Not the snow vehicle I expected

[Kurlon]

First proper snow since I got my Rubicon and... today's commute was far more 'exciting' than anticipated. My first warning sign was needing 4Lo + lockers to get out of my driveway... For the record, I put a set of Nokian Hakka LT3s on, studded, in anticipation of my road being a bastard in winter. My prior vehicle was an 06 Highlander Hybrid AWD that was pretty damn surefooted in snow as long as it had dedicated snows mounted. I expected the Jeep to do better, and I'm sure it's overall capability is more than the old Toyota but damn am I having to remember my old driving tricks and techniques to keep it going forward and on the road. I think where I goofed was going with stock sizing for snows, instead of 285s I should have gone as narrow as I could to get rid of some of the excess flotation I'm experiencing. In comparison my Toyo was slightly lighter at 4300lbs vs 4500lbs but was cutting down through the snow with narrow 225s.

I'm also not impressed with the front defroster vent, it doesn't seem to hit the lower corners of the windshield rendering the passenger side wiper useless. Again, spoiled by past vehicles that had defroster strips in addition to the vent so kinda saw that coming. Also need to turn off auto start/stop, I'm floored at how quickly the defroster on full blast turns cold at an intersection.

The learning curve with the new toy continues I guess.

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[TuTTerZZ12]

What part of New England are you located in? We just had our first big snow storm here in Maine and my two door Rubicon was a beast. A little more slick then I expected with the stock KO2’s in 2WD but in 4WD it would be hard stopping it and I’m imaging a two door would be more difficult. Upload a picture!

 

[Kurlon]

4Dr Rubi in the Lake Arrowhead region. Got to play in a parking lot today, after a bit the old habits came back and I had some fun while figuring the Jeep out.

 

[rfm8os]

My 2020 JLUR did pretty well. Used 4H in places but the traction control mostly keeps the back wheels going as long as you don't stomp on it. Anti-lock brakes worked well.

So I can see where the front defroster setting might be an issue in really extreme cold as far as the far left and right zones not getting a lot of heat. It does a good job of heating the middle which makes sure the driver wiper stays more clear of ice. But I found if I didn't use the front defrost button and just kept it on the defrost/footwell combo with medium fan and heat cranked up it did seem to be sending some warmth to the sides.

Years ago I had a Pontiac Fiero and the windshield on that was huge and in extreme icy conditions it would start to ice up the wipers and windshield. I had to crank the temp all the way up and full fan to super heat the cabin. Then it would stay clear more or less. I wonder if this will end up being a similar situation where the cabin has to be really warm to keep the windshield clear.

 

[Jocko]

Yikes. How much snow did you have in the driveway? Or was the problem mainly at the end from the plows?

 

[Kyanche]

I wonder if the Sahara with the selec-trac AWD would have been a better choice in that environment.

 

[Kurlon]

Not much snow actually, plowed dirt road, maybe 5 inches in my driveway. The issue is my road is a STEEP grade, and it's private so no sand/salt, and no opportunity to get a running start. Part of the issue is coming from prior vehicles I'm used to loosing all traction/drive the moment a wheel spins and that's not the case here, a little spin is OK as long as I keep it in check. Been a long time since I had to drive like that so I was immediately lifting and killing my momentum. As noted, I got a chance to play in some snow and the old habits are starting to return.

The Sahara's full time 4WD would be an improvement in general conditions, narrower tires would help too. I still think the Rubi's ability to go full locked is going to be a win when my road ices up. I really want the Euro/Middle East Rubi setup that has the Sahara's transfer case so I can have my rig PLUS the full time 4wd option.

 

[00Sebby]

I haven't had a chance to play with the JLUR in the deep stuff yet though I have had it in the snow. I thought it did very well in 4HI with the traction control. My '12 JKUR did very well in the snow... even in the deep stuff I never had to use the lockers. I just let the 4HI and traction control do the work. However, neither of them compare to my '10 4Runner Trail with its off-road electronics. That thing will easily climb our steep East Tennessee roads in the icy snow we get and it hardly spins a tire with the KO2s. And its defroster/windshield wiper deicers work fabulously.

 

[Kurlon]

3 hours in today's storm, that front defroster pissed me off the entire time.

 

[DKAwildcat]

I installed two dozen of the 5/8” sq. plugs in the defrost vent holes (all center on the windshield) and it pretty much solved the problem. They do let enough air to get through to the center of the windshield. I could probably use a few more but two dozen works good enough for me. Here’s the link ( https://www.ebay.com/itm/12-Square-...side-Dimension-Tube-Ribbed-Plug-/251471122699 ). They do work lose on occasion but not really a big problem.

Here’s the link to the thread where I found out about these, along with other solutions ( https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/question-regarding-the-windsheld-defrost.15276/ ).

 

[Kurlon]

And that settled it, this is the first time in 10+ years that I had to dig a vehicle out trying to get into my driveway.. I love the Jeep in the spring/summer/fall, first vehicle I've owned that has made me dread driving in snow. I'm going to break the lease and get into something better suited for Maine winters.

 

[oceanblue2019]

And that settled it, this is the first time in 10+ years that I had to dig a vehicle out trying to get into my driveway.. I love the Jeep in the spring/summer/fall, first vehicle I've owned that has made me dread driving in snow. I'm going to break the lease and get into something better suited for Maine winters.

It's interesting to see the sensationalism that often happens on here. This post of yours is a good example.

 

[Compression-Ignition]

Nokian LT3's and 4wd don't cut it to get up your driveway? I just took my daughters snow wheeling today at the nearby ORV park. Stock 2011 4WD QX56 on Studded Nokian LT3's. Aired down to 25 psi in the front and 21 psi in the rear. Walked that rig all over the place. Tons of grip. I did have to floor it at one point to get us up an 80 yard long 45 degree incline.

I have a set of 315/70r17 Nokian LT3's waiting to go on the Jeep. These tires are phenomenal IMO. And while our Jeep hasn't been delivered yet, I have no doubt it is going to be a monster in the snow.

I'm thinking you've got some sort of operator error going on, possibly way too much tire pressure? I guess it doesn't matter if you're getting out of the Jeep. I just want you to know that you are kidding yourself if you think the Wrangler is what's holding you back from being mobile in "Maines winters".

Apparently Jeeps don't work in Maine

 

[_olllllllo_]

My wife and I just went up to Mt Lemmon outside of Tucson, AZ and at 8,000+ feet 4Hi did awesome driving up 10+ degree snow covered back streets and we experienced no issues at all. We only had one bit of excitement when coming down a very steep street we encountered ice and slowly slid about 100 feet heading towards the main road and traffic. We stopped before having any issues with other vehicles. We had a blast in the snow and I think my wife was getting tired of me finding any snow to drive through. The Rubicon was awesome and now I want to do some real snow wheeling.

 

[chacomaya]

~80% of a vehicle's snow performance is down to the tires. KO2's and similar tires are good, but Nokians, Blizzaks, and Alpins, etc they ain't. A Honda Civic on proper winter tires is gonna perform better than any 4wd or awd running all season tires. Bottom line: it's not the Jeep, especially if you have one with locking diffs.

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