Good morning, I used to own a 2000 XJ so I figured I could answer this. I have a couple of strong suggestions.
- Unless you have bald tires or the SelecTrac AWD transfer case, don't use 4 wheel drive on wet pavement. Good tires will still have adequate traction in the rain and you run the risk of binding the TC and breaking something. Command Trac (the most common TC in Cherokees and Liberties; "part time") is only for surfaces with poor traction (ice, snow, mud, dirt, etc.) that allow some wheel slippage. If you do have SelectTrac ("full time"), you can leave that on all the time even on dry or wet pavement, although you will see fewer MPGs.
- If the road conditions are bad enough that you need 4HI, you should never be going 65 mph! 4 wheel drive does make the vehicle seem more sure footed but at that speed in a snowstorm it is a false sense of security. Ever notice all the SUVs off the road in the interstate median during a snowstorm? It's because they thought they could just throw it in 4WD and drive the same as they did before.
- 4LO is mostly for under 25 MPH in offload situations. It has a low gear range that gives you lots of control, but you'll notice that once you get much above 25 MPH the engine will race. As long as you are in Neutral you should be able to shift it into 4LO. I never had any problem doing this while at a full stop. Shifting into 4HI on the other hand doesn't require you to be stopped or in neutral, just let up on the gas pedal when you shift it.
Hope this helps!
LFH
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2008 Liberty Sport 4x4 Automatic
Jeepin By Al 4" Lift Kit
BFG KO2’s 245/75R16
Full MOPAR skid plates
Rock Lizard Skink Super Sliders
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