A tale of 2 test drives

[NoDoorsNoProblem]

It’s not only variations from models, but variation from one unit to the other.

yep, that’s what I was trying to say. I guess just variation between units that come out of the factory. As a lot of others have said, possibly way too high tire pressure, and I’ve read some other threads about caster angle from the factory being off and needing adjustment.

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[NoDoorsNoProblem]

Drive more than one model before you write the check.

Absolutely plan on it. I know it’s sacrilege, but I’m still sitting back and crossing my fingers that my Bronco might get a build date in the next 2 weeks which I think are the last 2 weeks of MY21 scheduling. If I get bumped to MY22 and have to completely re-order, then the gladiator is going to be a serious serious contender to bump the Bronco. In the next few weeks I definitely want to make a road trip to the closest dealer that has a Mojave, and definitely before I put an order in for one.

 

[NoDoorsNoProblem]

Without even reading the rest of this it's likely because the TSB was done. Any of the loose steering issues was corrected with the TSB including mine.

That’s what I thought, but the issue is that it was a 21 Rubicon that drove awfully. The 21 Overland and used 20 Rubicon I drove afterward were fine, it was the 21 Rubicon that was really bad.

 

[redrider]

I didn’t realize PSI made that much of a difference. On my truck I barely notice the difference between 30 and >40, all it does is stiffen bumps a little and make it rougher on the road. On Jeeps, does high PSI really contribute that much to road wander and loose steering?

Tire pressure can be used to mask other variables such as side wall height, stiffness(the wheel turns left or right and the tire is late to the party or not) and tread design. Some folks adjust pressure by starting on the low side, drive fo 5 miles and recheck. If the pressure went up, there was too much tire flex which causes the pressure to go up. Eat, sleep, repeat with a 2 psi higher starting point. When the pressure stays constant after the test drive, you are at the optimum cold psi. Really kind of AR but it works. All tires are not equal but you knew that.

 

[Sazabi19]

So our trucks should drive just fine. Sure, it's SFA but that really shouldn't make it feel THAT much different from other vehicles, it's still a personal truck after all. The only difference you should notice in a Rubi (maybe for a Mojave?) is that the steering is a little more... dead? You don't get back a lot of feedback and it feels more muted than other versions of the truck, but again, it shouldn't be that much of an issue or have a substantially different feel. No vehicle should wander or have play in the wheel or bump steering, etc... Anyone who says "It's a Jeep thing" doesn't know what they're talking about and is probably a rabbid fanboy.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

So our trucks should drive just fine. Sure, it's SFA but that really shouldn't make it feel THAT much different from other vehicles, it's still a personal truck after all. The only difference you should notice in a Rubi (maybe for a Mojave?) is that the steering is a little more... dead? You don't get back a lot of feedback and it feels more muted than other versions of the truck, but again, it shouldn't be that much of an issue or have a substantially different feel. No vehicle should wander or have play in the wheel or bump steering, etc... Anyone who says "It's a Jeep thing" doesn't know what they're talking and is probably a rabbid fanboy.

He gets it!

On good roads, in town, on the highway, county blacktops, etc. - there's no reason these won't steer like other light trucks.

 

[NoDoorsNoProblem]

He gets it!

On good roads, in town, on the highway, county blacktops, etc. - there's no reason these won't steer like other light trucks.

I’m thinking this might have just been overly inflated tires on the brand new truck, possibly combined with just a bad factory alignment or something. Like I said, the used Rubicon I drive afterwards drove fine, almost the exact same as the Overland I drove right before.

Im planning on going back to the original dealership with the awful Rubicon tomorrow, because they have a sport EcoDiesel and I want to give that one a drive to see how I like that motor. I’m going to check the PSI before I take off.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I’m thinking this might have just been overly inflated tires on the brand new truck, possibly combined with just a bad factory alignment or something. Like I said, the used Rubicon I drive afterwards drove fine, almost the exact same as the Overland I drove right before.

Im planning on going back to the original dealership with the awful Rubicon tomorrow, because they have a sport EcoDiesel and I want to give that one a drive to see how I like that motor. I’m going to check the PSI before I take off.

Yeah, you can use the TPMS reading in the cluster or if you don't trust it - take your own gauge.
Sound like a smart customer to me.
Please don't take that "it's a Jeep thing" or "it's a solid axle thing" as there's plenty of proof - it ain't.
If you were in Iowa, I'd invite you to drive mine.

 

[NoDoorsNoProblem]

Update: drove 2 different Mojave’s and a Sport S Diesel. The 2 Mojave’s split the difference in handling from my first 2 test drives - not as bad as the Rubicon, not as great as the Overland and the used Rubicon I drive. The Sport S Diesel I drive was PHENOMINAL, best driving of the bunch. It’s a shame the Mojave doesn’t drive like that, and that the Mojave you chant get with the diesel.

The first Mojave I drive an hour and 20 minutes for, as it was the closest one I could find on Autotrader. The suspension is as advertised, rolls over everything as smooth as most IFS, smoother than a lot of stock trucks I’d bet. The steering was…eh. Not as much wander as the first Rubicon, not as good as the lower trims. I checked TPMs and it was 40PSI all around. The gas engine seemed like is was working so damn hard whenever I barely gave it throttle.

On the way home, I decided to stop at the original dealer, because I saw they had a Diesel Sport D in stock and I wanted to test it for the heck of it, since I had been very unimpressed with the 3.6. Damn, that diesel is a good motor. It reminds me a lot of the 2.8 duramax I have but add 90tq and 80hp. It didn’t seem to strain at all, when I hit the freeway on-ramp rather fiercely it didn’t even budge past 3k rpm and I was at speed before I knew it. The turbo whistle is way more pronounced and I found myself smiling every time I got my foot in it. This one also handled the best yet. Steering was the most precise, and going over bumps actually didn’t feel bad at all for the base suspension. Tire PSI also at 40 all around.

After that test drive ended, I saw that Mojave that allegedly sold right before I showed up at the original dealer. After some convincing I was able to take that on the same loop I took the Diesel. Again, the suspension was sublime, but let down tremendously by the steering, and the fact that the engine was straining at anything more than a cruise. The same on-ramp where I didn’t pass 3k in the Diesel it immediately screamed up to 6k and I didn’t feel like it was moving any quicker. PSI also 40 all around.

Kind of weird to me how the experiences are varying so greatly across the spectrum. Maybe just being new to Jeep’s it all feels different to me.

 

[bleda2002]

Get the diesel and add fox adjustable shocks or even better the internal bypass adjustable fox's. Will have the best of both worlds.

 

[NoDoorsNoProblem]

Get the diesel and add fox adjustable shocks or even better the internal bypass adjustable fox's. Will have the best of both worlds.

That's what I was thinking, get a Sport or Overland diesel, then add the 2" Mopar lift or maybe a 2.5 Teraflex with Falcon shocks, and have a better ride with the diesel.

However, just finished reading the long thread about heat soak issues with the diesel and it's definitely put some fear in me. I'm about to move to central Texas where its going to get HOT, and I can't imagine owning the diesel if even towing 2k lbs it's going to overheat and go into limp mode. ugh, and I really really liked the diesel over the gasser.

 

[bleda2002]

I'd not be super worried about it. At the end of the day they still had to sae it which means towing up the Davis damn at 100 degrees. You are always gonna have some anecdotal info, and im sure in some cases it happens, but if it was a huge deal all the car rags and YouTubers would be jumping on

 

[FloridaMan655321]

Finally someone who puts the TLDR up top! Tip of the hat to you!

 

[onewhippedpuppy]

My Mojave tires were at 42+ psi on delivery. At 34 psi it removed a little wandering but the difference wasn’t night and day either. It’s not like it suddenly felt like my wife’s AMG. The reality is that you’ll never get the steering feel of a vehicle riding on street tires with a rack and pinion steering system and IFS. It’s a truck with a solid front axle, all terrain tires (on many), and a steering box.

One thing to remember with the V6, it makes peak HP and torque near redline so you have to beat on it. Which doesn’t really match the character of the truck. I consider the engine to be the least favorite part of my Mojave and will be looking to go with 4.88 gears and/or a supercharger in the near future to boost low end torque and acceleration.

 

[dfwxjer]

My Mojave tracks straight on the highway where it spends most of it's time. I routinely drive 70-75 with no issues. My wife doesn't have any issues either and this is her first Jeep and she was used to driving a Lexus GS.

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