Motoring Discussion > Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? Legal Questions
Thread Author: Statistical Outlier Replies: 30
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New Wed 12 Jan 11 17:06 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - Statistical Outlier
Greetings from snowy NY, where I'm currently snowed in.

I was warned the weather could turn nasty during the trip, so I rented a Jeep with a V8, 4x4 and a low ratio box. Last night, as promised, we got about 12-15" of fresh, powdery snow.

Now, I'm staying with friends, and their driveway is about 70 m long and steep - 1:5 maybe. There's not much run-out at the bottom, and the chap with the snowplough hasn't been yet.

It would be really helpful to get out, but I'm wondering how good an idea that would be? Anyone any experience of this sort of situation? I wonder whether I could stick it in 1st in low ratio and creep down, or whether I would just end up with a heavy and expensive sledge into the trees at the bottom.

Thoughts?

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New Wed 12 Jan 11 17:11 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - Zero
walk down the drive, and if you can get to the bottom without slipping A over T, you can probably get a 4 x 4, in low, on tickover down it.

HOwever, thats not to say some idiot with no brakes is not going to cream you when you get to the bottom, or if you can get the Jeep back up the drive again.

IN short, its more then about your length of drive.
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New Wed 12 Jan 11 17:12 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - Armel Coussine
Don't do yourself in or crunch the Jeep, but provided the slope has deep snow on it rather than polished packed snow or ice, and provided the Jeep has grippy tyres, if you keep your speed well down you should have some braking, perhaps plenty indeed.

Anyway I would risk creeping down at an idle, but remember to brake very gently and very early.
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New Wed 12 Jan 11 17:47 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - FotheringtonTomas
>> Now, I'm staying with friends, and their driveway is about 70 m long and steep
>> - 1:5 maybe.
>>
>> It would be really helpful to get out, but I'm wondering how good an idea
>> that would be?

Don't they have experience of doing the same?
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New Wed 12 Jan 11 17:53 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - MD
They're dead. Got creamed at the bottom!
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New Wed 12 Jan 11 18:28 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - madf
Deep snow down hills is easy: if you take your foot off the accelerator - providing the slope is not 1 in 3 - you will stop.. very quickly..

Going up hills, the added drag and friction means you may not get up again..

In snow I use a rule of thumb was if the snow is higher than your undertray you would get stuck due to drag..

Edit
a 1 in 1.5 slope? Hmm.. you may get down... your chances of getting up again sound slim..
Last edited by: madf on Wed 12 Jan 11 at 18:29
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New Wed 12 Jan 11 18:31 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - R.P.
We have a very steep drive here - probably 1 in 3 at one point. X1 is usually parked (in advance of the weather forecast) at the end pointing out, otherwise I wouldn't risk it.
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New Wed 12 Jan 11 18:33 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - Fenlander
I assume the friends have a yank tank in the garage?? Tie a rope to the Jeep and let it down slowly via the towing point on their car.
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New Wed 12 Jan 11 18:42 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - Old Navy
>> I assume the friends have a yank tank in the garage?? Tie a rope to
>> the Jeep and let it down slowly via the towing point on their car.
>>

That is not as easy as it sounds, (like many things), there is potential for burnt hands, lost fingers, and a runaway 4X4, a couple of tons on a bit of string, if that gets away from you stand well clear and don't try to stop it.

Unless Stat Out has rigging or slinging experience of course.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Wed 12 Jan 11 at 18:45
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New Wed 12 Jan 11 18:57 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - MD
I guess the Jeep is an Auto' so not as much engine braking as a manual even in low range, as I am well aware fom the Jimny.
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New Wed 12 Jan 11 18:57 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - MD
or from even.
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New Wed 12 Jan 11 19:16 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - Tigger
The jeep may have hill descent control, or something similar. The equivalent on my landcruiser is brilliant on steep hills.

If not, low box, in first and tickover. Take your feet off both pedals - don't even be tempted to touch the brake. If the car starts to slide down the hill give it a little bit of throttle (only a very small amount) to help it grip again, then gradually ease off again.

You actually have a surprising amount of grip in fresh snow.
Last edited by: Tigger on Wed 12 Jan 11 at 19:17
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New Wed 12 Jan 11 23:04 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - Statistical Outlier
Thanks all.

I gave it a go, and actually the descent itself was no problem - took it dead slow in low range and went down without a hitch. My rather misguided attempt to go over the pile of ploughed snow at the bottom went less well though - I have a video if I can work out a way to upload it somewhere that isn't facebook.
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New Wed 12 Jan 11 23:35 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - Fenlander
>>>Tie a rope to the Jeep and let it down slowly via the towing point on their car...... That is not as easy as it sounds, (like many things), there is potential for burnt hands, lost fingers.


True... you just think of your own circumstances... with both boating and tractors in the blood a selection of ropes and large shackles are always to hand here. Even a (so far) unused ex-USAFE 25mm steel hawser (for towing god knows what) in the shed looking for a job.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Wed 12 Jan 11 at 23:36
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New Thu 13 Jan 11 08:11 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - Cliff Pope
As you have discovered, low range in say 2nd is absolutely brilliant in snow, up or down hill. You are really only limited by the ground clearance.

On sheet ice however IME a 4X4 is as useless as anything else on a hill. The problem is that once a few vehicles have flattened the snow, and the weather has thawed a bit and then refrozen a few times, nice safe deep snow becomes lethal ice.
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New Thu 13 Jan 11 19:37 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - Statistical Outlier
If anyone is interested, you can see the descent and subsequent error here:

youtu.be/pJ_Jyb6tgYY
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New Thu 13 Jan 11 19:49 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - Old Navy
Thats about the amount of snow we had in central Scotland. Did you get the Jeep back up the hill ?
Last edited by: Old Navy on Thu 13 Jan 11 at 19:50
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New Thu 13 Jan 11 20:00 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - Iffy
...ou can see the descent and subsequent error here:...

The drive looks steep enough.

Nice, clear, footage by the way.

What did you use to take it?


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New Thu 13 Jan 11 20:10 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - Statistical Outlier
The video was shot on an iPhone 4 that was upside down in the satnav mount to let the camera see out. I edited it using Premiere Elements 9 and then encoded to flash video. Almost all the audio was just straight off the phone, there's only one very short section dubbed.

I did get back up the hill, but by the time I got back and tried the plough had been up so that was not much of an achievement. I have my doubts that I would have otherwise.
Last edited by: Statistical Outlier on Thu 13 Jan 11 at 20:11
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New Thu 13 Jan 11 20:33 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - R.P.
The video was shot on an iPhone 4

You need one of those now iffy..
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New Thu 13 Jan 11 20:12 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - Netsur
Ah - so you did get some exercise didn't you!
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New Thu 13 Jan 11 20:15 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - Runfer D'Hills
See now Espada....that's how to get down a snow covered drive...

:-)

Edit, sorry SO, Espada will explain....
Last edited by: Humph D'Bout on Thu 13 Jan 11 at 20:16
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New Thu 13 Jan 11 20:30 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - Netsur
Thanks mate!

S.O. simply replaced the white Merc E220 Wagon with White ...... errr.... Snow!
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New Thu 13 Jan 11 20:15 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - Statistical Outlier
Yep, about 30 mins of digging the car out in addition to the 20 mins to clear it of snow in the first place.
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New Thu 13 Jan 11 20:27 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - Dave_
Really impressed with how clear the main road was... Our roads were nothing like as clear after a similar amount of snowfall.
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New Thu 13 Jan 11 20:54 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - NortonES2
Very good video. I think I need an iPhone. Descent looked more thrilling than I like:)
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New Fri 14 Jan 11 06:00 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - Fursty Ferret
It could be that my mum's Freelander is particularly useless in snow, but I found that careful threshold braking was far more effective in bringing the car to a stop than having the ABS hammering away.

Hard to overcome instinct and release the brake for another go when you're sliding downhill though!
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New Fri 14 Jan 11 08:03 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - Cliff Pope
I think ideally you don't touch the brakes at all. If you use low range and 1st or 2nd the aim is just to let it idle down at its own speed.
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New Fri 14 Jan 11 08:21 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - Zero
>> If anyone is interested, you can see the descent and subsequent error here:
>>
>> youtu.be/pJ_Jyb6tgYY

Serves you right for letting pink and perky and axell the frog drive halfway down.
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 14 Jan 11 at 08:21
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New Fri 14 Jan 11 13:49 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - Statistical Outlier
I thought they might liven it up a bit!
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New Fri 14 Jan 11 14:21 
 Jeep Cherokee - Snowy hill descent - good idea? - BobbyG
And once the OP escaped the driveway, he went out to play
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVZEvdt4ltM

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