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4 Wheel High

6K views 14 replies 11 participants last post by  JK-Duff 
#1 ·
i have seen like, idk, 15 or more different post that each person on those post give different answers... so im still confused, i have pulled up my owners manual and looked it over,

so here's my question,
at what speed (if any) is it safe to engage and disengage 4wheel drive high ?

my owners manual says this about it
((( " 2H to 4H or 4H to 2H
Shifting between 2H and 4H can be made with the
vehicle stopped or in motion. With the vehicle in motion,
the transfer case will engage/disengage faster if you
momentarily release the accelerator pedal after completing
the shift. Apply a constant force when shifting the
transfer case lever." )))

no speed was given, ??? what the heck.

okay here's another question,
tonight we had a pretty nasty snowfall and the roads were harsh in 2wheel high and my girlfriend had the jeep on her way home, she was freaked out as she was slipping , so she engaged 4wheel high,
was this the correct thing to do? and if she starts driving on pavement will it :censored: up the jeep ??


thanks everyone :)
 
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#2 ·
oh and side note, called the dealership quick and the jeep guy over there said you can engage and disengage whenever..and the speed you can drive in 4wheel high is as fast as you want to go...and the types of roads you drive in 4wheel high doesn't matter as it wont hurt your jeep......

i feel weird wanting to believe him....
 
#3 ·
4H can be selected while driving up to 55mph (90kph). If the roads are bad enough to need 4hi then one shouldn't be driving faster than 90kph to begin with.

"The Jeep guy" doesn't know what he is talking about. If you use 4h on dry pavement, especially around turns and curves you will get drive line binding as one wheel needs slippage as it turns at a different rate as opposed to the other. Driving in a straight line isn't so bad but 2 hi should be selected on dry pavement.
 
#7 ·
4H can be selected while driving up to 55mph (90kph). If the roads are bad enough to need 4hi then one shouldn't be driving faster than 90kph to begin with. "The Jeep guy" doesn't know what he is talking about. If you use 4h on dry pavement, especially around turns and curves you will get drive line binding as one wheel needs slippage as it turns at a different rate as opposed to the other. Driving in a straight line isn't so bad but 2 hi should be selected on dry pavement.
Yes and no. The driveline binding (wheel hop) in 4wd occurs because when you are turning the front wheels and the rear wheels turn at a different rate but both of the drive shafts are spinning at the same speed and without wheel slippage you will have the driveline binding. As for opposing wheels turning at a different rate your differentials compensate for that.
But you are right if the conditions are bad enough to need 4hi one shouldn't be driving fast.
 
#4 ·
X2 with Vans. Technically you can drive faster than 55 mph in 4H, but I never had to have 4WD engaged at that speed. If you're on a paved road and there's snow, etc. and you're in 4WD and you happen to briefly hit a dry patch and you don't happen to shift back to 2H and then in a short distance you're back to where you need 4WD, you're fine. Try your best to select 2H on non-slippery surfaces. Your girlfriend operated it correctly. Again, when you go back to non-slippery surfaces use 2WD.
 
#6 ·
It's really a common sense thing. If conditions warrant the use of 4WD, then a sensible driver will be moving slow enough to shift safely I recall in the older manuals Jeep "recommended" 50 mph or slower. You are correct though, there is no mention of speed in my 2013 manual.
 
#8 ·
you guys are amazinggg, thank you all for getting back to me with those answers,


so her and i are on the same page now, if the weather conditions on the road warrnt the use of 4wH then we will use it, but im guessing this isnt a highway recommended option, unless its a whiteout on the road and snow covered,

our home town right now is a winter wonderland and people are still slipping with winter tires on, so being jeep owners the 4wheel drive is amazing to be able to use to get around,

we could immediately feel the change from slipping on turns and parts of heavy snow roads to feeling like we are driving a TANK :awesome:


but to be clear, if the road changes from snow covered to clear wet pavement and back again within a 30 seconds to a minute then we should be fine ?
 
#11 ·
That is what happens when you ask a technician a real world question. You got the technical answer! There is not technically a speed limit to engagement of 4wd. Technically how the engagement works is very simple. Research the CAD(center axle disconnect) on your jeep. How it engages is very simple and as long as the wheels are moving at the same speed it will not matter what speed you are traveling. But that is the kicker. The faster you are going the more damage would be done by the tiniest amount of speed difference. So use your best judgement. And understand how things work on your jeep.
 
#15 ·
I know you have gotten your answer and I whole-heartedly agree with the majority of the answers. I've seen many times that 4WD Hi can be shifted into "At any legal speed" or "Up to 55MPH". In my experience, it is safe to do so whenever you need it. Rarely would someone be going 90 when they "needed" 4WD.

If you are interested in some other tips, I did a write-up for several conditions and my recommendations. Again, these are my opinions, how I was taught, what I have done and what has worked for me. Your mileage may vary and there are exceptions to every rule. Suffice it to say it actually takes a lot to break your 4WD system. Experience and experimentation is how you learn when to use it and when not to.

4WD Dos & Don'ts
 
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