Anyone have a new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

[GSJIHAD]

My old 98 Cherokee is starting to give up the ghost and I'm thinking about one of the 08 Wrangler Unlimiteds. Anyone have one...any opinions?
Cheers

[Bob1100RTC]

I work for a Jeep,Chrysler,Dodge dealer. The Wranglers are awsome. Unfortunately, I have to pay for my new RT before I can get anything else. I'd say go for it.

[Rob Nye]

I own a Toyota FJ cruiser.

My employer had me source and purchase an unlimited. He wanted the duo top (both hard and soft) all the options except he wanted a manual transmission.

That made it hard to find but eventually I found what he wanted in PA. I flew out and drove it home.

As for the driving experience compared to the FJ the Wrangler is a pos. I got caught on the wrong side of the power curve on a highway grade going about 70 in sixth gear, by the time I caught up I was in 4th struggling to accelerate.

No such issues with the FJ, either more power or better gearing but I have never had to downshift to go up a hill on the slab.

The radio in the Wrangler stopped working right by the time I got to RI.

What the jeep has on the FJ are real rear doors and a top you can remove. Other than this and as a daily driver the FJ rules. If they offered the wrangler with a good small diesel I would be all over it if it got 25mpg or better. I'm not holding my breath.

[Rob Nye]

I work for a Jeep,Chrysler,Dodge dealer. The Wranglers are awsome. Unfortunately, I have to pay for my new RT before I can get anything else. I'd say go for it.

What dealer? For all I know I bought the wrangler at your shop as I flew into Pittsburgh and the place was a multi line store.

[GSJIHAD]

I own a Toyota FJ cruiser.

My employer had me source and purchase an unlimited. He wanted the duo top (both hard and soft) all the options except he wanted a manual transmission.

That made it hard to find but eventually I found what he wanted in PA. I flew out and drove it home.

As for the driving experience compared to the FJ the Wrangler is a pos. I got caught on the wrong side of the power curve on a highway grade going about 70 in sixth gear, by the time I caught up I was in 4th struggling to accelerate.

No such issues with the FJ, either more power or better gearing but I have never had to downshift to go up a hill on the slab.

The radio in the Wrangler stopped working right by the time I got to RI.

What the jeep has on the FJ are real rear doors and a top you can remove. Other than this and as a daily driver the FJ rules. If they offered the wrangler with a good small diesel I would be all over it if it got 25mpg or better. I'm not holding my breath.

Thanks Rob,
I test drove one and loved evrything except exactly what you noted about the engine. I live in the mountains so going up hill is a very common direction for me. The engine was a dog. It has more HP and torque than my in-line 6 cherokee but for some reason is much slower. I used to have a CJ so being back in the Wrangle body was sweet.
I'm acrtually going down to Denver to test a FJ and am looking forward to it. I might just put a few grand back into the cherokee and keep it alive for a few more years.
Cheers

[kreinke]

I an '07 Wrangler and love it.

I don't think the 3.8 is a slouch at all. It likes to be lugged unlike the 4.0 which likes to be driven like you're mad at it. (had a 98 Cherokee too). I regularly pull a 17 ft walleye boat with a 50 HP Merc and prefer the wrangler for this duty to my Commander with the v-8. Don't get me wrong, the Commander's a fine truck. But whereas with the Commander I knew there was a trailer attached pulling up the boat landing, the wrangler doesn't even break a sweat.

The real key with the Wranglers is to get the 4.10 axles. The 3.73 axles afford the sluggish performance. Just that small change in gearing was enough to liven things up.

The Wrangler wants to be beaten and used. These new ones I think are built more sturdy than the old version. I'm so happy with ours that I confiscated it from my wife and told her the Commander was hers to keep.(which is saying a lot because I really like the Commander)
My wrangler will walk up on top of a pile of pulp wood
http://toecutter.smugmug.com/photos/167874886_8mKyU-S.jpg
It eats stumps
http://toecutter.smugmug.com/photos/147390406_7htV8-S.jpg
I take it dashing through the snow too
http://toecutter.smugmug.com/photos/147390484_GqTUm-S.jpg

[GSJIHAD]

Thanks kreinke,
I think I will go back and re test drive asking about the 4.10 axles. Maybe this was the issue. You are right about the old in lines, the love to be beaten like the dogs they are.
Cheers

[kreinke]

Thanks kreinke,
I think I will go back and re test drive asking about the 4.10 axles. Maybe this was the issue. You are right about the old in lines, the love to be beaten like the dogs they are.
Cheers
IMHO the power curve is pretty flat on the bottom and mid range. It gets pretty anemic over 4000. This dyno chart I found confirms that. It helps to think of the 3.8 like a Boxer.....instead of power band it's more like power bland. No real big hits in torque. I like to think of my Wrangler as a 4 wheel drive tractor that just happens to have 4 seats.

With the 6 speed manual 1st gear is pretty much useless for in town. The gears are very close ratio (sounds lots like an oilhead doesn't it?) You can get the best gittiup and go by driving it like a 3 speed. Just go 2nd to 4th to 6th.
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc308/Hypertech_photos/07-08Wrangler38.jpg

compare to the dyno of the 4.0. This engine seems to get angrier and get more power the more you beat it.
http://www.kandn.com/dynocharts/57-1518.jpg

[535is]

Thanks kreinke,
I think I will go back and re test drive asking about the 4.10 axles. Maybe this was the issue. You are right about the old in lines, the love to be beaten like the dogs they are.

Well, until you beat it to death. I haven't been trumpeting my own downfall, but a week ago, I blew the 4.0 in my Grand Chickory. Trashed a rod bearing, as near as I can tell. Seized up on me after a long time of increasing clatter. I thought (OK; hoped) I was nursing an increasingly bad exhaust leak, but it was not to be.

So now I'm in for an engine if I don't want to throw away the vehicle. I did a little research and I found Titan Engines (http://www.titanengines.com/) in Ocala Florida. They remanufacture a stroker I-6! So now I'll have a 4.6 (4.7?) that their dynos say puts out in the neighborhood of 250-260hp and 300 lb-ft of torque compared to the stock (2001 MY) engine's 195hp/220 lb-ft. Two additions they recommend are a cheap MAP sensor and a set of 24-lb injectors (I just got a used set of seven on ebay for $35).

Unfortunately, my install is not yet done, but I will report on it ASAP. Can't hardly wait.

[Bob1100RTC]

White Oak C-D-J. If you were at my place I wish I would have known. I would have liked to meet you. If you ever have any problems with your boss's wrangler drop a line. We just picked up the Jeep line about 6 months ago but I've been a mopar tech for almost 25 years. I may be able to help out. Ride safe.

[kreinke]

Bob,
Do you agree with everything I've said about the 3.8? I understand it's a pretty bombproof engine having been used in the minivan line for some years. I'm very surprised to hear of a thrown rod.

Here's a short history of the bombproof 4.0. (http://www.allpar.com/mopar/40.html) This engine is a direct decendant of the Nash/Rambler 232 Typhoon.

Kind of the Sportster of truck engines I guess.

I've found the 3.8 (which is the first Jeep to have a "drive by wire throttle") to be very user friendly off road. the throttle even stabilizes on bumpy roads to keep your bouncing foot from surging the throttle.

I'm very happy with mine.

A friend who spent several thousand dollars on his 97 YJ actually did worse off road than I did in heavy sand the day the "log picture" was taken.

[kreinke]

Here's a really great video of a 2 door Wrangler exactly like mine. A very good video showing the traction control at work.
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Stock X package can rock crawl just fine with the traction control that comes standard. The Rubicon is kind of a waste of $5000 clams for the locking axles IMHO. Unless of couse you absolutely have to have the electronically disconnectable front sway bar.
<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xL4E3ASTif4"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xL4E3ASTif4" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

[Bob1100RTC]

The 3.8 is pretty bullitproof. I don't do a lot of warranty work on 3.3 or 3.8 engines. With the lifetime warranty you pretty much can't go wrong. Just keep oil change reciepts. It looks like they are going to tighten up on that if an engine failure does occur. Like I said earlier in this thread if I wasn't paying on my new RT I would probably have one.

[flgoff]

But! Have you ever driven the Rubicon Trail! Bring everything you've got, and a full bag of spanners!:uhoh

[kreinke]

But! Have you ever driven the Rubicon Trail! Bring everything you've got, and a full bag of spanners!:uhoh

Never drive the Rubicon Trail but I have run up and down Adams County sand dunes. I've also waddled it over piles of logs. And lemme tell ya....those bumper deep snow drifts after a blizzard....she rolls right through them.

On the Commander side....the QuadraDrive II is such a nice system. I personally pulled a Suburban out of the ditch with just one wheel on dry pavement, Not bad.

OK I sound like a Jeep informercial. Fair enough. But Jeep is actually my third choice for a truck.
I can't afford one of these...
http://users.skynet.be/wielewaal/images/IST-LR_Defender_110S.jpg
The wife won't let me get one of these because she says they're "geeky".....
http://www.armyvehicles.dk/images/unimog1550.jpg
so the good 'ol Jeep is all there's left for a real man's do-it-all off-roader.