Don't panic - SNOWS COMING!!!!!!

will follow this closely as will also be good to know how to correctly use the 4wd system and when i should use hi / lo

Keep it in 4 hi you should be fine on a snowy road, just keep your speed down! Don't think that 4 wheel drive meens you can drive like normal in the snow. 4 wheel drive will not make a lot of difference on ice, you will fair better with 4 wheel drive, but on ice anything will slide, unless you've got studded tyres Try to avoid using the brakes, as soon as you touch the brakes on ice, and sometimes on snow if it's compacted well, you will lock the wheels and lose control, engine braking is your friend.
I have a mate with an l200, driving in the snow/ice we had last year, on at's, all diffs locked, lo range, crawling at about 5 mph on a well surfaced road (that hadn't been salted) turned a corner that was a sheet of ice and the car went from under him, he said he was barely going above walking speed, he literally took his hands off the wheel and just let it come to a stand still, luckily not in the ditch, he's an experienced off road driver too.

Thanks for your advice - jut to clarify: Use 4wd hi on snowy/slushy stuff but not really just on icy roads although it might be worth a go if the traction is better.
If the road is icy and 4hi helps, how long can I run it safely before I cause a problem to the 4wd system?
I don't have studded tyres or chains!!
I guess keeping well away from 4wdl is advisable unless I'm trying to crawl uphill at 5mph on wet snow?

I have driven on snow/ice loads of times, but only on a fwd, rwd or 4wd that's permanent and always modify my driving style accordingly. Having a 4wd that's not permanent, or would be damaged if I got it wrong, is a completely new one for me.
Thanks again

4wd helps you go forward.
It doesn't help you go round corners (much), and it certainly doesn't help you stop in slippery conditions.
The most important thing is winter tyres the difference is night and day.
Also drive as though every pedal has an egg taped to it, and you mustn't break the eggs. Drive like that and you will drive round all the gung ho 4x4 numptys in the ditch.

Jimnys have a very short wheelbase - when the back steps out in 2WD, it does so FAST. Try a day on a skid pan and watch the instructors lose it in your little 4x4! In 4WD, it drifts sideways rather than spinning round, but again it does it FAST! Practice is the key.
Longer wheelbase means more time to react to the back end stepping out - I can drift my transit like you wouldn't believe on the throttle and steering, scares the cr*p out of the car drivers seeing a 16 ft long wall of blue van coming down the road at them sideways - steps back in line lovelly when you back off and flick the steering!

Some AT tyres like BFG's are full on winter tyres as well, legal in those european countries where winter tyres are a requirement for certain months of the year. Look for the snowflake symbol on the side wall. These tyres have narrow slits to collect snow rather than shedding it. Snow grips on snow, not much else.
MT tyres are NEVER winter tyres and are usually completely pants in snow and ice. They shed snow and don't grip.

Only use 4WD on fully snow covered or iced roads as any sort of normal grip will wind up the transmission and break something eventually. These motors are extremely capable in 2WD if you drive appropriately and have decent tyres. Driving round "normal" permanent 4WD cars (like Audi quattros of all sorts, Volvos and BMW's) in 2WD in last years snow proved the point - Good tyres and a sensible driving style is much more important than 4WD unless you are doing deep virgin snow, when it is just like driving in mud - you need some momentum to keep moving so gun it and look out for it sliding!

Flatfendweller wrote: I guess keeping well away from 4wdl is advisable unless I'm trying to crawl uphill at 5mph on wet snow?

Pretty much.

As for damaging the system, when in 4x4 the front and rear axles are essentially locked together meaning they need to spin at the same speed, if the road surface is slippery enough to allow wheels to slip it will allow for the axles to spin at the same speeds as the axle that is to fast/slow will slip and 'catch up' if you like.

And everything leathery said! Sensible driving is key, drive to your conditions.

Never use 4WDL in snow

You need momentum in snow and 4WDL dose the opposite

Also you cant engage Low Range while moving... You get a massive bang and possibly not much else after that!

That means you will end up start stopping all the time which is how poeple get stuck on snowy and icy roads!

This video might help you

kirkynut wrote: I think a rule of thumb would be if you can see the tarmac you are driving on through the slush or snow you ought not be in 4wd but if it's covered in slippery stuff 4wd is good.

I take mine out of 4wd as often as I can to let it unwind if it needs to.

Kirkynut

+1
as long as it's slippy there's no probs, can't wait

What can I say - overwhelmed with advice and really grateful to everyone who posted.
Looking forward to winter arriving this week in a strange way - but will be careful with my Jimnybeast!
Thanks to the forum - knew I could rely on you all.

just had a very tiny snow shower, it didnt lay or anything but the snow is on its way,

i'm just on the edge of the nymoors

Hmmmmmm lol

Summer down here

Dorset is glorious sun shine no sign of any sort of snow ;-(