IF I KNEW THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW, PURCHASE DECISION

[SleepyJeep]

...until it quits working. That's my concern. Plus I like storage cubbies.

But I love music and I love my JBL Xtreme BT speakers. I have a couple of them. They are excellent.

Or you could have gotten a lemon like most of us got with our LEs, which I haven't swapped out at the dealership yet LOL

Sponsored

 

[futzin']

Yeah, the entire LE concept was implemented and executed very poorly, for sure. My local dealership still has several on the lot.

 

[OL1970]

Yeah, the entire LE concept was implemented and executed very poorly, for sure. My local dealership still has several on the lot.

I think he is referring to the Bluetooth speaker, not the LE itself. A majority of the first speakers to get shipped were defective and had to get replaced...including mine. Thankfully I tried pairing at the dealership before taking delivery and they ordered a new one on the spot.

 

[PyrPatriot]

So I see no one is touting the trac loc. Seems like the max tow over the trac loc rules.

It is why I went with the Sport over the Rubicon. A difference in 650lbs of towing is a big deal to me. How does the TracLoc work?

 

[RH 67]

Are you saying the towing capacity of the LE is less than that of a Sport S max tow?

Only because the Rubicon weighs more it`s the same story with the diesel it tows less only because of it`s weight.

The Sport S max tow is only because it has the Rubicon axles and 4:10 gearing minus the lockers. It tows slightly more only because it`s lighter.

 

[Sallaman]

I got the Sport S, Max Tow with the auto and a hard top. I didn't choose a lot of options because I will be replacing a lot of things that would be options ie wheels, lift, sliders stereo seats covers remote start etc with aftermarket so no reason to buy them twice. The only thing so far that I wish I would have gotten was the cold weather package, the heated seats will be something hard to find aftermarket

 

[RH 67]

The Rubicon has 2" higher fenders which is a plus. The larger screen and Apple Car Play which i thought i would never use makes the whole driving experience more enjoyable. Too many small details make the Rubicon attractive.

My Rubicon had an MSRP of $58, 780 i paid $51,000 a maxed out Sport S was 52k and the dealer could only come down 2k on the Sport S at that point it was a no brainer to go with the Rubicon, also when it`s time to trade in the Rubicon is going to be worth more.

 

[futzin']

I think he is referring to the Bluetooth speaker, not the LE itself.

Yeah, I know. My point was the BT is just one more glitch in the whole LE discombobulation.

 

[PyrPatriot]

Only because the Rubicon weighs more it`s the same story with the diesel it tows less only because of it`s weight.

The Sport S max tow is only because it has the Rubicon axles and 4:10 gearing minus the lockers. It tows slightly more only because it`s lighter.

100lbs is "slightly more" when it comes to towing. 8.5% is significant. And remember, that 6000lb towing due to weight is a BASE Rubicon. You add a steel bumper, steel rails, etc (thereby increasing the weight by hundreds of pounds) and that towing capacity goes down even more. A Sport S with Max Tow with a few packages can still maintain close to the weight of a bare Sport. Mine has a several options/packages and its payload rating is still 1550lbs, which is just shy of their advertised payload of 1600lbs. When I was looking in the door jams of the Rubicons on the lot, their payload was well below 1400lbs because of steel bumpers, rails, bed liners, etc. This leads me to reason that there is more going on with the Rubicons' weight than just the lockers, suspension, etc.

 

[PyrPatriot]

I got the Sport S, Max Tow with the auto and a hard top. I didn't choose a lot of options because I will be replacing a lot of things that would be options ie wheels, lift, sliders stereo seats covers remote start etc with aftermarket so no reason to buy them twice. The only thing so far that I wish I would have gotten was the cold weather package, the heated seats will be something hard to find aftermarket

Changing the wheels/tires to a larger size affects the towing, anything over 33" will be a 20% hit to towing capability. Towing is also decreased with lifts and added weight. I too wanted to change a lot of things on my Sport Max Tow but research and advice from knowledgeable-sounding folks here led me to realize I'd be sacrificing a great portion of the reason I bought the Sport over the Rubicon

 

[ZTMAN]

It is why I went with the Sport over the Rubicon. A difference in 650lbs of towing is a big deal to me. How does the TracLoc work?

Jeeps brand name for posi or limited slip. It's generally a good thing in snow/ice as both back wheels have a mechanical way of providing traction beyond the brake/traction control BLD.

 

[Klutch]

I'm under the impression the lower towing capacity for the Rubicon is due to heat dissipation issues and not weight. At least, that's what FCA says. Something about the skid plate not allowing heat dissipation, or something like that. Anyway, I've never seen anything in writing suggesting the reduced towing capacity is due to weight, but if it's out there, I'm happy to read it and change my mind.

Similarly, FCA claims the diesel JT's towing capacity is lower than the gasoline JT due to heat dissipation issues. I'm skeptical of that claim and fully believe it has "management decision" written all over it, but I already addressed that another thread.

 

[DirtyD]

Only thing I would have done different is try to find the EXACT Gladiator I bought, but with max tow...

 

[CMac]

I'm under the impression the lower towing capacity for the Rubicon is due to heat dissipation issues and not weight. At least, that's what FCA says. Something about the skid plate not allowing heat dissipation, or something like that. Anyway, I've never seen anything in writing suggesting the reduced towing capacity is due to weight, but if it's out there, I'm happy to read it and change my mind.

Similarly, FCA claims the diesel JT's towing capacity is lower than the gasoline JT due to heat dissipation issues. I'm skeptical of that claim and fully believe it has "management decision" written all over it, but I already addressed that another thread.

Check out this article from Jalopnik....: https://jalopnik.com/the-engineering-behind-the-jeep-gladiators-tow-rating-1833657453

 

[ShadowsPapa]

So is there a way to increase the max tow with mods besides modding the engine for more power?

LOL - sorry, no. No one seems to go beyond vehicle weight and engine power. The Max Tow and non MTs are the same engine, same power. It's not a matter of HP. It's not the weight either as if you do the math it doesn't fully explain things either. It's the axles, width, springs, and more. You can't simply gain more HP and suddenly have a vehicle that can tow more. It's not putting in heavier springs and suddenly you can tow more. It's not that you can strip weight and tow more. It's a whole package deal - it was designed and engineered to tow from the axles - check axle diameters, etc. - springs, vehicle weight, the whole package. So if you really NEED to two over 7,000 pounds - get max tow.
It takes burning fuel generating power - with the effect of putting out huge BTU numbers heat-wise. That takes a huge cooling system, a lot of air movement, and strong high-wattage fans - which requires a big alternator to keep up.
Hard work requires fuel - burning fuel generates heat, and you must get rid of it - cooling system, big fans, big air flow, high capacity radiator, etc.

If you don' t need to tow almost 8,000 pounds, like in my case I'll likely tow a max of 5,000 pounds with my new lighter car hauler, I went Overland as most of the time it will NOT be towing. Of the miles put on, only 5-10% would be loaded up. Actually likely less than that.
So why buy more than I needed? Rock-crawling? Naw. Off-road sometimes maybe, but I didn't need the full Rubicon either - why? Why buy something I'll never need.
I have a great daily driver that easily gets over 19 mpg - have hit 20.2 mpg in the first 200 miles. I'm at about 380 now and still just under 20 mpg average. The really HARD wind tonight dropped it - hilly highway with strong winds most of the way home.

Sponsored