First time in snow.. wheel hop?
02-10-2013, 08:26 PM
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First time in snow.. wheel hop?
Okay I took my new all stock Rubicon out offroading in the snow today aaaaand it sucked. There was only about 6 inches of snow and when ever I gave it a little gas it started wheel hopping like mad.
I was made to go into 4 low and then starting to spin. My only hope of turning around was with both differentials locked.
Not impressed with the jeeps performance. I'm really thinking of sticking a ford man.
Just wondering if this is usual and what will help? Bigger tires?
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I was made to go into 4 low and then starting to spin. My only hope of turning around was with both differentials locked.
Not impressed with the jeeps performance. I'm really thinking of sticking a ford man.
Just wondering if this is usual and what will help? Bigger tires?
Sent From My HTC One S using Tapatalk 2
02-10-2013, 09:20 PM
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I'm a little confused as to wheel hopping on a slippery surface! My sports car used to wheel hop when doing a hard launch on a drag strip. Do you mean crow hopping! Were you in 4Lo cranked and accelerating slowly? I drive through 1-2' of powdery snow without issues and I'm stock hieght.
02-10-2013, 09:49 PM
#5
JK Super Freak
Hmm... sounds like driver error to me. Just like there are dozens of ways to drive in mud, depending on the consitancy of the mud... (is it sandy mud? Is it peanut butter stuff? Is it bentonite? Is it mostly water?) . All snow is not the same. Temps, density, what is underneath, what about speed, air pressure in tires, etc...
IF there is a layer of thin ice beneath the snow... no tire and no weight difference is going to make you move...unless your so light that you don't move the snow away from the ice layer. So if this was the case... letting air out of your tires (down to about 10psi) would have possibly compressed the snow and given you traction- not getting all the way down to the ice. Lower gears might seem like a great thing- but not always in snow.. somtimes speed and less spining are far more important. The less time you spend moving up and down (wheel hop/digging) and the more moving forward or backward the better.
Snow should never be taken for granted that it will always respond the same way. For example... you might drive all morning in 2 feet deep snow without problems... but at noon it gets to 40 outside... now the snow changes from powder you can blast through to slush that packs your tires and it like driving on a plate of snot. After the warm day- a cold front moves in- and the snow crystalizes into grains of ice that make it more like driving in beans then powder.
I've been driving in snow my whole life... Ford has nothing on Jeep for traction, chevy, toyota...etc etc... etc don't really do any different. PART-time is nice because it or all-wheel drive systems are more suited to some situations in snow, but a good driver in a 4wd can make style adjustments to his driving for there to be little difference in the systems effects on the trail. You really have to pay attention to when you are about to loose traction... it is better to stop before it's lost and start over at the section of trail from 20 feet back then to allow the tires to loose contact with the place you have traction. Speed... at times steering side to side... etc... once you loose momentum it is hard to restart in snow.
I only have a rear locker... and I've got to be in serious stuff before I use it in snow using it in the wrong situation will get you stuck faster! You need your differentials to work! Tration control is a great help here on current wranglers.
Tires help greatly... and mud tires are not the best in certain conditions that come up in snow and ice (unless they are sipped). Tires make a big difference on traction when ice becomes part of the equation -the more cuts and grooves in the tread the better it will work in snow and ice... Keeping a pair of chains for emergency travel in ice is good, but most of the times an air compressor and letting out some air is a safer option. Chains work and I use them as a last resort... if I can get along the trail with letting air out- that is my first option. Chains can create violent shocks to your drivtrain as your spin and grab traction in the snow... the surgeing is hard on u-joints. I've been where I've had to use them- but as a last resort.
6 inches is not deep enough to create a high centered condition- so you being stuck in that little snow had more to do with tires, or your driving experience in the snow- then the jeep itself. I have went for over 15 miles in snow that was 18 to 24 inches deep- no trail broke ahead of me... up hill, downhill -and 6 inches is a nice break when you have been fighting snow that deep for that long. The normal problem with loosing tration in snow is when you get more between the body and the ground and get high centered. You tires serve as a great way to throw all traction away from the jeep at that point and leaves you on the belly... then you need a winch, a tow strap, or a shovel... hopefully one of the first two are available!
If by buying a Ford you mean a pick-up truck... you should note that the balanced weight distribution of a Jeep-like vechicle is far better than a front heavy truck in most snow conditions. Most folks that drive trucks in deep snow add weight to get to the same balance that we naturally have in the jeep.
In different conditions each thing can be true... lighter can be an atvantage in powder, heavier can be an advantage on ice if the weight is enough to break through for traction. Narrow tires in low tration situations where ground clearence is not the main problem, wide tires when you need floatation insted of penertration.
Go play in a feild someday after a powder snow condition... it's awesome and fun.
Go plow into a deep wind blown drift at the same speed and you'll be digging for an hour.
Hope that helps... it's not your jeeps fault.
IF there is a layer of thin ice beneath the snow... no tire and no weight difference is going to make you move...unless your so light that you don't move the snow away from the ice layer. So if this was the case... letting air out of your tires (down to about 10psi) would have possibly compressed the snow and given you traction- not getting all the way down to the ice. Lower gears might seem like a great thing- but not always in snow.. somtimes speed and less spining are far more important. The less time you spend moving up and down (wheel hop/digging) and the more moving forward or backward the better.
Snow should never be taken for granted that it will always respond the same way. For example... you might drive all morning in 2 feet deep snow without problems... but at noon it gets to 40 outside... now the snow changes from powder you can blast through to slush that packs your tires and it like driving on a plate of snot. After the warm day- a cold front moves in- and the snow crystalizes into grains of ice that make it more like driving in beans then powder.
I've been driving in snow my whole life... Ford has nothing on Jeep for traction, chevy, toyota...etc etc... etc don't really do any different. PART-time is nice because it or all-wheel drive systems are more suited to some situations in snow, but a good driver in a 4wd can make style adjustments to his driving for there to be little difference in the systems effects on the trail. You really have to pay attention to when you are about to loose traction... it is better to stop before it's lost and start over at the section of trail from 20 feet back then to allow the tires to loose contact with the place you have traction. Speed... at times steering side to side... etc... once you loose momentum it is hard to restart in snow.
I only have a rear locker... and I've got to be in serious stuff before I use it in snow using it in the wrong situation will get you stuck faster! You need your differentials to work! Tration control is a great help here on current wranglers.
Tires help greatly... and mud tires are not the best in certain conditions that come up in snow and ice (unless they are sipped). Tires make a big difference on traction when ice becomes part of the equation -the more cuts and grooves in the tread the better it will work in snow and ice... Keeping a pair of chains for emergency travel in ice is good, but most of the times an air compressor and letting out some air is a safer option. Chains work and I use them as a last resort... if I can get along the trail with letting air out- that is my first option. Chains can create violent shocks to your drivtrain as your spin and grab traction in the snow... the surgeing is hard on u-joints. I've been where I've had to use them- but as a last resort.
6 inches is not deep enough to create a high centered condition- so you being stuck in that little snow had more to do with tires, or your driving experience in the snow- then the jeep itself. I have went for over 15 miles in snow that was 18 to 24 inches deep- no trail broke ahead of me... up hill, downhill -and 6 inches is a nice break when you have been fighting snow that deep for that long. The normal problem with loosing tration in snow is when you get more between the body and the ground and get high centered. You tires serve as a great way to throw all traction away from the jeep at that point and leaves you on the belly... then you need a winch, a tow strap, or a shovel... hopefully one of the first two are available!
If by buying a Ford you mean a pick-up truck... you should note that the balanced weight distribution of a Jeep-like vechicle is far better than a front heavy truck in most snow conditions. Most folks that drive trucks in deep snow add weight to get to the same balance that we naturally have in the jeep.
In different conditions each thing can be true... lighter can be an atvantage in powder, heavier can be an advantage on ice if the weight is enough to break through for traction. Narrow tires in low tration situations where ground clearence is not the main problem, wide tires when you need floatation insted of penertration.
Go play in a feild someday after a powder snow condition... it's awesome and fun.
Go plow into a deep wind blown drift at the same speed and you'll be digging for an hour.
Hope that helps... it's not your jeeps fault.
Last edited by Sunnysideup; 02-10-2013 at 09:59 PM.
02-10-2013, 09:58 PM
#6
JK Super Freak
If you are 4 low and locked front and rear then you have too much traction. You have too have some slip. This causes the wheels to hop. If you were to go into four low and lock up on dry pavement you will get the same thing. Don't do it because you can break things. If there was just a little snow, you probably didn't even need for wheel drive. The manual makes this pretty clear.
If you are already thinking about a Ford this early in the game then a Jeep probably isn't for you. Most of us think the world of our Jeeps and would never want anything else from day 1.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2
If you are already thinking about a Ford this early in the game then a Jeep probably isn't for you. Most of us think the world of our Jeeps and would never want anything else from day 1.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2
Last edited by shockwaveaz; 02-10-2013 at 10:05 PM.
02-11-2013, 05:22 AM
#7
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I do know from my experience driving in the snow that deep wet snow acts almost like a little hill you're trying to climb that forms in front of the snow that you're traveling through, much like a wave in front of a ship in water. Also if it's hard packed sticky snow the snow compresses in front of the tire and then you have to climb up a mini snow wall over and over. This climbing and crushing effect on the snow is what is likely what's causing you're wheel hop. I find that in deep sticky snow 4 wheel high and actually a lot of wheel speed is what helps to get moving and to eliminate the wheel hop. Next time it happens try and hammer down and see if it helps, also like others said if its just a dusting of snow my hammer down advice would not be recommended, only in deep wet stuff can more Skinny pedal help! Also in the deep stuff a wider tire footprint will help you float, reducing wheel hop. Either wider tires and/or lowering air pressure will help.
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02-11-2013, 08:49 AM
#8
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haha if only, it would definitely help
I'm a little confused as to wheel hopping on a slippery surface! My sports car used to wheel hop when doing a hard launch on a drag strip. Do you mean crow hopping! Were you in 4Lo cranked and accelerating slowly? I drive through 1-2' of powdery snow without issues and I'm stock hieght.
Hmm... sounds like driver error to me. Just like there are dozens of ways to drive in mud, depending on the consitancy of the mud... (is it sandy mud? Is it peanut butter stuff? Is it bentonite? Is it mostly water?) . All snow is not the same. Temps, density, what is underneath, what about speed, air pressure in tires, etc...
IF there is a layer of thin ice beneath the snow... no tire and no weight difference is going to make you move...unless your so light that you don't move the snow away from the ice layer. So if this was the case... letting air out of your tires (down to about 10psi) would have possibly compressed the snow and given you traction- not getting all the way down to the ice. Lower gears might seem like a great thing- but not always in snow.. somtimes speed and less spining are far more important. The less time you spend moving up and down (wheel hop/digging) and the more moving forward or backward the better.
Snow should never be taken for granted that it will always respond the same way. For example... you might drive all morning in 2 feet deep snow without problems... but at noon it gets to 40 outside... now the snow changes from powder you can blast through to slush that packs your tires and it like driving on a plate of snot. After the warm day- a cold front moves in- and the snow crystalizes into grains of ice that make it more like driving in beans then powder.
I've been driving in snow my whole life... Ford has nothing on Jeep for traction, chevy, toyota...etc etc... etc don't really do any different. PART-time is nice because it or all-wheel drive systems are more suited to some situations in snow, but a good driver in a 4wd can make style adjustments to his driving for there to be little difference in the systems effects on the trail. You really have to pay attention to when you are about to loose traction... it is better to stop before it's lost and start over at the section of trail from 20 feet back then to allow the tires to loose contact with the place you have traction. Speed... at times steering side to side... etc... once you loose momentum it is hard to restart in snow.
I only have a rear locker... and I've got to be in serious stuff before I use it in snow using it in the wrong situation will get you stuck faster! You need your differentials to work! Tration control is a great help here on current wranglers.
Tires help greatly... and mud tires are not the best in certain conditions that come up in snow and ice (unless they are sipped). Tires make a big difference on traction when ice becomes part of the equation -the more cuts and grooves in the tread the better it will work in snow and ice... Keeping a pair of chains for emergency travel in ice is good, but most of the times an air compressor and letting out some air is a safer option. Chains work and I use them as a last resort... if I can get along the trail with letting air out- that is my first option. Chains can create violent shocks to your drivtrain as your spin and grab traction in the snow... the surgeing is hard on u-joints. I've been where I've had to use them- but as a last resort.
6 inches is not deep enough to create a high centered condition- so you being stuck in that little snow had more to do with tires, or your driving experience in the snow- then the jeep itself. I have went for over 15 miles in snow that was 18 to 24 inches deep- no trail broke ahead of me... up hill, downhill -and 6 inches is a nice break when you have been fighting snow that deep for that long. The normal problem with loosing tration in snow is when you get more between the body and the ground and get high centered. You tires serve as a great way to throw all traction away from the jeep at that point and leaves you on the belly... then you need a winch, a tow strap, or a shovel... hopefully one of the first two are available!
If by buying a Ford you mean a pick-up truck... you should note that the balanced weight distribution of a Jeep-like vechicle is far better than a front heavy truck in most snow conditions. Most folks that drive trucks in deep snow add weight to get to the same balance that we naturally have in the jeep.
In different conditions each thing can be true... lighter can be an atvantage in powder, heavier can be an advantage on ice if the weight is enough to break through for traction. Narrow tires in low tration situations where ground clearence is not the main problem, wide tires when you need floatation insted of penertration.
Go play in a feild someday after a powder snow condition... it's awesome and fun.
Go plow into a deep wind blown drift at the same speed and you'll be digging for an hour.
Hope that helps... it's not your jeeps fault.
IF there is a layer of thin ice beneath the snow... no tire and no weight difference is going to make you move...unless your so light that you don't move the snow away from the ice layer. So if this was the case... letting air out of your tires (down to about 10psi) would have possibly compressed the snow and given you traction- not getting all the way down to the ice. Lower gears might seem like a great thing- but not always in snow.. somtimes speed and less spining are far more important. The less time you spend moving up and down (wheel hop/digging) and the more moving forward or backward the better.
Snow should never be taken for granted that it will always respond the same way. For example... you might drive all morning in 2 feet deep snow without problems... but at noon it gets to 40 outside... now the snow changes from powder you can blast through to slush that packs your tires and it like driving on a plate of snot. After the warm day- a cold front moves in- and the snow crystalizes into grains of ice that make it more like driving in beans then powder.
I've been driving in snow my whole life... Ford has nothing on Jeep for traction, chevy, toyota...etc etc... etc don't really do any different. PART-time is nice because it or all-wheel drive systems are more suited to some situations in snow, but a good driver in a 4wd can make style adjustments to his driving for there to be little difference in the systems effects on the trail. You really have to pay attention to when you are about to loose traction... it is better to stop before it's lost and start over at the section of trail from 20 feet back then to allow the tires to loose contact with the place you have traction. Speed... at times steering side to side... etc... once you loose momentum it is hard to restart in snow.
I only have a rear locker... and I've got to be in serious stuff before I use it in snow using it in the wrong situation will get you stuck faster! You need your differentials to work! Tration control is a great help here on current wranglers.
Tires help greatly... and mud tires are not the best in certain conditions that come up in snow and ice (unless they are sipped). Tires make a big difference on traction when ice becomes part of the equation -the more cuts and grooves in the tread the better it will work in snow and ice... Keeping a pair of chains for emergency travel in ice is good, but most of the times an air compressor and letting out some air is a safer option. Chains work and I use them as a last resort... if I can get along the trail with letting air out- that is my first option. Chains can create violent shocks to your drivtrain as your spin and grab traction in the snow... the surgeing is hard on u-joints. I've been where I've had to use them- but as a last resort.
6 inches is not deep enough to create a high centered condition- so you being stuck in that little snow had more to do with tires, or your driving experience in the snow- then the jeep itself. I have went for over 15 miles in snow that was 18 to 24 inches deep- no trail broke ahead of me... up hill, downhill -and 6 inches is a nice break when you have been fighting snow that deep for that long. The normal problem with loosing tration in snow is when you get more between the body and the ground and get high centered. You tires serve as a great way to throw all traction away from the jeep at that point and leaves you on the belly... then you need a winch, a tow strap, or a shovel... hopefully one of the first two are available!
If by buying a Ford you mean a pick-up truck... you should note that the balanced weight distribution of a Jeep-like vechicle is far better than a front heavy truck in most snow conditions. Most folks that drive trucks in deep snow add weight to get to the same balance that we naturally have in the jeep.
In different conditions each thing can be true... lighter can be an atvantage in powder, heavier can be an advantage on ice if the weight is enough to break through for traction. Narrow tires in low tration situations where ground clearence is not the main problem, wide tires when you need floatation insted of penertration.
Go play in a feild someday after a powder snow condition... it's awesome and fun.
Go plow into a deep wind blown drift at the same speed and you'll be digging for an hour.
Hope that helps... it's not your jeeps fault.
but when i say Ford i mean my full size bronco which i gladly haven't sold yet and it has great weight distribution, such as a jeep. but im from Utah and i know my snow, trust me, ive seen snow on a tree covered trail in march that had to be crunched through and the wettest of snow which i call slurpee snow cuz it just squished out of the treads when it gets 50 degrees after a snow storm.
From my experience mud tires are the best in snow, offroad that is, cuz the tread voids scoop the snow away but on the road the big lugs tend to be a bit slippery.
If you are 4 low and locked front and rear then you have too much traction. You have too have some slip. This causes the wheels to hop. If you were to go into four low and lock up on dry pavement you will get the same thing. Don't do it because you can break things. If there was just a little snow, you probably didn't even need for wheel drive. The manual makes this pretty clear.
If you are already thinking about a Ford this early in the game then a Jeep probably isn't for you. Most of us think the world of our Jeeps and would never want anything else from day 1.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2
If you are already thinking about a Ford this early in the game then a Jeep probably isn't for you. Most of us think the world of our Jeeps and would never want anything else from day 1.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2
I do know from my experience driving in the snow that deep wet snow acts almost like a little hill you're trying to climb that forms in front of the snow that you're traveling through, much like a wave in front of a ship in water. Also if it's hard packed sticky snow the snow compresses in front of the tire and then you have to climb up a mini snow wall over and over. This climbing and crushing effect on the snow is what is likely what's causing you're wheel hop. I find that in deep sticky snow 4 wheel high and actually a lot of wheel speed is what helps to get moving and to eliminate the wheel hop. Next time it happens try and hammer down and see if it helps, also like others said if its just a dusting of snow my hammer down advice would not be recommended, only in deep wet stuff can more Skinny pedal help! Also in the deep stuff a wider tire footprint will help you float, reducing wheel hop. Either wider tires and/or lowering air pressure will help.
02-11-2013, 08:57 AM
#9
JK Super Freak
Something's not right, man...All of our JK's go just fine in the snow, on and off-road. No hop, decent traction.
Go try again, and have someone take some video of what you're doing out there.
Go try again, and have someone take some video of what you're doing out there.
02-11-2013, 09:22 AM
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