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How well does the 4x4 actually work ?

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#41 ·
RossoRacer said:
but, the 17" is optional on sport, standard on Limited. So, the Limited is the one that gets Firestones, if it's not FD2?
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if its not equipped with the "all weather package" or "towing package' or one of several packages that comes with the OWL tires. I would say 2/3rds of the patriots on the lots in AZ if they have the 17" rims they have the wrangler tires because of one option or another.
 
#42 ·
RossoRacer said:
but, the 17" is optional on sport, standard on Limited. So, the Limited is the one that gets Firestones, if it's not FD2?
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16's come on the Sport models standard. FWD and 4WD. The 215/65R17 Goodyear Wrangler SRA's are optional on the Sport as part of various packages( All Weather Group, Tire & Wheel Group, FDII, etc... ). The 215/60R17 Firestone Affinity's haven't been offered in any package or as an option, at any time, on the Sport from my research.

The other trim levels( Latitude, Latitude X, Limited, Altitude, etc... )in FWD & 4WD come with 215/60R17 Firestone Affinity tires standard. Unless you have an FDII or get one of the option packages like the All Weather Group, Tire & Wheel Group, etc... or have a special edition that may come with the 216/65R17 Goodyear Wrangler SRA tires you get the Firestones.

The Compass had some 18's as an option.
 
#43 ·
aroundincircles said:
if its not equipped with the "all weather package" or "towing package' or one of several packages that comes with the OWL tires. I would say 2/3rds of the patriots on the lots in AZ if they have the 17" rims they have the wrangler tires because of one option or another.
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I don't think the towing package ever added the larger 17's. Just a FS spare?
 
#44 ·
I got 10 inches of snow last week and 3 inches of ice last night. Went out on several unplowed roads and dirt parking lots for both storms. Without 4x4 locked the jeep made it threw without any problems just a little hesitation as power was transfered from front to back. With 4x4 locked no hesitation. I have geolander tires and a rro lift. Many cars were stuck on the road during the snow and ice storm that hit new england on January 1st. My pat was not one of those. Very proud that she does as well and in a few cases better than my brother's 4x4 tundra. Though when he got high centered cause of the lenght of his wheelbase. I could not pull him out.
 
#45 ·
NHPATRIOT said:
I don't think the towing package ever added the larger 17's. Just a FS spare?
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I honestly don't know, the only package I ever even looked for was FDII package which came with the 17" wheels and the wrangler tires. (though they should really offer better off road tires on the off road package)
 
#46 ·
aroundincircles said:
........(though they should really offer better off road tires on the off road package)
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Lol, with all the bad rep we get, they probly don't expect anybody to do much with 'em. In other words, they don't see off-roaders like you and me coming. ;)
 
#48 ·
Would I prefer a transfer case with 4H and 4Lo, yes. Would I prefer lockers front and rear, of course. But the Patriot surprised me off road, with the only thing really limiting me being clearance. Sure, you'll never get the articulation of other Jeeps, and so one wheel might be off the ground sometimes, but it still keep going.
 
#49 ·
aroundincircles said:
I honestly don't know, the only package I ever even looked for was FDII package which came with the 17" wheels and the wrangler tires. (though they should really offer better off road tires on the off road package)
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I am pretty sure the Tow Package never had the larger tires. As said just a FS spare.

I agree on the tire comment. The SRA's suck. Not only that but Jeep calls them an AT when in fact they are really an aggressive'ish AS. Jeep also screwed the pooch with the vehicle's design that limits it so on tire sizes that can be run without mod's.

They got it right with the new Cherokee all around for the most part on tires. Wish they had done better on the Patriot. Even the size offerings on the new Cherokee are better. On the regular models w/ 17's they are running 225/60R17(FWD) & 225/65R17(4WD) Firestone Destination LE2's which are an excellent AS tire. On the Trailhawk the OEM tires are 245/65R17 Firestone Destination AT's which are one of the most popular and highly reviewed AT's on the market. My only tire question is the new Continental 18's run on the Cherokee Limited. Continental, like Goodyear, seldom puts out a good tire let alone an OEM issue tire.
 
#50 ·
its all about the money. how much money they pay for them. and most people don't really care/research/pay attention to tires. I bet that a lot of cars, patriot included, if they had better, slightly larger off road tires for the FDII package would get a better review. Like if the FDII came standard with 225/65-17's in a bfg t/a ko ( I know this tire doesn't exist...) or a 225/76-16 t/a ko? or some other popular off road tire. If nothing else I think people would take it more seriously if jeep did.
 
#51 ·
To me the Patriot has one of the best awd systems in its class - heck even maybe 1-2 classes up!

in short it just works! Ive never liked the slip'n'grip systems (my older CR-V was awful getting up the driveway. My Subaru Impreza was better but still couldn't get up with much snow or ice. Patriot (FDI) zero problems. except for the tires being really low now (only 18k miles Firestones).
 
#52 · (Edited)
Deep Snow performance

See this video to see how well a Patriot or Compass 4x4 does in the snow:

This is the highly touted Freedom Drive II; the best 4x4 system available for these vehicles. This is exactly what happened to us in our White Patriot FD2 last year. And for this you get 17-20MPG.
:doh:
 
#53 ·
march said:
This is the highly touted Freedom Drive II; the best 4x4 system available for these vehicles. This is exactly what happened to us in our White Patriot FD2 last year. And for this you get 17-20MPG.
:doh:
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So many variables in this though that brings into question why...

First and foremost is what tires. If they are they crappy stock goodyears I am not surprised. Mine has been unstoppable with the Blizzaks I am running this winter.

I wonder how icy, crusty that snow was. If you look at how it's flying off the spinning tires that might give you a clue. Plus look at how the snow moves in front of the tires as he does move forward.

It really comes down to knowing the capabilities of the vehicle you have and staying within those limits.

I am totally satisfied with mine, there is no getting around the fact that it's system is superior to pretty much any competing vehicle in it's class. Oh, and I am one of the lucky ones so far. I've never seen less than 22mpg average per tank with mine. And the last two fill ups after a switch to synthetic oil has gotten me into the 23mpg average. So surprised and happy about that.

What where the circumstances of you having problems, what tires, snow depth, conditions, etc. May be helpful to other owners to figure out the limits of their Patriots. ;)

I'll be the first to admit that mine totally sucked in icy conditions with the stock Goodyears. They really are not any good for slick winter conditions.
 
#54 ·
But, if you've had the same tires for 50k+ miles and know how to use them just right on the road, they can come in handy for scaring one or two friends on the road when there's nobody else around ;)
 
#55 ·
I might be the only one here that enjoyed my goodyears in the winter when I had them last season. My Geolandars are garbage in the cold weather. I guess that is what you get for AT vs AS. Also this winter is different than last winter. Last winter we got lots of snow and mild cold temperatures and this winter has be little snow with very cold temperatures. But my tires are terrible in this climate, it will be the last set of Geolandars I own.

On topic though. I feel that the 4 wheel drive system doesn't "lock" as it should. I think the computer still has its fingers in there and is still changing torque from front to rear. I have had a tough time getting the tires to spin with esp full off going up a hill and feel as though I am not getting the 50/50 locked torque split as advertised.

But that is just going off my feeling so I could be out to lunch.
 
#56 ·
Last year we got stuck with the Goodyear Wranglers. At that time the Jeep was relatively new with only about 8,000 miles. A group of Jeep enthusiasts were there with their Wranglers and older Jeeps; they had to push us out and we had to listen to numerous comments, many of which were true. This year we bought 4 brand-new Goodyear Ultra Grip Winter tires and they perform better, but still only as well as any of our 4 older Jeeps, without snow tires; they were never needed.

Keep in mind where we live snow is measured in feet.

As a result we really notice the difference between the old Jeeps and the new ones. This video isn't us, but it is representative of what could be done with the older Jeeps with good tires. I wouldn't attempt this with a Patriot because they were never made for snow plowing:
 
#57 ·
With all due respect to that guy in the video but he sure doesn't know how to drive in snow.

I go through stuff way worse than that on a weekly basis in my FWD Patriot in the winter.

I sure hope that was a lease vehicle or a rental.
 
#59 ·
Metaxa said:
With all due respect to that guy in the video but he sure doesn't know how to drive in snow.

I go through stuff way worse than that on a weekly basis in my FWD Patriot in the winter.

I sure hope that was a lease vehicle or a rental.
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I thought the same thing. He almost had it a couple times then blows it. :doh: I don't think I'd intentionaly take that on with FWD, but I think Ignatz could have gotten out of there.

Before I bought Ignatz, I test drove an AWD patriot in snow with 17" Firestones on an unplowed dirt road with a moderate upgrade. I never felt any slippage at all, even on the last bit of a climb. That last bit was after turning around and following my tracks back out, but I intentionally chose fresh snow just to see how it did, figuring if I got in a mess I could back out of it and follow my original tracks out. No need.

On a related topic, this video was down a ways on that same Youtube page:
How does anybody get stuck in that little snow, with anything? RWD and bald tires ought to handle that! Really. Maybe 3" on the ground there? My ruler might even be a little short.
 
#60 ·
march said:
See this video to see how well a Patriot or Compass 4x4 does in the snow:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO3bJpYNbso

This is the highly touted Freedom Drive II; the best 4x4 system available for these vehicles. This is exactly what happened to us in our White Patriot FD2 last year. And for this you get 17-20MPG.
:doh:
Click to expand...
Yes, that is an isolated situation, that's also my vehicle. I've gone through lots of stuff deeper than that and had no issues, that snow was packed really solid.
 
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