Do Gladiators Ride Smoother Than Wranglers?

[Jetsnation_7]

Curious what your opinion is? Do Gladiators have a smoother ride than Wranglers? Longer wheelbase would suggest so however some people say with an empty truck bed they are actually a little bouncy and rude rougher. I'm considering going from a Wrangler to a Gladiator but would really prefer a smoother ride. Thx

Well… In 2022 I Bought A Gladiator Rubicon, Then After 16k Miles Of Driving It I Decided I Wanted The 392 Wrangler, And After 5k Miles On The Wrangler I Went Back To A Gladiator Mojave That I Just Hit 20k On. Gladiator All The Way For Comfort With The Long Wheelbase. It Drives Smooth As A Cadillac. It Really All Depends On What You Want. Around Town Grocery Getter Or Off-road Adventures With Tight Trails Or Steep Hills You Would Prefer A Wrangler. If You Want A Cadillac Mall Crawler Daily Driver For Occasional Outdoor Adventures… Get A Gladiator .

The Extra Wheelbase Makes It A Dream To Drive.

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[wadewolf]

We went from a 2021 JLU Sahara to a 2024 JT Mojave and the Mojave is way better on and off road in terms of ride quality. Its not just my miscalibrated butt dyno saying it, both the wife and the mother in law commented that it rides better.

 

[Stan H]

Well… In 2022 I Bought A Gladiator Rubicon, Then After 16k Miles Of Driving It I Decided I Wanted The 392 Wrangler, And After 5k Miles On The Wrangler I Went Back To A Gladiator Mojave That I Just Hit 20k On. Gladiator All The Way For Comfort With The Long Wheelbase. It Drives Smooth As A Cadillac. It Really All Depends On What You Want. Around Town Grocery Getter Or Off-road Adventures With Tight Trails Or Steep Hills You Would Prefer A Wrangler. If You Want A Cadillac Mall Crawler Daily Driver For Occasional Outdoor Adventures… Get A Gladiator .

The Extra Wheelbase Makes It A Dream To Drive.

Mall Crawler are you kidding I put mine in many wild places . I live in the East if something gets in my way like a tree stump or rock I move it or go over it.

 

[Jteakus]

2020 JLURD and 2022 JTRD here. When stock, the JT rode so much better that my wife even noticed.

 

[DBravo]

Curious what your opinion is? Do Gladiators have a smoother ride than Wranglers? Longer wheelbase would suggest so however some people say with an empty truck bed they are actually a little bouncy and rude rougher. I'm considering going from a Wrangler to a Gladiator but would really prefer a smoother ride. Thx

I have an all stock 2020 Gladiator JT Overland with hard tops and sunrider for summer and the hard folding 3-section tonneau. My wife has an all stock 2021 Sahara with the Skytouch retractable roof. Both purchased new.
We always take mine on long road trips because in our opinion the Gladiator has a better ride. Less bounce and quieter. Some of the stability in the JT comes from weight: the fully retractable skytouch roof removes some weight and adds road/wind noise to the Wrangler and the Gladiator has a longer wheelbase and the hard folding tonneau adds some weight to the back.
I don't find the Gladiator to be bouncy at all, but tires can also make a huge difference in ride. I got 72k miles out of my last set of Goodyear Wrangler ATA 255/70 R18 and just purchased another set. Mine has 92k miles and hers has 55k.
Over the years we have owned Wranglers, two Cherokees, a Liberty, Grand Cherokee and now these two which are our faves. My reasoning for the Gladiator was i wanted a truck I could use on weekends and DIY runs that I could still remove the roof and doors in the summer. My wife drove my Gladiator off and on for a year and decided she wanted a fun Jeep too but went with the Wrangler Sahara with Skytouch roof so she could open it anytime without unbolting anything.
All boxes checked for both of us

 

[drewcnit]

Curious what your opinion is? Do Gladiators have a smoother ride than Wranglers? Longer wheelbase would suggest so however some people say with an empty truck bed they are actually a little bouncy and rude rougher. I'm considering going from a Wrangler to a Gladiator but would really prefer a smoother ride. Thx

My opinion is Yes, it is smoother. Even my shop owner that I take my JT to complimented the ride in it last time I was there and she has a 392 Wrangler all modded out.

I think my favorite thing so far to fix the bouncy and rude (because I can see that comment from a non-truck owner) was the rear track bar delete. If you go for the Mojave, do it. You won't regret it. Both Rock Krawler and Rusty's makes one I know for sure are top quality, it smooths out the rear end ride, lot less bounce and rattle.

Pic was taken while it was on a flex ramp after the install of Rock Krawler's 4 link upper in the rear which deletes the need for the trackbar.

 

[Stan H]

My opinion is Yes, it is smoother. Even my shop owner that I take my JT to complimented the ride in it last time I was there and she has a 392 Wrangler all modded out.

I think my favorite thing so far to fix the bouncy and rude (because I can see that comment from a non-truck owner) was the rear track bar delete. If you go for the Mojave, do it. You won't regret it. Both Rock Krawler and Rusty's makes one I know for sure are top quality, it smooths out the rear end ride, lot less bounce and rattle.

Pic was taken while it was on a flex ramp after the install of Rock Krawler's 4 link upper in the rear which deletes the need for the trackbar.

How would that eliminate the need for the rear trackbar ? 4 bars on top 2 on bottom ?

 

[GeneralMaximus]

I owned two JKs before getting my Mojave. Its a night and day difference how much smoother the Gladiator rides. I’ve never driven a 4 door Wrangler, so dont have any comparison for that platform.

 

[drewcnit]

How would that eliminate the need for the rear trackbar ? 4 bars on top 2 on bottom ?

Triangulated rear upper bars, both the Rusty's and Rock Krawler's kit come with a truss that is put on the rear axle to relocate the mounting points of the upper rear arms. This allows for the elimination of the track bar. You can see the truss in the picture above with the RK logo on it, on top of the housing.
I sound like a commercial for those brands but it's more the setup - it eliminates the cross-talk between the front and rear track bars and greatly smooths not only off-road but on-road handling.

 

[aldo98229]

Curious what your opinion is? Do Gladiators have a smoother ride than Wranglers? Longer wheelbase would suggest so however some people say with an empty truck bed they are actually a little bouncy and rude rougher. I'm considering going from a Wrangler to a Gladiator but would really prefer a smoother ride. Thx

Yes. The longer wheelbase helps a lot.

But that is not all; the fact that the rear axle/differential/suspension/wheels/tires all sit outside the cabin results in a much quieter interior.

 

[Stuntman Mike]

I can say that ours rides significantly better than the Wrangler.

Granted, that's a 2005 LJ...

Was on the verge to conclude my comparison, but didn't.

 

[Stan H]

Triangulated rear upper bars, both the Rusty's and Rock Krawler's kit come with a truss that is put on the rear axle to relocate the mounting points of the upper rear arms. This allows for the elimination of the track bar. You can see the truss in the picture above with the RK logo on it, on top of the housing.
I sound like a commercial for those brands but it's more the setup - it eliminates the cross-talk between the front and rear track bars and greatly smooths not only off-road but on-road handling.

Dangit I am gonna look in to that ... very interested.

 

[Wetrudgeon]

Our 2021 Gladiator is raised 2.5 and sports 35's. Neither the suspension change nor the larger tires help the ride comfort. The less than plush seats also do little to improve ride comfort.

We think the Glad rides better than a Wrangler, but neither are any great bargain in that area. We consider the less-than-great ride comfort as a cost of doing (Jeep) business.

We trudge on.

 

[Bonanza]

Our 2021 Gladiator is raised 2.5 and sports 35's. Neither the suspension change nor the larger tires help the ride comfort. The less than plush seats also do little to improve ride comfort.

We think the Glad rides better than a Wrangler, but neither are any great bargain in that area. We consider the less-than-great ride comfort as a cost of doing (Jeep) business.

We trudge on.

Agreed. I've owned a 2 door, 4 door, and the gladiator in that order. The gladiator rides the best due to the wheelbase, which creates a lot less forward/backward pitching especially offroad.

But let's be honest-- it still rides extremely poorly due to the solid axles. It's the same way a GT3 isn't going to be a treat to daily drive.

 

[Dog Dad]

My wife's Wrangler doesn't ride as nice as my Gladiator. The wheel base and tires I'm sure are the reasons.

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