mattyg said:
what situations offroad would a 242 be better than a 231??
hill clmbs...no
off camber...no
mud?...no
rocks..,no
icy logging roads...maybe...maybe not
I am a new entry into this apparent ongoing battle between the 242's and the Haters...
I am really going to make the Haters hate, because I also own a 2003 Liberty with the 231!
Oh, and I also own a 1976 CJ7 (that's an AMC, by the way). And there's the recently acquired 2006 Commander with Quadra-Trac II (NV245 for those who care).
Anyway, back to the point...
Out of the (4) 4-wheel drive vehicles that I own, guess which rig I drive in the snow & ice?
My 1992 XJ Limited with the 242 transfer case!!!
Control. It's all about control. No wondering when & if the part-time transfer case is going to lope around a partially (or non) icy corner. No wondering if the roads are slippery enough to be in part-time 4WD or if I'm hosing up the transfer case by running it in part-time when I shouldn't be.
My driving style in the snow and ice is to use the engine to control the vehicle, not the brakes. I was very impressed with the 231 in our Liberty during snowstorms, but during icy conditions I usually shift back into 2WD because at least I know when the wheels are going to break traction. Part-time 4WD is too unpredictable in icy conditions IMO.
Sometimes I'll even shift my 242 into full-time 4WD when it rains for extra traction. There is a definite difference in the feel of the vehicle when in full-time 4WD. Much more stable and sure-footed. Of course, it eats fuel like a hog but it's worth the extra dough.
I will follow all of this up by saying that I never use full-time 4WD on the trails (other than on the dirt roads leading up to the ORV parks).
My opinion of the 242 is that it is the best of all worlds if you're using your rig as a DD (as was the case for me until 3 months ago). If the 242 breaks, I'll search for one in a salvage yard because I have been very impressed with its performance.
BTW - the ol' XJ is over 160K now and has been wheeled several times a year (in addition to being a DD) since I bought it in 2004 when it had 120K on the odo.
Not going to argue with anyone else's point of view - just wanted to offer my own personal experience with the 242...