Hey guys, I'm not entirely sure if this belongs in the off road forum but I'm sure you guys can set me straight on this. I'm a new Jeeper so please go easy on me. I got my slightly used 08 Sahara about 6 weeks ago and I haven't really taken it off road at all yet, and I haven't even put in into 4x yet at all.

So my first question is about winter driving. I live in Edmonton, Alberta and we often get a fair amount of snow. I'm used to driving a little front wheel drive car, and for the most part I could (carefully) drive through most of what I encountered but sometimes there's just too much snow.

What would you guys give as tips for driving a JK in the winter keeping in mind what I'm used to driving? I know in general I will be able to get through a lot more since I'm on bigger tires and have way more ground clearance, and of course now I have the 4x4 option. I'm assuming I would keep it in 2wd most of the time and maybe slap it into 4hi when I'm going into something questionable or need extra traction? Are there other times I would want it in 4x4?

And about the ESP. Basically I'm just kinda curious exactly what it does and how it works...at least in general terms. I'm sure it's explained in the owner's manual, but I got my Jeep used and sadly the manual wasn't with it. Basically all the salesman told me about the ESP is when he pointed to the ESP Off button and told me "you push this button if you want to do donuts in the winter"

Thanks

 

yeah, what's up with that ESP? I can't even do a power slide in loose sand with that mess.

 

On JKs the computer controls the throttle and combined with ESP keeps the wheels from slipping in snow and slippery conditions. It actually goes beyond standard traction control and adds a brake locking differential (BLD) feature where if one tire is slipping on ice the computer applies a bit of brake pressure to the slipping wheel in order to transfer some torque to the non slipping wheel. All and all ESP + BLD work pretty well. Enjoy your JK.

 

Cool thanks for the explanation...I was under the impression that it was just basically traction control, but it sounds like it's a little more involved.

 

its a great system, its saved me more than once in the winter time.

I rarely need 4wd in the winter with the ESP.

On my TJ its usually always engaged on snow covered roads.

 

I usually stay in 2wd most of the time, even on snow covered roads. If I have to stop going uphill I will put it in so I don't have trouble getting rolling. I will also use it for really steep hills especially if I am stuck behind someone going slow. Take it easy your first few times until you get used to rear wheel drive.

 

The JK is great in snowy/icy driving conditions, much better than my TJ with the ESP. My TJ was worthless in snow if it was in 2WD, the JK does much better there as well. I tend to use 4X4 pretty much any time the roads are totally snow covered though.

 

Oops...I see my post has been moved

Actually my first car was a '74 Chevy Nova that had rear wheel drive, so fortunately I'm not entirely clueless when it comes to RWD in the snow, nevertheless as soon as there's a reasonable amount of snow on the ground I'm going to be flying through an empty parking lot for a while to see just how my JK will react.

Thanks for all the great input guys, keep it coming!

 

Here's where you can ...
Download an Owner Manual

 

Ahhhhhh Canadian Winter Driving....

Our family has a Sahara as well and the JK is a wonderful vehicle for our lovely winter climate here in Revelstoke, BC. In general you got it correct to keep it in 2wd especially on dry pavement. However, when you get snow,ice & mud covered roads you can slip it into 4wd. ESP will generally help with accelerating off icy/deep snow covered intersections by limiting the slip of the spinning wheel(s) and reducing the power output of your motor. This can also backfire if you require to get out of the intersection in a hurry.

I personally don't slip my Jeep or Truck into 4wd if I am going any faster than 50 km/hr. I just think it can be tough on your transfer case gears. Also, personally I keep it out of 4wd if I am going faster than 90 km/hr for the same reasons harder on your transfer case and even your hubs. Also, if you need to go that fast on snow and ice you taking a great chance of hitting some ice,slush or deep snow and getting pulled into the ditch or not able to stop in time to avoid a collision.

Also, If you can fit it in your budget.......especially living where you are Edmonton,AB you will see some nasty cooler temp's, snow and icy intersections.... I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND you get yourself a set of TRUE mud and snow tires (softer rubber compound) vs. All-season tires. The true M&S tires will have the mountain with snowflake on the sidewall and more sipping for ice traction. If you need you could get them studded to decrease your stopping distance even further on icy roads or intersections. I run an M&S studded tires on our JK and it has been great they give you that much more traction in colder temps and icy conditions then the Mud-terrains that I have for summer/fall.