Mojave vs Rubicon? Help me decide!

[bleda2002]

Wouldn’t they just replace them with the same thing? You think ZR2 owners going to autozone and buying a set of air shocks? Lol

Are they rebuildable on the Mojave? If not you'd be better off upgrading to the 2.5 or 3.0s for the cost of the Mojave shocks.

I believe last time I checked Mopar is more like 6k for the set.

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[JT4X4]

I've found a couple at the local lots. The options/price that work for me are there on both but I've only been able to test drive the Mojave. I wasn't expecting it to have the highway manners that it did. Love the feel and the ride. The salesman let me get it on the interstate and cruse at 80 for a bit.
What I will be doing since it will be my DD:

• 95% highway
• 4% lake roads, trails, etc. (no rock climbing)
• 1% towing for errands and a possible light camper rental from time to time

With either, I plan on adding a 2-3 inch lift just to change the look and possibly accommodate some different tires. Knowing this, would it make sense to maybe go with an aftermarket lift on the Rubicon with some Fox (or comparable) shocks that would give me the same great highway drive that the Mojave does? Again, I'm assuming that the Rubicon is less friendly on the road because of the spring/shock setup. Haven't test drove one yet.

I purchased a JTRubicon over the Mojave for 1 main reason
and that was because I wanted the factory front locker...
I already knew I was going with the 2" Mopar Fox lift so the
suspension was being replaced any way.
The JT is replacing my Polaris 1000 turbo S Side by Side
and I wanted the capability of getting thru any terrain
without getting stuck.

 

[trailless]

I’m racking my brain trying to figure out if I should get a sport S diesel or Mojave. The fuel mileage and diesel intrigues me but the looks / ride of the Mojave do as well but that 3.6 for the price of the truck seems meh at best.

I opted for the diesel. I had a JK with the 3.6, even with 4.88 gears it was anemic at best... I'm going to 37s and some are reporting around 20mpg with the diesel and 37s!

 

[The White Rabbit]

Rubicon or Mojave?

drive both! Buy what you like best.

that is all!

 

[cdyoung9799]

My 2 prior Wranglers were Rubicons, so it was a no-brainer for me to go with the Rubicon Gladiator for what I use it for. They're both awesome trucks. You really can't go wrong with either one. Just depends on how mod-crazy you're going to go. Once the mods begin, some Mojave owners seem to end up with a "Mojavicon". And some Rubicon owners end up with a......a......."Rubijave" ?. That's the beauty of it. It's a Jeep thing. Make it your own. Whichever one checks the most boxes on your list straight off the showroom floor is usually the one you'll be the most happy with down the road. Plus, if it still puts a smile on your face after years of owning it, you chose well. Good luck.

 

[PDiddy]

You should get a Rubicon, that way it would validate me getting one.

 

[99ls1tj]

The lack of a diesel option on the Mojave made the decision easy for me.

 

[1996XJ]

I went with the Mojave thinking since im poor i most likely wont be rock crawling around and bashing up my $60,000 truck. That being said i wish i had front lockers lol

 

[dcmdon]

I test drove both before I decided on my mojave. I couldn't believe the difference in the ride quality the mojave had over the Rubicon. To me the mojave rode like a Cadillac compared to the Rubicon. I was excited to test drive both and I jumped in the Rubicon first and was so disappointed because I figured they all ride that way but then I drove the mojave and wow,it was a no brainer for me. If you're into rock crawling then the ruby is the way to go but if you do more road driving then off road then the mojave is the one. Plus the mojave will go probably 90% of the places the Rubicon can go since the mojave has the locker in the back....good luck!

This was my experience. As someone who has raced cars and motorcycles, I know what I don't know. ha. Suspension tuning is a bit of a dark art. Spring rates, spring preload, high speed compression damping, low speed compression, high speed rebound , low speed rebound. It all goes into the mix and getting it ideally right takes time.

Most jeeps to me feel like the suspension's high speed manners are pretty much like an Ox Cart. The Mojave is vastly different. The suspension is SORTED. Body motion is well controlled but suspension compliance seems to be greater. I wouldn't start screwing around with springs and shocks if I bought a Mojave.

Like others have said. If you want the luxury interior stuff, get an Overland and go to town.

My plan is to buy a Mojave and leave the suspension stock, with some 35s as soon as I can justify it.

 

[dcmdon]

You should get a Rubicon, that way it would validate me getting one.

You win.

 

[PDiddy]

You win.

Glad I could help. Just let me know if your trying to decide on what 35s to go with. I know the exact ones you should buy.

 

[Jefe1018]

Glad I could help. Just let me know if your trying to decide on what 35s to go with. I know the exact ones you should buy.

I told my buddy I was getting General Grabber ATX’s as they were a bit cheaper than Nitto M/T’s and we had the same discussion!

 

[Lakelife36]

This is good but missing the thing that made my decision. Rubi can tow 1,000 more lbs than Mojave.

With the auto yes.

They are listed as the same towing capacity on the Jeep.com website as of 9/27/21.

With the manual yes.

 

[GEETCH]

My unimportant.02, it boils down to want and needs, I’m sure you have done research on what the capabilities are and what they are suited for best.
then need to decide on the want aspect, red trim vs orange, aftermarket availability etc.

personally I chose the Rubicon. But that’s what was best for me.
I do a lot slower trails, rocks deep snow etc and I wanted front and rear lockers.
I have the taser mini installed, bypassing the auto stop, can engage lockers in way more configurations like rear in 4HI or in 2wd.

I don’t do much if any dunes or high speed stuff.

ive had my JTR gasser since March of this year and have just over 13k miles on it. I’m happy as a clam with it.

 

[Pescatoral Pursuit]

The biggest tangible difference between the two is the shocks, I am sure there is a slight difference in ride but it is not going to be night and day. The iron knuckles and frame reinforcement are cool but I have yet to see a reported failure of either on a Rubicon or Sport. The Fox shocks on the Rubicon are good shocks too. It isn’t like comparing a Raptor vs a regular F150.

I can't imagine the springs don't have a significantly different travel rate also.

Here's the breakdown if TL;DR. The Mojave owners say the Mojave is best. The Rubicon owners say the Rubicon is best.

That would make sense, right? Where I live and for my preference the Mojave was what I wanted from the suspension to the seats. But it doesn't have diesel (and understandably) so I went with Rubicon. If I want to commit, springs and shocks (taming the extra few hundred pounds up front may be tricky) will give the Rubicon a similar ride as Mojave, no?

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