Looking to absorb some of the Jeep wisdom here

[Jeep or Tacoma]

I have a 2008 rubicon 4 door auto. 130,000 miles It is a great vehicle. I put 315 tires on it 34.5 inches old man emu heavy duty spring winch warn front bumper sliders and rear bumper true carrie added a loc picso I have a back up camera and 2 front cameras. I use it as a daily driver,sometimes covering 250 miles in a roundtrip commute to a job. Here is the thing no other jeep that I know of come with stock lockers. all others have some sort of traction control. If it were me I wouldn't hesitate to get a rubicon. the reason is simple lockers and more capability straight out of the box. Lockers are funny you never know when you will need them but guaranteed if you don't have you will need them, same thing with winches. ask how I know I am glad you asked when I didn't have one I got stuck with one I haven't had to use it and haven't gotten stuck. These extras are tools tools to get a specific job done and you can make due with substitutes but there is no replacing the right tool for the right job. Get the 410 gears here is why you can swap in larger tires without re-gearing stay away from the 373 with larger tires it will make your jeep feel like my old 3.8 which for me is ok but probably not for most of the rest of you guys/gals. IMHO

 

[Hopeless Diamond]

It's the journey, not the destination

So far my rudimentary searching is turning up used options seemingly about 8-10k lower than what I could get a new one for (2014 JKU Rubicon w' 7400 miles for $33600). Of course searching around the internet is one thing, actually finding what you want is another

 

[Kmrtnsn]

It's the journey, not the destination

So far my rudimentary searching is turning up used options seemingly about 8-10k lower than what I could get a new one for (2014 JKU Rubicon w' 7400 miles for $33600). Of course searching around the internet is one thing, actually finding what you want is another

Email Nena Barlow over at Barlow Jeep Rental in Sedona. They purge out some well equipped JKU's from their inventory every year.

 

[Kevin108]

Wouldn't worry about the Rubicon package. For most people, the t-case is setup too low and the additional features of such little value that the premium it commands is uneconomical.

The most important thing of all is your wife getting exactly what she wants. All the rest is fungible. Hope you guys enjoy it!

 

[kojackJKU]

Wouldn't worry about the Rubicon package. For most people, the t-case is setup too low and the additional features of such little value that the premium it commands is uneconomical.

The most important thing of all is your wife getting exactly what she wants. All the rest is fungible. Hope you guys enjoy it!

Exactly. I agree 100%. People commenting on having the best model is something to have. Well, if you are not going to use the extra low gearing in the T case, and disco's whats the point in spending all that extra money. Besides the sport t-case is better for overlanding because of it higher gearing and wanting wheel spin to get through mud, snow etc....No rock crawling, no need for the rubi.

 

[da10A]

Depends on the situation. We recently got a record snowfall here in South eastern Canada last week and for a couple of day, every streets were covered and unplowed since the emergency measures were in action and plows were concentrating on major boulevards and highways.....

Anyways, no vehicle could circulate and even cops were using snowmobiles. In my street, it was havoc.. My front door neibourgh with his new Altitude edition JKU was stuck in the street, his jeep was jumping all over the place trying to move and he had to get his snowblower to make a way back to his driveway.

Guess who was driving around and pulling other cars out of the way with his front and rear lockers on in 4 high thanks to his Superchips flashcal????? And guess who is now looking to trade his few months old jeep for a Rubicon....

Being at this time in life where I am financially very comfortable, it was a no brainer for me to get the very best money could buy and I did just that with my 10th anniversary Rubicon JKU in 2013. Do I need the equipement on this jeep?? Heck no!!!, is it way too much jeep for me??? Heck yeah!!! But that day last week convinced me that I made the right choice.

When you build a jeep with aftermarket gears and lockers and all tons of gear, you need to find the right buyer for that jeep since it scares people away and the owner has to accept that the money invested is thrown down the drain.

Buying a loaded model from the factory represents more money spent at purchase, but ensures ease of sale and value retention. Especially if like me, you got an extended bumper to bumper warranty.

Sent from my E6653 using Tapatalk

 

[kojackJKU]

I would say, I could drive around with you no problem. I'm sure your neighbour is not a seasoned off road driver. Plus hey, for less than adding the lockers in the rubi package, I have the option to add true tracs that will do exactly the same thing for 900 bucks. And still keep the better t case for overlanding/adventure style driving. BTW......I was in the middle of that same weather system....And guess what....I had the exact same result as you in my sport with open diffs. go figure! Actually, I was plowing snow with my suburban and got stuck 3 times....but my ole crappy sport pulled me out every time! Again, go figure!

 

[da10A]

Obviously we will not see eye to eye on this subject. I know what you are saying, and am certain that you understand my views also. I am sure that the OP will end-up making the best decision for them...

Sent from my E6653 using Tapatalk

 

[kojackJKU]

I see what you are saying, and lets be honest, there is no wrong answer! ha ha. just a lot of rubicons are sold that you really don't need the features.

 

[Hopeless Diamond]

The most important thing of all is your wife getting exactly what she wants. All the rest is fungible. Hope you guys enjoy it!

End of the day, this is what matters If momma ain't happy, ain't no one happy.

The low T-case has been in my mind too, the very few times (if ever) it would be useful for us, it doesn't offset the premium to get it, and the times where I want a 4l that isn't that low.

Deep in cranial intercourse mode here, learning all the little nuances of the different sub-models and their differences. Seems they have a different sub-model for every day of the year, with the most important item being the sticker they put on the hood.

 

[professorkx]

When I read your original post, I expected you would get the diverse cross section of comments, which only causes more confusion.

First, I own a 2014 Rubicon X and my wife owns and LOVES her 2009 Unlimited X. Both are 4 doors, and after driving my wife's 4 door, there really wasn't much of a choice for me, as I love the extra room. This is my 9th jeep, and my jeeps range back to a 1942 CJ2A into which I stuffed a small block chevy. I am also currently converting the leaf springs on my 1978 CJ5 to a front 3 link and a rear 4 link with King coil over shocks. So, I've been around jeeps for almost 40 years, and I've owned a ton of them.

When I bought my 2014 Rubicon X, my intent was that it would be able to handle any terrain from Moab (which I have done) to sand washes in the middle of the desert. I ordered mine, so I got exactly what I wanted. The reason I spent the money on a new Jeep is that I also purchased the ZERO deductible MILLION MILE WARRANTY. I'm limited as to my modification, but I am planning this jeep as my last Jeep. In fact, my brother and I picked up our new Rubicon X Jeeps on the same day, his is black and mine is white.

The Rubicon has all the creature comforts, comes with lockers, great gears, etc, etc, etc...and it's all covered by the factory ZERO deductible MILLION MILE WARRANTY. We have the same warranty on my wife's jeep which we purchased new, and my brother has it on his Rubicon X.

If you plan on keeping this jeep, buy a new Rubicon and buy the factory ZERO deductible MILLION MILE WARRANTY, as it really covers everything. Your modification won't be robust enough to impact the warranty, and you can wheel knowing that whatever goes wrong it's covered.

For those who think lockers are just for rock crawlers, not so. Lockers have gotten me out of trouble in both snow and sand, and sure beats breaking out the shovel. Just push the button and walk out of whatever has grabbed your jeep.

For those who don't think the 4.1 T-case is too low, not so. Remember, your transmission has lots of gears, and you don't have to start off in 1st. In low range, I can start out in 3rd and then shift up from there. How fast do you really need to go in low range? For me, 20 mph is plenty fast enough, and that's totally possible in low range if you just shift the transmission.

Finally, add a winch...I'll say it again, add a winch. Winches are cheap and easy to use. Get stuck in snow, mud or sand and the lockers have not help (yes, I've been in this situation) and you will be thankful you spent $500 on that winch and mounting plate. If you never use it, you will find that you will go more places, as you won't be nervous about getting stuck.

 

[jsek29]

Hopeless Diamond, I think you hit is on your last post hit on the head. If you aren't planning on some intense wheeling, the components on the Rubicon may not be worth it to you. Given your description of your plans for the Jeep, the Dana 30 front will hold up fine. If you ever decide to wheel it more intensely off-road it, the Dana 44 on the Rubicon has the same weaknesses as the D30, so not much of and advantage if you plan on bigger tires. The electronic anti-sway bar disconnect is little more than a gimmick. While the extra low range transfer case is always useful and the lockers are nice, they aren't enough to offset the increased cost of a Rubicon.

I would go so far as to say you don't need to worry about the 3.6 vs 3.8 engine. As long as you keep the engine above 2000 RPM, the 3.8 is a solid power plant. We have driven ours from brand new for 7 years, with no problems. Most of the problems with that engine are from lack of oil due to lower RPMs. 3.8 L engine failures happen disproportionately more frequently with automatic transmissions a their shift points keep engine revs lower at cruising. Either way, Make sure you know the axle gear ratios, as that will play a bigger part in performance both on and off road. If you get an automatic transmission, you may want to re-gear sooner than later, but worry about that after driving the Jeep. Our '07 Sahara, with 3.21s and stock 32 inch tires ran well enough off road, and like crap at freeway speeds. 6th gear has always been a dream for us, one we infrequently ever see. That said, it went wherever we wanted it to, steep hills, rough terrain, river crossings, it does them all without complaint.

Otherwise, get the Wrangler that you and your wife are happy with, and drive it. Take it out and explore with it. Get it stuck. Find somewhere it won't go. After a while, you will start to figure out the modifications that meet your needs, the needs of your Jeep for the way, and the places, you drive it. The modifications you make to your Jeep based on that will differ from the modifications I make to my Jeep, given how and where I drive it. Driving your Jeep to the places you want to go is the best way to figure out what you need, and what you don't.

Don't forget to get some recovery gear, and learn how to use it, before heading into the back country. Nothing too fancy, a kinetic recovery strap, a couple of shackles, and a shovel. A lot of people forget about this when they get into off-reading.

 

[kojackJKU]

My 3.8 has 185,000 on it. another thing about the 3.8 is to use thicker oil. I use 5w40 in mine. Made a huge improvement to the engine. No more knocking, smoother, more power, etc. This engine originally called for 5w30, then, when the tree huggers came out with the milage restrictions on automakers, they put 5w20 in it to get better milage at the expense of engine life and drivability.

 

[Jeep or Tacoma]

to me it is not extra fluff the stuff you get on a rubicon. There is the issue that it is olfactory less warranty hassle should there be a problem and second once you have a jeep you'll probably go places you ordinarily wouldn't once there if you need locker there is no substitute same for a winch. as for the ratio how a set of large tires on it and that will take of things. I am a geologist I work offered a lot when not working I like to explore. many times alone working and other wise. I have owned all manor of 4x4s since 1976 when I discover the meaning of open differentials the hard way. better to be prepared than not. and no limited slip is not a replacement for locker nor is traction control Go rubi.

 

[MOguy]

I would say, I could drive around with you no problem. I'm sure your neighbour is not a seasoned off road driver. Plus hey, for less than adding the lockers in the rubi package, I have the option to add true tracs that will do exactly the same thing for 900 bucks. And still keep the better t case for overlanding/adventure style driving. BTW......I was in the middle of that same weather system....And guess what....I had the exact same result as you in my sport with open diffs. go figure! Actually, I was plowing snow with my suburban and got stuck 3 times....but my ole crappy sport pulled me out every time! Again, go figure!

Not even anywhere close at all. Not even remotely close, not even remotely kinda sorta on a great day close. Not even in the same ball park. Not a better tcase than the Rubi for overlanding. The Rubi over allot within it package compared other wranglers.