Thinking about a jeep...

You are like me, I was looking at rzr’s for the family, cheaper to build a Jeep.

 

A Jeep is not a very practical vehicle for daily use, not a lot of room to put anything, gas mileage is not great (much worse if bigger tires), a bit flighty to drive and is top heavy (short wheelbase sitting up on bigger tires). Most buy thinking this is going to be an SUV and it's not. It's an off road vehicle being driven on the road.

With that said though, ours has been the funnest, most impractical vehicle we've ever owned. Even in stock trim, a Rubicon is a very capable off road beast. Just keep in mind what it's designed to do and don't try to make into something it isn't.

 

I probably posted in this thread earlier, complaining about my friend's lifted 4-door 2009(?) wrangler with 34" tires.

KEEP IT STOCK, or pretty close to stock. Jeeps are very capable off-road without modifying them. And you're going to be driving it on paved roads 99.x% of the time. Don't make it a worse street vehicle for that .x% of the time you're going to spend off-road. Enjoy what it is, without trying to make it into more than it is.

 

I tend to disagree with most of what the previous two posts say about street duty...
Awareness safety...you can see the idtios in traffic getting ready to screw up long before the person in front of you sees them. You're scope of visibility covers way more ground than almost any other vehicle, short of a regular cab pickup.
Crash safety...unless you get t-boned by a truck, you're not gonna be in line with an impacting vehicle, you sit above the impact zone.
Go beyond stock with oversize tires AND the wheels to accommodate them...widens your track - more stability.
Cargo/package room...if you can't fit it in a Jeep, you needed a truck or a van.
Gas mileage...if that's your concern, you're in the wrong vehicle market all together. Go get a Prius.

There are some handling quirks...it ain't a fucking sports car.
They are capable in stock form...tires appropriate for the terrain make them even better.

Fun to drive? 100%...if you take the top off. If you were unprepared for your purchase and ended up with full doors, you need to take them off or get some half doors.

Just like my argument that a pickup isn't a pickup w/o an 8' bed, a jeep isn't a jeep w/o half doors...and if you plan to buy a four door Wrangler with full doors and do nothing to it, you might as well just get a minivan.

 

Mine lifted 3.5”’s with 35” tires rides way better than a stock one. This should state of you are going to modify it don’t half ass it and spend the extra $.

 

I love my uncomfortable unpractical horrible gas mileage yet fully capable off road minivan.

 

600 miles on it before the front bumper and flat fenders.




9000ft up (and then some with the drone) with some friends

 

The 4 door is the way to go hands down! I have a 2015 4 door. Drove well in stock form. I did the lift with 20 inch wheels yadda yadda, and anything over 60 MPH is a pain to drive. wonders all over the road, vibration, it annoying. Looks 10X better, but drives 2X worse. The seats are not very comfortable. After about 30 minutes I am noticeably uncomfortable. At 5'10 230 lbs the seats should not be as bad as they are ergonomically.
It has very little power. Its fine for a top off sunny day cruise, but it doesn't have much pulling power at all. Not a daily driver in my opinion.

 

Mine cruises fine at 70mph at 4600ft elevation.. I even set the cruise control last night going up parleys canyon to park city which is a 70mph freeway (I-80) that climbs to 7500ft elevation.. the kind where all of the semis are parked in the right hand lane with their hazaards on going 30mph... it sat at 4K rpm in 3rd gear and chugged right on up the big hill no issues.

 

What lift do you have on it?

 

Mopar 2"

 

I did a true 3.5” (3.5 rear, 4 front with very progressive springs) with control arms, drag Link, ball joints, drive shafts, etc and mine cruises at 75-80 just fine, no weaving, wobbling, etc. mind you it’s a box so side wi ss will have an effect but it does on the wife’s Acadia Denali as well. Took a bit of trying to get it set up how I wanted it but once it was even non jeep people that drive it are always shocked how civilized it is on road. Mines a 14 4 door, all I’ve done power wise is a drop in k&n and hyper tech programmer. Usually just run the 87 tune in it, 91 when doing serious off road stuff. It does suck towing, but I knew that. I’ve taken mine on 1500 mile round trips and at 6’3” the ergos fit me about perfect.

 

I bought mine new and built it as a toy the day I brought it home, but I use it a lot more than I thought I would. It’s a lot better on road than I ever would have imagined. Upgraded front brakes are a must imo as well.

 

Just drove mine from STL to the Rubicon trail with 2.5" lift and 35's. Did the trail and drove it back home with no problems. Averaged 17 MPG on the way out.

Also wheeled it when it still had paper plates on it.

 

Half doors? Lame! No doors is the only way to go.

 

Mines either fulldoors or carbon square tube doors (netting in rear ones for the kiddos). Half doors suck balls IMO. Build a nice rack to hang your full doors on, make or buy some guide pins and be done with it.

 

The legalese on doorless in PA reads grey, unless you ask a cop...selective interpretation/enforcement.

"§ 175.77. Body.
(f) Doors. A vehicle specified under this subchapter shall be equipped with doors of a type used as original equipment. The doors shall open and close securely unless the vehicle has been manufactured or modified to the extent that there is no roof or side. ..."

The problem stems from the idea that CJs and Wranglers are basically the same.
CJs had doors as an "option" and were delivered, as manufactured, without them if not checked as an option. Jeep states that the removable Wrangler doors serve no structural function and are purely for protection from the elements. Besides, neither CJs nor Wranglers have roofs.
A couple "PA inspection certified" friends say you must at least run tube doors to be legal.

Being the letter of the law, the first sentence in the "code" clearly encompasses Wranglers...the doors are original equipment.
But, what's the point of the second sentence? Wranglers aren't manufactured with roofs. Is the "or modified" component to accommodate a Deuce coupe bucket or other rat rod that may have welded doors?

What's the disconnect creating the ambiguity?

Some people say that, as long as you have side mirrors, you won't get popped for removing the doors. (The OEM mirrors are attached to the doors.) But, PA has no law requiring side mirrors as long as you have a clear line of sight with the rearview for at least 200'. (I've also seen it say 150 yds.)

 

I've heard PA troopers sometimes write tickets to people with no doors on.

 

17 on the highway, yes? What about around town, what kind of mileage do you get? Nice looking Jeep, by the way!