I put her in 4x4 only when I cant move anymore. And lets put it this way, I didnt even put it 4x4 last year. And we got 10 inches dumped on us over night and 3 days later got another 7 inches. I look forward to winter every year cus thats when the tow strap comes out and my bank account gets a little bigger from idiots getting stuck in ditches.

Oh I forgot you are a Fellow cheesehead :) lol it was fun! I didn't have my jeep running yet though :( my dad and I went into town so we could get some work done on making my heep functional after the po destroyed a deer with it. We took his ram 1500 with the hemi and a 6" lift sooo many people in ditches that had no clue but they all are dumb enough to call a wrecker and pay $$$$ I should stop postwhoring :)

We dont get much snow around here either. The bridges freeze over but hardly any snow. If and when we do or have gotten it i have not had to but it in 4wd to get around town or to work. But i do hit all the place my friends work and do donuts in the new snow before they get there. I do use 4wd when we hit the trails in the mountains around here with snow. (some long drops in them thar hills). I hope we get a pile of snow this year.

You don't like being able to steer while braking during traction loss?

If you knew how to drive that wouldn't be an issue. I also hate ABS, and I can still steer.

I like stopping when I tell my truck to do so. Not when the ABS motor thinks it should.

ABS is nice only if you don't know how to drive.

I hate my tires and handling? who needs handling, put some fun in life...but being serious im not putting 50 inthe rear and 60 in the front come on I know better than that been doing this for years and had no problems with handling handles quiet well no drifting to different lanes etc

I don't do what you explained. I dont drift unless I want to. :dunno:

Driving in snow is lots of fun! Honestly anything with a descent ate of tires and 4x4 is great. I used to plow though snow banks with my winstar lol anything that has a descent amount of weight behind it is good enough honestly. I almost got stuck in it a couple of times but I knew how to drive out of sticky situations mud and snow land kinda does that to ya. The only time I put my jeep in four wheel drive inthe winter is if there has been a huge dumping and the plows haven't been buy yet other then that it's only when I decide to do things like drive down the entire length of my suburban residential street in the snow bank lol. ( yes I am that asshole!)

hell yeah me to!!!!!!!

Yes... also visit a lake. Ice is even more fun.
Side note campus police dont find it amusing. I suggest travelling off campus if it applies.

I did read it.
The way I read it there are only a couple of inches pf snow on the ground on top of pavement. Not the time to be using the part time 4HI. Unless he has full time or the conditions are different I hold to my statement.

This is everything I wanted to say. Thank you.

You will lose some tire life. And it MAY cause some uneven wear. Just a couple psi can change your contact area.
And I wasnt thinking you were running ungodly PSI's... my damn tone doesnt seem to traverse the interweb too well. My bad.

To all:
Snow is fun. Have some fun, but not at other peoples risk. Play in feilds, play in lots, play on lakes, but please dont play on roads.

Now that safety has been boringly injected into this thread, lets see some powder flying!
:worthless:

Been driving in Maine snow for 28 years (yes, actually driving the vehicle). Only state that gets as much as us for as long is probably Alaska. I loath the thought of a day in Maine snow without my XJ. It is the absolute BEST handling vehicle in snow that Ive ever driven or riden in. I use my part time 4 wheel all the time in the winter. Matter of fact, I keep it engaged when Im home because our roads are never clean.

If youre spinning out in snow, ice, rain, etc., its not the vehicle (ESPECIALLY an XJ) its the driver. You were going too fast, hit the gas too hard, etc. My XJ has NEVER caused me to get into a spin, on the contrary, its helped me avoid them many times. I know exactly how she handles and responds, and winter driving for me is like summer driving for most. But when you drive in snow for 5-7 months a year, you get used to it I guess.

There is NO front wheel drive vehicle that can keep up with me in rain, ice or snow when I have my 4 wheel engaged. NONE!

^^

:bs:

so you got wheels with the metal points for ice? cause 4wd doesnt do anything for ice unless there is snow on top to grip too...

First, ice here is rare. We dont really get much ice. The ice we have is melting snow that freezes up. So most of the roads I drive have a hard pack of snow on top of ice. If you gun it, or hit a rut, etc., youre going to be on ice.

Second, for when we actually get a real ice storm, I dont go out. BUT, I have chains in case of an emergency. Ive NEVER had to put my chains on. However, if youve ever seen American Loggers on Discovery, thats where I live and drive daily. That logging road is solid ice all winter long, and as long as youre driving reasonable there arent many problems. MANY vehicles use that road all winter and sure, there are a few that go off the road, but driving smart will save your rear. Doing 45 around a corner isnt smart.

Sure, you can find black ice on the highway, etc., and nobody is going to be able to avoid an accident in that stuff, especially if youre not planning for it. When that time of year starts to roll around (right now actually) and Im on the highway at night, I pay a LOT more attention when Im crossing bridges or driving in well shaded areas. Ive hit black ice twice in my life: Both times I was going slow and watching for it and I barely wiggled my vehicle.

Again, I have yet to drive a vehicle that handles as well as my Jeep does in inclement weather. Im not saying its the end-all and be-all to poor weather vehicles, but for my money and what Ive driven, including numerous 4x4's and AWD's, nothing beats it. And again, I also know my Jeep well. I know how it handles and I know how to drive it. We have snow here from at LEAST November until April, every year. Most know how to drive in it. That makes a HUGE difference. We dont shut down our state because of 4 inches. Thats just a dusting.

I just find it hard to believe there are no FWD cars that can "keep up with you" in poor weather conditions.

That's a rather bold statement. Sounds like a challenge. :D

Yeah, it is. And its probably not true, but thats how I feel because my XJ handles so well in crap weather. It wasnt so much a statement of fact, but a matter of opinion.

I used to LOVE doing this - able to have fun in a safe environment and learn how to drive in the snow and how your own vehicle handles... until a cop drove by a lot one night and flipped **** on my friend and I. As we explained we were simply practicing snow driving, he told us that was "bull****" and that we needed to "stop being assholes". Don't get me wrong, I know there are good cops out there, but it seems for every good one there are 10 bad ones, and I always run into the latter...

X2. I would pull the ABS fuse in my van during snow as I could stop the thing much better than the abs ever could.

I also drove the gto for a couple weeks last february, that thing was a handful. A few inches of snow, summer only tires, and Pontiac torque with a manual trans were quite a chore to get moving.:laughing:

Who knew there was so much to say about snow. Haha

When we had a 20" snowfall last year they didn't close the schools! I had to ride the bus because all I had was a 95 Chrysler Sebring with mismatched summer tires and the snow was over my hood. That driver had absolutely NO common sense in snow... If it started spinning the tires she hit the gas harder

what do you mean? that makes sense.... aint moving... give it more gas lol:devil:

:thumbsup:

She also did it going around corners... Not to mention how she always waited till the last moment to start slowing down on blacktop, then uses the same stopping points in the winter.

I'm thinking the first winter with the XJ should be pretty fun. Fully undercoated it today.

this thread just makes me hate myself for the fact that i am rarely guna drive my xj in snow this year, to help save the body from rust, and save money

i need to do this....hate salt

^^ same, just need to get all the floor boards, rockers and fenders replaced first lol

im not that far, and not trying to be!

u dont wanna be, thinkin for the rockers that im just guna cut them off and and replace it with a capped 2x6x0.25 wall steel rock gaurd

my fiances wj same story....slider time/future project

Snow is fun on and off the road. Ice is fun off the road.

I have hit black ice once... I was driving the Old Geo Tracker. It was one of the most stressful events in my life.

Youre lucky its rock salt.
Just hope they dont start using calcium chloride.

working at a ski resort, i have seen alot of vehicles flipped in ditches...scary...

Thay use this liquid crap around here that actually dissolves the concrete curbs if it touches it directly :(

salt does too if too much is used....once i decided to spray water over the driveway so i could play "ice hockey" and dad put down alot of salt which dissolved and ruined that part of the drive: not good

I could help...

Magnesium Chloride. That stuff eats aluminum like a fat cop eats donuts.

Nobody answered the OP!

I guess I will, and as a Journalist, I guess I have to answer with a question:

If you live in Alaska, WHY WOULD YOU BUY A 2WD XJ!?

lol i know u could...wouldnt be a bad idea actually

Winter Upgrades
 

Bottom line: I've just gotten orders for Alaska. Need to know what (if any) upgrades I need to make to the XJ for the big move and a few years living in Alaska.
I have a 2000 XJ, 3.5" Rubicon Express lift with BF Goodrich A/T 31" x 10". The tires are nearing replacement and will likely do so once I make up it there (want to shave the fenders first to fit some bigger tires on there). Have Banks headers, magnaflow cat, and Aero Turbine exhaust.
I cracked a head earlier this year and had it replaced. Also replaced the water pump and radiator.
I'm definitely getting the engine warmer put on, but looking for any other advice to keep the Jeep on the up and up for everyday driving.