Jeep Renegade Forum banner

What parts make the TrailHawk trailable?

16316 Views 18 Replies 10 Participants Last post by  raz-0
The non-TH are rated ZERO for ability to drive over water so I'm guessing the TH has a snorkle?

The 4WD versions have double walled suspension arms. What exactly does the TH have to beef it above the regular 4WD Renegades?

I'm not asking about abilities, I'm asking about parts that let it do its abilities.

Of course I may be way too early since we're months from seeing them on USA roads.
1 - 19 of 19 Posts
need to be lifted by at least an inch
tow hooks
skid plates
and that's just to start.
Both of their intakes are in the same place. The Water fording has much more to it than just the intake though. All entries into the cabin through the firewall have to be water-proofed and all electrical equipment and mechanical equipment within the 20 inch level must be treated to handle exposure to the water.

Other than that, the suspension is different, the tires are different, skid plates, etc.
Thanks for your added input.
Now to see how deep it can go in water, something i'm betting they will show.
This site is great for detailed information regarding the specs of the 2015 Renegade:

http://www.allpar.com/SUVs/jeep/renegade.html

In here they say the Renegade is rated at fording 19" of water at 5mph.
Both of their intakes are in the same place. The Water fording has much more to it than just the intake though. All entries into the cabin through the firewall have to be water-proofed and all electrical equipment and mechanical equipment within the 20 inch level must be treated to handle exposure to the water.

Other than that, the suspension is different, the tires are different, skid plates, etc.
mhhh this mean that all the models have a similar water crossing spec?
In addition to what was mentioned (electronic low range, skids, clearance etc) I think it has
all Terrain tires and I hope a better off-road suspension is part of the TH trim.

All this is seducing but certainly come at a cost of higher maintenance on a longer term...
mhhh this mean that all the models have a similar water crossing spec?
Probably not. If I had to guess, and I do because nobody has gotten to poke the real production versions themselves, things liek air intakes etc will be the same, but the TH will have some grommets, gaskets, caulk like substance, etc applied in key places to keep certain things dry. Worst case possibly a different wiring harness in the engine bay that doesn't go to key low places... like where the sensor would be for the crash avoidance radar.
Probably not. If I had to guess, and I do because nobody has gotten to poke the real production versions themselves, things liek air intakes etc will be the same, but the TH will have some grommets, gaskets, caulk like substance, etc applied in key places to keep certain things dry. Worst case possibly a different wiring harness in the engine bay that doesn't go to key low places... like where the sensor would be for the crash avoidance radar.
In an official jeep austria video (Mission 4)is fetatured a Limited 4X4 and report water fording 48cm.
That being a aussie version has me wondering what an american verison would be like and how different, there has to be some market targeting going on if it's market specific.
That being a aussie version has me wondering what an american verison would be like and how different, there has to be some market targeting going on if it's market specific.
Austria is in Europe, not Australia. :)
In the listed specs (there is a thread for this elsewhere on this forum) you can see that the TH is given a 1" taller ride height from the factory. BUT...according to the published specs the tires are shorter in diameter than the tires on the Limited models. So effectively, the ground clearance gained from the suspension lift is negated by using smaller tires. So ground clearance is not a benefit of the TH.

What they may have done is use double seal door gaskets and differential vents. This is one way that Jeep has gotten better "trail ratings" on previous models. Realistically you're going to have about 12" before water starts coming inside the vehicle. And where I live, there is one specific river I drive through all the time where the water isn't usually very deep but there are large rocks strewn all over the bottom and the Renegade would scrape it's belly quite often...so even with water less than a foot deep, water fording ability will be minimal at best with this vehicle.

There are some parts that are different on the TH but I think you'd be surprised at how few are actually designed differently from say, a Limited or Sport.
See less See more
In the listed specs (there is a thread for this elsewhere on this forum) you can see that the TH is given a 1" taller ride height from the factory. BUT...according to the published specs the tires are shorter in diameter than the tires on the Limited models. So effectively, the ground clearance gained from the suspension lift is negated by using smaller tires. So ground clearance is not a benefit of the TH.
The Trailhawk tire is actually .26" larger in diameter than the limited tire.

225/55/18 = 27.74"
215/65/17 = 28.00"
The Trailhawk tire is actually .26" larger in diameter than the limited tire.

225/55/18 = 27.74"
215/65/17 = 28.00"
Uhh.. that's REALLY all down to the manufacturer. The "sizes" on tires are really a matter of how the manufacturer of the tire chooses to measure them other than the rim diameter. A quarter inch by the designated numbers can vanish really easily. 225 vs. 215, the 225 will be wider, but it may not be a full cenitmeter, it could be more or less.
There are some parts that are different on the TH but I think you'd be surprised at how few are actually designed differently from say, a Limited or Sport.
So, what exactly can Trailhawk do that non-Trailhawk models would absolutely not be unable to do?

And:
How does Trailhawk stack up to the off-roading essentials listed?
http://jalopnik.com/this-is-what-makes-a-vehicle-unstoppable-off-road-512501606
So, what exactly can Trailhawk do that non-Trailhawk models would absolutely not be unable to do?

And:
How does Trailhawk stack up to the off-roading essentials listed?
http://jalopnik.com/this-is-what-makes-a-vehicle-unstoppable-off-road-512501606
I think the biggest difference is approach, departure and breakover angles. Those are huge when it comes to negotiating obstacles. The other 2 major differences are the suspension and gearing.

The two may be able to do almost all the same things (with exception of the better clearance the angles provide), but the TrailHawk will definitely be able to do it much easier with the suspension and gearing.

Also, you may damage the front and rear facias, mechanical components underneath not protected by skid plates, and the suspension. Where the TrailHawk is specifically designed to withstand much of this abuse or avoid it all together (ground clearance, different facias, skid plates, etc.)

Oh and if you are talking about "European" off-roading (Rally type driving, like speeding through mud / sand / dirt etc.) then you don't need a TrailHawk anyway. The other 4x4 trims will perform fine probably.
The Trailhawk tire is actually .26" larger in diameter than the limited tire.

225/55/18 = 27.74"
215/65/17 = 28.00"
I was going by published specs. What the factory eventually uses may vary. But according to published specs, the TH gets tires that are shorter. I believe the Limited was listed as using a 215/65-18.
I was going by published specs. What the factory eventually uses may vary. But according to published specs, the TH gets tires that are shorter. I believe the Limited was listed as using a 215/65-18.
Published specs is "225 / 55R18 All Season Tires" for limited and "215 / 65R17 All Terrain Tire" for trailhawk. So tehnighthawk is correct, TH tires are the largest diameter.


So, what exactly can Trailhawk do that non-Trailhawk models would absolutely not be unable to do?

And:
How does Trailhawk stack up to the off-roading essentials listed?
http://jalopnik.com/this-is-what-makes-a-vehicle-unstoppable-off-road-512501606
TRailhawk models get a better approach and departure angles due to different bumpers. It gets tow hooks so you cna make use of come alongs or a tow if needed. It has about an inch of lift, and as noted above, minusculely larger tires with a mildly more aggressive tread pattern. and a 20:1 crawl ratio available.

I'll go throught he jalopnik points as best I can:

1) ground clearance - 4x4 renegades are about typical for soft roading SUVs and CUVs these days. 7 and a bit inches. The TH is a bit over 8 inches. It's still not spectacular, but it's not bad. I had an 85 ram charger with 35x12.5" tires on it a long time ago. Once you measured to the diffs, barakes, and steering linkage, I only had about 10" of clearance. If I wanted more I had to navigate obstacles through the maze of my undercarriage. You can do a lot (a lot easier too) with a 4 wheel independent suspension setup that has a big clear swath down the middle.

2) skid plates - TH has some, it looks reasonably well protected, but I wouldn't want to drag the entire vehicle's weight on one.

3) approach departure and breakover angle. It has more departure angle than wrangler (2 door), about the same breakover, and about 10 degrees less approach. It's slightly less capable than the wrangler, but IMO it's a better set of angles. With the wrangler, you can drive up things you can't drive back down without catching the rear bumper, and I've seen that happen.

4)wheel articulation. the TH has more than the other versions, at least in the rear. It's something like 8 inches. It certainly not the best production stat, and there's always lots of very particular language surrounding that 8 inch number, so who knows. It is better than the lattitude, limtied and sprot though.

5) low end torque. Dunno, we need a dyno chart. Certainly the diesel versions will be well supplied here, but the 2.4? The 2.4 should be better than the 1.4 though. even if the 1.4 has good torque, a tubro means you don't get it until you rev up more, and fro off-road crawling, you want near electric motor behavior of lots of ttorque early.

6) gearing. the TH gets a 20:1 crawl ratio the other trims don't. It's certainly better than nothing, but hardly knocking anyone's socks off compared to things with a 2 speed transfer case.

7) tires. TH gets slightly better than other trims. It remains to be seen what can be slapped on the thing if kept stock other than wheels and tires, but in the factory dimensions, there is very little to choose from that are AT or MT tires.

8) locking diffs. Like jalopnik notes after the bold, there are lots of ways to do this. renegade does this, and not just the TH.

9) high mounted air intake- most cars these days use some form of cowl induction to get fresh cool air in. That's great, but they are implicitly assuming that like old school carburated vehicles with simple wire looms, your electric is mostly up high. That's a stupid assumption these days. The renegade gets you 19" of protection for those bits. They are over simplifying ability to ford water, so I'd kind of disregard this one as being meaningly informative.

10) robustness - they are using this a sort of a generic catch all for a bunch of things. regarding renegade, they get double wall control arms for the 4x4 models. Th gets skid plates. One non-obvious thing they don't really address here is that all those tough bits are relative to the mass of the vehicle. Compared to an old IHC scout, renegade is not light. Compared to most of what you can buy new today, it is.

11) visbility- renegade is probably not awesome with the rear pillars and a-pillars being what they are. On the other hand it has the backup camera, which can help.

12) light and small.. see above. It's relative. They are right that something like the samurai can be an insane off-roader.

13) tow points. TH has them, other trims don't. THe weight of the vehicle means that come alongs and such are going to be more effective than with something bigger and heavier.

14) a frame - this is old school thinking. I'm sorry, but you can build a unibody chassis that is stiff enough you can destroy the equipment used to measure such by ripping the reinforcements out of their reinforced concrete foundation. Body on frame is simpler to screw around with though. Where does the TH stand on teh spectrum of surviving off-road? Who knows. Only time will tell if jeep built something tougher than the top 20% of abusive customers.

And I'll add 15) The nut behind the wheel. Driver technique trumps most everything. The story of top gear's oliver is a good example. I also saw a broadcast of a mud festival where they had the national guard in attendance with some big bad 6 or 8 wheel vehicle to make sure anyone stuck could be gotten out and the fun could continue. It got stuck along with several other custom lifted off-rad vehicles that cost many tens of thousands. Some dude who knew what he was doing in a barely modified samurai kept driving aorund them the whole time.
See less See more
  • Like
Reactions: 3
1 - 19 of 19 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top