norteno

I have an 09 grand Cherokee with qt1. How do I use gears 1-4 on shift selector to best utilize qt1 in deep snow or off roading in tall wet grass or large shallow puddles or bumpy fields? Thanks for any advice. I am new to this forum and new to Jeeps. But I do have pickup trucks with 4hi and 4lo but this quadra trac 1 is different.Thanks again.

dave1123

I would just leave it in drive and let the system work. I've had 2 jeeps and I've only used 4lo a couple of times, mostly when stuck in DEEP snow or in a ditch. Just mount a good set of aggressive tires.

Welcome to CF! There is a lot of information and experience here. Just peruse the posts, past and present, or use the search feature and you should be able to find just about anything you could ask for.

Lifts are a problem with your 09 because the front suspension design is not conducive to modifications.

norteno

Thanks for the advice, that's pretty much what I've been doing. I don't have 4lo on this one; it's the quadra trac 1. I put the ESP in PARTIAL OFF and then FULL OFF and tried it out on the ten inches of new snow we just got and it did very well with stock height and tires; but it was on a flat parking lot. I was just wondering what the 1 thru 4 gears on the shifter were for. What kind of problems am I facing if I lift it two inches?? I'm thinking about that and some 265/70/17 General Grabbers AT2. What do you think of those tires? Thanks again and I look forward to being on this site.

dave1123

Your 09 has independent front suspension, yes? I haven't a clue if you can lift it or not, probably, but it's going to be complicated.

I love my AT2's, however even though they are rated as an all season tire, they are a little soft on the rubber compound. I left mine on over the summer because I couldn't afford to buy another set of tires and wheels, they wore a little more than I would have liked. As far as traction is concerned, they are fantastic on any surface. I added a little more throttle than I intended on wet grass and they ripped up the turf! I plowed thru snow up to the headlights and it didn't even hesitate. I've got about 20K on them now and they are about 1/2 worn. Not drastic, but not fabulous either.

I had Firestone Winterforce on my ZJ and they were good, but didn't look as ferocious as the Generals, although they wore better and they were cheaper because they were 15's.

The lower gears in the trans are for thing like pulling heavy loads uphill when you don't want the trans to shift or limiting speed on a downhill section. I sometimes downshift on long hills to save on the brakes.

norteno

Yes. Thanks for the info. I've been playin around with ESP and you are right. I've jyst QUOTE=dave1123;2782239]I would just leave it in drive and let the system work. I've had 2 jeeps and I've only used 4lo a couple of times, mostly when stuck in DEEP snow or in a ditch. Just mount a good set of aggressive tires.

Welcome to CF! There is a lot of information and experience here. Just peruse the posts, past and present, or use the search feature and you should be able to find just about anything you could ask for.

Lifts are a problem with your 09 because the front suspension design is not conducive to modifications.[/QUOTE]

norteno

I'm also considering cooper A/T 3. I gotta lift it cuz I already cracked the bumper cover while going over some ice/snow ruts in the alley that were pretty deep. I'm gonna try the rough country 2" lift But was wondering if I need wheel spacers or not if I'm gonna mount the bigger tires on the stock rims? Thanks again for: responding.

dave1123

IMHO wheel spacers put a lot of load on the wheel bearings and ball joints. They will help with rubbing with wider tires, but won't help with larger diameters. I've got the 245/70R16's on mine and I can't go any bigger without a lift. These were the factory optional size for my 2000. When I look at my tracks in the snow, they seem huge for the size of the vehicle.

It seems like an awful lot of guys want to go back to 15's because tires are cheaper and there are more optional sizes. To do that you have to have special size wheels to clear the brake calipers. (less offset). Also, if your front end design has a frame mounted differential, you have to contend with axle drive shaft angle if you're going to lift it. I remember seeing a 4X4 where the axle drive shaft went thru a tunnel in the oil pan. I don't remember which that was, but I think it was a Chevy.

I think you should just possibly switch to a 75 instead of a 70, put skid plates on it, and just avoid deep ruts.

norteno

Yea thanks. I wanna try and avoid putting too much $$$ into it, that's why I'm keeping the stock rims, for weight reasons too. The 265/75/17 would be narrower but just as tall right, or taller? And would negate having to use wheels spacers? I like the idea of a skid plate too. I wish I could avoid the ruts but when it snows and the city plows, it creates many high piles of snow and deep ruts especially in the alleys parking lots and I have to enter my parking lot thru an alley. So with that tire size, I do not need spacers, ya think? Thanks again.

dave1123

You're going to have to do the math on this one. The "75" is the profile or height to width. That is, the height of the tire is 75% of it's width. Double that and add the rim diameter should give you overall height. My 245/70R16s are 29.5". I was told 245/75R16s are 30.5" tall. Just remember that 1" only gives me 1/2" added vehicle height.

Also. I'd like to add those bumper covers aren't really anything more than a fascia. They really don't provide any protection. Most cars today don't really have bumpers that have any strength. On the WJ/WK vehicles, any hard hit damages the unit frame behind it.