Snow driving Tips

[Erimikos]

One point because you asked about using Lockers when off-roading in the snow..

They can be great for getting you unstuck, but outside of that can be dangerous.

1) If you are going down an off-camber road on a cliffside, Save a life. Turn them off. If both tires are spinning freely and your not moving forward or backwards, that means you have essentially zero traction, and your Jeep is going to follow the direction of the hill... sideways. Without lockers, 1 tire might not spin, and that would give you the sideways resistance at least so you don't slide down.

2) That effect that having all 4 lockers on preventing you from turning well in dirt because the back tires just push the front of the vehicle straight... Much, Much more pronounced in the snow. Just give up on the idea of turning at all with the lockers in snow.

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[@OUTDOORTREE]

Any specific Types of chains you'd suggest? I've seen a lot of marketing hype around these like zip tie like chains instead of the old school style, but not sure if it's just a gimmick. The noise and storage size/weight would be nice though

I was just out wheeling in deep snow trails yesterday and the situation that came up was, I needed to turn around and there wasn't a great spot. I had to just turn and back into the deep rough stuff at a spot where there was a tree I could winch my self back onto the trail. It was a planned get stuck to turn around and it worked great. Having the Warn winch is an essential for me since I got stuck in a little truck years ago on a solo ride with my 3 year old. - the picture was a from a different snow ride - I didn't take pics of the winching episode - should have..

 

[@OUTDOORTREE]

Wow very interesting. I like to ski and I plan on going on multiple winter road trips. If I drive till 1/4 full would that have a negative impact? Might do tbis about 10 times a winter.

I ski every weekend and often have less than half a tank. No issues so far...

 

[BrntWS6]

I have lived in Chicago all my life so I am used to driving in snow. The JL is my first ever 4wd though. I decided to have some fun in the unplowed home depot parking lot in about 10" of snow.

I was surprised how well it did in 2wd with just the TCS disabled. It ate though it pretty easily. I stopped to purposely get stuck and the 4auto pulled me out with ease. Its empowering to have a vehicle that you know is going to get you from A to B in some nasty weather.

 

[COBill]

I ski every weekend and often have less than half a tank. No issues so far...

The full tank of gas isn't to get you through the snow, it's in case you don't.

 

[COBill]

I made the trip to Colorado from Houston on ridge grapplers. Never again. I will spend the $500-600 dollars on snow tires next time. I still have nightmares of driving on ice in the Colorado mountains.....lol

There's nothing quite like being stuck in stopped traffic driving up to the Eisenhower Tunnel and when traffic starts to move your tires spin and you start sliding backwards down the hill.

The typical way out is to steer to try and get one set of wheels into the deeper snow on the shoulder, giving you traction.

 

[The Grouchy One]

I honestly don’t understand why people don’t use the sequential shitfter in an automatic. I have an auto, and i cannot drive it in any other mode than sequential.

100% agree. I'm Northern Canada and always use the sequential feature driving on icy roads. You can keep your RPM's at the right to give you enough power ti keep going and to slow down. Downshift to brake.
It's a saying up here "Drive like you don't have brakes. You touch it, you're gone" and always keep a shovel and a tow strap.

 

[thegame81]

Good thread. Come to think of it in my last jeep a wk2 trailhawk for real snow driving I'd use sand mode or mud mode which would take off traction control and give you more revs. Momentum was key in deep snow.

I don't think the wrangler has any different driving modes so I'd guess just take off traction control and use common sense?

 

[AcesandEights]

Best advice I ever got about driving in bad weather, you want to drive faster so you don't have to drive in it longer.

 

[omnitonic]

Skimming this thread, I didn't see anybody talk about bridges. Bridges will bite your ass if you're not paying attention. There's a high, curved bridge near my house that's the first thing to freeze, and I've seen countless people wipe out right there. Almost wiped out a time or two myself, even though I damn well know it's there. It can really sneak up on you. It doesn't seem like the conditions are bad enough to worry, and then ziiiiiiiiiiiiiiing, that bridge bites your ass.

The worst example of this was a trip I took to South Carolina. It was putting down a mixture of snow and sleet, and the roads completely sucked. I went to bed at dark, in Florence. I got up at dawn to continue to Myrtle Beach. I got on I-95, accelerated, slammed the brakes. Roads are good to go. No traction issues. Hammer down.

I got that rig up to 70 mph, and I was going along fine. Then I hit one of those long, low bridges they have over all the swampy bottom land in the area.

I hit the next one of those bridges at 15 mph.

 

[The Grouchy One]

Good thread. Come to think of it in my last jeep a wk2 trailhawk for real snow driving I'd use sand mode or mud mode which would take off traction control and give you more revs. Momentum was key in deep snow.

I don't think the wrangler has any different driving modes so I'd guess just take off traction control and use common sense?

No, Wranglers don't have that feature. Needs practice to learn to workout the shifting. If you have previous experience driving manual, it will help a lot. BUT do not touch the brake... or at least just "kiss it".
BTW, I learn the hard way that "common sense" is the least common of the senses.

 

[skeptic]

This is a genius quote! Probably the smartest sentence that will pop up on this feed, and something even most long-time 4WD drivers forget.

Agree, great advice.

I would add that winter tires are more important than shifting into 4h. Part time 4H will tend to make the front plow straight instead of following the turn especially on ice. No season tires suck (comparatively) in real winter conditions unless they are actually winter rated, all out winters are the best if you have enough winter to warrant the expense. (My preference is Nokian). I'm in Toronto, Ontario and we are avid skiers,. A Honda Odyssey with Nokian Hakkepilitas is better than a JL with all seasons for on the road heavy snow conditions for most . I've cruised by many an SUV in the highway ditch during the winter. Undoubtedly also related to the fact that 4x4 goes better but doesn't stop or necessarily corner any better in snow. Off-road is different and probably someone with more deep snow time should jump in as to tire requirements.

 

[Scratch]

1. Tires matter 2. Not all snow is the same 3. Some states require you to carry chains and snubbers 4. Give yourself much more distance to the car in front of you. 5. The road can be much slicker after the snow plow passes. 6. Amber fogs can be very helpful during a storm. 7. There can be and often is ice under the snow. 8. People do stupid crap in the snow.

 

[JeepNYak]

Anyone know what to do about backup cam during snow? It’s worthless driving in snow. Maybe a heated coil around cam housing?

 

[Heimkehr]

Anyone know what to do about backup cam during snow? It’s worthless driving in snow. Maybe a heated coil around cam housing?

Use your mirrors in concert with the excellent outward visibility that the vehicle's design provides.

The sum of the backup camera appears to be plastic, and might be easily damaged by an application of even low heat.

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