Rain and 4WD?

[Powelligator]

In Colorado a lot of times we get pea-sized hail to go along with short bursts of biblical rainfall. The rain will pool up near drainage and wash the hailstones into the low places. Hitting a pool even at slow speeds feels like driving on marbles, hence when conditions are like that I have no problem going into 4-High.

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[cander58]

You've got a hammer and you're looking for a nail.

Don't use 4wd on pavement. Wet or dry.

 

[John VonJeep]

I have personally noticed significant differences and improvements in handling in bad weather the second it's in for high. Like night and day. Almost lost it once coming home from work in a torrential downpour, put it in four high, and I was passing traffic with zero issues.

Four high is like putting the Jeep in easy mode.

That's because, instead of putting 100% of your power to one axle, you're putting 50% to each axle. Thus, the same amount of power is going to the road, but each axle/tire is doing less work. And I agree with you: the Jeep drives much better in 4Hi than in 2Hi in big rain.

 

[Apexcars]

You can use 4 Hi on wet roads or any type of low friction surface. It works just as well on wet roads as snowy roads and it does help with turning also. On a rear wheel drive vehicle, if the front tires lose traction and aren’t spinning then they won’t steer. 4wd helps keep the fronts spinning. If you are hydroplaning, the fronts aren’t touching a surface and turning doesn’t work but as soon as they touch down, 4wd helps to drag the front end back in the direction the tires are pointing much better than plain RWD.

If having auto 4wd helps in wet weather, why wouldn’t manual 4wd help also. The only thing you have to be careful of with manual 4wd is that you don’t try turning corners if you come to dry spots in the road.

4wd, whether auto or manual or full-time, isn’t like god mode on slippery surfaces though. You still have much less traction and need to slow down and leave plenty of braking room.

 

[Valpo Jeep]

The LTX gets a very high number in the reviews on tire rack for wet weather. Even at that if you were driving in road puddles then it just was not channeling enough water to keep from hydroplaning. 4WD would probably not help at all when hydroplaning

 

[zouch]

i wouldn't hesitate to use 4Hi in heavy rain.

we use 4WD on dry rock when 'wheeling; wet pavement isn't possibly going to provide as much traction as slickrock, and 4WD provides a much better chance of maintaining control.

i would still slow down to avoid hydroplaning if it's that deep.

 

[AFD]

If having auto 4wd helps in wet weather, why wouldn’t manual 4wd help also.

Honestly not sure, but in my anecdotal experiences, uneven standing water or even uneven snow drifts, where one side's set of tires are on wet pavement with modest traction and the others are getting into deep water or snow, being in 4WD high wants to pull the vehicle further into the mess, while auto-4WD usually doesn't or at least not as abruptly. In these instances, since it's behaving identical to 2WD, I'm just assuming the 4WD isn't engaging in that particular condition, but maybe it's the BLD/ESC or something else that makes it feel like it's trying to dig in and find traction on the loosest side?

Honestly no idea, but it's just something weird I've noticed on my long commute with the same rutted roads that flood unevenly and spots that are prone to snow drifts. Otherwise, driving through more even amounts of snow, slush, sheeting rain or standing water, both 4WD high and auto-4WD behave about the same and as expected.

 

[ATMO]

Add me to the list of people that uses 4Hi when needed in rain, and to say that those who say to "never use it on pavement for whatever reason" are just plain wrong. I've done the same thing on my 1500 when it was wet, on my 2500 Power Wagon when it was wet, and now on the Wrangler when it's wet. No issue at all. Heck, sometimes I shift it into 4Hi when it's lightly raining, just to engage it to "exercise it", and then it'll go back into 2Hi.

Don't listen to the Chicken Littles that say your Jeep will catastrophically fail by engaging 4Hi in the rain. It won't. Just use some common sense.

 

[Paulguy100]

Add me to the list of people that uses 4Hi when needed in rain, and to say that those who say to "never use it on pavement for whatever reason" are just plain wrong. I've done the same thing on my 1500 when it was wet, on my 2500 Power Wagon when it was wet, and now on the Wrangler when it's wet. No issue at all. Heck, sometimes I shift it into 4Hi when it's lightly raining, just to engage it to "exercise it", and then it'll go back into 2Hi.

Don't listen to the Chicken Littles that say your Jeep will catastrophically fail by engaging 4Hi in the rain. It won't. Just use some common sense.

Maybe just avoid sharp turns if possible?

 

[Old Jeeper]

What tread depth are your tires? It's kind of less about the brand of tire and more about the tread depth after a certain point.

I never put my gladiator in 4WD for rain. I've driven through some intense storms and not had any hydroplaning, but my tires still have less than 5k miles on them.

X2.

YES you can and should use 4WD High under heavy rains. Not talking about light or even semi heavy raid. If traction is an issue the go to 4 -hi. Its not something you do often, but if slip-sliding then do so.

In my 60 years of driving Jeeps probably used it half dozen times in extreme rain.

 

[jaymz]

The best thing to assist in keeping you on the road when you're hydroplaning is to slow down.
You could have 10 wheel drive and it will do nothing to help stay on the road if you aren't actually in contact with the road.

 

[mardoudan]

I got caught in a mega-rainstorm on highway on Cape Cod today. Water was ponding on road & my JL scared the crap out of me by almost leaving the hwy - and I wasn't speeding either. For a spell it was difficult to keep the Jeep on the road. Would shifting into 4H been a help in rain at this point? OEM tires are Michelin LTX M/S2 and I can't believe Michelin tires would be this bad in serious rain?! In the past I have had several AWD vehicles so hard rain etc. has been no issue - and it's been decades between my Jeep ownerships so I can't recall what I did before in a 4WD - although I did have a Ford Ranger FX4 that I put in 4WD any time roadway was less than cool. Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

When all else fails, read the manual:
2H
Two-Wheel Drive High Range — This range is for normal street and highway driving on dry, hard surfaced roads.
4H
Four-Wheel Drive High Range — This range maximizes torque to the front driveshaft, forcing the front and rear wheels to rotate at the same speed. This range provides additional traction for loose, slippery road surfaces only.

I always use 4H if the roads are slippery. 2023 Wrangler Sport S JL - Michelin Street Tires.

 

[au176]

I got caught in a mega-rainstorm on highway on Cape Cod today. Water was ponding on road & my JL scared the crap out of me by almost leaving the hwy - and I wasn't speeding either. For a spell it was difficult to keep the Jeep on the road. Would shifting into 4H been a help in rain at this point? OEM tires are Michelin LTX M/S2 and I can't believe Michelin tires would be this bad in serious rain?! In the past I have had several AWD vehicles so hard rain etc. has been no issue - and it's been decades between my Jeep ownerships so I can't recall what I did before in a 4WD - although I did have a Ford Ranger FX4 that I put in 4WD any time roadway was less than cool. Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

I have had numerous sets of Michelin LTX M/S2 on my 08 Honda Pilot EX AWD, and my wife's 14 Honda CR-V, AWD. They have always been EXCELLENT tires on both of those vehicles in dry, rain (ponding), and snow. I was so happy that my 21 JL came with them. In dry conditions. A "usual" pond that I regularly drive through on the way to work almost put me into a train abutment. Snow performance was so bad, that I bought winter snows. Those aren't that much better. I skid all over the place in the Jeep. As someone else said, a real short wheelbase and top heavy isn't a good combination. Add rear-wheel drive, and that's the problem- not your newer Michelins.

I have no doubt that locking in the 4WD will get me out of the ditch and back on the road, but I don't wanna be in the ditch in the first place, and driving 4WD on anything less than snow for an extended period of time isn't good.

 

[Plan d]

I have nothing to add concerning tires or what gear is best or not for rain. What I will say, which no one has mention is to be mindful of the road conditions. Remember with a hard rain all the oils and road grime come to the surface making it slick to drive on until enough rain has fallen to wash the grime away.

 

[JerseyJeff]

Nothing wrong with putting in 4wd. I occasionally do it in the rain to keep transfercase and front axle lube circulating

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