You can buy the trail rated badge, but the badge doesn't mean much, just a marketing badge now a days sadily, haha if you got the low range 4x4 gears your good to go!


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You probably have the all weather package (or whatever its called) we can't have that option in Canada. However it doesn't come with skid plates, so you may in fact have a FDII, if your gear shifter has the L position It is a FDII.

As Romeo states the badge is just a badge signifying according to Jeep's set of testing rules a particular vehicle passes certain tests in different offroad situations.

Even if it isn't a FDII you have skid plates and tow hooks, which are valuable for offroading. If you put a good set of tires on there you would have a pretty capable machine offroad.

 

how can I tell if I have the low range 4x4 gears?

 

ok. Don't see the L position on the shifter. Thank you

 

are you skid plates plastic or metal? all patriots have a plastic "stone guard" in fact most cars have them anymore. But it is a metal skid plate on the FDII patriot.

You're really only missing about 3 things you cannot change between a FDI and a FDII. The more aggressive Brake lock differentials, the hill decent control, and the Lower final drive ratio. If you don't really plan on doing serious off roading with it... you really won't miss those options.

 

most wont find the Patriot to their needs until they find out the cuv can handle a lot of crap. Go ahead and compare.

 

There is nothing that a trail rated patriot can do that a non trail rated patriot can't do. The low range could give an advantage in certain circumstances that a patriot shouldn't be in anyhow, but just an advantage. The other models are just as capable.

 

if I had my patriot still I would challenge you on that statement...

 

A bold statement.

 

I've been in many situations where more low end would be handy. There's a point between having enough momentum and being out of control. Not having the low range makes it harder to stay below that line and not get stuck. Just yesterday I wish I would have had low. I was bottomed out in snow pedal to the floor and no tires were spinning. (may have been partially the BLDs fault) after shifting between drive and reverse a couple times I switched off 4wd and was finally able to get some wheels spin. Still needed the come a long to get out but I might not have gotten stuck at all had I had low.

 

what you said was right. I have a fd2 and it is more off road capable then a fd1. thats why they gave fd2 a low range. its like taking a regular wrangler on the Rubicon trail vs taking a Rubicon wrangler.

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I mostly agree. It seems that as long as you can keep it above 3-5 mph FD1 does superb. It's once you stop or get stuck that the low ratio and more aggressive BLDs take the cake. There have been quite a few instances where I have gone uphill on 2 kiddie corner wheels but you have to have a small bump of 3-5 mph.

Also I've noticed if you don't mind a bit of tire wear sometimes you can just leave the throttle pegged and turn the tires side to side and make it. It sometimes takes the computer a bit to figure out it needs more brakes.

Another thing, once the computer has figured out it needs a lot of brake then it stays more sensitive for a while. (might have to shift to park and back to get them to ease up)

 

I would rather sacrafice a small amount of off road capability than be stuck with the garbage CVT.

 

The CVT is not for everyone that is for sure. I don't mind the CVT but it's because I drive conservatively and know my compass is pretty slow so i'm not looking to rip around that much. I do however get pretty good mileage around town even though I have FDII,

If they offered FDII with a manual I would have picked one up in a heartbeat, one theory they didn't offer it on FDII is possibly with the aggressive BLD it may have been more prone to stalling, BLD requires steady throttle input, and most people's tendency is to let off the gas when wheels start to spin.

There has to be some reason why you still can't FDII without anything other than a CVT transmission.

One drive system i'd love to see is the Active Drive 2 system with the 2.4L. The ADII system in my wife's Cherokee works awesome, has low range and has zero problems when using the BLD.

 

Amen DangerAaron. I much prefer the CVT in my 2014 FDII Patriot over my wife's 6spd 2014 FDI Patriot. I hope to make more direct comparisons between our two vehicles as adventures permit in the upcoming months. Excellent post Tyler-98-W68, very informative.

 

That's awesome you have both model's of patriots cant wait to see some videos in the future.

 

Just to clarify things hopefully:

The only drivetrain difference between FD2 and FD1 is that the FD2 has a lower geared ratio pinion in the differentials. Theoretically you could swap them into a FD1 but who knows what havoc that might cause with the computers!

The CVT's themselves are identical. This means that the final drive ratio for a FD1 is higher which gives better mileage at highway cruising speeds. Around town they should theoretically be very close.

The lowest ratio on a FD1 is 14:1,
The manual is 15:1,
and the FD2 is 19:1.

Jeep should drop in the 9 speed and dual ratio differentials like the cherokee has but that may increase the cost to just outside a lot of buyers range. I'd be happy just with the low range diffs. If they can keep it under 22-23k I would trade in my Pat in a heartbeat as long as I got a good price for mine.

 

I have heard that the cvt's are identical before. I wanted an FDii from the start and they were hard to find in my area. (Only two within 100 miles, and neither optioned the way I would like). So, I test drove one of those and a 2013 FDi. While in the FDi I put it in autostick mode and selected 1st gear. It didn't seem anywhere near as low as the FDii CVT in "offroad mode" or "L". After the test drive I asked the salesman and he directed me to the parts department. The guy at the counter wasn't the sharpest tool in their shed, but did look up the transmissions in the 2013 FDi and the 2014 FDii that I test drove and said they were different part numbers. If they have different part numbers there must be something different between them. They may have the same ratios programmed for the normal mode, but then the FDii has a seperate ratio programmed for "L" mode. And perhaps they can be programmed either way, but dropping the FDii into "L" mode is certainly different than just starting out and keeping it in it's "1st gear" ratio. It's still not even close to a real transfer case's low range. But it does a reasonable impression.

Other than that, yes the FDii has a lower ring and pinion ratio in the differentials. And driving both around in normal operation they should be pretty close for in town driving with the FDi getting the MPG edge on the highway due to it's higher ring and pinion ratio. I would think those could be swapped out without much of an issue. I have changed ring gears in several other vehicles with as much computer control as the Patriot and have never had any undesired effects. (at least that weren't caused by me)

 

I can say that fd2 is for sure more capable. I go on trail runs with sandstone (FD2). He can do things that I need help on with a tow cable. To me the BLDs are the same in the FD1 and FD2. I have lost grip with 2 tires and it took a half a second for the BLDs to kick in and push the other 2 tires forward.
I have plenty of fd1 offroad videos, the only performace problems I have is the lack of low range gear. The 4wd system between fd1 and fd2 is the same IMO.
I am going offroading for memorial day in the rugged sangre de cristo mountains. I hope I can get through it all, I will have the help of an xterra too.

 

I wonder if there are any other obvious differences between the 2 generations of FD1 as well? I'm pretty sure all the body sealing is present on new FD1 models along with the 1" higher springs.

 

I have over 130K miles and CVT is fine. I prefer it especially on snowy/icy hills, with no downshifts.

If the FDI has the same seals now, they should list in the manual 19 inches of water fording?

 

I remember my manual saying 19". A couple of times I may have even exceeded that but I didn't stop to check.

 

I'm not so sure that the seals alone accomodate the 19 inches of water fording. I think it's a combination of things. My 2014 owners manual only lists the water fording for the FDii. The springs are all the same now. The seals and driveline vents, i don't know for sure. Perhaps one day I can park my FDii next to someone else's 2014 FDi and go over both of them to see.
Having said that, it's easy enough to buy seals from JC Whitney and some rubber hose and clamps and add the seals to the doors and relocate the vents yourself. Might even be a fun weekend project. I don't plan on driving my FDii through 19 inches of water anyway. And if stuck in a position where I didn't have a choice, what the owner's manual says about it probably wouldn't stop me from trying to get out before a major flood or something.

 

I think I remember someone saying that the fd2 cvt starts out at a higher ratio all of the time unless in the Low range offroad mode. Maybe the slightly different part number just means different programming or even just that it's meant to be used with the different differentials so someone doesn't drop one into a FD1 as a replacement.

 

It does. But this higher ratio is the same as the FDi's "1st gear ratio". That's what I'm saying. The part number change could be as you describe, but that doesn't really jive with my personal experience during the test drive phase. THe "L" mode is lower than anything the CVT in the FDi offers. I'm sure it's just a programming change, but still completely different than just being locked into it's 1st gear ratio. I'm sure Tyler-W-68 can vouch for this as he has owned both.

 

Page 65 of my 2014 owners manual is titled Off-Road Capabilities. On that page it talks about FDi. It talks about how it works. On page 66 it talks about FDii. it goes into off-road mode, brake lock differentials, and hill descent control/hill start assist. It only mentions water fording under the off-road mode section. That's the only place itis mentioned in the paper manual at all. my 2014 also came with a DVD. if you put that in DVD-ROM drive on a computer it goes a bit more in depth. Once again under off-road capabilities there is a section on Freedom drive ii. In that section it says 19 inches of water fording capability and is clearly in the FDii section of the DVD-ROM. Perhaps earlier manuals were different. Here's a cut and paste from an online PDF version of the paper manual:

"FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE OPERATION
• This vehicle has two full time, on-demand, four-wheel-drive (4WD) systems
available, Freedom Drive I™ and Freedom-Drive II™. They provide for all-weather,
all-terrain capability for added driving security in less-than-ideal road conditions.
Freedom-Drive I™ Four Wheel Drive System
• The vehicle will constantly monitor wheel slippage and transfer power to the axle
that can use it the most.
• For additional traction in sand, deep snow or loose traction surfaces, the “4WD
Lock” sends equal amounts of the torque to the front and rear axles at low speeds.
• To activate, pull the T-handle, located in between the front driver and passenger
seats, up once and release. The “4WD Indicator Light” will come on in the cluster.
OFF-ROAD CAPABILITIES"
65

"• This can be done on the fly, at any vehicle speed. To deactivate, simply pull on the
T-handle one more time. The “4WD Indicator Light” will then turn off.
Trail Rated® Freedom-Drive II™ Four Wheel Drive System (IF EQUIPPED)
• This system offers all the benefits of Freedom Drive I™ plus
the rugged capability of true Trail-Rated off road performance
with three additional features:
Off-Road Mode
• Pulling up on the T-handle while the gear shift lever is in the
Low position activates the Off-Road mode.
• This feature allows power to be sent to all four wheels when additional traction is
required while also delivering enhanced off-road capability for water fording,
moving on steep grades and rock crawling.
Brake Lock Differential
• This feature helps keep the vehicle moving forward when one wheel loses traction
by directing power from the wheel that slips to the wheel with more grip on the
same axle providing more traction in off-road situations.
Hill Descent Control/Hill Start Assist
• The Hill Descent Control System maintains vehicle speed while descending hills
during off-road driving situations and is available in both low and reverse gears.
• This allows a smooth and controlled hill descent on rough or slippery terrain
without the driver needing to touch the brake pedal.
• The Hill Start Assist system assists the driver when starting a vehicle from a stop
on a hill.
OFF-ROAD CAPABILITIES"
66

 

Pffff 19in of water, I've done at least 24 and probably closer to 30.... and no it wasn't fun

 

I never said an FDi wouldn't do it. Just what Jeep says about it. The FDi is still more capable than any other small CUV out there. No RAV4 or CR-V is going to hang with an FDi Patriot off road. I'm just pointing out the differences in the manual in Jeep's words.

Now as for the CVT thing, I have driven both and there is no mistaking the difference once in "L" mode. I doubt most people would ever reach the limits of the FDi's capability. But then again people who buy Jeep's buy them for a reason.

 

Oh and I average 23MPG, combined on my commute to work every day. Have gotten as much as 25MPG on the highway.

I have a 2014 FDII on order. I considered the FDI for better MPG, especially with gas prices jumping up again ($3.89 a gal now), but wanted the bigger alternator, skids, etc that come with the FDII. For my type of off roading, I think the FDI would be fine.

My next Jeep is going to be a JKU, either a Rubicon or Sahara, and eventually will upgrade the drive train. But that will be closer to my retiring, so won;t have to make my 100 mile a day commute any more.

 

The problem I seem to run into is I am trying to go from point A to point B and the fastest way is to go on some rough trails, sometimes I have to a hundred miles out of the way to avoid them, sometimes they are unavoidable. Its not like I am going off road on purpose, its just to save time usually. Although, I do go offroad for the fun too Maybe I am just unique and take the road less traveled. What makes Colorado unique is there are places that are quite remote, and I want to get to them for a hike or to get away from people. I take my patriot on these and it can really push the limits, I am still waiting for the optimal vehicle for me. As of right now the patriot fd1 is the best I can do.
Wrangler,xterra -rwd, too heavy, mpgs not great
4runner - too expensive
fj- too ugly IMO lol
Cherokee- too ugly IMO also :\
Grand Cherokee- too expensive, its like a luxo-barge

This leaves the compass and patriot, which are both the same to me but I like the styling on the patriot better. I am not a fan of FD2 because of the lower gas milage eventhough its not bad, but I don't like the cvt. Thats why I am really excited about the next gen patriot especially. Hope it doesn't use a cvt and still keeps the price down.

 

When the low-range mode is selected via a switch, a controller determines whether the vehicle is traveling at an acceptable rate of speed (the system can only be activated at speeds below 25 mph) and then engages a coupling mechanism, via specially developed software programming, to engage the secondary drive wheel while the CVT moves into a higher final drive ratio of up to 19:1, which is more than enough to traverse just about any dusty trail or rough terrain. Loddane dismisses any concerns over potential durability issues of operating a CVT at such output levels, adding that most of the attention during development was focused on perfecting the calibration and feel of the system. “We had to do a lot of work to make sure the low-range mode would operate like a traditional system from a customer standpoint, so that it would sound and feel familiar,” he says. The CVT2L system will be offered on the Patriot as part of the Freedom Drive II package, which itself is geared for durable off-road use, with 1-in. higher ground clearance, additional body sealing and high-mounted drivetrain vents designed to support 19-in. water fording capability

http://www.autofieldguide.com/articles/cvts-go-off-road

Different CVT transmission, that explains the low range mode, so reading that I gather that without swapping out to a CVT2L in a FDI, you aren't getting a low range even with changing the pinion and ring gears.

As for the water fording, I could car less about the water sealing and water coming into the cab, its the drivetrain vents that are important as when you get water into your diffs that is a pain in the ass, and you have to change fluids out. I try to not go through deep water unless its unavoidable

PS FDI guys:

if my locking differential project actually works, it will be possible for FDI's to have a locking diff, and would make having the low range of the cvt less of a necessity

 

:notworthy: good find! And you got a thread on your diff lock? That would be awesome epper:

Thanks for all the good info!

 

Holy smokes Tyler!
I needed this explanation on the difference between FDI and FDII. Thanks so much, these videos help a lot.