Rubicon Transfer Case & Settings Primer

[Barchetta]

I'm upgrading from a 2002 TJ to a 2024 JLRX (with the 5 position T case). Lots of new capabilities for me. So I tried to build a summary of the transfer case and off road settings with an eye towards use cases. What settings do what and when should I use them? I would appreciate some feedback on the things I got wrong or what could be better explained. See the pdf and fire away...

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[Cyber_Jeeper]

2H= For the road, and often times it’s where I’m at on dirt too. If I hear a tire slip then I move to 4H.

4H Auto = Great for snow, I wouldn’t really use it off-road though. I don’t have it on my model.

4H = Offroad on non-steap trails or for higher speeds. I also sometimes go into 4HI even when I have plenty of traction because you can’t disconnect the sway bar in 2H.

4L = Steep trails, up or down. Or trails where I need lockers. Only really good up to 25 MPH or so. Also helpful when you need good, slow speed throttle control such as rock crawling.


Sway Bar disconnect = I disconnect as much as possible. Only works in 4WD though and under a certain speeds. At least it auto connects and disconnects for you if your speed varies. A disconnected sway bar can make bumpy roads more comfortable, as well as the reasons you mentioned.

Lockers = On my stock rubicon I usually run out of clearance before I run out of traction. I rarely find a need to disconnect just the rear and not the front though. Generally if I need the extra traction, I lock front and rear and then unlock when I am through the obstacle. I usually do a simple attempt without lockers first though. If I hear tires slipping then I connect and try again. The exception is where slipping and falling off the line is likely to cause damage to the vehicle. In that case I lock up before the obstacle.

Offroad+ = In 4H his can be used to lock the rear, and to turn off stability control. I’m not sure why I would need the rear locked in 4H, but turning off the stability control is important if you want to slide sideways. I’ve never used it in 4L and rarely use it in 4H.

Traction Control = I turn it off in sand, but otherwise it doesn’t get in my way in 4H.

Select Speed Control = Never used it, don’t really see the point.

Manual Gear Selection = It wasn’t explicitly mentioned in your doc, but I’m a big fan of engine braking when going down hills. My local trails can quickly descend thousands of feet in levation. I try to use my brakes as little as possible and instead use the gears to keep my speed in check.

 

[Barchetta]

Thanks. Great stuff. Definitely agree with your manual gear/engine braking comments.

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