try turning off the traction control next time too, see what happens
I do this on the beach

 

It doesn't matter if its fwd, rwd or awd. If the tires can't grip, you ain't going anywhere. We don't have snow here in South Carolina, but I used to live in Syracuse NY (averages more snow than any other big city in the country) and have never had issues even with my fwd cars.

 

Totally agree. I've gone through some pretty deep snow with RWD and good tires. FWD with good tires is even better. If you're sliding around corners, its probably because you've got inadequate tires -- AWD or 4wd wouldn't help with that. AWD/4wd will only help you move forward through deep snow or on hills. When it comes to cornering, better tires are the only thing that will help.

 

99.99% of us, me included, feel the Patriot is a tank in the snow.

I'm front wheel drive even and all over industrial roads, logging roads in winter. Our local ski hill constantly has the deepest, natural base in North America. The only reason we don't play with the big resorts is the runs are short...but they don't even keep snow making equipment on hand, don't need it.

If you are having issues with your Pat AWD then I have to say it is tires. not the Pat.

I've run my FWD Patriot down a logging road with snow curling off the front grill as deep as the top of the hood and it just went and did it. Lucky to not high centre but...I didn't and my winter tires were the difference because I would never have done that with all seasons on.

 

Western chicago suburb user here. You mean the barely dusting that melted as soon at it hit the ground? Perhaps you got more farther south/west where you are.

Seems like everyone on here that has mentioned bad weather has said the Pat does very well. It's the random posts like this that make me feel worried.

 

On slippery roads, the difference between the AWD mode and the 4x4 lock isn't all that great, tires make a huge difference.

I will say though for the 2 days I had my Summer Only tires on my 19" SRT4 wheels, I was able to go up ice covered roads that were on an incline, and I didn't need to lock 4x4 in.

even offroad I don't lock 4x4 unless I absolutely have to, and most times it's just for the aggressive BLD's on the FDII mode.

Good example is this video of SaskRiot

AWD mode, absolutely no issues climbing the hill, power is sent to the back immediately

 

On slippery roads, the difference between the AWD mode and the 4x4 lock isn't all that great, tires make a huge difference.

I will say though for the 2 days I had my Summer Only tires on my 19" SRT4 wheels, I was able to go up ice covered roads that were on an incline, and I didn't need to lock 4x4 in.

even offroad I don't lock 4x4 unless I absolutely have to, and most times it's just for the aggressive BLD's on the FDII mode.

Good example is this video of SaskRiot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1424cZG0aHI

AWD mode, absolutely no issues climbing the hill, power is sent to the back immediately

tires,mate,tires.
get the right tires and then you'll see.

 

I took my FWD with stock tires up and over a very scary mountain on old hwy 91 when interstate 15 was closed going into Utah. I was white knuckled as hell but I make it, didn't have to go super slow either. I felt rather confident until I would look over where there was no guard rail and pucker up a bit.

 

as others have said,
Pat is generally very good in bad weather,
what tires do you have?
with 160K miles on my pat many of those in northern NY ice/blizzard roads only time i had a problem with slippage was when my old tires were basically bald,
even with bald tires it got me through the winter,
i rarely engage the 4wd

 

Stock Firestone Affinity's

After I calmed down, I think what my beef is all the 4wd vehicles I've owned are RWD to begin with, you slip or get stuck, you shift into 4whl and it pulls you out or straightens you out. On an AWD vehicle, I'm expecting 4wd to be engaged all the time, with limited slip, I should get 1 wheel pulling in the front, and 1 wheel pushing in the rear to control the vehicle, but between my thinking what the vehicle should do, and what it actually does are two different things. According to the Jeep information, all wheels should be engaged at the same time, but when there is wheel slippage, the power is supposed to go to the wheel that is not slipping, therefore pulling you out of the problem. I didn't get that. I pulled out of a street, that was on a slight incline, onto a snowy main road, and I felt all 4 wheels slipping and sliding. Traction Control. Here's another thing I don't understand. When I'm in an uncontrolled situation, I should be able to engage 4wd, and not have to push other buttons to get my vehicle to do what I want. Who's the blooming idiot that came up with that idea?

 

He said stock tires, P215/60R17. Could be the 6-spd not distributing power so well, could be tires not doing even as well as the SR-A's, could be both.

 

I just got to try out the geolandar a/t in 0 degrees F and snow/ice. They handled better than the stock all seasons but not as good as snow tires.

 

I find it's actually easier to drift the Pat without 4wd engaged. It's easier to break the fronts first and then the rears then to break all loose at the same time. Even though the power transfer is quick if not locked in 4wd and you stomp on it you will spin.

It sounds like the main problem is ice and tires. No other tire will help much on pure ice without studs(which is not legal on most roads). Having 4wd engaged will help with slipping on starts and stops but ice will hinder your performance no matter what you're driving.

 

I forgot to ask if the vehicle in question is a 2014, the AWD system is different vs the prior years in terms of manufacturer.

rcguymike, you are right, 4x4 lock makes drifting in the the snow and icey roads a bit easier than 4x4 unlocked mode.

Found this video, description is a bit hard to follow but it appears the first part is AWD mode, and then 4x4 lock, doesn't really look much different to me, and also doesn't look like hardly any front slippage before the backs kick in.

 

rcguymike, you are right, 4x4 lock makes drifting in the the snow and icey roads a bit easier than 4x4 unlocked mode.

I was actually saying the opposite...lol

 

Honestly, the first thing I do in winter after starting my jeep is press the traction control button momentarily to turn traction control off...ESP stays on which prevents the Pat from sliding sideways uncontrollably but with it partially off when I say go it goes.

 

"when I say go it goes." Got a good laugh out of that. But he's right. ESP is a nice help and the system on the 2014 is pretty good, no issues with slippage on mine.

 

ok, that helps, Thanks Mike, for the explanation, now what happens if I push the traction control button twice?

 

now what happens if I push the traction control button twice?

It will turn off, then back on.

 

I guess I should read better :doh:

I always drive in the winter with ESP full off, don't like having engine power cut when i'm trying to drive ever.

Honestly for 99% of the people out there if you just drove a patriot/compass, in the awd mode with traction control on you'd be hard pressed to get stuck.

 

Scroll down to post 9 if you want a full description of the different modes of traction control/ESP. http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10020

 

That helps, but I'll have to go to an empty snow covered parking lot to figure this out, the "learn-by-doing" method, because honestly, I still don't fully understand it. I'm not being thick-skulled about this, I'm willing to learn and figure it out, but the explanations, and even reading that link, still leaves some doubt.

 

That's really the best way. Find one with a slope too.

 

actually you're right. The pat is really squirly and fishtails on icy roads at highway speeds especially with your stock tires. My fwd minivan tracks better because it's heavier with a longer wheelbase. The MK platform is really light weight with an extremely short wheel base which is what I think you're referring to. On snow packed roads or unplowed roads the pat is like a mini-4wd tank and does great! at lower speeds. I've even pulled other cars out. For some reason stock tires on the pat is not a good winter combo on icy roads. The other posters on this thread are right that better winter tires on the pat make it a lot better... my tire swap made a world of difference... but yeah the pat sucks at freeway speeds on icy roads. So go slow and be careful.

 

i agree 100% with this.The Pat is a nightmare on snowy icy roads at highway speeds.Downright dangerous compared to a full size 4x4.Light weight/tiny wheelbase is terrible.However at low speeds my little Pat seems to grip very very well in ice and snow covered roads.Pretty much drives through anything without being in 4wlock.Yeah highway speeds scares the crap outta me in this thing when its snowing.A small breeze would blow you off the road on the highway if the road is little slick during the winter.

 

Turn the traction control off and keep your foot in it and don't lose momentum. You'll drive through almost anything

 

I only drove my pat twice on icy roads and I will say that new A/T tires > stock SR/A in snow. Both sets of tires were basically brand new. and the driving was slow and deliberate.


I have driven in A LOT of very slick slick mud. and the pat can get quite squirrely when driven quickly, or accelerating from a stop. I drove through a lot of mud sideways.

The trick, as a lot of people here have said, is to turn ESP to partial off (one press) I would lock the 4wd if the road is covered in snow/ice, and be more deliberate with all inputs: steering, accelerating, braking. The short wheelbase is a bit of a detrement, and it can be easy to get it sideways.

Now looking up tire surveys on tire rack for your tires, snow traction is pretty abysmal. The SR/A's are OK, and the Geolander A/T is pretty good. So That would make a big difference.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Firestone&tireModel=Affinity+Touring
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Wrangler+SR-A
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=Geolandar+A/T-S

Maybe a set of dedicated snow tires is in order? or a tire upgrade? something with the mountain snowflake symbol?

 

I only drove my pat twice on icy roads and I will say that new A/T tires > stock SR/A in snow. Both sets of tires were basically brand new. and the driving was slow and deliberate.


I have driven in A LOT of very slick slick mud. and the pat can get quite squirrely when driven quickly, or accelerating from a stop. I drove through a lot of mud sideways.

The trick, as a lot of people here have said, is to turn ESP to partial off (one press) I would lock the 4wd if the road is covered in snow/ice, and be more deliberate with all inputs: steering, accelerating, braking. The short wheelbase is a bit of a detrement, and it can be easy to get it sideways.

I agree, up here in ND/MN I have had an opportunity to try my patriot on some very nasty hard pack, iced intersections, slippery highways, snow drifts and diches, and this is the way it drove best for me yesterday and today.

The Firestone Destination A/T is an excellent tire on hardpack, but on ice, nothing but picks will work.

 

My feet are far superior to traction control on ice. Complacency gets you in trouble.

 

maybe 20 years ago,
but todays traction control is far superior than what any person can do,
multiple pulses per second,
pulsing individual wheels where theres slippage, cant do that manually

 

+6 feet of snow due west of here, just south of Buffalo, with 2 -3 feet just a few miles north of here at the Tug Hill Plateau! Patriot Proving Ground!

 

The way I look at it is, the devices are designed to make driving easier, but they have to be used properly. They're not magic, they just help make sure you get where you're going. Some folks see no need for a 4x4 as their car gets them where they need to go for 30 years, others think they have to have 4x4 because there's an inch of snow for one day a year. I like to have a Jeep 4x4 partly to have fun in the dirt in the summer, partly for less chance of getting stuck in winter(not to mention maybe a little fun sliding around corners if there's room and nobody else is nearby), I know I'll get where I'm going, I can haul what I need to haul, and in the Patriot I get all this with nearly 30mpg out of that amazing piece of technology, the CVT. Now to prove it's reliability in the Baja....but that's a story for another day.

 

The Pat works well for me all around when driving within the limitations presented by conditions - "on snowy icy roads" I simply do not drive at highway speeds. Rather, I apply my life-long experience in driving in hazardous conditions, but smile when the technology in the vehicle works with my experience and common sense and helps with the overall operation of the vehicle I'm controlling accordingly. It's all good.

 

+1

Proper winter tires, a speed prudent for conditions and an alert driver...its all good.

 

Everything works well, but I also think you should be able to turn off anything.

Off road in snow and ice, sometimes you need the wheels to spin, sorry, but you do. Especially on ice with chains. I'd love to be able to turn off the BLDs. They work great in most situations, but you can never spin the tires, ever, and if they all spin, they all lock up tight, no matter the RPMs you don't move. There should be a switch to turn those off.

 

Agreed. The tech works very well when it works with us and for us - when it does not, the human should be able to override the machine.

 

You can turn the ESP full off, but no way to disengage the BLDs.

 

Try pulling the ABS fuse, it works great