jkerr

Hello gang, I am new to the Jeep world and getting use to how it behaves in various conditions. I had an interesting experience climbing a hill with a 4" curb at the top. I have 410 gearing with an automatic. I had ESP turned off and was in 4-wheel high.

The hill I was climbing was steep and it had a curb at the top that I could not see when I was at the base. The Jeep climbed the hill without any problem, but when it got to the top and the tire hit the curb it stopped. I floored it and she would not move an inch. Full power and no wheel spin or anything. The engine revved and the Jeep acted as if I was pushing against a wall.

I was able to get over it by backing off and hitting with more speed. I also did the same test in 4-wheel low. It made it over without a problem. I live in flat country. When I wheel I'm generally in high. I've found it virtually impossible to shift into lo when I'm already on a hill and stopped.

Should I have done something differently? If I had a different gear ratio would it help me in this situation?

wwiifirearms

My first thought is you should have been in 4 Lo to start with. Unless you do some hi-speed wheeling, 4 Lo is the way to go. I put it in 4 lo when hit the trails and I go all day without moving it until it is time to drive home.

Second thought is what size tires do you have? The 410 gears don't tell me much without knowing the tire size. I run stock 373 gears on an automatic and stock tires (about 32"). When I go to 35" tire most people say you need to regear to like 488, but I know at least two guys that run 35" tires with 373 and have no issues off-road b/c they are always in 4 Lo. The 410 would seem to be OK unless you have real big tires.

I am not an expert, so I'll wait to see what others say, but mine suggestion is use 4 lo when wheeling, and definately when climbing.
-wwiifirearms

jkerr

I have the stock rubi 32" tires. Agree, 4lo works very well. I wheel around Chicago. I have to work in and out of high speed areas. It is a PITA to switch form hi/lo every time I cross a road.

wwiifirearms

I have worked in Chicago and even on the roads the traffic is so bad you can usually use 4Lo.

Then again they have no problem doing 75 mph in bumper-to-bumper traffic.


You could always move!

-wwiifirearms

jkerr

Very good points. Next time I'm out I'll try shifting into lo using your tips.

IMFletch

The issues with 4Hi have already been discussed in this thread so I will not repeat them. If you are new to the JK you may not know there are two different settings that can be made with the dash mounted ESP/Traction control switch. If you press and release the button, traction control is turned off, if you stop the vehicle but leave the engining running and hold the ESP button for 5 second a chime will go off and "ESP Off" will display in the odometer area. You want both ESP and traction control off when wheeling. I made the same mistake with my first hillclimb in my JK, got about half way up the hill and b/c of ESP I lost power to all for wheels. With ESP in the off position, I walked right up.

Your loss of power near the top of a hill climb sounds to me like the ESP was engaged and it kept your wheels from spinning regardless of how much you work the skinny pedal.

wwiifirearms

I think on mine esp also turns off when you shift into 4lo.

IMFletch

The Rubis automatically turn ESP off when shifted to 4 low. I assume this is the case for all JKs?

scottrock

[QUOTE=IMFletch;1149656]The Rubis automatically turn ESP off when shifted to 4 low. I assume this is the case for all JKs?[/QUOTE]

my X does.

tkob1060

from my experience with the Rubi and auto, you cannot drive around all day in 4low, the rubi transfer case and auto is just geared to low for that, but if you are going up a hill you should use 4low and put it in 1st for a short climb and 2nd for a longer climb, if in first on a longer climb your engine will rev out and you either wont make it or you'll be revving the sh*t out of your engine, you could also always manually shift from 1st to 2nd if it starts to rev to high, steep down hill u want 4low 1st gear no brakes, engine will brake for you