Kinda new to driving off-road. First of all, it was in Florida, so it wasn't anything serious, mostly sand, hills and some shallow water. My truck seems to be in decent running condition. First weird encounter was going up a slippery sandy like hill, pretty steep, 4low and the tc light came on followed by the left from wheel to spin and then stop suddenly followed by a nasty clank sound. I backed down the hill and went around fearing something was wrong. Didn't see any issues. Went up a similar hill later like a champ, but it was dry dirt. No light, no slip. Can someone possibly explain better to me how the traction works when driving off road with these? I would appreciate it! Btw, I was with some wrangler guys who went ***** out flooring it over all the hills and making fun of my truck since I went slow. I always thought off-roading was slow? Thanks

 

It is supposed to be slow. You can easily spot someone who knows what they are doing off road, whether in a truck, a four wheeler, or anything else, because they are moving slow. Jeeps are cheaper to fix than land rovers so let them have their fun.

Did you have your CDL engaged? The spin and TC light are normal if a tire or two is slipping. A clunk is never good but it could have been a spinning tire suddenly getting purchase.

 

it a 2000 it does not have a locking cdl

 

Dro... I have a 2000 with CDL. I just don't have the lever (unless you call a 10mm wrench a lever. Haha).

 

OP, you do not have the ability to lock your center differential from inside, unless the previous owner install the correct shifter.
So you were left to just the ability's of your traction control, which is a fine system but does take some time to work.
The ABS has to scene the wheel is spinning and apply the brake to that wheel, so it will transfer the power to the wheel that is not spinning. You also must keep even pressure on the throttle for the traction control to work correctly

 

Thanks guys, the sound happened right when the front left wheel stopped turning and spun some dirt up real quick?! Could have even been a rock for all I know. I took a 14 wrangler 2 door on same tracks about a year ago. The rover did about the same although a few 3 point turns, ha. Although at 193k miles, I heard every squeak and rattle, mostly from the interior. I also may have a small exhaust leak, sounds that way anyways. Shocks and or springs made some noise as well but they are less than 2 years old? Apparently...

 

if you upgrade the cdl shifter the truck will climb anything

 

I'm betting it was a rock. But if the wheel is spinning and comes down to a grippy surface, the shock can break things... A good reason why your understanding that off road is slow is the right one. Wait for jeep buddies to break things. Laugh. Tow them out.