Hill descent with auto??
Discussion
I don't know specifically about the Jeep so I can only give you a bit of general advice for autos.
If it is fitted with 'hill descent' then use that along with low ratio and first gear. It uses the ABS system to momentarily brake individual wheels to control the speed of the descent without locking a wheel, all you have to do is steer.
If you don't have 'hill descent' then you need to put it in low range and take it out of D and manually select first gear. It should then hold this gear during the descent and not try and change up !!
Hopefully low range first gear will allow sufficient engine braking to maintain a slow enough speed to descend the hill safely. Once you have committed all you can really do is keep the vehicle pointed down hill and steer the best course available.
It may descend a bit faster than you are comfortable with but don't be tempted to use the brakes or you could lock the wheels. This results not only in a loss of steering and an increase in speed but can also cause the vehicle to slew sideways and potentially roll over, not recommended
If it is fitted with 'hill descent' then use that along with low ratio and first gear. It uses the ABS system to momentarily brake individual wheels to control the speed of the descent without locking a wheel, all you have to do is steer.
If you don't have 'hill descent' then you need to put it in low range and take it out of D and manually select first gear. It should then hold this gear during the descent and not try and change up !!
Hopefully low range first gear will allow sufficient engine braking to maintain a slow enough speed to descend the hill safely. Once you have committed all you can really do is keep the vehicle pointed down hill and steer the best course available.
It may descend a bit faster than you are comfortable with but don't be tempted to use the brakes or you could lock the wheels. This results not only in a loss of steering and an increase in speed but can also cause the vehicle to slew sideways and potentially roll over, not recommended
gareth h said:
Some advice from the knowledgable please.
I have access to a grand Cherokee which I am going to do a little off-roading in, I have driven off road in manuals and used low ratio to descend, touching the brakes was a no no, what is the score in an auto?
Thanks
G
You can just drive it the same as a manual if you want. i.e. low range and lock it down in gear.I have access to a grand Cherokee which I am going to do a little off-roading in, I have driven off road in manuals and used low ratio to descend, touching the brakes was a no no, what is the score in an auto?
Thanks
G
Some people I know just leave it in D low range, but you will have to use the brakes then. But they are special 80" coiler competition vehicles.
With an auto the main difference is, you most likely won't get the same engine braking. Auto's use a torque converter and when it isn't locked, you won't get engine braking the same, so you may need to use the brakes to control the descent as well as using the right gear.
In something like a Disco2, it automatically locks the converter up in low range, so you get engine braking and in a p38a Range Rover there is a button so you can manually do this and force it to start and hold different gears without kick down.
Not sure what the Jeep does exactly. In my Cherokee XJ 4.0 litre, it always seemed to engine brake well in low range, so I wonder if it too locked the converter up automatically. Either way I never found it an issue.
Quite the opposite really and I could easily be an auto convert for off roading.
300bhp/ton said:
Quite the opposite really and I could easily be an auto convert for off roading.
I would choose auto over manual any day of the week now for off road, you have so much more control compared to a manual. I never belived it until I got my D2 and land cruiser, prior to that I had always had manuals.
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