[WV_Patriot]

Well, like anyone red blooded Jeep owner I get urges to go off-road. There has be this road with a steep hill I wanted to go up. So, on the way home from work on Saturday morning, for no reason I turn off-road and tackle the hill. No problems at all. No need for 4wd till I try to turn around.

Note: It is cold, had snowed and there was black ice on the main road. Also, it was wet.

The top of the hill is flat, fairly level but not wide. About the width of my Patriot plus a little extra; roughtly enough to turn around with a 3 point turn(kind of) So, in my inifinite wisedom I decide to turn around at the end into a small run off stream of water. It doesn't look like anything bad at all. Till I drive into it and sink. It was not back-up more than I say 1.5 feet and it was forward into a hill were my front bumper would hit. Basic the angle of the hill in front was the same angle as the front bumper so it sat flush against the hill went I was full forward.

My drive side door had mud up to it and I could not exit it without sinking into mud. So, I went in and out the passanger side door. First, tried the back and forth. Nothing.... So, then I have tow rope and tie down straps that ratch... it did nothing and I broke one. I jacked up my pass rear tire and put things under it and it didn't help.

So, to make a long story short I went back and forth putting rocks under the front and rear pass tires to fill in holes and got out after 2 hours. The tires did not like the mud like I wish they did. They have great dry traction, but wet off-road traction can be a weakness.

Also, had the FDII system stop working twice. It would go out off it and would take a few mins to go back in. The ABS and other lights came on when it happened. I am guessing it was the system over heating. One time the brake light (emergency brake light) came on and would not go out. Turned off the Patriot and turned it back on and it was off. Anyone else had this happen?

Well, I have pics of after I was out. No during, was too worried about getting out and didn't think of it. Also, had no signal and battery was low. I turned it off.

Mud and water where over the center of the tire and it was so coated with mud I could not see the treads of the tire. Noticed, they pack the mud in and don't clean that well.

In mud that was not as sludge like (driver side in sludge). The hole was the tire was in covered almost the whole tire.

These two show how hit the mud was in the front drive side.

No damaged noted. Thought I damaged front bumper since I slammed it into the hill a few times, but none.

The area. It is hard to gauge the depth of the holes by these pics.

Pass side front. The hole after I filled it up with rocks to get so traction. You can't even see the rocks. They sank in the mud.

Driver side. Water drained out as I got out.

The mud that was on the driver side.

Driver side rear I believe

Again hard to gauge depth, but I was sitting high center kind of. The skid plate was resting in the mud in front. Also, as I backed up as I was about to get out and would reach the crest of the hole and would not go anymore. Like in tyler's videos when he was trying to climb the hill. He reach a point and you can't go anymore.

Mud was thick.

After thoughts. Wife mad and no sleep before work, but happen that I got out on my own. I am young and dumb. If the Jeep have better mud tires or a bit more lift. Things might have been different. If the Patriot would not stop going on the crest of a hill I would have been out 25 mins earlier.

Hold the back and giving it gas and reving it up then leting the brake go and slightly moving turning the wheel back and forth. Doing that a lot of times slow go me out.

Well, that is the just of what happened. My wife yelling at me so goto. Add more later. Sorry for typos, I will fix them later as well.

 

[Terasec]

So, when are you buying new more aggressive tires ?
So you can try it again and post more pics.

 

[Metaxa]

You are right about those tires not being mud tires.

1) Stuck
2) hours to get out.
3) wife mad at you
4) Dirty, dirty jeep.

all you need now is a beer and some pepperoni and it sounds like a great day!

That is what it is all about.

 

[MechE]

Before I scrolled down all the way to the first picture I saw the hood of the pat and went "Oh I've never seen that color patriot before." You know you've had fun when the original color of the vehicle is indistinguishable.

I've been stuck like that once, it's not fun. I was a long way from help too, and the only thing that got me out was hammering the throttle and cutting the wheel back and forth. I learned my lesson that day... At least nothing major got broken and you got out by yourself; a good story to tell! Hope you're not in the dog house for long.

 

[goguadi]

Did something like that in the snow with mine last week and now I'm replacing the clutch.

 

[Tyler-98-W68]

I think I posted way back about 2 years ago about a moronic experience in the mountains with a friend.

http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13422

Basically Stuck no cell phone coverage on a road where no one would go for a long time, although I was with a buddy, thank god I got out, of course the pictures don't do justice like yours.

As for all the lights on the dash coming on, i've had that happen to when i've gone crazy with wheel spin while trying to get out of a sticky situation. I think it has to do with the abs wheel speed sensors getting confused.

Tires make a huge difference and I have another story about how I came to buy my wrangler territory tires.

"summer road" in the spring time, big puddle of water hiding deeeeeep ruts on a soft dirt road like yours, took a running start at it, bogged down to the point where I couldn't open my doors (sunroof exit for the win!), obviously tires wouldn't have saved me then, but I finally got some brains and got some decent tires for in the mud.

I'm sure with some more agressive tires you probably would have had less of a problem, alhough once high centered the best tires in the world don't help. Good job on being persitent and getting out on your own.

 

[Phineas Phreek]

at least ya got a kool new avatar out of it

 

[WV_Patriot]

That is the closest video I could find that fits what happen to me. My drive side was sunk lower, but the limited amount for movement is about right. When I would back up I would move back a bit then slide to the left and stop. Then when I would go forward I move then slam to the right. Fun times.

Phineas Phreek that is why I took the picture of the badge.

A little dinner and breakfast in bed fixed most of the problems with the wife.

No beer Metaxa I don't drink it, but so tea would be right now.

Terasec if you buy the tires for me; I will do it again.

Goguadi that blows.

Tyler if I had to get out my sunroof... I would still be stuck. haha I now know how you felt when you would reach the crest of a hill and would not go another cm.

 

[Metaxa]

That last pic of the trail rated badge mucked over is classic!

 

[dixiedawg]

I have to ask if you had the ESP full off?

 

[WV_Patriot]

ESP Full Off after I got stuck. The front spin then rear spin crap the Patriot does normally would have done nothing to help me out.

 

[dixiedawg]

I've been stuck before where the wheels just quit spinning, you hit the gas and nothing. And I know if I could have just kept spinning I would have dug through the ice and got some traction. It's the BLDs I think, applying brake to the spinning wheel, or all 4 in that case, but I'm not 100% sure.

Sounds like all you needed to have along was a good come-along and some straps.

I've used weeds and other vegetation, branches, etc, under tires in mud too.

 

[dixiedawg]

If you wanted to play, you could have come up north. I had 3-4 inches of snow-cone like ice, and then got 3 inches of fresh snow on the weekend.

Still have not needed chains this winter, yet.

 

[Tyler-98-W68]

I've been stuck before where the wheels just quit spinning, you hit the gas and nothing. And I know if I could have just kept spinning I would have dug through the ice and got some traction. It's the BLDs I think, applying brake to the spinning wheel, or all 4 in that case, but I'm not 100% sure.

Sounds like all you needed to have along was a good come-along and some straps.

I've used weeds and other vegetation, branches, etc, under tires in mud too.

One thing to try when it seems like the wheels aren't spinning (often times it seems like the aren't but they are just very slowly with the bld's being active) is pop it in and out of 4x4 lock mode while keep the gear shifter in "L" this way you can get lots of wheel spin and momentum and then hit the 4x4 lock to get the bld's going again. I've used this technique a fews times and it has got me out of sticky situations.

 

[Rosco]

Patriots are not meant for this type of thing. Maybe in a Wrangler, but not a Patriot.

 

[Burly Rez Goat]

Good story...I would have done the samething. There is a couple of trails i want to adventure on, but they might exceed the patriots limits....but I wont know til i try hahaha.

 

[WV_Patriot]

One thing to try when it seems like the wheels aren't spinning (often times it seems like the aren't but they are just very slowly with the bld's being active) is pop it in and out of 4x4 lock mode while keep the gear shifter in "L" this way you can get lots of wheel spin and momentum and then hit the 4x4 lock to get the bld's going again. I've used this technique a fews times and it has got me out of sticky situations.

I did that as well. Going in and out of lock to move. Helped but seemed to get better movement with holding the brakes in sometimes. I learned a lot for this and I will be better prepared then time.

 

[WV_Patriot]

Patriots are not meant for this type of thing. Maybe in a Wrangler, but not a Patriot.

Patriot is trail rated; it is meant to do this. I didn't have tires that like mud and my front two tires are half way worn off. Please note these pics here.

The Patriot has for the most part no problems where general off-roading that most weekend off-roaders do. That is what it is meant to do. I am not saying to go take the Patriot on a trail ranked to be a 10. It is not going to do it. But for the weekend mudder it does fine.

Like I said tires where an issue. Being a little bit higher would have helped me as well. Note: I got out. I found vids of Wranglers stuck the same way that I was and they had to get pulled out. Everybody gets stuck, but not everybody gets out on their own.

 

[dixiedawg]

Agree was good you got out on your own.

Luckily the only times I ever got stuck was being high centered, and that just takes some digging and time.

Patriot is a lot more capable off road than I thought it would be. And several folks here can attest to that as well.

 

[deepwaterscott]

I noticed in the pics, by the op, there is a trail rated badge on only the drivers side of the vehicle. I also noticed this on a Compy sitting at a dealer. Do they only put one trail rated badge on Compriots?