Questions about XJ in snow and cold

I have some newbie questions about dealing with snow and cold weather. I am forced to go on a trip to an area where snow and cold wheather could be counted on. I have never driven a 4wd on roads with snow on them. My first question is under what weather conditions should I shift into 4wd? Should I go into 4wd as soon as snow hits the ground or should I wait until the snow has built up some. Second, how far can I drive in 4wd low in light snow without damaging the transfer case. Last questions have to do with cold weather. Should I increase the level of antifreeze above 50 percent? And finally is there something special I have to do when starting my xj after it has been sitting in below freezing temperatures all night?
Sorry if these questions seem awfully lame. I lived in southern California all my life and we did not deal with these things down there.
Thanks

My first question is under what weather conditions should I shift into 4wd?
Whenever you dont have traction in 2wd.
Second, how far can I drive in 4wd low in light snow without damaging the transfer case.
As far as you want, as long as the roads are covered in snow.
Should I increase the level of antifreeze above 50 percent?
No!
is there something special I have to do when starting my xj after it has been sitting in below freezing temperatures all night?
Turn the key.

Be prepared for problems, bring extra warm clothes. SLOW down !!!, you aren't on the I-5 Fwy, in snow you will have longer stopping distances. Start, stop, and turn smoothly and gently. Find an open area and practice, get the feel of how the XJ reacts to slippery stuff in both 2wd and 4wd. Don't worry just pay attention to your driving. View the animation at the Jeep webpage about using the 4x4 system. The Liberty and XJ have the exact same 4x4 system and operating lever. Jeep 4x4 systems

"...forced to go on a trip?"

The little voices telling you to go to Reno? :laugh3:
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If you feel yourself slipping, let OFF the gas until you get traction again.
Slamming on the brakes will definetly send you into a spin.

p.s. 4WD does NOT help you stop faster.

Also you would not be using 4LO unless the snow is covering ALOT of rocks that you need to crawl over. I don't think it is physically possible to go over 60 in 4Lo with a 5 speed, the rev limiter would kick in... Four wheel drive helps you get going but it does nothing to help you stop though if you take your foot off the gas it will help you slow down the same amount it helped you get going..

RichP said:

Also you would not be using 4LO unless the snow is covering ALOT of rocks that you need to crawl over. I don't think it is physically possible to go over 60 in 4Lo with a 5 speed, the rev limiter would kick in... Four wheel drive helps you get going but it does nothing to help you stop though if you take your foot off the gas it will help you slow down the same amount it helped you get going..

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X2. alot of people think since they have 4wd in their truck/suv they can drive balls to the wall when its snowing. they think since the 4 wheels putting power to the road helps them get going, it will help them stop quicker. nothing is father from the truth. remember you have the same # of tires on the ground as almost everyone else (save the 18 wheelers) and that means the same number of tires to stop with as everyone else. infact many people in 4 wheel drive in hazardous conditions have a harder time stoping in the snow because the increased linear control created a false sence of security when they took the corner too fast, or fallowed to closely. they learn the lesson only after their vehicle is suddenly faceing the wrong direction usualy accompanied by a "danm im stuck" or a nice loud crunch. i have responded to a number of these senarioes (sp?) so please take the following to heart...

when the roads are snowy, slick or wet SLOW DOWN!!, increse following distance and reaction time, and ancipate the unexpected.

be safe and have fun.

stewie

When I came home from work the other nite it had been raining all day, stopped and the clouds cleared, temp dropped when the wind direction changed from out of the south to out of the north. Passed the bank with the clock/thermometer and in two cycles it went from 34 to 32, roads *just* started to get slippery but I got home with minimal issues, dropped from 55 to 25 and took it slow, one asshat on my tail backed way off when my back end slid out about 4ft, guess the lightbulb went off in his head.
On the way in the next morning as sure as god made little green apples I saw no less than 6 telephone poles with the bottom 4 feet missing, a few relocated rocks at the ends of driveways and property markers, some split rail fences needing repairs and a WHOLE BUNCH of tire tracks in and around the edges of the dozen farmers fields that I go by every day not to mention some of them still had vehicles in them when they sunk up to their bellys in mud and alot of them were SUV's and then the trees on corners showing new white surfaces from the bark getting stipped off from those who ended up in the woods.
Nope, 4WD does not help you stop....Studs on the other hand work great..

If I had the money....& time, I'd like to go to this school:

And YES, it's been posted here before.


http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/motor_sports/1302746.html

http://www.winterdrive.com/

Like everybody else said, BE CAREFULL! When I first bought mine I went to the lot of a then closed grocery store and drove around in both 2wd and FT4wd to see how the truck would handle in snow, and accidentally ice (in 2wd, it swapped ends FAST!) I'm not saying go in a lot and be stupid, you don't learn anything after getting kicked off the property or worse, but just to see what happens. I saw two pretty good stucks yesterday on my way to work, one was where somebody tried pulling into a gas station, missed the driveway and got their Cavalier stuck on a snow covered curb (I'd hate to see that floor and exhaust!), and another fwd that somehow managed to get completely off the road (about 20' into the grass?!?!?!) and get stuck, I just don't know if the later happened sometime before I went through that morning or sometime overnight. Also a few weeks back I was another Caviler that somehow managed to swap ends and get backed over a large mound of dirt and had the gas tank actually holding the back tires up in the air, less that 3' from a fire hydrant (that could have sucked even worse!) scary part was all three were on straight sections of road with a speed limit between 30 and 45mph.

I was traveling a long stretch of interstate in the wifes XJ. A mile of salted roads, a hundred yards of ice, a mile of salted road, a hundred yards of ice. I was afraid of overheating the transfer and drove in 2X. A double trailer truck comes barreling up behind me and looses it, trailers turned every which direction. I'm trying to feather the gas and get some traction, to get the heck out of the way. I finally found a gap in the guard rail, *almost* big enough for an XJ and headed for the woods. Only cost me a fender. But I learned my lesson, to heck with the transfer, leave it in 4X, just keep the speed down. I've run mine on fairly dry roads with the transfer (231) in 4X (at around 60 MPH) and had the transfer get pretty darned hot. The water dripping on the transfer sounded like it was hitting a hot skillet. Change the Dexron often.

If you have the full-time position on your transfer you could keep it in that position all the time driving on normal roads, snow or not.

Tires are very important. As you are living in southern california you probably dont have two sets of tires; winter and summer. Summer tires are not a good solution when driving on snow. The rubber is too hard and the tire is slippery on snow. Winter tires are marked M/S for mud and snow. A tire like bfg all-terrain is a good combined winter / summer tire. Allthough not as good as a spesial winter tire studded or non studded.

regards
Torfinn
Norway

Second, how far can I drive in 4wd low

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i'm suprised nobody caught this. if i'm way wrong somebody correct me. you don't use 4LOW when driving on the street. you use 4HI when driving on the street. 4LOW is for extra traction like offroad,getting back out of the ditch, etc...

don't ever exceed 30mph in 4LOW.

when driving in snow/ice/slippery conditions or conditions with low traction, you use 4HI. in 4HI you can drive faster but you really shouldn't drive like it's dry pavement. if you need 4wd on the road, that means that there is snow/ice on the road and you should reduce driving speed anyway. i have used 4wd in heavy rain on blacktop and drove around 50mph. but in almost any snow i don't go over 35mph.

I live in asheville, NC. we dont get a lot of snow, but when we do, no one knows how to drive in it. My dad did a good job teaching me to drive in the snow. I learned before i had my license, and 3 days after i got my license we had a big (for asheville) snow, that i drove in. Here is a point i'm surprised no one made:

usually i drive in 4HI, but if there is a steep and/or narrow/curvy hill, i stop, and drop it into 4LO, and 1st gear, and crawl down the slope. True, 4WD doesnt help you stop better, but you CAN use your extra gearing with low range to control your speed better. If anyone's ever driven in the snow in 4lo, you know how quickly the RPMs bring your speed down when you take your foot off the gas.

That being said, the best thing you can do is to go to a big empty parking lot and practice driving in the snow in all combos, 2wd, 4Hi (try all gears) 4lo (try all gears) and see what works or whats comfortable for you. Obviously 2wd will not be it, thats just so you can see what a difference it is. Good luck, and safe driving

From the great white north, 4 hi works extremely well on snow covered or icy roads. This time of the year my XJ is in 4 hi as often as 2wd. Those who said good tires are extremely correct. A 4wd drive with regular all season tires will go through more snow than any with great big 30 something tires. The stock tires don't require the HP to plow the snow and the wider the tire you just lift up on top of a thick packed ice surface. Studs are great on ice, no advantage in snow, and almost dangerous on pavement.

Experienced drivers learn the feel of loose roads, I can manouver through the worst conditions, while others are stuck or off the road. A carefull patient approach is needed easy accelaration, smooth steering, and gentle braking. Snow dring can be a blast, and it also can be very tiring.

A sugestion which has not been mentioned is if you are in colder climates, invest in windsheild washer anti freeze. Regular stuff will freeze on the window as quickly as you spray it on. Buy stuff rated for -40 and make certain you have plenty. Sometimes a little softer on the tire pressure helps on ice covered roads. Just go down a couple of pounds, I usually run 28.

lol it's like 85 degrees in florida.

Depending on how cold it's gonna get there, you might want to change oil to something like 5w30 or 0w30.

Kyung

XgeekstarX said:

lol it's like 85 degrees in florida.

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It's a toasty :sunshine: 5 degrees here this morning. Rub it in why don't ya. I had throw the dog out of the back door this morning, he refused to go do his business, without some encouragement.
Drive at your own pace, don't let the other drivers push you faster than you want to go. Let them pass, you'll probably catch up to them later, when they hit the ditch.
The only time I ever get in real trouble in the snow, is when I get too confident or too comfortable. A little slipping and sliding is to be expected. Easy on the controls, steering, gas and braking. Smooth is the name of the game.
If you do hit the ditch, either stay in the Jeep or get well off the side of the road, chances are some rubber necker is going to loose it in the same spot. Two guys died here last week, they got crushed between the ladies car they were trying to help and the next guy to slide into her. She was OK, she stayed in the car.

NCCherokee said:

usually i drive in 4HI, but if there is a steep and/or narrow/curvy hill, i stop, and drop it into 4LO, and 1st gear, and crawl down the slope. True, 4WD doesnt help you stop better, but you CAN use your extra gearing with low range to control your speed better.

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Uh... yes and no.

What, pray tell, do ya do when your engine-braking is suddenly retarding the wheels harder than their traction can take? THAT makes for a fun ride. Trust me!

As a Pittsburgh native, I usually go down steep snowy slopes in NEUTRAL... so (a) the engine's not pushing, and (b) the brakes (that I can feel) are doing ALL of the work. But, as a rule, they are to be avoided whenever possible! (Have fun blasting UP hills... but find a gentle slope to come back down!)

The reason that 4wd trucks CAN stop better in snow has nothing to do with the 4wd... it's the fact that they nearly always have more-aggressive tires than a 2wd truck, or a car. Rule: ABS maximizes your use of the available traction. Better tires increase the amount of traction available!

Den
No snow in a month, PA

.. Don't forget to drain your wiper fluid and get the type that won't freeze.

DenLip said:

No snow in a month, PA

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Yeah thats because I fixed my 4wd and bought new tires!