DCJEEP

It doesn't say in the Manuel what the top speed is for four wheel high. Just wondering what's a safe speed to drive at.

kik

The owner's manual indicates 50mph is max to engage 4H. No dry or wet roads in 4H. I don't engage 4H past 40. If I can do 40 I don't need 4wd.

NH-JK

Rule of thumb has always been 50.... If you need 4x4 why the hell would you be going 50!!!! 4x4 is for mud and deep snow.... Not a lil slush and rain...

DCJEEP

I don't use it for rain or slush. More for crappy winter roads with lots of snow and ice. Doesn it make a difference with bigger tires?

TRAUMAhead

There was a thread on this a while back, iirc the conclusion was there was no limit. But everyone said as fast as the conditions permit as 4wd doesn't help you stop any faster.

BC.Jeep_Mike

i can vouche for the use of 4wd at higher speeds. in some remote areas, especially high elevation, high wind areas, ice and snow can be treacherous for a rwd truck, the Jeeps 4x4 system is capable of making highway driving possible in northern Canadian conditions. i lived there for some time and it helps a ton in some pretty sketchy situations.

the "footprint"/width of your tire makes the biggest difference in snow.
-lower pressure=bigger footprint blah blah etc etc

the amount of 'sipes' or small incisions into the rubber of the tire help on ice.
-Debris/snow/slush cannot get in between these small openings so they act as a 'non clogging' tread that allows a tire with more sipes perform better than a big chunky MT tire that has more smooth surfaces on it.

bigger diameter wheel are just about making what your rolling over 'smaller' relative to the tires.
-this makes for easier 4x4 because your larger tire does not fall into holes as far as a smaller tire would and ledges meet the front of your tire farther below the mid way point up the wheel making it easier (given you have enough engine power) to roll up onto your goal.

JeepQuattro

My 2 cents.
I hit 65 in 4hi this morning and probably could have gone faster. nothing felt wrong, but i did drop it down to 60 once i realized my speed. Why have it in 4wd at those speeds? Changing lanes over the crud, i think 4wd helps pull and push through it (especially if in an emergency lane change which happens more in the bad weater). I think it helps slow you down as well when you let off the throttle and let the engine slow you down (manual trans). I would rather have 4 wheels help slow you down rather than two. again my 2 cents from personal experience. Get a set of blizzaks on a jeep and you will agree, but if you stick with mud tires or all terrain for the snow covered roads, don't try this at home.

Yankee

I have seen other threads about how you if can drive 50 you do not need 4wd. Slow down and all that. That would not work well where I live if you travel the rural paved roads used for commuting.

Our secondary 2 lane roads are not salted, just plowed. Between snows, that leaves packed snow and ice. Which means they often have some snow and ice on them from December to March. Drive 45 mph or less for miles on these, and people on their way to work will try and pass or they willl train up and ride your bumper. That is more dangerous than driving 50. Heck, the school busses would about run you over.

As the traffiic slowly wears off the snow and ice between snows, there are stretches of dry pavement (usually two sets of wheel tracks). It is not unusual to be doing 60 mph, see a stretch of ice/snow ahead, and ease down to 50-55 while slipping it in 4wd before one comes to it. Take it back out after the slippery area. I have been doing this for years with no harm to the Jeep.

The only people around here I see driving much under 50 in the winter are the same ones I see in the summer. They are 90 years old and probably 90% blind.

That said, 4wd won't help much once you lose it at 50, you are going sight seeing or worse...I tend to run the most snow covered dirt back roads I can find because cars avoid them (and my Jeep loves them). On these one can drive 40-50 right down the middle once they are (finally) plowed. Because oncoming traffic moving at speed on narrow, ice and snow roads is still scary. Usually people just hit the ditch or a tree....but not always. Couple that with the fact that Michigan has no vehicle inspections...never know what bald tired-no brakes POS vehicle is coming at you.

All I am trying to say is that conditions people are used to and the speeds they find acceptable in snowy weather varies by country, state, and even local area.

MYBUS

Here is my 2 cents, I live in Lincoln, NE as you can see on the left. Right now we are being dumped on with 3 - 6 inches of snow, we had 3 inches last week that they still haven't really cleaned up. I usually will put it into 4wd to get started, and then kick it out of 4wd once I am up to speed, right now with blowing snow, and several inches on the ground, I usually wont go over 40, but I am usually at 25 or 30 before I kick out of 4wd. I remember when they said your not suppose to drive over 30 in 4wd. I feel the same way several others feel on here, if you can drive 40 - 50 mph you don't need 4wd, unless the snow is pretty deep in which case you shouldn't be driving that fast anyway.

Petromotion

I drove 300mi from Phili to Western NY in 4Hi at 55 with no problems. My gas mileage went way down but had now problems.