It was a testdrive - I found it to be a very tough truck, and overall I liked it.

To see if you have some sort of central diff lock, just hang a wheel off a dune like in the pic, and then if you accelerate but get nothing from the rear, it means the central diff is open, and power can shift front/rear without impedement. This means when one wheel spins, the other three lose all power.

If you have a locked central diff, it will force the split of power rear/front so at least there's always one wheel on each axle getting power.

It was a trip last year, but we went cross-country instead of riding the gatch road 8) This was with the Lions and I was testdriving the Cherokee. Got stuck a million times!!! LOL but they were ever so patient and supportive - in the end, it was a great drive because of the camaraderie 8) We also had a buddy and his wife with us on quads, so they got really blasted by the sand! I wrote it up for The National so it's in the archives there if you want the route.

I am sure the Liberty has a central locking diff when in 4Hi (part time) like most 4x4's, the difference being that some models come with select tract and some come with command trac. The select track has more options, and one is an open central diff, but all have closed diff 50/50 split in one form or another.

Here's what the US Jeep website says: http://www.jeep.com/en/4x4/how_systems_work/

Seems like Selec-Trac II is an open central diff, mate. Only in 4LO it locks it.

jennyd, have a look at your 4WD button - does it say "4WD Auto" or "4WD Lock"?

I checked the gears today 'cos I was under the impression that there might be two 4HI options - part-time as you say Tintin and full-time. Part-time doesn't have diff-lock - I got the impression that it's more like an AWD option - but not too sure what that really means - except that having one wheel in the air leaves you pretty helpless as you said PR!! Then there is 4HI full-time and 4LO which both seem to have diff-lock. I checked mine, I don't have the full-time 4HI option - which explains why I get a response on some stucks in LO but not in HI. In the end on Saturday, I was driving in 4LO D anyway (following some very good Marshal advice from Mohanned) in an attempt to reduce speed over the crests - and it gave me the option of going to 4LO 2nd gear for more power and engine braking on the other side. Not a lot of engine braking in 4HI - even in first gear!! Anyway, will have a look at the 4WD button and see what that tells me.
Know what you mean about the camaraderie - I love these trips for that - almost as addictive as the adrenaline

Actually - disregard that - it's rubbish (except for the last part), this is what I found - but clearly didn't understand!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep_Liberty

LOL no, not rubbish LMAO - just working things out

Wikipedia basically says the same as the Jeep website: Comand-Trac locks the centre diff, while Select-Trac leaves it open (except 4LO which is locked)

So, if you have the button saying "4WD Auto" it's Select-Trac, and if it says "4WD Lock" it should be Comand-Trac... "Lock" should be better for dunes, but don't fret too much about it as staying in 4LO will keep it locked.

As for the part-time / full-time distinction, it's a separate issue from the centre locking diff (though also somewhat related LOL just to keep things as confusing as possible! - full-time means power goes to all 4 wheels basically all the time (also called AWD); part-time means it's a rear wheel drive car that can engage the front axle (4WD) when needed.

This is taken from the Jeep forum in the KJ section and lets you know exactly what each 4wd option is used for. Welcoem to the world of jeeps Jen!
The easy way to remember when to use them are as follows:

Full-Time 4WD can be used all the time. It is for the street and can be engaged on any service...Full-Time. It allows all four wheels to turn at different speeds.

Part-Time 4WD can be used only some of the time. It is for off road adventures and should only be used on loose dirt/mud/ect. When engaged it locks the front and rear driveshafts together so that front and rear wheels can not turn at different speeds. It gives better traction for off road adventures. Using part-Time 4WD on the road will damge your drivetrain.

4WD LO is for serious 4Wheelin'. Read your manual to get the correct engagement criteria. It can not be engaged at up to 55 MPH like Full-Time and Part-Time 4WD.

Tintin, PR,
Thanks a lot for the info - that clarifies things quite a bit! Am slowly getting my head around all the lingo I'm pretty sure mine is command-trac. Anyway, it's a blast to drive - but good to know the workings as well.
Two more questions: Tintin - once these spacers are on, will it be possible to fit bigger tyres as PR suggests? My car is in need of new tyres, so the timing would be perfect. Could I take them from R16 to R17 (I'm guessing that's the tyre size - but correct me if I'm wrong)?
PR - do you know a good (read also cheap) garage in Al Ain which could fit the spacers for me?
Thanx

Exactly right - in the end, it matters not one bit. Enjoyment of the desert, the trips, and the friendship is everything, and these mechanical details are nothing. My first car here was a 4-cylinder Terrano, and you wouldn't believe the adventures I had with that under-powered truck!!!! 8) Went everywhere with it!

To answer your questions: any tyre shop can install spacers. Real simple. Take off wheel, bolt on spacer (tight!), then put wheel back on.

The spacers will make your wheels stick outwards by - what are they? 1.5"? so usually that means there is more room for bigger tyres. But it can be tricky. After you've fit the spacers, ask the tyre guys what they think the largest tyre you can fit is. See what they say. They should have a good eye for this.

Be careful that the bigger tyre does not touch the fender when a) the steering is fully turned, and b) when the suspension is depressed (drive your car off a curb while at full turn and listen for a touching sound)

Changing to 17" rim would mean 4 new metal rims as well as the new tyres. It also would not gain you height, so I wouldn't if I were you.

Hey Jen, you're more than welcome. We are here to help!
The spacers will esentially make the stance wider, so for example, your vehicle is probably around 4 feet 5 inches wide at the outside of the wheels. With these spacers it will be 4 feet 8 inches as they are 1.5 inch wheel spacers. This will give you better stability in corners and side sloping. You will be able to fit wider tires and maybe an inch taller. Yo most likely have 235/70/R16 right now so you may be able to fit 245/75/R16 (30x9x16) as the spacers will allow you to have a wider tire. You can getthem fitted at any place which does tire repairs as you simply remove the wheels, bolt the spacers on and replace the wheels over the spacers.
There is an Adnoc next to my place that will do it for you for a small fee (maybe 50-100AED) otherwise just go to any tire repair shop and show them. The R16 and R17 are the different RIM sizes, that can only be changed by buying bigger RIMS (the metal part of the wheel) the outside part (the rubber tire) is what you can make bigger, but again, that is limited by the vehicles wheel arches. As i said earlier, 245/75/16's will be OK for the KJ with wheel spacers btu any more will need a lift kit. Sign up to www.jeepforum.com and see what's going on over there, they even have a ladies only section for all the jeep girls out there!

Let me know if you need any more help with anything.

Check this link for tire size explaination.

Cheers