My CRD is one sure footed Rig

MooseMeat · **Posted:** Tue Feb 27, 2007 1:05 pm

On my way into work this morning I came upon a line of 8 or 9 cars trucks and SUVs poking along at 30-35 mph on the 2 lane,

I took one look, moved into the passing lane and hammered down. After getting to work on time and a good 10 min ahead of all of them. One of the guys that I passed went out of his way to very loudly ask me “What the Hell did you think you were doing? As slippery as the roads were and passing a line of cars at that speed could have killed everyone.”
I look him straight in the eye and said “I didn’t notice it being slippery all I saw was a group of idiots playing follow the leader bumper to bumper to scared to pass to dumb to drop back. If you’re that afraid to drive in a little snow and ice maybe you should stay off the road. You’re more of a hazard then the roads.”

The CRD Rocks :twisted:

in the snow.

Jeger · **Posted:** Tue Feb 27, 2007 1:30 pm

the CRD feels very stable indeed, and the ESP gives even more of a confidence boost, maybe a false sense of security in certain situations though.

I hate it when people bunch up like that, if they are to scared or unable to pass....maybe its not such a good idea to be tailgating? :idea:

You wouldnt have seemed so dangerous if you didnt have to pass 9 cars all in a row now would you? Just dont outdrive the limits of available traction and it is all smooth sailing in the CRD.

BVCRD · **Posted:** Tue Feb 27, 2007 1:30 pm

It surely does.

MooseMeat · **Posted:** Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:10 pm

I use to have this problem where I felt like I had to drive right at the hairy edge, flat track it around the corners. You know push it till it starts to get squirrelly then back off just a touch. :twisted:

Now I just drive where I feel comfortable still faster than 95% of the drivers on the road. :roll:

BVCRD · **Posted:** Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:22 pm

MooseMeat wrote:

I use to have this problem where I felt like I had to drive right at the hairy edge, flat track it around the corners. You know push it till it starts to get squirrelly then back off just a touch. :twisted:

Now I just drive where I feel comfortable still faster than 95% of the drivers on the road. :roll:

I drive snowy mountains roads up here, and you really have to MAKE the thing slide, even then when the ESP kicks in, it is useless to try to make it slide. Might as well give up. I spend most of my time looking for the lame non-Libby drivers and give them a wide birth. I see too many of them down a drop off, or no longer have the shiny side up.

KJbob · **Posted:** Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:45 pm

MooseMeat wrote:

The CRD Rocks :twisted:

in the snow.

Our Wrangler is much, much better in the snow than the CRD. :wink:

BVCRD · **Posted:** Tue Feb 27, 2007 3:06 pm

KJbob wrote:

MooseMeat wrote:

The CRD Rocks :twisted:

in the snow.

Our Wrangler is much, much better in the snow than the CRD. :wink:

Even with the Revos and ESP? That's hard to swallow.

DarbyWalters · **Posted:** Tue Feb 27, 2007 3:22 pm

Just remember, when it comes to braking and panic stops...AWD (Full-Time 4WD) will not be a big benefit. Tires will be the big difference and when it comes to "ice", tires lose. Even with AntiLock brakes, ice will lengthen your stopping distance 2-3 fold or so.

KJbob · **Posted:** Tue Feb 27, 2007 5:54 pm

BVCRD wrote:

KJbob wrote:

MooseMeat wrote:

The CRD Rocks :twisted:

in the snow.

Our Wrangler is much, much better in the snow than the CRD. :wink:

Even with the Revos and ESP? That's hard to swallow.

My CRD feels more slippery in snow. It will "snowplow" in a turn much easier. I think due to the Wrangler's short wheel base it feels much more sure footed.

I'm not saying the CRD is necessarily bad; I just think the Wrangler is better.

MooseMeat · **Posted:** Tue Feb 27, 2007 7:20 pm

My wrangler was a real handfull in the snow hated to have to drive to work.

Now my CJ5 with 401ci V8 was a blast, man I miss that Jeep.

no-blue-screen · **Posted:** Tue Feb 27, 2007 7:25 pm

DarbyWalters wrote:

Just remember, when it comes to braking and panic stops...AWD (Full-Time 4WD) will not be a big benefit. Tires will be the big difference and when it comes to "ice", tires lose. Even with AntiLock brakes, ice will lengthen your stopping distance 2-3 fold or so.

Ditto

kjfishman · **Posted:** Tue Feb 27, 2007 9:17 pm

My wife normally doesn't drive my CRD because she doesn't like the seats but since a snow storm was coming she took my Jeep instead of her Mercury. After driving it on snow packed icy roads she thinks maybe she needs a Jeep now.

jinstall · **Posted:** Wed Feb 28, 2007 6:11 am

Imagine it at 100-120 mph!!!!

action · **Posted:** Wed Feb 28, 2007 2:33 pm

After having many different vechicles myself, and driving many more, I can safely say I love my CRD for winter driving, and I've been out in some pretty nasty storms this year!!! It does feel sure footed, I have dedicated very well siped winter tires, but so does everything else I've driven this year.

Having the ESP traction control in the Jeep to prevent fishtailing really spoils me when I get in the Yukon plow truck that does not have this. I can drive more agressive (when circumstances allow, such as late night) and the ESP compenstaes...its alot of fun.

I also drove my Dads Subaru Imprezza (he borrowed my truck to tow skidoos), it also has good winter tires, but due to its light weight it wasnt well planted to the road at all like the Jeep, it felt like it was constantly "hydroplaning" or what ever the snow equivilant is to that.

BVCRD · **Posted:** Wed Feb 28, 2007 2:38 pm

My wife left in it this AM headed for Leadville, where they were expecting 17". She called back in reporting it was very icy, but that she was holding her own at 45 mph. She traverses this upper Arkansas Valley road daily, and has become a pro driving in winter and sometimes white-out conditions. How do you drive in white-out conditions you may ask? The answer is....you don't. You have to know when to say "when."

Cowcatcher · **Posted:** Thu Mar 01, 2007 5:49 pm

I love where mine will go too but sometimes not just on pavement.

I am getting long in the tooth and some winter days, after a long day at the office, I just don't feel like putting on the heavy clothes and boots in the evening and slogging through mud and/or snow to get to the barn and feed the cattle as much as I used to. These last two winter with the CRD I generally drive.

My barn is down a short, fairly steep and ungraveled hill off my driveway. I have gotten other 4 wheel drives stuck in the winter in snow or that thin muddy layer on top before all the frost is out for the season. I gave up doing any driving down that hill and have just walked it for years. When I didn't I paid often. There have only been a few times when I haven't tried it with the CRD. The other day I thought I had met my match because as I pulled out and back up the hill in the mud in 4 wheel high it started to spin on me. I backed down the hill, shifted into low and out I came. In my pickup I would have had to get a pull or wait for a freeze or Spring.

Love my Jeep!

BVCRD · **Posted:** Thu Mar 01, 2007 6:16 pm

Usually I like a high speed of wheel spin in mud so that the tires clean themselves for the centrifigual forces. In a incline situation, I can see where a hydroplaning effect might occur from too much wheel spin. Probably have you sliding down the hill backwards.

DnA Diesel · **Posted:** Sat Mar 03, 2007 9:10 pm

Just drove through 5 hrs of snow and freezing rain in the CRD and it was rock solid...ESP kicked in once, but it sure was nice to drive!

railguy · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2007 3:49 pm

I have been driving over 35 years, most all of it in the Rocky Mountain west, where winter driving, on snowpacked and icy roads to raging blizzards, is fairly common. I've owned or driven over a dozen different 4WD's, as well as RWD and FWD cars. My CRD is certainly one of the best, if not the best vehicle I have driven when road conditions are slick.

All of that said, driving a 4WD at excessive speed just because it has traction is a sure road to eventual disaster. I can acceralate my CRD to 70 MPH on the most icy road I can find. With full-time 4WD and a limited-slip rear axle, it will do it! When it comes time to corner or stop, though, it's no better than any other vehicle. I have no doubt that the original poster of the thread had sufficient traction to go a speed faster than the other vehicles that he had been following. A much more open question is whether he could have gotten stopped quickly enough if a emergency of some sort had presented itself in front of him. I can't answer that because I wasn't driving on that road, but I have my suspicions.

When I drive on slippery roads in bad weather, I find it interesting that most of the vehicles that I see off the highway, often flipped over in the ditch, are not 2WD cars, but are 4WD SUV's--almost always because they were driven too fast for conditions. In short, when I drive on slick roads, I'm not thinking so much about how fast I can go, but rather how fast I can STOP.

MooseMeat · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2007 5:13 pm

Well I've been driving for over 30 years, knocking on wood haven't had an accident is as many. Grew up driving in upstate NY can you say snow & ice? yes. well over 200" a year most years. I drove OTR for close to 5 years so I'm no stranger to bad road conditions.

I know my limits & the limits of my vehical. And everyone here that has said you can get her moving a hurry with 4 wheel drive is 100% correct, still isn't any better in the corners, but a little better at stopping.

And I would guess like a lot of us with 4x4's we started out with BEASTS, 1968 Jeep with a 350ci Buick, 3 speed manual, a 1976 CJ5 Renegade with a swapped in 401ci. 4 speed manual, that was a real trick to drive an any slippery surface. And most of us learned from our experiences with out the niceties, you drove by the seat of your pants.

WE are all getting spoiled now with anti lock breaks and sway control, traction control, I didn't even have a radio in my first couple of 4x4's.

My CRD is one sure footed Rig

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