3.6 Engine - Now I understand the power issue

[JTdiRtyD]

According to your own source, the fastest gladiator tested was a gasser...

Also... you may not use MotorTrend's data, but your source does.

Not a single one of the sources used by your source is NHRA or track slip times... they're all motoring mags.

Every single time is from Motor Trend, Car and Driver, or Motorweek.

Considering EVERY diesel recorded is running mid 15's, and all but two gassers ran mid 16's, my guess is the two that appear to be gassers running mid 15's were actually diesels and just not entered as such.

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[ericw.]

According to your own source, the fastest gladiator tested was a gasser...

Also... you may not use MotorTrend's data, but your source does.

Not a single one of the sources used by your source is NHRA or track slip times... they're all motoring mags.

Every single time is from Motor Trend, Car and Driver, or Motorweek.

I know it seems contrary to what I'm saying but averages are important for the reason of "unicorn passes", as we call them at Sonoma Raceway. We've all worked hard to align the stars to break record passes. My buddy still owns the Audi 2.0T stage 3 world record (and he did it in a 4 door wagon) because it was the perfect cool, damp, fall day at sea level with good prep and tires.

This is the name of the game for every high performance shop in the world. Then, to keep their records for a period of time, they won't publicly release them until the heat of the summer.

0-60specs allow user submitted times with verified (and validated) time slips as well as combines verified sources, regardless of whether people are submitting them for a Gladiator.

I guess I apologize if you don't like what I'm saying or disagree but I once lived and breathed this stuff for decades before dropping out of the social ego stroking aspects of car communities.

 

[MeanGreen]

There's a lot of good points on here but the only word that can be used to describe the 3.6 is "adequate". It's just enough around town and barely enough on the interstate. This is my first non V8 vehicle out of the past four I've had. I mean, I'm happy with it but it comes with trade offs and not going anywhere in a hurry is one of them!

 

[ericw.]

Considering EVERY diesel recorded is running mid 15's, and all but two gassers ran mid 16's, my guess is the two that appear to be gassers running mid 15's were actually diesels and just not entered as such.

It was a gas engine but there's something sus about the time. Here's the article. 0-60 was faster than the rolling 5-60.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a26990240/2020-jeep-gladiator-by-the-numbers/

Zero to 60 mph: 7.2 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 7.6 sec

No details on the context of the run. My limited-knowledge assumption would be that they did it early on a nice day with a prepped track, and mixed up the 0-60 with their 5-60 times in the article.

They never repeated those times with newer models so unless the 2020 3.6 is faster than every year that came after... far fetched.

 

[imallcrawl]

Correct me if I'm wrong, do we really have the same engine as this?

 

[Flyin6]

I would like to see a diesel that doesn't incorporate a CP4 fuel pump placed under the hood of a Gladiator.

Just swap it for a CP3. I swapped the CP4A in my Duramax some years ago for a more robust and reliable CP3. It's a bunch of work, but it's worth it.

 

[Lost1wing]

Just swap it for a CP3. I swapped the CP4A in my Duramax some years ago for a more robust and reliable CP3. It's a bunch of work, but it's worth it.

I need to do the swap myself. With too many irons in the fire, I have put it off. Now, at 175k miles, it's getting pushed closer to the front of the list.

 

[Jbird2393]

I had a 2.7 eco F150 and pulled a few mid sized SUVs through the applications and at the time thought it did great, then I pulled a full size SUV the same route a year later with a old 2500 5.9 Cummins and that put my original thinking to shame lol.

I had a 2020 Gladiator 6 speed that I towed smaller things with (two jet skis, popup camper) and it did just fine. Two weeks ago I traded it for a new Gladiator Auto, 4.10, max tow. Took it down I75 in KY/ TN pulling same double jet ski trailer and already put some 33s on it, man what a difference the 8 speed and 4.10 is. Adaptive Cruise set at 70 (yes tire size was corrected with taser) and I put it in manual mode for shifting because it likes to over compensate and just a few big hills had to bump it to 7th but that’s about it.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

I drive my Jeep JT in MI greater Wayne County - I able to pass anything besides "suped up sports cars" just fine. JT is fine. If you want more power; which is a loose word to use. Then I guess you should of bought that Dodge Challenger Demon.

They let you pass.

 

[Splenda]

Yup. I went from an M5 to a Gladiator. I've had to completely change my mind set about traffic.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I have the 3.6 in both my '16 JKU and '24 JTR and overall never felt underpowered. However, other than towing my boat (total 6,000 lbs. on trailer) for two trips of about 4 miles each way with the JTR, I have never really put either to the test in anything approaching a need for more power than what the 3.6 offers.

But here I sit in Boise Idaho after having rented a '24 Grand Cherokee in Denver about six days ago. I'm doing a one-way rental to Spokane WA since the drop-off charge was minimal as opposed to returning it to Denver. We have done NE, SD, MT, WY and ID so far to see some stuff I had never seen (Mt. Rushmore, Old Faithful, etc.).

So back to the Grand Cherokee. I must admit the 3.6 is considerably underpowered compared to other vehicles that were often passing me. Granted, cruising in Montana or across Idaho at 90MPH up and down some serious hills takes a lot of power. But I must admit, others appeared to be doing it much easier than I was. There are a lot of Fords out here and some of them were easily blowing by me. I have no idea what they have under the hood but even the Explorers seemed to do the high speed cruising far easier than I did.

I really would have liked to have the 3.0 Hurricane twin turbo. Maybe they can find a way to squeeze it into the Gladiator but now I really understand how the 5.7 would be a better choice for the Gladiator than the 3.6.

Serously? 90? you want to go that fast in a jeep?

The post is a tad confusing - did you tow with the Grand Cherokee? Why the mention of it?
It's a very different vehicle, different gearing, tuning, and cooling. Might as well be a different engine in it.
So you were speed-shamed?

How fast do you go when towing?
I stick to 65, period (it used to be the speed limit for towing in many states)
Otherwise, I can easily cruise 85 or so in my JT - easily - no issues at all. My wife was driving my JT back from FL through the mountains in the SE - she loves to get home FAST, and was pushing the speed pretty hard in some spots. Never felt like it was a problem. Let it wind up.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I drive my Jeep JT in MI greater Wayne County - I able to pass anything besides "suped up sports cars" just fine. JT is fine. If you want more power; which is a loose word to use. Then I guess you should of bought that Dodge Challenger Demon.

You should have seen us coming back home when my wife insisted I pass everything in sight - 85+ with ease, look up the winds we had with that big Iowa derecho a couple of years or so back. You have to let it run where it wants to run, don't baby it. If it drops a couple of gears and winds up - LET IT.

 

[Zachanadandy]

I bought the Gladiator because it had the 3.0L EcoDiesel, but I think the 3.6L Pentastar is a good fit for the Gladiator. Jeep somewhat complicated things by maintaining a small engine bay (which limits bigger engines options) but building a very heavy midsize truck. My 2023 Gladiator Rubicon EcoDiesel weighs as much as my 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel. I love the Gladiator, but in some ways, I think Jeep should have built a Comanche style truck so that a larger engine could have been used. Even the EcoDiesel lacks cooling because of how small and cramped the engine bay is.

The aftermarket has been fitting 5.7s, 6.4s, hellcat 6.2s, LT4s, and even 1100hp hellephants in that same engine bay. Even Stellantis fits the 392 in the same bay in the JL. It's not a size limitation period. You can easily fit 2 times the displacement and 4 times the power with ease.

 

[Zachanadandy]

1/4 mile in the 13s with the 3.0L. They move.

With a tune? Motortrend only managed a 15.9s 1/4 in the 3.0L EcoDiesel.

 

[Zachanadandy]

You are comparing apples to oranges. The perceived "power" you feel (or don't) is a product of the entire vehicle. Even with the exact same model/weight/engine/transmission gearing, factors like axle ratio and tire size have a huge impact on power.

A JTR with factory 4.`0 gears and 33" tires is going to feel more powerful than a Grand Cherokee with factor 3.45 gears and 30.5" tires, even if they have the same engine and transmission.

The GC is a full second quicker in the 1/4 mile with the 3.6L than the JT. Gearing may make you think it's quicker as it's running through the gears quicker, but the weight and aerodynamic disadvantages clearly give it less power to weight which is why it's slower.

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