General Tech Grand Cherokee quadra-drive good or bad?

[daleboot]

Looking at buying a WJ and have been reading up on the quadra-drive with vari lock differentials a bit with some mixed and misleading reviews

How do these do offroad? I know it wouldn't be a good as true locker, but is it worth it if I have no plans of doing lockers anytime soon? or are they prone to problems and costly maintenance?

Any thoughts on the straight 6 versus the V8 or WJ vs ZJ. Any help would be appreciated. THX

 

[jackjoh]

I like my 95 ZJ but have no experience with comparisons.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

What is your end goal for the Jeep and will you ever use it for towing?

 

[Bear T]

I loved my wj. Works great for a mild wheeler or expo type rig. Mine was a dd and I towed with it all the time. Biggest thing is like all vehicles, maintenance is vital.

 

[daleboot]

I will be towing a small off road camp trailer, but may be pulling a heavier trailer occasionally. Will be using it for wheeling, but nothing extreme. Probably lift it 2-4" and run up to a 32-33" if they will fit. Will probably be a daily driver, I wouldn't do lockers unless they were electric or arb and done with gears. Being that would be a big chunk of change it probably wont happen for a long time if ever.

With that said it seems to me that the quadra drive with vari lock diffs would be better than not having a locker. That is unless the system is prone to breaking or not holding up with bigger tires. or if the other 4wd systems are better for wheeling. Not worried about the repair labor, just the cost of parts associated with the system.

 

[mbryson]

You'd be surprised where a stock Jeep or Toyota will take you when you know the rig and it's limitations/capabilities. You can always add a locker later on. I don't know a lot of specifics about the quadra-drive so I'm not much help there. I'd imagine it would work "ok" but it's not a Rubicon package or a substitute for it. Jeep didn't really intend the rig to go off-road, just be capable of it to sell cars. Some of us just do take the rig off-road and have expectations.

 

[Cody]

The v8 is a must IMO.

As for the varilock stuff, it actually works pretty well until you get into 32" tire territory, at which point it doesn't seem to have the power to lock and spin those tires. I think the varilock axles have limited aftermarket support, and the 44hd in the back certainly has very limited aftermarket support (I think there is one lunchbox locker and you can go to 4.56 gears, but that's it).

I think the v8 would effectively tow maybe 3500 lbs. The v6 maybe like 8 lbs....down hill with a tail wind and a Mopar master tech in the back seat with a support crew following behind with a trailer full of spare 4.0 parts. I know the factory tow specs are like 6500 on the v8, but don't let Mopar marketing mislead you into an unsafe situation. A suitable tow rig for that kind of weight is not a WJ.

As for ZJ vs. WJ. The WJ body is a little bit bigger, which can be good or bad I guess. The unibody on the WJ is also noticeably sturdier. The 3 link in the back is nice, but there are really only a couple suspension options available...a simple 2" budget boost and then a full blown 4+ inch long arm lift. Solid offerings in the middle just don't exist. That being said, there is just something sexy about a decently built WJ.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I personally would look for a v8 WJ with the Selec-Trac 242HD transfer case, not as easy to find as the v8 with full-time case but much better in the long run. We might be getting one to replace one of our ZJ's.