Most of the time I'm in 2WD. Bad winter & rain conditions I'll put it in 4WD.
But I live in the metropolitan city of Toronto so 95% of the time I'm in 2WD.

 

Attached is accurate information regarding the 4WD/4x4 system and ESP on the Jeep Patriot:

FOUR WHEEL DRIVE OPERATION
This feature provides full time, on-demand, Four Wheel Drive (4WD). Where one or more wheels have wheel spin or if additional traction is needed in sand, deep snow, or loose traction surfaces, activate the 4WD LOCK switch by pulling up once and releasing. This locks the center coupling allowing more torque to be sent to the rear wheels. The amber "4WD Indicator Light” will come on in the cluster. This can be done on the fly, at any vehicle speed.

To deactivate, simply pull on the switch one more time. The "4WD Indicator Light” will then go out.

NOTE: Refer to ”ESP (Electronic Stability Program) in the “Electronic Brake Control System” section of this manual for additional information.


ESP 4WD Operating Modes - 4WD Models Only
All 4WD equipped vehicles can also choose the following ESP operating modes:

ESP ON
This is the normal operating mode for ESP. Whenever the vehicle is started the ESP system will be in this mode. This mode should be used for almost all driving situations. ESP should only be turned to “Partial Off” or “ESP Off” for specific reasons as noted below.

PARTIAL ESP
This mode is entered by momentarily depressing the “ESP Control Switch”. When in “Partial Off” mode, the TCS portion of ESP, except for the “limited slip” feature described in the TCS section, has been disabled and the “ESP/TCS Indicator Light” will be illuminated. All other stability features of ESP function normally, with the exception of engine power reduction. This mode is intended to be used if the vehicle is in deep snow, sand or gravel conditions and more wheel spin than ESP would normally allow is required to gain traction. To turn ESP on again, momentarily depress the “ESP Control Switch”. This will restore the normal “ESP On” mode of operation.

ESP OFF
This mode is intended for off-highway or off-road use when ESP stability features could inhibit vehicle maneuverability due to trail conditions. This mode is entered by depressing
and holding the “ESP Control Switch” for 5 seconds when the vehicle is stopped and the engine is running. After 5 seconds, the “ESP/TCS Indicator Light” will illuminate and the “ESP Off” message will appear in the odometer. Press and release the trip odometer button located on the instrument cluster to clear this message. In this mode, ESP and TCS, except for the “limited slip” feature described in the TCS section, are turned off until the vehicle reaches a speed of 35 mph (56 km/h).

At 35 mph (56 km/h) the normal ESP stability function returns with the exception of engine power reduction. TCS remains off. When the vehicle speed drops below 30 mph (48 km/h) the ESP system shuts off. ESP is off at low vehicle speeds so that it will not interfere with off-road driving but ESP function returns to provide the stability feature at speeds above 35 mph (56 km/h).

The “ESP/TCS Indicator Light” will always be illuminated when ESP is off. To turn ESP on again, momentarily depress the “ESP Control Switch”. This will restore the normal “ESP On” mode of operation.

WARNING!
In the Partial ESP mode, the engine torque reduction and stability features are desensitized. Therefore, the enhanced vehicle stability offered by ESP is
unavailable.

NOTE: To improve the vehicle’s traction when driving with snow chains, or starting off in deep snow, sand or gravel, it may be desirable to switch to the “Partial Off” mode by pressing the ESP switch. Once the situation requiring ESP to be switched to the “Partial Off” mode is overcome, turn ESP back on by momentarily depressing the “ESP Control Switch”. This may be done while the vehicle is in motion.

 

Jeelo makes great comment for urban drivers
Homac - great summary

 

I use 4X4 in snow and mud. "Partial on" in normal driving because I find that ESP on bogs up when turning lightly or on acceleration.

 

rarely need 4x4 mode



havent needed it for rain,
in rain stopping is more of a concern than acceleration.
havent needed it in light snow or on plowed roads,
2" inches of snow 2wd is fine,
even on my PA 30' driveway havent needed to use 4x4 for 6-8" of snow
in upstate NY, have used 4x4 on my 200' driveway with +6",
I also use 4x4 on logging roads, which surround my land.
have a 3-4 mile dirt road i use to get to a secluded lake, its an old logging truck road, with ruts, 2wd gets me through it just fine.

 

I leave mine in AWD most of the time. Even on ice. I figure the computer can best address the slippery conditions. I use 4WD when I have snow or mud I want to drive through at slower than highway speeds. Then I generally turn ESP fully off too.

 

At normal driving speeds I was under the impression the the 4WD lock does nothing. I read in the manual that it only locks at up to 10mph. I know on the freeway I can put in 4WD mode at any time "on the fly", but I think other than lighting the indicator on the dash it does nothing unless I drop below 10mph.

 

Thanks Homac that was a whole lot of info! Great.

I leave the ESP on all the time as I never go off road, does having the 4WD on effect the ESP?

I've only used the 4WD about 6 times, twice in the snow once in heavey rain and other times when I go to a local town which requires me to go up a 40% incline.... but i forgot to turn it off and notcied that my fuel went down really quickly and I was told thats because I left the 4WD on?? How true is that?

 

4WD does not affect ESP.
ESP on or partial is enough because it goes on automatically when needed: going up hill and acceleration for example. LOCK is great in snow, patriot is like on pavement almost!

In lock position, I think it uses more gas, but it is worth it in snow, so who cares about more fuel consumption.

 

Dont bother turning it on for every day driving Tan!! there is no real advantage. The system will notice slippage & put power to the all the wheels automatically!! Unless you are doing some serious off roading , on a beach or muddy steep hill , you dont need 4x4 lock!! I never touch my lock lever or ESP button. I used it once in the Winter to go to the shops through some deep snow , but have never bothered since.

 

I agree with you it took me months before I used it and that was in the snow a few times. Then I had 4 passengers trying to get up a hill 40% and I put it on then but generally don't bother. I've never touched the ESP either.

Don't plan off-roading (wouldn't want to get it too dirty hehe) so looks like it will stay in off untill we have our next snow storm!

 

I will drive nearly everywhere with it in AWD (without pulling the little silver lever).
Rain, snow, etc. over paved roads (yes we get snow here in AZ) the AWD works best. Let the computer do its job.

But once a week at least, I will be on a muddy job site, or goofing around out in the desert and will put it in 4WD lock. Once a month maybe on a trail will I need to put it into Low gear too to get the BLD activated. But that is typically only very short duration, but absolute necessity to not get stuck.

 

On the 5 speed I can definitely tell when the 4wd lock is on vs off. When i accelerate from a stop it feels like I'm towing something when its on as its putting power to the entire drivetrain vs just the front wheels. I suspect this isn't noticeable as much with the CVT.

The first few times I used the 4WD lock I almost stalled it as you need more revs to get it going off the line. in low speed 4WDing you can definitely feel the heavier drivetrain with it locked.

 

One important thing that has been stated, but maybe glossed over. You never have 2WD if you have a 4WD patriot. The default mode is automatic 4WD. FWD until wheels slip (or anticipates slip claims the owners manual) then 4WD. The locking of the center clutch cannot be detected so no one knows when 4WD is actually engaged. Even driving in the snow, it has been nearly impossible to tell the difference between AWD and 4WD locked.

I have yet to see a document that defines a speed at which the center clutch is unlocked, such as 10mph which is an absurdly low number for on-road driving. THe only speed related thin I've read relates to the ESP Off reverting back to ESP partial that Homac copied above.

That said, I usually run AWD and ESP partial.

 

The part I don't fully understand is AWD vs 4WD. 4WD locked has the center coupling locked all the times up to some speed presumably. While in normal AWD mode it only locks when needed, but does it pulse the locking on and off rapidly?

Lets say your in some deep snow with some ice and your in normal AWD mode. The front wheels start to slip so the computer needs to lock the center coupling to send power to the rear, how is that different than locking the coupling in 4WD mode?

Jeeps website mentions that by locking the center coupling (in 4WD mode) that 50% of the power goes to the rear. Ok, sounds logical if the center coupling is locked. It also seem to imply that without the 4WD mode that you will not always get 50% to the rear, only as much as needed. So that implies that the center coupling can vary the amount of power that goes to the rear.

The question is, how does it vary the power to the rear if its just an electronic clutch that locks? Possibly it pulsates the clutches in AWD mode, the faster the pulsing the more power gets transmitted to the rear. Where as in 4WD mode the clutches are locked together. Fully locking the center coupling could lead to drivetrain binding issues and is maybe why they states it only works up to a certain speed?

The 4 wheel drive system in the patriot is very capable, I have done alot of testing on mine in some pretty hairy stuff. (Mine is only FDI) I have never gotten stuck. I have gotten close a few times. I need to do some more testing without the 4WD locked to see what effect it has in some mud as I don't really understand the difference between the 4WD lock and the AWD normal mode. on paper I understand the differences, but technically I don't. But i'm pretty sure that above 10mph the center coupling will not be fully locked no matter what mode you are in... and really if you think about it, does it need to be? If your in something that requires alot of traction are you going 20 mph?

The below is from Jeeps website....

"Freedom-Drive I™ 4WD

For light off-road capability, choose the Freedom-Drive I™ active full-time four-wheel drive (4WD) with LOCK mode. It's designed to give drivers year-round assurance, as well as the ability to handle rough weather and low-traction conditions such as rain and snow.

LOCK mode can handle deeper snow, sand and other low-traction surfaces at speeds less than 10 mph.

Freedom-Drive I features an Electromagnetic Controlled Coupling (ECC), which constantly monitors wheel slippage and transfers torque to the axle that can use it most. During high-traction driving, like on the highway, the system transfers virtually no torque to the rear axle for improved fuel economy, but instantly transfers torque to the rear wheels when conditions call for it.

ECC modulates when turning on a dry road in 4WD LOCK mode to help prevent noise. Four-wheel drive Patriot models feature 4WD LOCK — for maximum traction in the most adverse conditions. 4WD LOCK is activated by lifting a chromed T-bar handle in the console. LOCK mode is recommended for deep snow, deep sand and other low-traction surfaces."

 

From messing around in mud and snow and getting really stuck on my FDII here's what I can say:

the "AWD" mode and the 4x4 lock (gear shifter in D) is exactly the same, I can't really tell any difference between the 2, the only time I notice a difference is in the FDII specific Low range with 4x4 lock on.

Since i've gotten my nice agressive tires i've never put it in the 4x4 lock mode i've always just left it in the "AWD" mode and never had any problems.

The pats drive system might be complicated but it works very well for what I need it for.

 

That's pretty much what i'm guessing too. The only benefit to putting it in "lock" is to have it locked before it starts detecting slippage. I suppose there are some extreme situations where you don't want the vehicle to lose traction and slip before getting the rear wheels involved and putting it in Lock ahead of time will cure that. But for most people not doing any hard core off roading, the lock seems like a fairly useless feature as the AWD system works quite well for 99% of driving.

 

I just noticed this as well....

"ECC modulates when turning on a dry road in 4WD LOCK mode to help prevent noise."

So the center coupling indeed does modulate on and off rapidly if needed. This might help explain the differences between AWD and 4WD modes and the ability to send less that 50% power to the rear wheels.

 

Other than an off-camber situation one day on our land I ain't really used the FD II yet.We've been tryin' to get out & run some trails,but somethin' always comes up *sigh*.

It looks like there's gonna be an El Niño this year,which means lots of snow for us,I'm lookin' forward to see how it does on our crappy roads.

 

I lock the 4WD and turn ESP full off in the deep sugar sand

We drive the beaches in North Carolina. After some strange performance in the sand it came through clear that ESP needs to be at least partially off and full off works even better in rutted, churned, sugar, sand. It is a circus every weekend watching the AWDs get towed off the beach to the tune of $500 to $1500 depending on how far off the road. generally people try to help but sometimes we still see the 4X4 tow trucks come out.

 

I don't pull the 4x4 lock lever until I'm stuck in AWD mode. And never on dry pavement, no matter how hilly.

 

Tan, you should only engage the locked 4 wheel drive at low speeds I was told by my dealer. Basically the 4 wheel drive is in effect all the time but most of the traction goes to the front so in effect it's in 2 wheel mode with some going to the rear wheels.

 

It sounds like you shouldn't activate it at all on a FD1 vehicle, lol. I'm seriously wondering how useful it is.

 

I should have stated my comparisons between the Locked 4x4 and unlocked 4x4 were done outside of the FDII specific low range, meaning I never put it in low.

The FDII specific low range is an entirely different beast.

Here are some quotes from this post over at Jeep Forum

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=512380

A fourth condition that is unique to this system is to influence vehicle dynamics. Other systems limit AWD to aiding traction or providing off-road capability. The primary focus is on launching the vehicle or going off road at speeds up to about 25 mph (40 km/hr). Above that speed range, they use it to limit wheel slip for traction. On this system, additional ECM calibration controls torque to the rear wheels for improved handling in the 25-65 mph (40-105 km/hr) range. In this speed range, the system increases torque to the rear wheels during cornering with the throttle open to make the car turn more easily - make the handling more neutral. This is more readily accomplished with an electronically controlled system, than with viscous-coupling or gerotor systems that require some degree of front-to-rear slip to transfer torque to the rear wheels. Above 70 mph (113 km/hr), the control strategy provides minimal torque to the rear wheels under normal driving conditions to aid fuel economy.


Thats what I was mentioning before.


What needs to be done is have a Patirot tested in all the modes on rollers, much like Subaru does.

 

In the winter on slippery roads, I usually don't have to lock the 4x4, but in my little experiments I can tell having it locked gives you a little more sure-footedness at lower speeds, especially on icy turns, but all in all the full-time active 4wd system is quite adequate and then some. Only referring to normal 4wd and not low range, that is different for those of us that have the FDII.