What Really Makes Jeeps Incredible Climbers – SlashGear

For the enthusiast, Jeep may be the most aftermarket-supported brand in the United States. Countless accessories are available including heavy duty bumpers, powered winches, and lightbars. Additional mount points can be added to store things like tools, jerry cans, and full size spare tires.

If you want to get really serious about off-roading, you can also install suspension upgrades like a lift kit and high compression shock absorbers, paired with knobby over-sized tires. If your Jeep doesn’t have a locking differential installed, plenty compatible options are available on the aftermarket. You can also opt for a shorter final drive ratio to increase effective torque.

Most dedicated rock crawler builds will possess a two-speed transfer case, meaning the Jeep has two available gear ratios with four wheel drive engaged. Four-high is geared normally, and is good for relatively high-speed engagements like driving over loose sand and gravel.

Four-low (AKA the crawler gear) uses a bunch of mechanical magic to reduce the output speed of the engine several times, but increasing effective torque output. On the most extreme crawlers, the driver can have the engine running at full speed, with the wheels only turning a couple miles per hour. This is horribly inefficient for road use, but is also the best possible mechanism for maintaining traction in extreme conditions.