Jeep Wrangler Input

[SwampDonkey]

Every once in awhile Jeep must have a big sale. You'll see some new ones on the road, then after a couple years I don't see them. Neighbor up the road had one for maybe 2 years. She's had 2 other vehicles since then in the last 3 years. Seems to like the small SUV's. My Toyota is 10 years old now and 155,000 miles (not km's). Mines on lots of dirt forestry roads. Been a tough truck. Planning on 10 more years. If you don't drive something that much it'll last a lot longer. :D Camry here is almost 20 years.

[OlJarhead]

I think most vehicles, if taken care of, will last longer than people think.  My sisters Hyundai has 200k miles on it.  I was trying to get her to buy something newer before rates skyrocketed but she's happy with it and with regular maintenance and fixing things that start to indicate wear she's kept it going just fine and intends to go longer.

My last jeep, Cherokee XJ, had 270,000 miles on it when I sold it for $4500.  3 or 4 years later I ran into the buyer at a gas station and they were heading out to go wheeling in it.  I changed the oil every 5,000 miles with good quality oil and it just kept going (like a lot of Jeeps actually).

At work, our trucks were pretty much all Ford F450's with work boxes (aerial lifts) and many had 300,000 miles on them!  But people always said those V10's didn't last and yet with synthetic oil changed every 10,000 miles (note:  techs sometimes stretched that a lot further but we always got on them at 10k to get it changed) they just kept on trucking

I know of Jeeps, Toyota's, Honda's etc doing well past 300k (knew a guy with an XJ that did over 400k in it).

So, for me, longevity and reliability is more about maintenance (with some exceptions) which leaves, for me, the reason for the vehicle:  If longevity is the thing than that's covered be it a Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Jeep whatever...just stay away from Yugo's and Lada's ;)

But if Wheeling is the plan (serious wheeling, not just forest service road stuff) then you can't beat a live axle ;)  and if you just love Jeeps (I do) then you can't beat a Jeep

[SwampDonkey]

Our forestry roads are rougher than you think. The smoothest roads are Irving's main haul roads, I'm not on them very much. The D20 however has lots of water bars, washed culverts and huge rocks where one wheel might be on rock and the other 3 on sand. In the spring that sand slumps around them rocks. So from April-June you're in for a ride. The HW170 is pothole city, tire sized and bigger on crumbly asphalt. Private woods roads are a dozed ditch with berms along the sides, so essentially a ditch full of water with no drainage except down the road on a hill. :D

[OlJarhead]

Oh I'm sure...but no one has ever tried to dispute the superiority of live axles over IFS when it comes to extreme.  KOH is a great example, IFS kills everyone on the fast sections and then sits and watches the live axle vehicles walk all over them up the rocks.

IFS is good for roads, it's smoother, drives like a car etc etc...but it breaks when the extreme stuff happens.  In fact, a club member big into Toy's recently discovered that and is still waiting to rebuild the front end..and all the Jeep folks on YT that got Broncos?  (basically the same system as the Toy -- in fact designed with them if memory serves) -- sold them or left them at home for road trips and went back to Jeeps for the rough stuff.

Don't get me wrong, Toyota makes good stuff, so does Ford (though I think the Bronco has some work still) but unless you swap the IFS system for a live axle (like a lot of them do) then you're not going to do what Jeeps do when it comes to the more extreme stuff.  At least not without breaking more often ;)

Those are 35" tires FYI and if I had someone there I would have just driven right over it but no spotter makes me less likely to do so ;) and the rock is bigger than it looks.

[firefighter ontheside]

Looking at a lot of ads.  I don't like the big lifts.  I like the ones I see with a lift like 2" or the stock rubicon ride height.  I don't mind the 35" tires as long as the lift isn't too high.  I don't like the stock look of the wrangler with little tires.  The proportions just look way off.

[hedgerow]

Looking at a lot of ads.  I don't like the big lifts.  I like the ones I see with a lift like 2" or the stock rubicon ride height.  I don't mind the 35" tires as long as the lift isn't too high.  I don't like the stock look of the wrangler with little tires.  The proportions just look way off.

I would go drive a few with bigger lifts and 35" tires and see if you want to beat down the road like that. We have had trail rig Jeeps and they are just that. To me 31" or 33" size tire with a Rubicon or like a two inch over stock is as much as you want to go on a Jeep that you are going to drive ever day. Unless you like running bucking Jeeps and herding Jeeps down the road. 

[firefighter ontheside]

Thats all im really considering is 33" tires for the biggest tire and 2" for the biggest lift Id do.  I'm reading too much about negative effects of bigger tires on fuel consumption.  This will be 98% road use.  I'd like to do some driving of forest service roads and theres a few routes to drive not far from here to look for the elk that have been re-introduced in MO.  Of course my truck would do fine on those roads, but it would be more fun in a Jeep.

[firefighter ontheside]

Here's one I like.  It's a 2014.  Not a Rubicon.

[OlJarhead]

The only trouble with big lifts other than fuel mileage is the cheap lifts.  Don't go cheap and you won't have an issue

I'm running Metalcloak's 2.5" Game Changer Lift (in this video it was just the True Dual Rate which is the same lift minus some of the control arms) and it gives me about 3" of total lift (maybe 3.5" but I'd have to do some measuring to be sure) and am running 35" Patagonias.  I've put around 20,000 miles on it and love it (minus the fuel mileage hit).

Good quality lifts ride better than stock in a lot of cases.

In this video you'll see a few jeeps ;) and all of them have some lift from 2.5" (little red TJ) to 5" Green and Black monster)...other than the rock crawling monster they all ride great on the highway and the charcoal/purple one is on 37" tires and she loves it.

My Jeep is a 2013 10th Anniversary Rubicon and I ran it without a lift on 35's early on which can be done but no serious wheeling can be done that way.   However, a stock Ruby on 33's would be fine and likely go anywhere you'd want.  A friend has a '23 Willy's and ran a couple Jeep BOH trails on 35's with no lift - no problem!  But the JL's can do that.

[firefighter ontheside]

I was really wanting to buy a Rubicon, but I saw this ad just 20 minutes away.  I'm going to look at it tomorrow and if I like it, I'm going to buy it.  It is a 2014 with 113,000 miles.  It has a 3" factory lift according to the seller.  I'm not certain of the tires, but I know they are Cooper SST tires.  The ad says 31.5", but I'm thinking they are 315 which makes them bigger than I want.  I can remedy that pretty easily I think.  There are lots of people on marketplace looking to sell different jeep wheels and tires.  I'll see what these do for MPG and then decide.  It has 3.73 gear ratio which is good.  It hasn't been calibrated for tire size, so I will do that.  That may help with transmission shift points too.  I really like the color.

[OlJarhead]

I'd question the 'factory' lift - lots think that and it's rarely true.  3"  If those are 315's (which usually measure around 34") then I'd say that looks more like a 2" lift.

3.73's would be rough with those tires so going down would be good.

As for mileage, my wifes 2013 Ruby with 80k miles on it, an AEV lift (I think it's actually 3" but I forgot) can get 21mpg if being careful to not go over 60mph.  Mine?  Not so much   But mine has the rack and now a light that I need to lower which might help -- and mine, as a 2 door, has a 2.5" lift that really gets it closer to 3.5" up and 315's (34" measured), flat fenders and the works.  Hers is the read one.

I'd hop over to wrangler forum and post that one if looking for input -- 100k plus wouldn't scare me off but I'd want to know lots of stuff -- things to look for are with an ODBII reader and look for history of po6dd code (fixable but good to know if kicking it out) which is usually related to oil filter, oil or oil filter/pressure housing.  There are others too.  I'd just want to be sure.

If at a dealer, get the warranty too -- I normally don't get them but my wife got one on her's and it was a good decision due to price increases on everything ;)  She's had a few minor repairs like:  rear bakes (did myself), AC pump (warranty), leaking water pump (new gasket, warranty) and a camshaft sensor code that clears itself and comes back.

Lastly, these newer vehicles are fly by wire -- something I didn't expect -- so the throttle is electronic.  Some it's perfect and no worries (my wifes), some, like mine, there is a lag which I fixed with a Pedal Commander.

We love our Jeeps but we didn't buy them to save fuel mileage ;) or because they were bulletproof, we wanted Jeeps that could go where we wanted and we love that about them :D

Good luck!

[hedgerow]

I was really wanting to buy a Rubicon, but I saw this ad just 20 minutes away.  I'm going to look at it tomorrow and if I like it, I'm going to buy it.  It is a 2014 with 113,000 miles.  It has a 3" factory lift according to the seller.  I'm not certain of the tires, but I know they are Cooper SST tires.  The ad says 31.5", but I'm thinking they are 315 which makes them bigger than I want.  I can remedy that pretty easily I think.  There are lots of people on marketplace looking to sell different jeep wheels and tires.  I'll see what these do for MPG and then decide.  It has 3.73 gear ratio which is good.  It hasn't been calibrated for tire size, so I will do that.  That may help with transmission shift points too.  I really like the color.

Those are way over 31.5" tires. Probably 34"or 35". They look to be some noisy highway tires also. I myself wouldn't buy one with that many miles on it. The only way I would buy that Jeep is it would have to be a one owner and have all the service records. With that many miles a front end rebuild or transmission or transfer case rebuild is no to far out. That big of a tire with 3:73 gears would be a dog. I would go over it with a fine tooth comb. 

[firefighter ontheside]

Yeah, I'm not excited about the tires.  I would definitely be looking to put an AT tire on there.  The Cooper STT tires that are on there are mud tires, but are supposed to be "quiet" for mud tires.  They appear to have good tread, so I can probably resell those pretty easily.  As far as the miles go, I've been trying to find something with around 100,000 miles to be in the right price range.  I've seen a lot of jeeps with a LOT more miles that I've passed on.  I"ve also seen a lot with big tires and 3.21 gears.  This is a 2 owner jeep, but I don't know how long he has had it.  He does have lots of service records from the local Jeep dealer and from the shop where he has gotten all the oil changes.  He has the record for the 100,000 mile service that cost $2000 to replace a lot of fluid and service things like axels.

[firefighter ontheside]

Thanks Ol Jarhead for the ideas.  I will let you know in a few hours after I go look.  I"m going to take the light bar off and probably the other little lights too.  I have no idea if they are mounted to the same mount as the llight bar.  I will have no need for that really.  I mean it might be nice once in a year to have it, but not worth it all the other time.  He said factory, but I believe that the jeep dealer installed it.  I guess that may not really mean factory, but whatever a dealer uses.  

[OlJarhead]

Could be a Mopar Lift as they do sell those as a dealer option.

Lights are nice when needed but usually only when off roading. 

But sure to get it into 4 low too.

[firefighter ontheside]

It is in very good condition inside and out.  We are buying it.  The tires are Cooper 315/75/16 which google says measure 34.7", but a tape measure tells me it was 33" outside to outside. 

[gspren]

 Looks nice! If as you said in the beginning it will be mostly on road with some mild off road I would also put some smaller, less agressive tires on her. I've owned numerous jeeps and other SUVs and it's surprizing what they'll do in stock form if your carefull and not trying to show off. 

[firefighter ontheside]

I'm beginning to shop for some new tires.  I have 315/75/16 on it now.  I want to get a little smaller.  I'm shocked by the lack of load range options.  It seems everything is standard load or 10 ply rated.  What happened to load ranged C and D?  Have they stopped making them?

[OlJarhead]

Congrats!  16 inch rims huh?  Lots if sidewall but stock was probably 17s.

I run MTs and so does my wife so can't help there 😉  I'm happy with them and the Coopers have a good rep.  If you were here I have a set if 32" ATs on 10A rims I'd sell ya.  

You should be good with a set of 33s and I'd suggest a JSCAN ap and odbcII reader to change tire size and have access to other features as well as codes if they come up.

Run Synthetic oil and good oil filters (no cheap stuff) the Pentastar is funny that way.

Also, the coolant is specific so be sure to run the right stuff there and you'll be good. 

I'll take the lights and mounts 😉 wabt my shipping address? 😁

[Old Greenhorn]

......  What happened to load ranged C and D?  Have they stopped making them?

They haven't stopped making them, it's just so hard to get a mortgage to pay for them that they sell very few.

[OlJarhead]

I was talking to a friend who bought a set of 39" Coopers and they were like $350ea and that was a 'good deal'....my Patagonia's in 2021 were $250ea  Insanity!

I just sold a set of used tires (maybe 50% life left in them) and wheels (Jeep Rubicon Wheels - 17") for $250 and have seen them posted for $400-$500 if the tread is good...heck, you used to buy a good used car for that ;) 

[firefighter ontheside]

I am also looking at marketplace to see if I can find a good set of tires on 17" wheels.  Then I can sell the set up I have.  The tires don't have a lot of life left in them, at least for onroad use.  Still, it could be cheaper that way.  Just have to find exactly what I want.

Load range C would have to be alittle cheaper than E.  I don't mind paying for E for my one ton, but not for a Jeep.

I know the 16" wheels are odd for a Jeep, but they look good.  

[gspren]

I like to see some sidewall on Jeeps. When I see a jacked up Jeep with 2" of sidewall I figure they have no idea what works.

[Resonator]

Nice Jeep Bill!
If it hasn't been mentioned, make sure to check what the speedometer reads compared to a GPS. When you go to a taller tire size than stock size, it can throw the speedometer off from what actual speed is.

[firefighter ontheside]

I asked the seller if he had calibrated the speedo.  He said no, it is off by 3 or 4 mph at 60.  I will get new tires and then get the equipment I need to calibrate or find a friend who already has it.