I've done a little just having some fun in open fields around here. But is the Low Gear in the Pat good for playing in mud, water, and other off-roading enviroments, or would i have been better off with getting a 4x4?

ive talked to people who have a cherrokee sport and had it it 2wheel drive for off-roading and said it dont matter if the Jeeps a 4x4 or a 4x2 they're still impossible to get stuck and they were trying to.

Mud doesn't require a low gear... Mud requires lots of traction and some good RPM's to paddle through the goo.

Low gear is used for crawling over rock fields or trees and sometimes up really steep inclines.

Ground clearance helps to avoid smashing up the belly of your car

If you get the driven wheels off of the ground then you will have problems, but otherwise there is nothing wrong with off roading in the 4x2. Just play it safe and armour up the belly so you don't damamge anything expensive

yeah i plan on that and getting new tireds and maybe a small lift for a little extra ground clearence, i just wanted to check bcuz ive been hearing different arguments and figured why not ask people who have on and have done it... just outta curiosity how much would armoring the belly of the beast cost or would it depend on what i got covered?

There is already a light-duty skid plate on the 4x2. Found that out the other day when changing the oil.

I've taken mine up some nasty, rutted-out 4x4-only trails, and have had no problems. Take it slow and watch your clearances and you should be fine.

The 4x2's CVT doesn't have the same low crawl ratio as the CVT2L FDII, but it's seemed plenty capable for me.

The one thing I'd warn you to watch is getting too much speed on rough surfaces...I've had a couple hairy moments trying to stop 'er...

i almost lost my Pat last night...on a street road... So its 930 or so at night and im heading out to a buddies house, look left, look right, look left, and pull out... I hear a horn and about to car lengths away from me is a black caddy driving w/o headlights on.... I was tempted to turn around follow him pull up out front of his house and be like "Honk at me for pulling out in front of you when your driving w/o headlights at 9o'clock at night coming over a hill? who do you think would have been at fault my friend?"

Probably the only thing additional to what you have now is a gas tank skid. I don't know if you can order one from Mopar (not that they are good) or if someone soon will produce one.

Tranny Pan, Oil Pan, Gas Tank all hold fluid and should be protected.

You might want to consider somthing that covers the rear IRS mounts too... I don't know if those will be ok getting banged up.


Oh yeah, and go slow off road!

was going to get 4x2, but 4x4 should hold more value down the line...i hope!

was going to get 4x2, but 4x4 should hold more value down the line...i hope!One would think so, especially in those parts of the country that favor AWD and 4x4 vehicles. In my neck of the woods, I'd make an educated guess that only about five percent of Patriots on dealership lots are 4x2.

Irish Waif ;)

...ive talked to people who have a cherrokee sport and had it it 2wheel drive for off-roading and said it dont matter if the Jeeps a 4x4 or a 4x2 they're still impossible to get stuck and they were trying to.

Than they weren't trying! (http://www.strokersjeep.com/NAC-Fest07/29c.jpg)

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/images/LAND_LAV-III_Canadian_Stuck_Afghanistan_lg.jpg

If it can move, it can get stuck.

4-wheel drive does not keep you from getting stuck - it allows you the opportunity to get stuck further back in the woods. :D

Some of the people I have wheeled with stay in 2wd until they get stuck, using the 4wd as an aid for getting unstuck.

from what they said it was them and a 4x4 libby and the XJ never went into 4wd and never got stuck, but the libby had more difficulty in the same mud in 4wd

I've done a little just having some fun in open fields around here. But is the Low Gear in the Pat good for playing in mud, water, and other off-roading enviroments, or would i have been better off with getting a 4x4?

ive talked to people who have a cherrokee sport and had it it 2wheel drive for off-roading and said it dont matter if the Jeeps a 4x4 or a 4x2 they're still impossible to get stuck and they were trying to.

4x4 was great, never let me down,
in 2wd it was no different than any other 2wd,
many times would get stuck in 2wd, and 4wd would get me out,
and not in offroading,
get stuck in a driveway in 2wd mode,

for the pat, havent been offroading yet,
did take it out on an uminproved dirtroad,
about 10 miles of slowgoing ruts and ditches,
10 miles of averaging 10-15mph didnt need the 4x4,
2wd got me all the way,

I don't even know what mine is - It's got a lever for 4x4 and is 2 wheel drive all of the time unless I flick the lever -does this mine is 4x2? I think it has FDI

Means you have the FD1 4x4 Bozzy. front wheel drive most of the time until the going gets slippy then the computer brings in the rear wheels too.

Unless like you say you pull the 4x4 lever which puts it in 4x4 lock up until a certain speed.

Ran into my first problem with the 4x2 over the weekend. Tried to go up a steep grass hill that was wet from the rain and struggled a bit. I made it with minimal tire spinning but it was annoying having never had much of a problem in my 4x4s in such light off roading.

Isn't wet grass called "green ice" by off-roaders?

The Patriot 4x2 is really built for city, that being said your fuel economy would crush many of us that have the 4x4.

Unless you plan to do more offroading, keep the 4x2 and enjoy keeping some $$ in your pocket....


I've done a little just having some fun in open fields around here. But is the Low Gear in the Pat good for playing in mud, water, and other off-roading enviroments, or would i have been better off with getting a 4x4?

ive talked to people who have a cherrokee sport and had it it 2wheel drive for off-roading and said it dont matter if the Jeeps a 4x4 or a 4x2 they're still impossible to get stuck and they were trying to.

.. as my boyfriend says.. "they weren't trying hard enough" .. he has an old 86 JGWagoneer.

i love my 4x2 it has what alot of offroading calls for but a lift and skid plates seem like a good insurance plan

I've done a little bit of back-roading in my 4x2 Sport; so far I haven't hit the point that I wished I had 4WD, but I have wished I had skid plates more than once. I'm hoping I can get someone to go with me next time to serve as a spotter and maybe shoot some pics so I can get an idea of how much clearance I really have. To quote Harry Callahan: "A man's got to know his limitations." Some come-alongs and a chain probably wouldn't be a bad idea either, just in case I had to pull myself off/out of something.

Let's face it, as much as I love the patriot....It doesn't say "Rubicon" on the hood (or price tag) however, I have seen some impressive pics & video of what a 4x4 model can do, yet without extreme modifications they still have their limits. I didn't buy my 4x2 pat to go rock climbing with. Dirt or gravel roads will be extreme as it gets.

Good point hawgman.How many ppl here bought his Pat to climb the high rocks or driving in the high mud or something?Don't get me wrong,i do feel great every time i look at those off road pics knowing what Pat can do but it's not the main reason for me to want this vehicle and im pretty sure it's the same with most of us here and not to mention that only few people here actually went with their Pat on climbing those high rocks and mud or to be precise,some real off road things.Despite the fact that it can be done,i wouldn't do the same,maybe some dirt or gravel roads on the weekends,as hawgman said, when going to barbecue or some medium high rocks from time to time or snow roads and that's far as it gets.I would rather buy some Lada Niva 4x4 for 8k euros and go off road,if im so horny about off road, without any worrying for damage and repairing and drive Pat in normal occasions.I'm guessing that some of you may say ''it's not about off road but driving the Pat and see his capabilities in those conditions'',well i don't see many of us here that are trying to reach Pat limits in off road so most of us could agree that city drive+highway drive= gas milage is our prior with Pat and of course his off road capabilities are great for some occasions

Wife will not follow me in her 4x2 patroit. I have a k1500 chevy 3.73 gears 5 speed. 33 inch tires. And i have been stuck before. Fishing at a lake then it rained had to get out. Glad i had a winch.

If you are careful, and watch your clearance and your speed, you can have a lot of fun in a 4X2. I tooled all over NM and CO for years in a two wheel drive Ranger pickup. Even lots of trails marked 4X4 only. Just have to take your time, choose a good line, and drive smart.

Anything can, and will, get stuck. Especially if the driver doesn't know what they're doing. A couple of years ago my brother and I went to a concert at a major outdoor venue near here. The parking lots are all dirt, and it rained liked crazy. Leaving the concert, tons of people got stuck. I mean like a hundred or more vehicles sunk nice and deep. On my way out to the highway, (in a '96 Dodge Intrepid sedan) I passed 'em all, but the standouts were the Wrangler, and the F-150 4X4.

I don't plan on off-roading my Pat. It's just too nice, new, and shiny, and that's what I have my XJ for.

I actually have a lot of respect for the 4x2 off roaders because I think those of us running 4x4 can get a bit arrogant when it comes to driving offroad whereas the 4x2 guys gotta think things through and end up being the ones who don't get stuck in the mud.

If you are careful, and watch your clearance and your speed, you can have a lot of fun in a 4X2. I tooled all over NM and CO for years in a two wheel drive Ranger pickup. Even lots of trails marked 4X4 only. Just have to take your time, choose a good line, and drive smart.

<snip>

I don't plan on off-roading my Pat. It's just too nice, new, and shiny, and that's what I have my XJ for.

http://tn3-2.deviantart.com/fs23/300W/i/2008/027/f/c/Patriot_at_Joshua_Tree_1_by_suzq044_chopartist.jpg (http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4553)
/\ click me for 4x2 action!:blah:

Ive taken my 4x2 off road alot since I've had her, steep loose rock and gravel hills some good wheel spin, but I gotta give it to the tires since I've tried the same hill back when I had the factory street 16's on and it was scary. Gone over some big hills and let her hit the ground hard, no noises or squeeks of and kind. Then I saw this awesome mud path with water and a small middle part and I thought "hey I'm gonna smash through this" My dumbass not checking to see how deep it was smashed into it half way and got high centered on that island part. It was so deep that the wheels were 8 inches from the bottom. Had to call the Pop's to pull me out. Pride hurt a little, but the 4x2 lives on. I had to trail rate this thing myself, and I would give it one badge if it were not for the 4x4 on it.

I'm gonna take some videos today for my trail rating 4x2.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150500185099391

guess that video didnt work, i'll try a youtube of it.