4dr jk tell me about them

[kickitandholdit]

so i really like the thought of a 4dr jeep sounds ideal. how are they working out for yal? pros/cons id like a little review on them type thing, thanks in advance! :favorites13:

 

[AZ Outlaws]

so i really like the thought of a 4dr jeep sounds ideal. how are they working out for yal? pros/cons id like a little review on them type thing, thanks in advance! :favorites13:

Here are just two reviews of many. They all say pretty much what I've said elsewhere in this forum... the JK is a good off road vehicle, but a poor daily driver with an anemic engine and bad brakes. Forget about decent fuel economy, it's not going to happen. The interior is hard cheap plastic. Reliability is nothing to write home about. The bottom line if you want a vehicle that will see a lot of off road and trail riding, go for it, otherwise look for something else.

Oh... and the 4dr with it's longer wheel base does not do as good as a 2dr when it come to break over angles. Approach and departure are the same.

http://www.edmunds.com/jeep/wrangler/2010/review.html

http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Jeep_Wrangler/

Do a Google and you'll find more reviews saying the same.

 

[STP]

IMO The JK is nice. The engine works fine if your running the right gears. Dont bother with the 3.21 gears. Go with the 3.73 or the 4.10 (Rubi). Of course, the more lift you put on it, the higher (numericly) the gear needs to be.
As far as the interior, it is all plastic, but what manufacturer dont use plastic and snap together peices?
The JK runs smoother than the previous TJ thanks to the longer control arms. If you get a entry level model, plan on replacing the shocks with a good brand and that will make it ride even better.
For off road, the 2 door is the best choice, but I have seen places where the longer wheelbase 4 door would shine (like climbing).
All in all, I think the JK is a nice choice of vehicle in the 25K-35K range of vehicles. By getting rid of some of the ruggedness for comfort, wont we be losing the Jeep heritage? After all, these things used to ride like it had no suspension and rusted out bad.

 

[AZ Outlaws]

IMO The JK is nice. The engine works fine if your running the right gears. Dont bother with the 3.21 gears. Go with the 3.73 or the 4.10 (Rubi). Of course, the more lift you put on it, the higher (numericly) the gear needs to be.
As far as the interior, it is all plastic, but what manufacturer dont use plastic and snap together peices?
The JK runs smoother than the previous TJ thanks to the longer control arms. If you get a entry level model, plan on replacing the shocks with a good brand and that will make it ride even better.
For off road, the 2 door is the best choice, but I have seen places where the longer wheelbase 4 door would shine (like climbing).
All in all, I think the JK is a nice choice of vehicle in the 25K-35K range of vehicles. By getting rid of some of the ruggedness for comfort, wont we be losing the Jeep heritage? After all, these things used to ride like it had no suspension and rusted out bad.

- one should not have to buy a more expensive model to get "decent" gearing. More JK's are built with 3.21 gears than the others combined which equals anemic power, even with the stock city tires and steel wheels. As I said in my post above... my Liberty came stock with better 3.73 gears. What's wrong with that picture??

- yes, most vehicles use plastic, but not the bare bones hard plastic that easily scratches and rattles because it's held together with nothing but the loose fitting plastic studs. I would expect a way better interior than whats found in a $25k~$35k JK. Seriously, even compared to the bare bones interior of the TJ... the JK has by far the worst interior (but the seats are more comfortable).

- the 3.8L mini van engine does in fact run smoother, but preforms no better than my old 2.5L TJ. As stated earlier, some of it's lack luster performance is related to the gearing, however, even the Rubi drivers with their better gearing still complain about the 3.8L engine.

- your kidding, right?? For $25~$35K I would expect more than what you get in a JK. No one is talking about getting rid of Jeeps "ruggedness", but very thin coke can sheet metal and overall cheapness of the JK?? I'm not saying the JK is not a good "off road" vehicle, it is... the best straight out of the box 4x4 for it's rugged capabilities. It's just way over priced for what you get and it can not be considered a good and efficient daily driver that you have to change the shocks to get a decent ride.

Please, don't get be wrong... the current JK is good if you use it what it was designed to do, but the quality of materials that goes into it is hardly what you would expect from a vehicle of that price. And, if I do pay the extra $10k for a Rubi, I still get the same cheap package, just with better gears, transfer case, electronic lockers and sway bar disconnects.

So again, would I get rid of my JK?? No, not since I use it for going into the back country on a regular basis. Can the cheapness the bean counters designed be improved upon... definitely yes.

The Jeep Wrangler's saving grace is it's off road prowess, other wise I agree with the reviews... and if you do a Google, most reviews say almost the same thing.... a good off road vehicle but lacking in most other areas.

 

[STP]

Im not at all debating you here. Thats why I started my post with IMO.

I have owned all series of Wranglers (CJ,YJ,TJ,JK) and I work on these almost on a daily basis. To tell you the truth, the interiors went cheap when they started the plasic phase in the YJ in 87 (when Chrysler bought and built Jeep), but thats todays world. All interiors are snap together plastic.
Sure, you say overpriced, but is it really? Have you compared prices on anything with prices 10 years ago?
Being in the off road business, I always see price increases through manufacturers. I will bet anything that every other buisness, including the vehicle business is the same way. To offset cost, they have to use cheaper shocks and different materials. If not, would you buy a JK for 50K? I would assume not since you have a problem with the current price tags.

Try digging into other manufacturers vehicles (using Google even). There are corners cut everywhere to cut cost.


About the motor, I understand this as well. Mass produce one motor for different vehicles. Makes since to me. Could be the Hemi though......
In todays world, its all about fuel mileage. Have you noticed the gas guzzler taxes on vehicles under a certain mpg? Its about 1700 bucks on the MSRP. Jeep thought they would get the best out of the 3.8L, so thats what they used. This motor is not underpowered to everyone. Alot of people think its fine.
With the correct gearing, I think its ok myself. I do, however miss the 4.0L though.

 

[STP]

Besides, the 3.8L is on its way out the door anyways. Get ready for the Pentastar 3.6L V6. Its rumored to be out as early as the 2011 model in a few months.

Think that will be any better? Im not for sure. The direct injection will make it a louder motor for sure. So loud, that they will not offer the DI in the Grand Cherokees due to potential annoyed customers. They say the Ram and the Wrangler will get DI (and I quote) "since the noise will be more acceptable" .

Its also rumored that there are some changes in the Wrangler itself. But you know as well as I do, if its any big changes, there will be price changes as well.

 

[AZ Outlaws]

Im not at all debating you here. Thats why I started my post with IMO.

Not debating either... just trying to have a discussion. I hate this form of communication!!

Yeah, everything is getting more expensive, but my '08 JK was only $3.5k more than my '99 TJ. Not really all that bad for an 9 year difference.

I've seen the rumors about the new engine and a few up grades too. Hope they're true.

LOL... agreed. The interiors have went from cheap in the YJ, to cheaper in the TJ and bottomed out with the JK.

All in all, I enjoy my JK for what it was intended for... off road driving and don't want to get into a comparision with the FJ and it's better interior etc which comes in a close second to Jeep's off road abilities. A different topic for a different day.

 

[kickitandholdit]

great information! yea i cant stand cheap interior these days. i pull my tahoe out the garage and the sun starts warming the dash and the noises start lol you can hear the plastics making noises as the temp changes not to mention when you hit bumps. and if you put in a system in a new car after a while you can just plan on going through your car once a week snapping everything back down.

it sucks jeep went to this. i think the straight cj dashes was the best design haha maybe the manufactures will realize if they go back to solid quality interiors it will sell better kinda like they have started going back to the old school looks (camaro, challenger, mustang). there has to be a bad for there to be a good and right now im thinking the good was done over 20yrs ago haha.

and i was hoping the new motor was gonna be a good thing
i wonder if they drive these things before they sell them? lol

 

[daspes]

I gotta disagree about the engine. The 3.8 makes as much or more power throughout the entire powerband than the 4.0 it replaced. The problem with the JK is not the powerplant, it's the weight!!! It is a heavy beast, and the 4 door more so. Compound that with added weight of armor, bumpers, trail gear, etc. and it gets worse. I wish the JK made more power but the engine makes enough to get the job done. Correct gearing makes a huge improvement, the only reason why it came from the factory with 3.21's is the fault of the EPA.

 

[AZ Outlaws]

A heavier beast requires a stronger engine and better gearing. If it doesn't for whatever reason, the vehicle is simply stated, under powered.

 

[Shaggy]

So how big does the engines get in a JK from the factory?

 

[daspes]

3.8l V6 here in the states. That's it.

 

[AZ Outlaws]

So how big does the engines get in a JK from the factory?

A 3.8L for all JK models, only the gearing is different. Most of the X models, which is the largest seller, come with the 3.21 gears.

 

[daspes]

Rubi's have 4.10's.

X's (Sports) and Saharas have 3.21 with the manual tranny or 3.73's with an Auto. 07's thru 08 or 09 with the tow package had 4.10's.

 

[kickitandholdit]

i think jeeps should come with a v8 that would fix everything

 

[narleycarley]

A 3.8L for all JK models, only the gearing is different. Most of the X models, which is the largest seller, come with the 3.21 gears.

is there a code to look up to double check that on mine?

 

[AZ Outlaws]

is there a code to look up to double check that on mine?

The window sticker if bought new, ask a dealer by running your VIN. While at it, ask him to print you out a "build sheet" of your vehicle.

 

[daspes]

is there a code to look up to double check that on mine?

Do you have an Auto (3.73), Stick (3.21), tow package or Rubi (4.10's)?

IIRC there should also be a tag on your diff, and lastly you can request a build sheet directly form Jeep...

Contact Jeep

Takes a 1-2 business days on average to get it.

 

[AZ Outlaws]

Do you have an Auto (3.73), Stick (3.21), tow package or Rubi (4.10's)?

IIRC there should also be a tag on your diff, and lastly you can request a build sheet directly form Jeep...

Contact Jeep

Takes a 1-2 business days on average to get it.

Yeah, I should of mentioned that... was more concerned getting a build sheet than answering the question properly.

Back to the build sheet... like I said, stop by any dealer and the service writer can print you one while you wait if you want it sooner than later.

 

[narleycarley]

sweet, thanks guys

it's an auto with tow package