Winter driving

[SwiftyZenBadd]

This is my first winter with my liberty, and so far im thinking my 944 would handle better in the snow... Maybe its just that my tires suck(firestones) but i dont have the capitol for bridgestone duelers. Ive almost biffed it twice pulling into my subdivisions main entrance.

Even in 4wd im still begging for traction. I threw 350 lbs of sand in the back and that improved it some.

So is this one fallback of the liberty or is mine just special like that?

 

[2007Sport]

I'm not impressed with my 2007 Sport performance on packed snow or ice. I was recently on I94 heading into Michigan under those conditions and the car felt squirrelly. I must say that there were a few cars and trucks in the ditches but I managed to stay out of the ditch. Speed limit is 70, I was in the slow lane doing 30 to 45 with the other slow vehicles.

My car has the Goodyear original tires on it (Wrangler ST). I'll try another brand when it is time to replace them. I did not have any confidence in the tires. It seemed they would break traction with little feedback on what was to come.

 

[JeepJeepster]

Love mine in the snow! Hard to beat a good heavy jeep in snow. Since the tires are all that is in contact with the road, its a sure fire bet that your tires suck.

We just got 1" of ice this week and 2-3" of snow on top of that. I was proud of my Jeep.

Make sure you read reviews on tires before buying them. Never let a tire place tell you whats a good tire.

 

[ChiefRudy]

I agree with JeepJeepster. I love my KJ in the snow too!

The first time I drove my jeep in the snow it was 8-10 inches deep on the winter of 07. It was Feb 14th storm. I was scared to drive it b/c i never drove any vehicle in the snow that deep before and I only had the KJ for 5 months. but it moved like a champ and I never got stuck even when I was forced into deeper snow b/c up plows or stucked cars. and thats with the stock Wrangler SR-A's

I'm sure though a newer/better tire would help out. I do noticed my ass end like to slide out sometimes on turns.

 

[Bashgod]

i love my 07 sport in the snow, i do have BFG mud terrains though. snow is no problem, but nothing drives well on ice just a fact of life. tires are important but skill is #1

 

[SwiftyZenBadd]

I learned to drive in the winter, and my driving skills are pretty good. Truth be told its been awhile since i drove a rwd vehicle in the winter. The last truck i had in the winter was an 89 Nissan Kingcab, it was a total cluncker, but she went thru the snow like it wasnt even there!

I had a set of 30x9.50 dueler a/t's on that nissan, they are an awesome tire.

 

[ephantmon]

2wd is ridiculous in the snow/sleet/ice. Once I put it in 4-full time though, it's fine, no problems. If you go to the tire sub section on here you'll notice lots of threads discussing how crappy the stock tires are, and which ones are better choices.

 

[ShafferNY]

I've found with the Liberty that a set of All-terrain tires is a must have! It makes all the difference in the world.

I almost wrecked my Liberty twice the first month I had it. I put a set of General Grabber AT2's on it and WOW, what a difference.

Our '06 currently the stock Goodyear's on it, but it too will be getting a set of General Grabbers as soon as I can afford it.

 

[snowsport]

I agree, traction is all about tires. Some types just don't cut it in snow, or on ice especially. The KJ is a great winter vehicle with the right tires on it.

 

[ShafferNY]

Just as an extreme example. (Had a '96 Blazer like this)

Imagine your vehicle has completely bald tires, racing slicks if you will. Your on snow/ice and you put it in four wheel drive, you're going to spin the tires no matter how easy you are on the gas.

On the other hand, if you're going down a snowy road with bald tires, and you barely touch the brakes, you're going lock up all four wheels(or the ABS is going to kick in like mad) because there is little to no grip between the tires and the road.

I almost got T-boned my Blazer because I was coming down snowy hill and couldn't stop for the intersection at the bottom. The ABS was full on, but the vehicle wasn't stopping because there was absolutely no traction to the pavement.

Luckily, the guy coming the other direction saw me out of control and stopped before he got to the intersection. The only thing that stopped me was the curb on the other side of the intersection.

Lesson learned for me.

 

[JeepJeepster]

While were at it.. Contrary to belief, ABS does not help you stop in any way. It actually makes your stopping distance longer unless you do not know how to brake with good old fashioned brakes.

 

[Dave]

The KJ is an awesome Jeep in the snow and the right tires are EVERYTHING. Get a set of good A/T's and you will see. My OEM tires came off half way through their first winter because they were only good on dry pavement.

Dave

 

[TigerClaws]

Here in Quebec, Winter tires are not only mandatory but forced by laws. You get a kick in the **** ticket if you dont have'em. Yes, it is all about tires and skills ... If not running those big wheels, and live in a state where you dont get much snow but it does gets to the freezing point, meaning you get what we call black ice (looks like tarmac but its an ice sheet in fact) Ice and Snow tires are pretty much the best deal. Snow tires lasts longer and have a harder rubber which makes em bad on ice but still better then all season tires... I have some Pirelli Scorpion Ice and Snow on my libby and they are pretty good ... not the best at all but certainly not the worst... My liberty is stock all the way and with those tires on i went in the snow to play hard and it did the job done until i went too far in my testings... I got stuck only when the snow dept got up to the flashers. I was pretty much snowplowing it all the way there Next time i intend on bringing the camera with me !! Hope i get some nice ones to show you guys, cause here we do get a lot and a lot of snow ... No matter what, tires are your running shoes, ..., you dont wanna run the marathon in sandals !!!

 

[KYLiberty]

I couldn't be happier with the snow and ice performance of my KJ. I just put it in FT4WD and have had no problems with the last ice storm. I could even make it up my pretty steep driveway that was a solid sheet of ice. Going up and down the hill I live at the top of was no problem either and the road was never plowed and was solid ice. The Jeep easily drives across stuff that I can't even stand up on.

Tires make a big difference. I'm running 245/75R16 C Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armors that are severe snow service rated. The DTT in the rear helps too. I actually find it easier to drive in the snow and ice we get here in KY in FT4WD than PT4WD. I have used PT4WD in some really deep stuff though.

 

[ChiefRudy]

Here in Quebec, Winter tires are not only mandatory but forced by laws. You get a kick in the **** ticket if you dont have'em. Yes, it is all about tires and skills ... If not running those big wheels, and live in a state where you dont get much snow but it does gets to the freezing point, meaning you get what we call black ice (looks like tarmac but its an ice sheet in fact) Ice and Snow tires are pretty much the best deal. Snow tires lasts longer and have a harder rubber which makes em bad on ice but still better then all season tires... I have some Pirelli Scorpion Ice and Snow on my libby and they are pretty good ... not the best at all but certainly not the worst... My liberty is stock all the way and with those tires on i went in the snow to play hard and it did the job done until i went too far in my testings... I got stuck only when the snow dept got up to the flashers. I was pretty much snowplowing it all the way there Next time i intend on bringing the camera with me !! Hope i get some nice ones to show you guys, cause here we do get a lot and a lot of snow ... No matter what, tires are your running shoes, ..., you dont wanna run the marathon in sandals !!!

Now can all terrian Tires be used in place of snow tires in Canada? Hell, I don't think there would be much of a difference between an A/T and snow tire.

To be honest too I really don't know what a "Snow Tire" is b/c when I hear snow tire I think of studded tire. So I'm assuming a snow tire is a street tire with an more agressive tread?

Another thing. Does the snow tire law also apply to vehicles visiting Canada From the States?

 

[Ry' N Jen]

A snow tires rubber compound remains soft at 7 degrees Celsius and lower. Thus being more grip able to snow and ice with their tread and the sipes and all that other shit that goes with it.
Some tires still have the "Snow flake approved" logo molded into them and are there for suitable for winter (Snow usage and often stud able)
Your on the internet... Look it up for your self and learn.

 

[ChiefRudy]

A snow tires rubber compound remains soft at 7 degrees Celsius and lower. Thus being more grip able to snow and ice with their tread and the sipes and all that other shit that goes with it.
Some tires still have the "Snow flake approved" logo molded into them and are there for suitable for winter (Snow usage and often stud able)
Your on the internet... Look it up for your self and learn.

I did a wikipedia search after i did the post but you're post is better

 

[Andynator]

Yeah - if you're sliding past your turn-in, you're just driving too fast. 4WD isn't instantly going to grab and point you in the direction you want to go. The extra weight and momentum of your KJ is going to slide you straight through almost every turn. Slow down to idle...set your turn...then let the front wheels pull you through the turn.

Thing about 4WD that I try to explain to everyone, is:
"It won't keep you from sliding into the ditch, but it'll help you crawl out".

Good luck,
Andy

 

[Atrus]

While were at it.. Contrary to belief, ABS does not help you stop in any way. It actually makes your stopping distance longer unless you do not know how to brake with good old fashioned brakes.

I did a research paper on this in college. ABS is inferior on certain road surfaces, snow (and other loose surfaces) being one of them. Traditional brakes allow for "plowing" when the wheels lock up - so, snow builds in front of the wheel and helps to stop.

Actually, with the addition of ABS, there were many years where accidents increased. The number of rear end collisions decreased, however, the number of off-the-road incidents where people hit inantimate objects increased significantly. The reason was that people were used to brakes locking up, and when panicked would jerk the wheel. With ABS, the car wouldn't slide, it'd actually steer in the direction the wheel was pointed. So, people would miss the car in front of them, but ram into the tree on the side of the road.

For most instances, ABS increases braking distance, however, the main goal of ABS is to allow you to circumvent the dangerous situation. ABS does a superior job of allowing a driver to steer during heavy braking.

 

[offrovering]

I love that the our liberty doesnt have the ABS, you can modulate the brake/throttle enough to get a feel for what you are doing.