Considering selling my 2 door JK for a Gladiator. Do I have realistic expectations?

[AustyPosty]

So the short of it is that my 2 door is great on the trail and pretty ok on the highway. Unless their is a cross wind then I am absolutely thrown around the highway. I am also planning on starting a family very soon, within the next 1-2 years, the wife also only has a two door vehicle. Not ideal lol

I was hoping the gladiator would be a good choice to get a “family” vehicle that can still do the trails I want to do such as the Rubicon, slick rock, deer valley etc. i would most likely put it on a 3.5 inch lift with 37s/38s. Built on a Rubicon model. I also am considering either a go fast camper or OVRLND pop up camper. I’m also curious how the Gladiator handles high cross winds? Is it manageable or does it get tossed around as well? I’m sure anything would be an improvement over my 2 door on the highway however I just want to ensure I can drive this thing 6 hours and be reasonably comfortable. I’m not asking for a luxury vehicle, I don’t want that.

is it reasonable to expect the gladiator with a lowish profile pop up camper will handle long road trips(even in heavy desert crosswinds) and get me through tough trails?

the other option is keep the 2 door and get a gladiator as well, but of course that’s more financially draining.
I’m sure the 4 door wrangler is also a good option, but honestly I think I’d be happier in a truck.

I’m sorry for the incoherent rant.

Sponsored

 

[LouisvEarlleJT]

Gladiator is a brick, so, yes, worse in crosswind than a JK (I'd assume, never owned a JK).

If you're getting through life without a truck right now, I'd say you'll probably continue to get through life without a truck in a couple years.

Go wild on the JK, buy a Japanese sedan for the family car (much cheaper than a gladiator) and have the best of both worlds. Room and comfortable road manners, trail toy for all other activities.

 

[fourfa]

I have an Alu-Cab Canopy Camper on my JTR, on 37s and 3.5” lift. So broadly similar to what you’re asking. I drive across the Mojave a lot. so no stranger to crosswinds. I don’t feel it gets tossed around much at all, has always seemed quite stable to me in this configuration. Much more wind noise is the main annoyance with crosswinds TBH.

Note: this is with fully adjustable control arms, and 6 deg of caster (and a small normal amount of front toe-in). I wonder if your JK doesn’t have enough caster

 

[WILDHOBO]

So the short of it is that my 2 door is great on the trail and pretty ok on the highway. Unless their is a cross wind then I am absolutely thrown around the highway. I am also planning on starting a family very soon, within the next 1-2 years, the wife also only has a two door vehicle. Not ideal lol

I was hoping the gladiator would be a good choice to get a “family” vehicle that can still do the trails I want to do such as the Rubicon, slick rock, deer valley etc. i would most likely put it on a 3.5 inch lift with 37s/38s. Built on a Rubicon model. I also am considering either a go fast camper or OVRLND pop up camper. I’m also curious how the Gladiator handles high cross winds? Is it manageable or does it get tossed around as well? I’m sure anything would be an improvement over my 2 door on the highway however I just want to ensure I can drive this thing 6 hours and be reasonably comfortable. I’m not asking for a luxury vehicle, I don’t want that.

is it reasonable to expect the gladiator with a lowish profile pop up camper will handle long road trips(even in heavy desert crosswinds) and get me through tough trails?

the other option is keep the 2 door and get a gladiator as well, but of course that’s more financially draining.
I’m sure the 4 door wrangler is also a good option, but honestly I think I’d be happier in a truck.

I’m sorry for the incoherent rant.

Very coherent. You can absolutely expect it to do what you want. Mine is on a ledger lift than that, on 37’s, does 10 rated trails, and tows our camping trailer. Long road trips are no problem. You’ll feel the wind. It’s a Jeep. But won’t be blown off the road like a two door. Have at it. Have fun.

 

[hepcat]

Having had a '79 CJ7, a '16 JKUR, and now my new '22 JTO, the Gladiator is comparatively rock-solid in a cross wind, primarily because of the longer wheelbase. It is also box-stock and will remain so. A Gladiator is just not going to to be the rock-crawler that a two-door SWB Jeep is. It'll remain competent, but the longer wheelbase will be problematic. It will handle a small trailer with aplomb. Just be aware (as pointed out in just about every trailer-towing thread here) that every modification you make to the suspension/tires/payload will reduce your ability to tow... some a little, some a lot. I will say that the back seat room in a Gladiator is amazing. And I have an ARE topper on mine for a variety of reasons.

 

[AustyPosty]

I have an Alu-Cab Canopy Camper on my JTR, on 37s and 3.5” lift. So broadly similar to what you’re asking. I drive across the Mojave a lot. so no stranger to crosswinds. I don’t feel it gets tossed around much at all, has always seemed quite stable to me in this configuration. Much more wind noise is the main annoyance with crosswinds TBH.

Note: this is with fully adjustable control arms, and 6 deg of caster (and a small normal amount of front toe-in). I wonder if your JK doesn’t have enough caster

I’m running an ultimate Dana 44 up front so I’m able to run 6.6 degrees of caster no problem, it drives great don’t get me wrong. It’s just the wind that pushes it around unfortunately, it’s really a drag(pun intended) to drive for 2 plus hours of non stop wind.

 

[Jefe1018]

If I were you, I would keep the JK for wheeling and get something different as a family vehicle.

The JT excels in being utilitarian, do it all well enough, better than most other midsizes, top tier off-road truck you can buy with money at the moment out of the box. I wheel mine, use it for truck stuff, but don't have kids. Two 40lb border collies and a wife and we don't have any space left for stuff, let alone a kid with a booster, diaper bags, strollers, etc.

Kids need stuff, stuff takes space and in the cab of the truck there isn't much of that. When we start popping out the youngins a full size crew cab pickup is coming down the pipe too. At that point, the JT sadly won't be around and I'll probably be looking for a half decent XJ to build around for my adventures.

Can you make it work? Hell, even a bird in a cage will sing a song.

 

[AustyPosty]

Gladiator is a brick, so, yes, worse in crosswind than a JK (I'd assume, never owned a JK).

If you're getting through life without a truck right now, I'd say you'll probably continue to get through life without a truck in a couple years.

Go wild on the JK, buy a Japanese sedan for the family car (much cheaper than a gladiator) and have the best of both worlds. Room and comfortable road manners, trail toy for all other activities.

A sedan is defintely the most “practical” choice. But the 2 door would still leave a lot to be desired when I have kids and take them camping.

 

[Rockabillyroy]

I think the 4 door is a better family option than the gladiator. Just having that easily accessible space behind the rear seats is convenient for quickly being able to grab things on the road. My wife brings snacks and activity bags for the kids. Room runs out quickly in the cab.

That being said, having a truck bed to do truck bed stuff is something that is helpful to us as when it comes to house stuff.

And we have a minivan as well.

 

[KevinC]

I think @Rockabillyroy said almost what I was going to say. A JLU would be better suited for your needs. If you are planning on continuing to run the Rubicon Trail, a JT is not the ideal vehicle to do it.

I love my Gladiator. I've owned two of them. The function of having a Jeep with a truck bed is worth every flaw it has over a JL/JLU, for me. I need a truck bed. If you have lived you current lifestyle without the need of a truck bed, buy something else.

 

[AyeCantSeeYou]

Just a note about Gladiator's and the Rubicon Trail - Yes, they can run the Rubicon Trail straight off the dealer's lot. How do y'all think they got the Trail Rated badge? Driver skill is the key. Either you have it or you don't.

To the OP: If you want a Gladiator, and it sounds like you do, then get one. Don't let others' opinions keep you from doing what you want.

 

[controller]

With little kids, especially carriers and diaper bags, etc, my vote is a mini van. Low load heights for getting car seats in, automatic sliding doors so if someone parks close to you, easy to just let the sliding door open and have full access to the seat. Lots of storage with either the third row down (if you don't need it), or behind the third row for a stroller. Automatic rear door means easier loading and unloading of a stroller. What convinced my wife (she was totally against a minivan) was that the sales guy hit the buttons, both sliding doors opened, and all the kids just piled in.

 

[DarthAWM]

Having both a JT on 37's with a 3.5" lift and a 50lb bulldog I can say hauling a hefty dead weight in and out of the vehicle is not fun.

 

[Camaroboi13]

If you're even slightly considering getting the Gladiator, I say just go for it. Compared to the JK, it's significantly refined all over the place. I've never had an issue with mine on several trails, and wouldn't hesitate to purchase again. I'm on 4.5" lift and 37s in an Overland Diesel.

 

[AustyPosty]

With little kids, especially carriers and diaper bags, etc, my vote is a mini van. Low load heights for getting car seats in, automatic sliding doors so if someone parks close to you, easy to just let the sliding door open and have full access to the seat. Lots of storage with either the third row down (if you don't need it), or behind the third row for a stroller. Automatic rear door means easier loading and unloading of a stroller. What convinced my wife (she was totally against a minivan) was that the sales guy hit the buttons, both sliding doors opened, and all the kids just piled in.

A minivan would be convenient for the day to day, but I also want to be able to take my family out camping. The 2 door just can’t do that unfortunately. It’s perfect for 2 people and that’s it. I don’t think I want to put any money into the 2 door trying to add extra storage like a roof rack and such, because at the end of the day it just won’t ever be a long distance road trip vehicle, not the Jeeps fault but my needs are just changing.

Luckily my wife doesn’t care what vehicle I get, as long as it has 4 doors. She drives a little Volkswagen Beetle currently, also a less than ideal car for kids

Sponsored