Push button 4WD for the Wrangler

[Shibadog]

Love the shifter. However, Jeep’s implementation sucks. Ever drive a 4Runner? They also have a lever (on off road trims) and it shifts like butter. Really beautiful action.

Keep the shifter but make it better.

This-we do not need electronics to engage a transfer case. If somebody is too lazy to pull a lever, perhaps the Wrangler isn’t the vehicle they should be driving. Straight, mechanical stuff is far more likely to continue working under adverse conditions that electronic geegaws. When that little switch croaks in the middle of nowhere you are out of luck. Mark my words, the undoing of most of todays vehicles will be when they age and some stupid, minor component will fail at put the out of action. A couple years ago the wife’s very expensive Kenmore Elite stove’s oven quit working. A little electronic box the size of a pack of cigarettes failed, the part was no longer available, nor could it be repaired. A $2500 range that looked like new was junked because the over no longer worked?

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[four low]

As a side note ; Wranglers have lever actuated EMERGENCY brakes. This is designed to slow down and stop the vehicle when in motion, hence the " emergency " part.
PARKING Brakes, actuated by a solenoid, are only intended to hold the vehicle while STATIONARY. Hence the "Parking " brake nomenclature. The Owners manual on electronic "Parking " brakes makes this very clear.
Putting an electric solenoid parking brake on an off road vehicle is stupid. Case in point, BRONCO.
Confusing the two is likewise.

 

[Jeeb]

..and non-fixed roof/windshield, lockers and sway bar disconnect. Just unnecessarily complicated features that could potentially break at some point and ultimately make production costs too high for people that don't use them.

DONE!

 

[Gaffer]

I'd think the biggest loss would be for those who flat tow. I don't believe any of my button/knob actuated 4wds have had a neutral position. My Ram has a light for "N" when it switches into low, but it's not a selectable position.

The Ram can be flat towed. see this link
https://www.mopar.com/en-us/care/dy...1725A44B-33F1-4F23-AFF1-A87177059801&tocID=65

 

[Jim1964]

As a side note ; Wranglers have lever actuated EMERGENCY brakes. This is designed to slow down and stop the vehicle when in motion, hence the " emergency " part.
PARKING Brakes, actuated by a solenoid, are only intended to hold the vehicle while STATIONARY. Hence the "Parking " brake nomenclature. The Owners manual on electronic "Parking " brakes makes this very clear.
Putting an electric solenoid parking brake on an off road vehicle is stupid. Case in point, BRONCO.
Confusing the two is likewise.

Boy, does that bring back a memory! Years ago, in a rented XJ in Colorado. Approaching a dead end precipice on a dirt road, downhill. When the friggin’ ABS decided to cut the brakes because it detected slippage on the gravel.

Handbrake saved our bacon that day.

 

[gato]

You can't look at lever vs push button in a vacuum.

The issue is that the lever takes a lot of real-estate.

Lets say Jeep uses the real-estate by removing the lever to give you a wireless phone charger/holder there. Or a locked metal box that can be used for valuables/gun in that location.

Would you make that trade then?

Levers take a lot of real-estate and have mechanical complexities (my son broke mine on the JK trying to yank it into 4LO)

 

[Apexcars]

Yeah, we should get rid of all these elctro doo-dads and gizmos. WE should have to get down into the mud and lock all 4 hubs by hand. While we are at it, this electronical fuel injection needs to go. If fuel injection computers go out there is no way to fix them and they can leave you stranded. All we need is a good ol' carburetor with a choke knob. In fact, a horse will get you up and down all them trails too so we can just get rid of the Jeep all together.

I have grown up listening to all of these arguments and more. I for one feel like all of these things end up turning out better than what came before, otherwise, most of the time the market would end up staying with what we already had. I do know that I see far fewer cars broken down on the side of the road in the 2020's than I did in the 70's.

 

[GATORB8]

The Ram can be flat towed. see this link
https://www.mopar.com/en-us/care/dy...1725A44B-33F1-4F23-AFF1-A87177059801&tocID=65

Interesting, learn something every day. Thanks.

 

[four low]

You can't look at lever vs push button in a vacuum.

The issue is that the lever takes a lot of real-estate.

Lets say Jeep uses the real-estate by removing the lever to give you a wireless phone charger/holder there. Or a locked metal box that can be used for valuables/gun in that location.

Would you make that trade then?

Levers take a lot of real-estate and have mechanical complexities (my son broke mine on the JK trying to yank it into 4LO)

Keep your "Real Estate", in that Vacuum where it belongs.
Leave my Levers alone.

 

[Reinen]

You can't look at lever vs push button in a vacuum.

The issue is that the lever takes a lot of real-estate.

Lets say Jeep uses the real-estate by removing the lever to give you a wireless phone charger/holder there. Or a locked metal box that can be used for valuables/gun in that location.

Would you make that trade then?

Levers take a lot of real-estate and have mechanical complexities (my son broke mine on the JK trying to yank it into 4LO)

Nope, wouldn't make the trade.

If you don't regularly knock that phone out of that generic wireless charger/holder, you're not using the Jeep for what it was designed to do. Jeeps only operate on pavement as a secondary function. Lets not forget that.

And I can't wait to see what would happen if any vehicle manufacturer made gun storage standard equipment. Break out the popcorn, that'll be one heck of a show!

 

[Jeeb]

Yeah, we should get rid of all these elctro doo-dads and gizmos. WE should have to get down into the mud and lock all 4 hubs by hand. While we are at it, this electronical fuel injection needs to go. If fuel injection computers go out there is no way to fix them and they can leave you stranded. All we need is a good ol' carburetor with a choke knob. In fact, a horse will get you up and down all them trails too so we can just get rid of the Jeep all together.

I have grown up listening to all of these arguments and more. I for one feel like all of these things end up turning out better than what came before, otherwise, most of the time the market would end up staying with what we already had. I do know that I see far fewer cars broken down on the side of the road in the 2020's than I did in the 70's.

Pro tip: Lock your hubs before you go in the mud.

 

[2nd 392]

This-we do not need electronics to engage a transfer case. If somebody is too lazy to pull a lever, perhaps the Wrangler isn’t the vehicle they should be driving. Straight, mechanical stuff is far more likely to continue working under adverse conditions that electronic geegaws. When that little switch croaks in the middle of nowhere you are out of luck. Mark my words, the undoing of most of todays vehicles will be when they age and some stupid, minor component will fail at put the out of action. A couple years ago the wife’s very expensive Kenmore Elite stove’s oven quit working. A little electronic box the size of a pack of cigarettes failed, the part was no longer available, nor could it be repaired. A $2500 range that looked like new was junked because the over no longer worked?

Optioned a HD PTO TC on my PU even though I don’t need the PTO to get no-fault manual shift, not a knob. PU almost became junk recently due to “obsolete” ignition control module. It took extensive searching to find one in an out of state junkyard, next time??

 

[Twojayhawks]

I tow mine regularly behind my motorhome and I very much like the certainty of the transfer case shifter vs. something electronic.

 

[Murphydog]

Bring back manual HUBS!

 

[Reinen]

I do know that I see far fewer cars broken down on the side of the road in the 2020's than I did in the 70's.

While that is very true there are also two sides to that coin. If you break down on the side of the road in the 2020's you have a severely smaller chance of doing a roadside band-aid repair than you did in the 70's.

So which is better? Seems very debatable to me, especially since Jeeps are made to go where standard roadside assistance isn't available. There's something to be said for the mechanical ingenuity that was possible in the 70's and not so much today.

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