How has your JL saved your a**?

Willysfan · Jan 10, 2023

So living in CA, the last few days have been kind of crazy weather wise. My house got evacuated due to flooding yesterday. As a new Wrangler owner I was super grateful when my wife called and said the fire department was there and she had to get out. Thanks to my Wrangler I was able to get to her and get her and the dogs out without any issues. The streets around my house had at least 2 feet of water on them. So I want to hear some stories as too how your Wrangler has saved your but.

aldo98229 · Jan 10, 2023

Hell, where do I even start!

Just recently, my dad and I are driving back from the Christmas holiday. We drove 300 miles to the interior of British Columbia to spend Christmas with my sister-in-law’s side of the family. On the way there we encountered sleet and gobs of snow. On the way back, though, we encountered lots of slush and standing water.

At one point we are following a semi truck through a construction zone. We are doing 35-40 MPH. When the construction zone ends, the truck in front veers rapidly to the left. Next thing I know the entire front of my Jeep gets submerged in slushy water. We dove straight into the mother of all puddles! Brown water gushes over the hood, up the windshield and over the top. I can’t see where I am going. All I can do is lift my foot off the throttle, let the vehicle slow down, hold on to the steering wheel...and pray that the engine doesn’t stall.

My dad’s 92, we are at 4,500 feet in elevation, it is 35 degrees outside, and it is both snowing and raining.

Fortunately the engine didn’t skip a beat. Once the water clears off the top of my hood and the windshield we are able to continue on home. We were startled but safe.

Had I been in a regular car, chances are we would have ended stranded on the side of the road.

Willysfan · Jan 10, 2023

aldo98229 said:
Hell, where do I even start!

Just recently, my dad and I are driving back from the Christmas holiday. We drove 300 miles to the interior of British Columbia to spend Christmas with my sister-in-law’s side of the family. On the way there we encountered sleet and gobs of snow. On the way back, though, we encountered lots of slush and standing water.

At one point we are following a semi truck through a construction zone. We are doing 35-40 MPH. When the construction zone ends, the truck in front veers rapidly to the left. Next thing I know the entire front of my Jeep gets submerged in slushy water. We dove straight into the mother of all puddles! Brown water gushes over the hood, up the windshield and over the top. I can’t see where I am going. All I can do is lift my foot off the throttle, let the vehicle slow down, hold on to the steering wheel...and pray that the engine doesn’t stall.

My dad’s 92, we are at 4,500 feet in elevation, it is 35 degrees outside, and it is both snowing and raining.

Fortunately the engine didn’t skip a beat. Once the water clears off the top of my hood and the windshield we are able to continue on home. We were startled but safe.

Had I been in a regular car, chances are we would have ended stranded on the side of the road.

That is awesome. I am amazed by the capability of these vehicles and how bullet proof they seem to be!!!

Hennessey17 · Jan 10, 2023

This isn't the Jeep's fault, but I felt more secure in my 2013 VW Tiguan than I do my 2021 JLU.

The VW had AWD which turned on automatically when needed and winter tires.

The Jeep is the base without the Auto mode, so I'm normally driving in RWD with the Goodyear all terrains that come from the factory

I'm still unsure of the limits, so I don't test it the way I tested the VW.

Winter tires are that good.

aldo98229 · Jan 10, 2023

Hennessey17 said:
This isn't the Jeep's fault, but I felt more secure in my 2013 VW Tiguan than I do my 2021 JLU.

The VW had AWD which turned on automatically when needed and winter tires.

The Jeep is the base without the Auto mode, so I'm normally driving in RWD with the Goodyear all terrains that come from the factory

I'm still unsure of the limits, so I don't test it the way I tested the VW.

Winter tires are that good.

You can greatly enhance the capability —and safety— of your Sport by adding a TrueTrac to the rear.

It isn’t cheap, you will find that you can drive in 2WD for longer in conditions that before would have required you to engage 4WD.

The Last Cowboy · Jan 10, 2023

How can they make you leave? I can see srongly advising, but forcing you to leave your own property?

Hennessey17 · Jan 10, 2023

aldo98229 said:
You can greatly improve the capability —and safety— of your Sport by adding a TrueTrac to the rear.

It isn’t cheap, you will find that you can drive in 2WD for longer in conditions that before would have required you to engage 4WD.

I did pay the $700 for the anti spin differential, and I've never had problems... but I don't feel comfortable hitting the gas the same way as I did in the VW... the awd was normally set for 90/10 F/R, but it would send as much as 100% to the rear if it felt the front slipping, so turns in snow were always fun... it would kick the back out like a RWD car, but then 75% of the way through the turn, it would feel the rear slipping and correct itself... it was like organized chaos. I could do dumb shit, but the nannies took over before I wrecked anything.

Willysfan · Jan 10, 2023

The Last Cowboy said:
How can they make you leave? I can see srongly advising, but forcing you to leave your own property?

It was a strong suggestion by the fire department and for sure the right move to get out. I have a pretty big creek that flows behind my house. My backyard and shed got flooded. I got lucky and my house stayed dry.

H

Jeep Wrangler JL How has your JL saved your a**? IMG_1469

This is what our normally 20 foot deep creek looked like after work around 4pm yesterday.

The Last Cowboy · Jan 10, 2023

Send some of that rain this way! Damn, what does it look like today?

aldo98229 · Jan 10, 2023

Hennessey17 said:
I did pay the $700 for the anti spin differential, and I've never had problems... but I don't feel comfortable hitting the gas the same way as I did in the VW... the awd was normally set for 90/10 F/R, but it would send as much as 100% to the rear if it felt the front slipping, so turns in snow were always fun... it would kick the back out like a RWD car, but then 75% of the way through the turn, it would feel the rear slipping and correct itself... it was like organized chaos. I could do dumb shit, but the nannies took over before I wrecked anything.

Good that your Sport has the rear LSD.

I think you just need to get used to how your Jeep drives.

I have a Sahara with the Selec-Trac now, but for years I drove Wranglers with part-time 4WD without issues. The ESC is brilliant IMO; it saved my neck a few times in 2WD —and in 4WD.

Also, your Tiguan was FWD based, which makes it understeer in corners, even with AWD. Ninety-percent of the time, understeer feels more predictable. The issue is there are situations when understeering cannot get you out of, which a RWD setup might be able to. You just need to get used to having that rear end come around.

Willysfan · Jan 10, 2023

The Last Cowboy said:
Send some of that rain this way! Damn, what does it look like today?

Jeep Wrangler JL How has your JL saved your a**? 69505620410__BD016CB2-C84B-468A-A983-EC1ED8421B8B

My wife took this around 8am this morning.

The Last Cowboy · Jan 10, 2023

Willysfan said:
My wife took this around 8am this morning.

Good to see the water went down.

jlandry287 · Jan 10, 2023

Hennessey17 said:
This isn't the Jeep's fault, but I felt more secure in my 2013 VW Tiguan than I do my 2021 JLU.

The VW had AWD which turned on automatically when needed and winter tires.

The Jeep is the base without the Auto mode, so I'm normally driving in RWD with the Goodyear all terrains that come from the factory

I'm still unsure of the limits, so I don't test it the way I tested the VW.

Winter tires are that good.

My girlfriend has a Tiguan and I absolutely HATE that thing. I know it's off topic I just never skip on my chance to share the animosity I have towards those things.

Valpo Jeep · Jan 10, 2023

This is our first winter with the Wrangler and when the white shit hit the fan a few weeks back I was able to run around and do what I needed to do in the thing in 4 HI with no real problems. Because of the amount of snow and drifting we had I felt better in the Wrangler but our Audi A7 with the Quatro system is a beast in snow. Normally it does better than any Jeep I have ever owned in snow but with the depth and drifts the ride height of the Wrangler made me feel better protected.

MrMischief · Jan 10, 2023

Nothing too Jeep specific I suppose, but a few weeks ago I was driving in near white out conditions in Montana, between Great Falls and Lewistown. I eventually caught up to a trucker which was making my visibility worse. When the road widened into a dedicated passing lane along a hill I thought "this is my chance" so I move to pass and rolled lightly into the throttle. That was enough to break loose the back end and put the little two door into a pretty dramatic tank slapper at about 60 mph. The electric nannies saved my life getting it back under control with in about 3 wags of the dog's tail. I do not think I could have recovered it by myself it was so fast and violent. So... Thanks Jeep! my TJ would have been in the ditch.

And before anyone asks, yes I then put it in 4 hi and passed that trucker before I lost the extra lane.

How has your JL saved your a**?

Willysfan

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aldo98229

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Willysfan

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Hennessey17

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aldo98229

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The Last Cowboy

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Hennessey17

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Willysfan

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The Last Cowboy

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aldo98229

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Willysfan

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The Last Cowboy

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jlandry287

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Valpo Jeep

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MrMischief

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