Is kj the best winter vehicle?

chuckles said:

oh ok makes sense.... how much something like that cost and how hard to install? I really doubt ill ever need it but it sounds pretty awesome.

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Here is my review of a rear Detroit true trac. http://www.jeepkj.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57185
It's costly.
Only a expert should mess with gears or differentials. Or someone under the watch o one.

Chuck, I do not know if you have the options list or build sheet for your Jeep, but some of the KJ liberty's came with a Trac-Lok (clutch based limited slip locker).
You have to add some Posi Trac-Limited slip additives to the gear lube with this locker.
Rear diff lube should be done every 20 k miles anyways.
The build sheet is nice to have, will list everything from Alternator specs, transfer case/transmission, rear diff and will mention Trac-loc if yours has one.
Edit Here is an instant Equipment Listing you can obtain by typing your 17 digit VIN in here:
https://jeep.custhelp.com/app/jeep/eqlisting_detail/session/L3RpbWUvMTM5MzY0MzI4OC9zaWQvWGxOMmc2T2w%3D

I have the select Trac and it works very well when in ful time when the roads are covered in deep slush. I have AT tires and had snows on it last year. Both work well but the dedicated snows are a bit better in the snow. The heater always works incredably well and once it reaches temperature it always needs to be turned don't so you don't roast to death. I've had other awd and 4x4 vehicles and the kj is one of the best I've had. If only it didn't drink fuel!

1J4GL48K54W181662

Ran the vin, didn't see anything about a rear locker. Did say lock up torque converter but I think that's something else with the transmission maybe.

No matter the vehicle, it's only as good as the driver behind the wheel allows it to be.

My KJ is the first four wheel drive vehicle I have ever owned. I grew up in Colorado among the mountains with nothing but two wheel drive vehicles and never had issues as long as I had the right tires and maintained enough common sense to keep myself on the road. Right now , living in Utah, it seems to be a toss up between my KJ and my daughter's Subaru as far as handling on roads in snow and on ice. Both are just fine.

Sent from my mystical handheld gizmo.

chuckles said:

1J4GL48K54W181662

Ran the vin, didn't see anything about a rear locker. Did say lock up torque converter but I think that's something else with the transmission maybe.

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It states the normal 8.25 corporate axle, and no mention of Trac-Lok so you have an open "rather lonely" one wheel grip carrier.

CobraNutt said:

No matter the vehicle, it's only as good as the driver behind the wheel allows it to be.

My KJ is the first four wheel drive vehicle I have ever owned. I grew up in Colorado among the mountains with nothing but two wheel drive vehicles and never had issues as long as I had the right tires and maintained enough common sense to keep myself on the road. Right now , living in Utah, it seems to be a toss up between my KJ and my daughter's Subaru as far as handling on roads in snow and on ice. Both are just fine.

Sent from my mystical handheld gizmo.

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Good tires and drivers skill come before lockers etc
I've seen folks with lockers front and rear get passed by someone with a good set of tires and open diffs but knowing how to drive

Drove about 3.5 hours on snowy, icy freeway today. Slowed down and drove like I have a brain.

Only vehicles I saw in the ditch were 4x4 trucks....wonder why?:shrug:

My kj is great in the snow I'm really pleased with it it's much better than the xj imho. I will admit though that the best snow and ice vehicle I've owned is a suburban though. It has the length and weight to ģet through anything on the road. Weight and good tires help alot. A set of snow tires will help more than anything. Adding studded snows and you will keep moving.

The common sense of the driver is the most important thing. Driving dumb in a 4wd will get you in the ditch faster than a rwd car. Too many people think 4wd allows you to do anything, but it doesn't. You still need to drive smart.

I love my Liberty in the winter its the first 4x4 I've ever had. Its true about having the right tires. My economy cars with skinny tires did pretty good i snow but my sportier cars with wider tires did poorly. I was thinking about finally getting winter tires, but so far my Firestone Destination A/Ts have done really well through a foot of snow last year so I'm sticking with them for now.

Jo6pak said:

Drove about 3.5 hours on snowy, icy freeway today. Slowed down and drove like I have a brain.

Only vehicles I saw in the ditch were 4x4 trucks....wonder why?:shrug:

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For pick up truck I can understand. When the box is empty the rear is so light they slide for nothing.
As for the other 4X4 or AWD, no excuse. Some people are just idiot. Yesterday condition were pretty hard, I was going 80 on the highway right lane and in about 1 km I saw a forester, 1 ford pickup and a small aveo in the ditch, not long after I was passed by a 2013/14 ford escape that was probably going 100, he changed lane to get to an exit about 500m in front of me and because of the little snow wall between both lane he went right in the canal. He was lucky where he got ditched, just behind the snowmobile rental garage of the local Four point sheraton hotel, so I guess someone with a snowmobile helped him.

I have to admit, I really love my kj limited so far. We dont really get alot of snow here, but its done really well in the 2-3" of snow we did have, even with very worn out pedestrian Courser tires! This vehicle is my wife's daily driver, she loves it more than I do. The size and capability gives her alot of confidence. Our Excursion is just way to big dimension-wise for a daily, but really shines when u have cargo and family in tow.

The kick ass heater combined with the heated seats makes it feel like mid summer here. I usually dont wear a jacket when I get in this thing. We always end up with the heater on the 1 position and the seats off.

Btw, the best rwd vehicle I have ever driven in the snow was my old e30 bmw slicktop on Blizzaks. It didnt even matter that it was lowered! I will also say that front wheel drive is equally fun in the snow when u know what your doing

Out of the six vehicles I have driven in snow and ice, the KJ is in the top two for most predictable. The last three storms have been snow covered ice and I have spent most of the time in 2wd. Like others have said, it's mostly the drivers.

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We really like our Libby in the snow. It's never gotten stuck since we've had it.

How exactly does the "Full Time" option work on the KJ? The way I read it on WIKI it seemed like "fulltime" made the transfer case act like an open differential, in a sense directing power to the axle that turned the easiest. If you have open differentials on the axles you just turned your 4X4 into a 1X4. It sounds wrong.

For highway driving on a icy/packed snow I've been more inclined to use a vehicle with AWD than one with a traditional set up like the Liberty has.


How fast should you drive a Liberty in "part time" 4X4?

Hockeygoon said:

How exactly does the "Full Time" option work on the KJ? The way I read it on WIKI it seemed like "fulltime" made the transfer case act like an open differential, in a sense directing power to the axle that turned the easiest. If you have open differentials on the axles you just turned your 4X4 into a 1X4. It sounds wrong.

For highway driving on a icy/packed snow I've been more inclined to use a vehicle with AWD than one with a traditional set up like the Liberty has.


How fast should you drive a Liberty in "part time" 4X4?

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The SelecTrac is an "open" transfer case only from the standpoint that the front and rear axles are able to run at different speeds to account for turns (since each front and rear wheel trace different arcs or 'radii' in a turn) but there is still power being sent to the front and the rear axles simultaneously.

I drive mine in Full Time frequently due to visits I make in some dicey areas of the snow belt in Ohio and Pennsylvania and I've never gotten stuck in spite of some bad conditions. When I'm in the snow or mud and traction starts to go away there is always power being sent to the front axle as well as the rear no matter how slippery; there isn't just one wheel spinning as you describe. The transfer case allows for the front and rear to spin at slightly different speeds but when engaged in FT there is always power being sent to the front. It is essentially an All Wheel Drive system.

With open diffs in the front and rear of a Liberty the CommandTrac and SelecTrac function identically in Part Time mode. The wheels on each axle can spin at different speeds (because each axle's diff is open) but the front wheel and rear axle will spin at the same speed because there is no differentiation in the transfer case. Each axle is powered. The difference between Part Time and Full Time in the SelecTrac is in FT the powered front and rear axles are able to turn at slightly different speeds to each other to account for a turn.

As for how fast you can drive in Part Time 4WD...

If conditions warrant 4WD you shouldn't be driving very fast at all. In theory there is no speed limit in Part Time (has to be engaged below 55mph) but don't push your luck

In 4LO you won't be able to go faster than about 15mph due to the gear ratio reduction.

Is that clear as mud now...? :gr_grin:

Bob

Hockeygoon said:

How exactly does the "Full Time" option work on the KJ? The way I read it on WIKI it seemed like "fulltime" made the transfer case act like an open differential, in a sense directing power to the axle that turned the easiest. If you have open differentials on the axles you just turned your 4X4 into a 1X4. It sounds wrong.

For highway driving on a icy/packed snow I've been more inclined to use a vehicle with AWD than one with a traditional set up like the Liberty has.


How fast should you drive a Liberty in "part time" 4X4?

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In "Part Time" 4HI I don't think there is a limit to how fast you can drive, I do know they say not to engage 4HI from 2HI at anything over 55mph/88kph, I have never had any issues at highway speed on snow/ice.

TwoBobsKJ said:

The SelecTrac is an "open" only from the standpoint that the front and rear axles can run at different speeds to account for turns (since the front and rear trace different arcs or 'radii' in a turn) but there is still power being sent to the front and the rear axles.

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Thanks. I did not realize it kept sending at least some "drive" to both the front and rear axles.

My 2005 Sport only has 2WH Hi, 4WH Hi, and 4WH Lo as options - which I am fine with except for highway driving with only patches of slick spots. I thought you were limited to 45-50 MPH with 4WH Hi locked in.

Hockeygoon said:

Thanks. I did not realize it kept sending at least some "drive" to both the front and rear axles.

My 2005 Sport only has 2WH Hi, 4WH Hi, and 4WH Lo as options - which I am fine with except for highway driving with only patches of slick spots. I thought you were limited to 45-50 MPH with 4WH Hi locked in.

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Sounds like you have the Command Trac , 2WD, Part Time 4WD, Nuetral, 4 low, then only run where its snow covered or gravel , grass, mud , never on black top / hard surfaces or even wet roads

So I have a question, while in 2 wd do both rear wheels get power in command track? And when in 4wd actually all of the 4 wheels turn?