UrbanlifeXJ

I bought a 2000 xj sport 4x4 thinking it was a jeep and it would have no problems getting through snow here in Ne. I was wrong, first snow I have put it in I got stuck 20 feet from my house. Embarrassing! Should have never sold my 84 power ram never had problems getting stuck in that. So now I want better 4x4! What are my best options? Should I swap out the t case to a np242 and have a full time option which seems a bit better then part time? Or would it be better to have a locker installed such as an arb or full time posi in the rear?

Thought since you guys know best that you guys would lead me in the right direction. Thanks for your help.

Donnie_K

full time isn't going to help you at all unless you just cannot manage shifting in and out of 4 hi. Better tires, better suspension, better geraing, locker, all these things will help. We have no idea what your jeep is set up like other than "2000 xj sport 4x4". Being a 2000, I wouldn't be surprised to see you post a pic of a stock xj with leaf springs bowed backwards on bald passenger car tires... paint us a better picture

no rdplz

1. Welcome to CF!

2. You did buy a Jeep. Don't think it's anything else or less. I would honestly say driver error rather than Jeep error on getting stuck. And I say that from experience in driving through plenty of Michigan and Pennsylvania snow. I think many others would agree with me on this one. That, and comparing a '00 Xj to an '84 Power Wagon? Really?

3. Like Donnie-K said, better tire choice, re-gear, and a locker would be my advice. The NP242 isn't as strong as the 231, and you'll suck through tires and gas even faster with the 242. The 231 is a tried and true t-case. Stick with it.

storm101

The 231 tc isn't the issue here.

Two things come to mind, are you sure it's engaging in 4x4? Maybe the linkage is off a bit causing you to not be engaged, just a thought if you've never tested to see if its for sure engaging.

As previously stated what tires are you running and what condition are they in? Crappy tires in crappy condition will obviously cause crappy performance.

thatXJguy

Honestly, I hear this all the time.

It's blown way out of proportion.

If you want a full-time four-wheel drive option, go for it. It's awesome to be able to shift into 4wd on the highway on the fly whenever you want to. I wouldn't do that with a part time case. Bad things happen when you do that with a part time case.

DieselD

New tires .

If you're stock get some 235/75/15 they're a little bigger like a 30" I think. Hell even a stock size just get some kind of all terrain tire.

You probably wont get stuck.

If you do, its the driving.

storm101

Why wouldn't you engage a 231 as its intended? It's no different than the 242 in perspective to engagement operation let off the gas and be under 55mph, just don't do it on dry pavement. It's easy enough to figure out when road conditions change enough to engage or disengage, which can be done while driving just fine.

caged

i do it all the time... in both my xj and tj's.
however, i wouldn't drive far on dry pavement like that.

thatXJguy

Dry pavement is exactly what I'm referring to. No I would not engage and drive a part time case on pavement like that. It can cause serious damage.

thatXJguy

The whole pavement ideal is the reason I don't recommend it to someone looking for a full time case.

Sure you can "engage" a 231 on pavement, but so what? That's taking it out of context. Would you drive to the store in 4wd part time with a 231 case? no...

I would only drive to the store in 4wd full time with a full time case like the 242. It's made to give you extra traction in slippery conditions like rain, ice, etc without damage after long periods of time.

The full time case is made to be engaged and driven on pavement as well as off road conditions.

storm101

So I'm still missing why you feel you can't daily drive (or go to stores lol) in snowy icy slick conditions in 4x4 with a 231 lmao that's what it's for, you just need to have a feel for road conditions to be able to engage and disengage when needed (when engaged you should have some sort of wheel slip going on to avoid drivetrain binding), don't overkill driving on dry pavement, idk why you'd want 4x4 on dry pavement anyway besides some extra towing power, unless someone just isn't good at feeling road conditions or is just in no mood to flip a lever more than once (referring to "patchy" snow conditions like we have a lot here)

Aside from this either argument/misunderstanding (whatever category it falls under now lol) having a 231 isn't causing this guy to be stuck over not having the 242 full time option.

thatXJguy

Towing power? 4x4 doesn't add any extra power. It's not adding any torque. It only gives you additional traction. In fact, it would be less power since the power of the engine is now being split among more wheels at once.

All I'm saying is that if he wants a full-time case, it's a better option for what he's asking. And I'm also trying to state that it's a misleading statement that the 231 is stronger than the 242, which are basically the same case with the addition of a full-time component.

thatXJguy

Here is a good explanation:
http://jeepsunlimited.com/forums//sh...ad.php?t=27412

Now from what I've read... the 242 is actually stronger than the 231.

UrbanlifeXJ

First off I want to say thanks for the quick responses. When I posted I was pretty frustrated and not thinking to clearly. No, you cant really compare a power wagon to an xj.
Yes, it is a stock 2000 sport xj with just over 80k. With no mods other then a tow package I have recently put on. Also has a decent but not really worth much set of newer a/t tires. With that being said it really could use a whole other set of rims and tires for winter months. What tires and sizes do you suggest for my stock xj?

Storm101
Thanks for your suggestion about it not engaging. Looked over the linkage and found it wasnt fully engaging and was able to ajust it and got it to finally engage. 4x4 now works as it should and didnt have any probs. But they also had most of the snow plowed by then, ha.
Also thanks for the info guys on the tcase, it was my understanding the np242 was a better choice. But sounds like I was wrong. My thoughts now are new tires for winter season and 2" front and maybe 2.5" rear lift as I do drive hwy a lot. Anyone know of the cheapest route with out losing quaility places to get new springs and leafs?

Donnie_K

you want some 30 x 9.5 x 15 good all terrains for your highway driving. Something like this...

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

or this...

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

Lemme tell ya though, my wife had those firestone destination AT's on her waggy, and those were some amazing all terrains...