4-LOW question

2005KJSport · **Posted:** Thu Apr 24, 2008 4:35 pm

Being new to the off-road experience, I would like to know the answer to this also.

hatu · **Posted:** Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:14 pm

Hey this is a great question...The forum gets allot of 'hardware' type questions, but I do not see allot of situational questions. I'm certainly not the expert, but the lower gear should give you better traction with less slippage to get up and maybe more importantly down the obstacle. Now at this point, the hardware/software issue can affect the amount of traction/slippage you gain or lose. Street tires on a muddy incline in 2-Lo, you still will probably not make it up the incline. Change to a wider mud tire, and maybe you'll have success. With the wider tire you may want to be in 4-Hi just to get greater momentum and so the tires throw out the mud to keep clean lugs for better traction.

Hope this helps some, maybe I confused the issue more....

This could be a good sticky also. Pics of the situation/trail/obstacle with what gears used and why.

Sir Sam · **Posted:** Thu Apr 24, 2008 6:23 pm

The real question is....what happened in 1st gear?

I'm guessing on that loose slippery incline that you simple lost traction after a certain point in 1st and had no more forward movement.

By going into 2nd you have the ability to keep your speed up, even if you have all 4 wheels spinning in 2nd, more force will be transferred to more you forward than at the same engine speed in 1st gear.

The same would be true of 3rd gear as well, the downside is that your torque is reduced at the lower wheel speeds with your engine nearing the stall rpm.

Think of it like this. If half the force on a loose surface is transferred when your wheels are spinning past a certain grade you will no longer have enough force to climb the hill.

Now lets say you redline the engine in 1st gear with all 4 wheels spinning and stop your forward movement. When that happens you will have reached a point of equilibrium where your vehicle is able to put out enough force to hold its self in place, and nothing more.

Now lets say you redline it in 2nd gear with all 4 wheels spinning. You will be able to go up even steeper of an incline before reaching your point of equilibrium.

So there, a pseudo dynamics explanation to your question.

BennyMigs · **Posted:** Thu Apr 24, 2008 7:15 pm

Ok I need a drink after the last post haha. :?:

But I think I got it

jason thompson · **Posted:** Thu Apr 24, 2008 8:21 pm

you can not say "in this situation use this gear" every situation is different
same obstacle can be different every time not just in terms of what gear but also how you approach it as well

Best advice I can give to folks who want to learn the right and wrong way to take on an obstacle is to get a butt load of trail time under your belt while you may still need 2 or 3 runs up a given hill experience will keep you from being stupid about it

Good example was this weekend out on the trail with a few new guys with the basic rubicon build ,lift and 33's
we come up on the last good hill of the day and the guides start pulling folks out of line telling them
"You will not make this hill" one of the guys they pulled out was driving a rubi on 33's 2 rigs behind me

I have climbed this hill more than a few times so I know what we are in for
well he was not happy that a TJ sport on 31's was getting a try and he was not
He was told that "He will make this hill in 1 maybe 2 runs" his reply was "not in that jeep"
well 1 run and I was up and after much complaining they allowed him to try
and after 5 tries he gave up and did not reach the top when he asked how did I make it they told him
"he wheels this area all the time so he knows how to drive on this type of terrain"
now bring me to where in is rocky and I am like a mad man all out of control and hauling 3 kinds of butt when I dont need to but I am still wheeling like I am back home

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Thu Apr 24, 2008 8:43 pm

Letting it shift into 2nd lets you go faster... It gives you more momentum.

You want to use 4low in 1st when your going down a hill, rock crawling, or climbing up a really steep hill.

In your situation you were climbing up a steep hill but it was muddy so you needed some speed.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Apr 24, 2008 8:48 pm

I climb all hills in 4-low and 1st gear only,I start at a slow pace then gradually increase throttle as I climb up and I'll end up at about 5000rpms by the top,no need for the tranny to shift,then again I rarely ever shift out of 1st gear when in 4-low.I like going nice and slow so as not to get tossed around to bad,plus gives you more control and having lockers helps alot.

03CDKJ · **Posted:** Thu Apr 24, 2008 10:38 pm

i was in 4-low 1st gear when i went up...

Dje Ryu · **Posted:** Thu Apr 24, 2008 11:05 pm

I use 1st gear for everything but snow and mud, then I'll go to 2nd; or flats between hils, then I go to drive.

jsc7002 · **Posted:** Thu Apr 24, 2008 11:32 pm

hey thats swampthing, isnt it?

Inc · **Posted:** Fri Apr 25, 2008 12:32 am

For me, generally, I always use 4 low and 1st when going down. The slower the better. Going up, depending on how big the hill is, I use 1st or 2nd. If the hill I am going up is a longer one or has loose packing/soil/gravel, where I ill need more speed, I go for 2nd. If it is shorter and I can crawl up it, I use 1st. In both cases I am usually in low depending on just how steep we are talking. Hope this makes sense.

WoodysKJ · **Posted:** Fri Apr 25, 2008 1:56 pm

Your engine produces "X" amount of torque. By shifting down to 2nd and then 1st you are better controlling that torque. On dry land or pavement the torque produced by your engin and normanl driving gears is all used up in the transfer from the tires to the pavement by the friction of the tires or the traction they have. When in looser footing, and especially on a hil the tires want to loose that traction as all that torque is applied. By using lower gears you allow that torque to be dialed down so to maintain tire traction and prevent slippage. there by no wasting any power from the engine.

BeepBeepJeepJeep · **Posted:** Sun Apr 27, 2008 5:32 pm

I only ever use 1st gear low if I'm performing a recovery OR if I am going through questionable waters... It's just too darn low for anything else

but then again, the wheeling to be found around here is alot different than out in the west...

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Sun Apr 27, 2008 5:53 pm

BeepBeepJeepJeep wrote:

I only ever use 1st gear low if I'm performing a recovery OR if I am going through questionable waters... It's just too darn low for anything else

but then again, the wheeling to be found around here is alot different than out in the west...

You never wheel on rocks or really tight hilly trails?

I dont believe Ive been offroad without using 4low. :shock:

BeepBeepJeepJeep · **Posted:** Sun Apr 27, 2008 6:06 pm

Jeepjeepster wrote:

BeepBeepJeepJeep wrote:

I only ever use 1st gear low if I'm performing a recovery OR if I am going through questionable waters... It's just too darn low for anything else

but then again, the wheeling to be found around here is alot different than out in the west...

You never wheel on rocks or really tight hilly trails?

I dont believe Ive been offroad without using 4low. :shock:

Oh don't get me wrong, I use 4LO, but when I do it's usually 2nd gear..

4-LOW question

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