A little help needed
06-30-2008, 12:24 PM
#11
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I have an auto, so the shifting thing is not a concern for me. That's why I almost always use 4-lo. You do run out of gear so much faster, but from the other side of the equation, it takes alot more to stop the wheels. There's the balancing point. You need to spin the wheels fast enough to clean the lugs. If you've installed big tires & did not regear, no real choice here. 4 lo and a medium gear all the way. If you regeared & went a little steeper than you had to for the extra acceleration, well you can get away with 4-hi more often.
The type of mud you are going through & surplus power are the 2 things that drive your choice. There's thick mud- the kind that will suck a boot off your foot. This is the scenario that requires more torque than our humble power plant puts out. The big tires that float so well on sand have to move more mud than a skinny tire.
Watery looking holes are usually loose enough to run 4-hi. The mud is so thin it does create as much parasitic drag on the tires passing through.
So the point I'm trying to get at is there's no one size fits all suggestion for high or low. with the auto tranny I'm not concerned about sucking water during shifts. That means I stay in 4- lo for the most part, since I don't generally get over 15 mph off road. With a manual it's a little more precise. And then there's the rubicon gearing angle to consider, where the ration is so low it takes 6th gear to spin the tires with any speed. Add to that the lockers are a nice boost to traction. So if you haven't bypassed the lo range only lock out, you really have to choose your gear right. Good luck wheel with a friend. Those stuck situations are the ones you talk about anyways. And we love seeing those pics & armchair quarterbacking what WE would have done differently.
The type of mud you are going through & surplus power are the 2 things that drive your choice. There's thick mud- the kind that will suck a boot off your foot. This is the scenario that requires more torque than our humble power plant puts out. The big tires that float so well on sand have to move more mud than a skinny tire.
Watery looking holes are usually loose enough to run 4-hi. The mud is so thin it does create as much parasitic drag on the tires passing through.
So the point I'm trying to get at is there's no one size fits all suggestion for high or low. with the auto tranny I'm not concerned about sucking water during shifts. That means I stay in 4- lo for the most part, since I don't generally get over 15 mph off road. With a manual it's a little more precise. And then there's the rubicon gearing angle to consider, where the ration is so low it takes 6th gear to spin the tires with any speed. Add to that the lockers are a nice boost to traction. So if you haven't bypassed the lo range only lock out, you really have to choose your gear right. Good luck wheel with a friend. Those stuck situations are the ones you talk about anyways. And we love seeing those pics & armchair quarterbacking what WE would have done differently.
Thanx for the description. I guess i have to try, but iam always afraid of getting stuck. hehe. especially in mud. Plus mud season is a few months away so i have some time. I just want to know how to start an approach to something. Always when i approach an obstacle i dont know on what gear to be or on 4hi and 4lo, i hope i can figure it out. And if i get pics for sure il post them.
07-03-2008, 08:38 AM
#12
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I have another question, if i get stuck in mud and i stall the jeep to switch into reverse withouth the clutch won't mud get into the exhaust? and that will enable me to restart?
07-03-2008, 09:03 AM
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it wont matter if you get anything in the exhaust it will just blow it out.
And as far as what gear to pick...simply pick the gear that will allow you to get through at the speed you want BUT still have tome left up top for when you feel yourself starting to get stuck you can give it a little more gas.
It really depends on the thickness of the mud and also whether youre in an x or rubi. In the X 1st gear 4 lo is 3rd gear 4 lo in a rubi....
so i run mud in 3 or 4 usually in my rubi...but that equates to 1 or 2 in an X...
If the mud is thick go for the lower gear, as you need the extra torque that the lower gear gives you to spin your tires, but if its watery go higher you will be able to go a little faster.....
its all about the seed you want to go through at...the higher the speed the higher potential for damage but the less potential for getting stuck, you just have to establish YOUR compromise between the two...id rather get stuck than break an axle or pop a tire on a submerged log personally, so i tend to take it slow and gas it once im int he mud, some people (pine barrens anyone lol) hit it fast and use momentum to get through (hydrolock :eek:
And as far as what gear to pick...simply pick the gear that will allow you to get through at the speed you want BUT still have tome left up top for when you feel yourself starting to get stuck you can give it a little more gas.
It really depends on the thickness of the mud and also whether youre in an x or rubi. In the X 1st gear 4 lo is 3rd gear 4 lo in a rubi....
so i run mud in 3 or 4 usually in my rubi...but that equates to 1 or 2 in an X...
If the mud is thick go for the lower gear, as you need the extra torque that the lower gear gives you to spin your tires, but if its watery go higher you will be able to go a little faster.....
its all about the seed you want to go through at...the higher the speed the higher potential for damage but the less potential for getting stuck, you just have to establish YOUR compromise between the two...id rather get stuck than break an axle or pop a tire on a submerged log personally, so i tend to take it slow and gas it once im int he mud, some people (pine barrens anyone lol) hit it fast and use momentum to get through (hydrolock :eek:
Thanx for the reply. Atleast know i have a bit more confidence going through water or mud. First i thought i didnt want to mess up the clutch so i got that figured out, and then it hit me that i mite not be able to restart if the water gets in the exuast. But thatnks all cleared up.
07-04-2008, 04:09 AM
#14
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I always use 4lo when I offroad. The only time I use 4hi is on icy snowy roads on the way up to snowboard. The torque is much better and there is less stress put on your tranny. My good buddy has a big truck with a custom built tranny that he destroyed because his 8cyl had enough power to push him out so he never felt he should use 4lo because he didnt need it. He found that out the hard way.
07-04-2008, 09:22 AM
#15
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i hate mud
if you want to run mudholes remember to check them out first. also you should look for tracks out(meaning someone has at least made it thru). virgin mud is a bad thing..
if you want to run mudholes remember to check them out first. also you should look for tracks out(meaning someone has at least made it thru). virgin mud is a bad thing..
07-04-2008, 12:58 PM
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If you are serious about going into and through mud you need to make sure you have good mud tires. An AT tire won't do it. I have to be out in the mud for my job and I run Cooper STT's on my work truck (05 Chev ExCab 4x4 Diesel). They work well and clean the tread well. From what I've seen so far the KM2's on my JK are good in mud too.
Where I see most people get in trouble in mud is that they are afraid to use enough throttle. I've had to go through a lot of mud ,10-15 miles at a sretch, and there are times I'm slithering along at about 5 mph, in low range with my speedo reading 30 mph. If I can't make it I have to call for a D8 or Cat wheeled loader to come pull me to location. So you quickly learn to drive in mud.
The other thing is to get a set of mud chains. They're like snow chains but beefier. They are expensive. I'm going to get a set for my JK's 35's and they are around 200-250 a pair. You won't believe where you can go witha set of mud chains.
We have all of our semi's set up to carry a set for all the driving wheels (four duals) and the steering axle.
Where I see most people get in trouble in mud is that they are afraid to use enough throttle. I've had to go through a lot of mud ,10-15 miles at a sretch, and there are times I'm slithering along at about 5 mph, in low range with my speedo reading 30 mph. If I can't make it I have to call for a D8 or Cat wheeled loader to come pull me to location. So you quickly learn to drive in mud.
The other thing is to get a set of mud chains. They're like snow chains but beefier. They are expensive. I'm going to get a set for my JK's 35's and they are around 200-250 a pair. You won't believe where you can go witha set of mud chains.
We have all of our semi's set up to carry a set for all the driving wheels (four duals) and the steering axle.
07-11-2008, 12:47 PM
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There is nothing strange or magical about 4lo, it just gears the jeep down lower, nothing weird. Some of us have to use it exclusively off road, my x with 32's and 3.21 gears has to be in 4lo almost all the time offroad cuz otherwise I would be riding the clutch way too much, and it goes too fast just idling through a field.
I agree that there is usually less potential for wear/tear in 4lo! as for redlining, just don't do it, be in a higher gear in 4lo like 2nd, that is where I do the majority of my wheeling.
07-12-2008, 11:47 AM
#19
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x2
There is nothing strange or magical about 4lo, it just gears the jeep down lower, nothing weird. Some of us have to use it exclusively off road, my x with 32's and 3.21 gears has to be in 4lo almost all the time offroad cuz otherwise I would be riding the clutch way too much, and it goes too fast just idling through a field.
I agree that there is usually less potential for wear/tear in 4lo! as for redlining, just don't do it, be in a higher gear in 4lo like 2nd, that is where I do the majority of my wheeling.
There is nothing strange or magical about 4lo, it just gears the jeep down lower, nothing weird. Some of us have to use it exclusively off road, my x with 32's and 3.21 gears has to be in 4lo almost all the time offroad cuz otherwise I would be riding the clutch way too much, and it goes too fast just idling through a field.
I agree that there is usually less potential for wear/tear in 4lo! as for redlining, just don't do it, be in a higher gear in 4lo like 2nd, that is where I do the majority of my wheeling.
07-12-2008, 04:48 PM
#20
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fair enough, but I don't get rocks, I am mainly in mud/trails, I don't have experience in sand, but my 3.21 gears bog down in first gear in 4 hi, I can't spin my 32's! Sand seems fun, no trees to hit.