Hill Start Assist

desertrunner

Active Member
So being that my last JK was an 08 I totally forgot the 12+ have the hill start assist, it actually caught me off guard the other day at a stop light when i took my foot off the break and i didnt roll back and it took a little umff to get it to go forward. I also noticed in the options you can disable the hill start assist. Just curious for those with the 6 speed how well the hill start assist actually does on the rocks at holding you in place? or if most people turn it off and just use the E brake to help out?
 
Just curious for those with the 6 speed how well the hill start assist actually does on the rocks at holding you in place? or if most people turn it off and just use the E brake to help out?

I've never needed it in the rocks. I usually have no problem holding with the brakes and then just letting the clutch out to the engage point and letting off the brakes. When in 4-Low, you can pretty much brake with it in gear without killing it.
 

JeepJeep75

New member
I really like the HSA on my '15. I grew up driving manuals on hills so I find it to be a nice feature that really has no effect on my driving style. On a hill I'm lightning quick with the clutch so I don't really need it but it's nice to have. Off-road I sometimes forget about the HSA so when I start on a hill I'm a little to quick to let the clutch grab causing a bit of a lurch forward or backwards. I've never felt that it holds me up or keeps me from moving causing a stall like others have mentioned. It also works when reversing up a hill, which is really handy because for me it's a different sensation and the clutch engagement in reverse feels a little different.
 

DWiggles

Caught the Bug
I turned it off on the way home from the dealership after taking delivery of my jeep... I haven't messed with it at all since. Ive never once thought "I should use the handbrake" while wheeling either... :idontknow:
 

desertrunner

Active Member
I really like the HSA on my '15. I grew up driving manuals on hills so I find it to be a nice feature that really has no effect on my driving style. On a hill I'm lightning quick with the clutch so I don't really need it but it's nice to have. Off-road I sometimes forget about the HSA so when I start on a hill I'm a little to quick to let the clutch grab causing a bit of a lurch forward or backwards. I've never felt that it holds me up or keeps me from moving causing a stall like others have mentioned. It also works when reversing up a hill, which is really handy because for me it's a different sensation and the clutch engagement in reverse feels a little different.

Im in the same boat i have owned nothing but manuals (minus 1 truck i only had for 4 months) so im pretty fast off the break and clutch with minimal rolling back but from time to time with my 08 JKUR 6 speed there was a need to be on the E brake to hold me in the spot i wanted to be before getting off the break on some big rocks. I havent had a chance to wheel my new to me 12 yet so i havent tested it out other that what i felt while sitting on a hill at a stop light. I feel like the HSA will engage only from a full stop not like rolling up and letting it roll back without applying the break, and only on hills that are steep enough to cause a decent roll back but wont stop a slow roll back. Just didnt know if anyone thinks the HSA was good enough to not use the E brake at all when stopped on a steep spot on the rocks, or how long it will hold you or hell if it even stays on in 4lo at all that could be another issue haha.
 

Speedy_RCW

Hooked
The only time I've ever enabled it was teaching the wife to drive the manual. As stated above, in the rocks and 4-lo there's no need as you can just ease the clutch out while on the brakes.


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desertrunner

Active Member
I turned it off on the way home from the dealership after taking delivery of my jeep... I haven't messed with it at all since. Ive never once thought "I should use the handbrake" while wheeling either... :idontknow:

getting myself into the right spot here on the rockpile was one of the times i for sure felt the need to use the E brake to keep my line without a large learch back and forward, obviously in this example those are not rocks i would be climbing in my 2 dr with 33s though haha

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desertrunner

Active Member
The only time I've ever enabled it was teaching the wife to drive the manual. As stated above, in the rocks and 4-lo there's no need as you can just ease the clutch out while on the brakes.


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I do totally agree with that! My wife always freaks out when i am trying to teach her and she rolls backwards. good use of the HSA haha
 

frenchjk

Caught the Bug
I kinda like it with the 2.8 diesel, it let's you start really low in rev's and get that diesel torque, and it saves the clutch/flywheel esp in reverse because the gearing + gearbox ratio on a 2.8 sahara really suck in OEM form. (our dual mass flywheel costs an arm to change)!!!:mad::mad:
 

Clowe

New member
When I bought my Jeep I didn't know that was even a feature, so I killed it a few times on my drive home from Nashville. As far as using it on rocks. I used it once to keep me from rolling back, but wasn't really needed I was just being overly cautious about it.
 

notnalc68

That dude from Mississippi
I turned it off as soon as I got home, on the 2012 manual I had. It caused me to lurch forward a little on hills at stop lights. I've run more manuals than autos in my 33 years of driving & I'm accustomed to handling hills.


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JeepJeep75

New member
For those of you saying that you have stalled your jeep, how is this happening? Are you sure you didn't just give it to much clutch and not enough gas? The HSA immediately lets go the instant it senses forward movement. Or backwards if you're reversing up a hill.
 

desertrunner

Active Member
For those of you saying that you have stalled your jeep, how is this happening? Are you sure you didn't just give it to much clutch and not enough gas? The HSA immediately lets go the instant it senses forward movement. Or backwards if you're reversing up a hill.
I did actually stall it once in my driveway it caught me off guard that I wasn't moving and let off the gas and it died but that was totally my fault.
I do feel like it takes just a hair more gas to get it going before it releases but not much

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jesse3638

Hooked
For those of you saying that you have stalled your jeep, how is this happening? Are you sure you didn't just give it to much clutch and not enough gas? The HSA immediately lets go the instant it senses forward movement. Or backwards if you're reversing up a hill.
It's the computer. HSA does cause me to lurch forward occasionally because to me if feels like I'm pulling through the brakes. Having driven manuals before when you are about to stall it's habit to either push in the clutch or give it more gas. You can't do this in the jeep otherwise it stalls. If you keep slowly letting out the clutch the computer adds throttle to help prevent it from stalling. It can and still stalls but not as easily as it does if you push in the clutch. You will still need to give it more throttle at times to help in technical sections.

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Stotch

Caught the Bug
FYI they added HSA in 2009.

My 09 manual has it and I like it alright. I don't think I'd miss it if it were gone, but it does help out sometimes. It took me a little while to get used to it; I wasn't a fan when I first noticed it. I never even considered that turning it off was an option. Of course all of my Jeep is a manual, including the windows, locks, and cruise etc... :cool: so no steering wheel controls for me to mess with.

Long story short, once you get used to it there's no harm in leaving it on.
 
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