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Limited 4x4 off road capable ?

5K views 16 replies 12 participants last post by  2liter 
#1 ·
Just wondering how capable a limited with 8.6 inches of ground clearance is in say a foot of snow, shallow streams etc etc.

The manual does not address this. With ql is the height of the transfer case actually raised to 10.7 inches ? How drastic is the 2 inch ride right diff anyway if you aren't doing any serious rock climbing etc. Thx.

Ex - the Benz g500 also gas about 8.6 inches of GC and is a very capable offroader.
 
#5 ·
It's funny because when I first bought my jeep I didn't do that much research and figured why worry it's a jeep like you said. So I got a Laredo X not even realizing there were Off-Road Packages, etc. I was actually shocked that my jeep didn't come with a hitch either, but that's me. One thing that baffles me about Jeep. Why do they sell 4x2? I'm not dissing anyone that has a 4x2, but it doesn't really seem to jive with the whole concept.
 
#7 ·
if youll notice...4x2's are in the south or warmer regions where they dont need 4x4 for snow etc. Any offroaders in those areas will buy the 4x4's. Theres a market for 4x2's....why let another make take those?
 
#8 ·
right. im a newbie to jeeps. I got the limited over the overland for a couple of reasons (just personal pref..)

1) i was coming from a bmw, used to thick leather steering wheels. did not want the wood steering.
2) i preferred the stiffer ride of the steel suspension after the test drives.
3) i am used to non-leather dash, and didnt want the leather dash in the jeep.

What i didnt realise was
a) the limited did not come with the tow hitch standard
b) the ride height could be raised to 10.7 inches..

So i have somewhat of a buyers remorse in that maybe i should have gotten the air suspension.. even though i really dont what what i would need it for :) "yet".. oh well. hopefully i wont miss it too much.
 
#9 ·
Let me give you a little comparison I had a hummer H3 and traded that in for the Jeep, the hummer was very off road capable and I loved doing stupid things with it. The hummer has .1 of a inch less in ground clearance then your jeep. The H3 can ford more water due to its higher hood design but the jeep can do just about everything else the H3 can. If you wanted to get serious about offroading with your jeep I would suggest getting smaller rims around 16" and bigger tires and make sure you have the skid plate package. I am unsure what the max size wheel the well can handle but really those are the only things I think that would make it more capable then it is.
 
#15 ·
Only one problem with your recommendation: any rim smaller than 18" will not clear the brakes of the Hemi equipped version, and I'm not so sure a 16" wheelset will clear the brakes on a Pentastar WK2.

I fully agree that the one real limitation to the rock hopping prowess of the Grand Cherokee is probably the wheels/tires. With a good set of AT tires, an 18" package should get you the vast majority of the places you might desire to go. If a set of insane off road wheels and tires are required, it might have been a better idea to get a Wrangler that's been suitably modified (or do it yourself), because at that point the owner will be well into the single minded offroading community anyway.

IMO, the WK2 suitably equipped (with the tow hooks, skid plates, and some competent A/T tires) is as capable as a comfortable SUV can be reasonably expected to be.
 
#10 ·
More than ground clearance makes a good off road vehicle, but there is casual off road, running trails, and aggressive off roading through challenging terains. Things like manuverabilty/wheelbase, departure and entry angles, engine torque, suspension articulation all come into play. And then no vehicle can make up for a lack of driver skill.

The advice you get here is often slanted to aggressive off roading, where that 2 inches in clearance can mean the difference in being stuck on a rock and not.

The WK is pretty good for casual trail riding, better than most. You could miss the clearance on rocks, but if you want to rock climb routinely, there are better Jeeps. The worst thing about the GC, IMHO, is all that really nice sheet metal just waiting to meet a rock.

Just about any mod you do to better off road performance will compromise road feel and handling, and the trade off is a subjective thing that only you can answer.
 
#11 ·
They did just fine before this new QL feature. A lot of how well you go off road has to do with how well you do it. There are a lot of things about rocks, gearing and speed to learn.
I think one of JGC best advances is the IRS, no big differential hanging down.
 
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