can be left engaged full-time. You simply engage Selec-Trac and let it do its thing.

I do find Selec-Trac gets you more traction in rain, as you can have all 4 wheels pulling.

In part-time 4-Hi or 4-Lo, Selec-Trac works the same as the Command-Trac 4WD system you get on Sahara and Sport, down to the same transfer case ratio (2.72:1)

 

[Chubrocker]

I know that many disagree but LSD sucks in slippery conditions. Helps greatly with forward momentum yes but directional stability sucks. Like driving in a straight line and swapping ends issues. I’m talking glare ice or packed snow. I’ll never own one again.

 

[aldo98229]

I know that many disagree but LSD sucks in slippery conditions. Helps greatly with forward momentum yes but directional stability sucks. Like driving in a straight line and swapping ends issues. I’m talking glare ice or packed snow. I’ll never own one again.

Aren't you thinking lockers....? I found my Rubicons, especially with the rear locked, the absolute worst in icy/slippery conditions. My Saharas with a rear TrueTrac were absolute champs...!

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