Tell me about hill descent control

[Kermit]

Reading owners manual.... see in list of instrument control icons "hill descent control"  can' t find it in book

WTF ? Also read a post somewhere about control of roll back???

educate me more please

[Tinkerer]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_Descent_Control_system

The roll-back feature is usually on automatics and it is a one-way clutch that is engaged when in forward gears effectively preventing the transmission from going in the reverse direction.  The effect is that you can let off the brake and the vehicle will not roll back.  I don't know offhand if there is any "automagic" system on the newer jeeps for standards to do the same.

You may have seen the anti-roll term, which is another technology. http://www.jeepforum.com/wiki/index.php/ERM_%28Electronic_Roll_Mitigation%29

[Kermit]

Thanks... so the Jeep has this and it works?

[Tinkerer]

I haven't the foggiest. I never read my wife's Jeep owners manual and when it has been offroad, I've rarely been driving it.

I guess we now have some stuff to "try out"!

[w squared]

I don't know what yer your JK is, but mine's an '08 and there is no hill descent, hill assist, or hill 'o beans.

Hill descent? That's what 4LO 1st gear is for 

Hill assist? With the marshmallow of a clutch that the JK has, there are no issues getting launched on a hill anyways. 

Hill 'o beans? That's a valuable feature. Those beans help you to keep warm when winter camping. Right Pook? 

[Pookapotamus]

 

[jkrubi]

There is a hill assist starting on some models. ( not sure witch, but my 09 rubi has it) Mostly it holds your brake if the jeep is on a certain angle going up the hill.  Its so you don't roll back into the car behind of you ( no roll when going from brake to gas).  It takes a long time to get use to it, if you drove std for awhile. 
There are no icons on the dash for it to show if its working or not as far as I know,  you will just feel it at a steep enough hill. ( I found  it the first time on mckinght and center going west bound up the hill, scared me the first time)  If you think its on just let go of the brake and it will not move for 2-3 sec or some thing like that.  It does release faster when you are on the gas and release the clutch.
Hill descent- Its on the newer jeeps (10-11 I think) and in the auto, it downs shift the tranny when coasting down a hill so you dont need to use the brakes to slow down as much.

[homeguy]

I've got a 2010 and both work very well.  Going down hill... I can hold 80 kms the whole way to the bottom and a stop light, going up hill... push the brake hard, let it go and it doesn't move.  Works and I really like the hill descent.  Went  out to Kananaskis for the Company Christmas party the other week, took 22x to Bragg to get on the hiway west.  Going down those hills ice covered... didn't have to touch the brakes once.

[silverfox]

Just discovered my "hill assist" yesterday.  Scared the living tar out of me.

You would think this is something that they would let you know about.  I have been driving stick for 28 years on and off, learned on my Mom's Schoolbus.  So you can imagine my surprise when I came off the brake in the parking garage at work of all places and there was no roll back...............I though my brakes were stuck..........cars in front cars behind yeesh, then of course it released and as I wasn't expecting that either it required a quick adjustment.  It was actually this thread that jangled back in the caverns of my memory somewhere.  In the next stop I tried it again and there it was.

I suppose its a neat enough feature (heaven forbid you actually have to know how to drive) but the down side is that it only engages at XX% grade?  So basically I have no idea when it will engage or not.  Also the timing of the release seems short. To be honest much like traction control I wish it was something I could just shut off.

[Tinkerer]

Just remember in all cases that it doesn't give you extra tires, traction or otherwise overcome the laws of physics. The amount of traction you have, however limited it is, is all you get and I am a bit leery of having the computer control things that may put me into a slip/slide situation when it's dicey.

[jkrubi]

Hill assists comes on at xx% of angle, but if you want it to stay on longer push harder on the brake.  It takes awhile to get use to, but you will adjust your driving style.  I've only drivin stick and the first time it came on for me man I hated it.  And it comes off faster if you start letting the clutch out and giving it gas, the computer starts letting the brake off sooner.  I foundit worled good when in Van but around here it does do much but annoy me as well.  I think if you turn off the tracking control with the steering wheel dance it turns off all the hill assists starting.