down a slippery hill

[rchung813]

So I was going downhill on an icy road and I noticed the rear of my Jeep was skidding to the right side of the road. I was maneuvering my wheel a lot to try to avoid a side swipe of another car. I came really close to touching one but lucky enough I didn't. If the road I went down on is the only way to get out what should I prepare to do before going down?

What I did that evening was drive extremely slow, less than 5 miles an hour, have my KJ on 4WD (F/T) and stuck on the middle of the road. Should I have engaged my car into 4LO or 4FT and shifting to 2nd gear have helped a bit more? Always after a close one do I think of things I should have done.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

4 lo and first first gear...helps "engine brake"....use th compression of the engine to hold you back.

 

[TigerClaws]

And get better winter tires maybe ... You did what you could and it was good ... KJ's rear end isnt the most stable i've ever seen but hey, i love drifting so youll never see me complain about it ... Tires and some rear weight will come in very handy in those situations... If it annoys you too much just go buy some Salt bags at the store for your driveway like 2 or 4, and just "forget" them in the KJ

 

[journeyjim]

When it comes to an icy hill, all vehicles are subject to gravity going down regardless of the tires, studded tires might have a little advantage. If you know it's going to be icy, slow at the crest. If it was that icy I would have put the trans in neutral and stood on the brakes and let the abs do it's thing, just steer, down shifting is going to put torque to the rear wheels which cause it to skid. With a jeep it'll get going a lot easier than a car, but it doesn't stop any better, just don't drive faster than road conditions warrant.

 

[LibertyTC]

Tires are everything when it comes to winter.
What kind of tires did you have on the KJ?
I generally run with Silent Armor 245s and full tank with 100 lbs stuff in the back.
Practice with your kj and become more familiar in a safe area with downward slopes.
Try 4 low and rear only with 1st and 2nd etc you will see how it handles at slower speeds etc.
Sometimes it is a matter of road conditions and a judgement call before heading down.
Neutral on ice can be tried but dont get your brakes locking, or down shifting suddenly.

 

[TigerClaws]

AH heck, you have a Jeep, leave the road slope and get down there on the side of the road where its all in snow Usually when im stuck (having to) to go a sloped street or road i tend to keep at least one side on the side where its covered of snow instead of going throught middle and not be able to brake ...

 

[flair1111]

the way ive learned it works best for steep hills and ice/snow is 4low in first. stay off the brake if at all possible. the engine in this gear will hold you back without brakes on some very steep crap. IF you start feeling it slide because of it being to steep, STAY OFF THE BRAKES and shift to 2nd gear. depending on the steepness and the slickness, hitting the brakes will make it worse. all you can do then is hit second for a slight bit more speed and steer it and so on and so forth. i live on some insanely steep paved roads and this is the only way i can get down them without killing myself. if its steep enough and slick enough, gravity will pull the jeep faster than its going and more speed is all you can do at that point and steer it. and by more speed i dont mean 30mph. in 4low in second it isnt much faster than walking, but the tiny extra bit will overcome the sliding in most cases. if not, hit 3rd and hang on. also keep one side in the snow or off the edge of the pavement if at all possible. try to make your own tracks and stay out of the worn down parts that are probably iced over now.

 

[ThunderbirdJunkie]

Icy hill?
put it in 4wd, use the throttle to steer, and put your head between your knees and kiss your ass goodbye if ya don't make it through

 

[HoosierJeeper]

Or get a parachute...

 

[rchung813]

This is great information! For those who are asking I was driving on stock tires, GY HP Wranglers (235/65/17). Today I just purchased a new seat of shoes and from the ratings they appear to be good tires.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...autoMake=Jeep&autoYear=2007&autoModel=Liberty Limited 4wd&autoModClar=

As for the road condition I was driving on, there were no patches of snow to go on and both sides of the narrow street had cars parked. No easy way but the middle it seemed.

As for putting the car in nuetral, isn't that dangerous? I would figure to engage the 4WD and go slowly so that if the back wheels are fish tailing, the front wheels should straighten that out?

flair1111, I'll have to test the 4LO and see how it goes on a downhill decent. It was really my first time driving down a slippery decent and it was nerve raking since I just had my KJ repaired a couple of week ago after a cabbie hit it from behind.


Thanks All! keep the thoughts coming if there are more suggestions to pass on.

 

[tjkj2002]

Never put the trans in "N" while going down hill.Put it in 4wd(not FT either),4low is better and keep the trans in 1st and use the brakes as little as possible.If your going to fast to shift into 4low shift into part time 4wd,kick it out of OD(via little button on shifter) and when you slow some shift into 2nd,then 1st.Don't downshift to fast or it can lockup the wheels(even with ABS) and you'll loose control fast.

 

[osufans]

yeah, reading this the whole time i was thinking put it in 4WD (part-time, or full-time, depending on your t-case) and keep the gearshift in either 1 or 2, depending on the hill and how icy. I suppose if it's REALLY bad and 4WD Hi 1 doesn't cut it, you could put it in 4WD low and again keep the gearshift in 1 or 2. I use the O/D button all the time to engine brake when driving in slippery/icy conditions....it really makes a difference using the engine to slow you rather than standing on the brakes.

 

[flair1111]

This is great information! For those who are asking I was driving on stock tires, GY HP Wranglers (235/65/17). Today I just purchased a new seat of shoes and from the ratings they appear to be good tires.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...autoMake=Jeep&autoYear=2007&autoModel=Liberty Limited 4wd&autoModClar=

As for the road condition I was driving on, there were no patches of snow to go on and both sides of the narrow street had cars parked. No easy way but the middle it seemed.

As for putting the car in nuetral, isn't that dangerous? I would figure to engage the 4WD and go slowly so that if the back wheels are fish tailing, the front wheels should straighten that out?

flair1111, I'll have to test the 4LO and see how it goes on a downhill decent. It was really my first time driving down a slippery decent and it was nerve raking since I just had my KJ repaired a couple of week ago after a cabbie hit it from behind.


Thanks All! keep the thoughts coming if there are more suggestions to pass on.

yes, give it a try. it is very slow but you wont loose control in most cases. and again, if it starts sliding, shift to 2nd and hopefully that will allow you to steer better and stay OFF the brakes as much as possible if not totally. youll see how it feels after youve done it a while but it can be done. i live on 20-25%grades where i am and we have had 3 different snow and ice storms and ive made it down just fine using what i told you. and thats on the original stock tires with 35k on them! no lie. i do need new tires though lol.

wifes 02 holds 4low better than my 06 though. hers down the mountain holds 1200rpm all the way with no brakes at all. mine holds 1200 then seems to give a bit to 2000 so its either light brakes for me or 2nd gear. different trans. hers is better.