3.6 Engine - Now I understand the power issue

[biodiesel]

Yeah I remember my first trip to Ouray with the wrangler and while towing the same trailer, I had to pull over to let it cool down on the million dollar highway. Just slowing down wasn't enough.

Had to do that a few times on that trip, between Ouray and Aspen on some mountain roads also.

The Jeep EcoDiesel does good with low-speed operation while pulling a load. Even though the narrow grill opening is restrictive for air flow, the low-speed operation isn't demanding on the engine.

Ironically, the EcoDiesel in the Ram truck has no cooling issues, which is why it has a max towing capacity of a whopping 12,560 lbs. But if you keep the speeds low, then it's no problem. Many mountain passes in Colorado have a lower speed rating due to hairpin turns, that's when the EcoDiesel really shines. People are more likely to reach derate temps on highways running 70 mph on a 7-mile 6% grade than they are on mountainous backroads with a lower speed limit.

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[BlackRuby23]

I think it’s what we are all used to. In my case the Jeep is the slowest vehicle I have, by a long shot.

Dude, you have an F350 diesel, a Porsche and a Tesla model Y in your sig. Apples to oranges much? My Cummins-powered Ram 3500 smokes my Jeep with a load. So?

 

[Mr Miami]

Dude, you have an F350 diesel, a Porsche and a Tesla model Y in your sig. Apples to oranges much? My Cummins-powered Ram 3500 smokes my Jeep with a load. So?

Don't complain. I bet he did the Rubicon trail in under 45 minutes in the Porsche.

 

[FrankFrqnkFrank]

FWIW, our Promaster 3500 159” wheel base high roof at 8300 - 8500 pounds total weight never gets to 225 degrees even when driving in WY MT and NM (including the TX Guadalupe Mountain) in the summer

We almost never drive over 80 mph - probably never set the cruise control > 75 mph. And going up steep inclines we are as slow as the semis

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Dude, you have an F350 diesel, a Porsche and a Tesla model Y in your sig. Apples to oranges much? My Cummins-powered Ram 3500 smokes my Jeep with a load. So?

Do you think your Gladiator is lacking power or are you happy with it?

 

[JTdiRtyD]

The Jeep EcoDiesel does good with low-speed operation while pulling a load. Even though the narrow grill opening is restrictive for air flow, the low-speed operation isn't demanding on the engine.

Ironically, the EcoDiesel in the Ram truck has no cooling issues, which is why it has a max towing capacity of a whopping 12,560 lbs. But if you keep the speeds low, then it's no problem. Many mountain passes in Colorado have a lower speed rating due to hairpin turns, that's when the EcoDiesel really shines. People are more likely to reach derate temps on highways running 70 mph on a 7-mile 6% grade than they are on mountainous backroads with a lower speed limit.

I'm heading to CO on Weds with the camper, but it's going to be highs in the 70s so hoping I won't see much of an issue.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

It's a jeep.. Nobody owns a stock jeep if they actually go offroad. lol

It has 35" tires, E Lockers front and rear, 4.56 gears, axle truss, c gussets, Metal Cloak 3.5" lift, bumpers, sliders, skid plates, the usual things for running moderate - difficult trails.

The trailer I pull is 2360 lbs when FULLY loaded for 3 weeks and I move it around in my garage by hand. Tongue weight couldn't be more than 40 or 50 lbs. It's very well balanced on the axle.

I don't usually take that much stuff though, so that's the max weight of the trailer for long trips.

There's a lot of extra rolling resistance and a lot of extra weight.
2360 pound trailer should be running 200 pound tongue weight. That's crazy light and asking for trouble if you are seriously running only 50 pounds! You don't want it balanced on the axle! Might want to check up on safe towing rules. I don't know anyone who would even think of running 2% of trailer weight on the tongue.

And of course any engine with a turbo is going to win against a NA engine in extreme elevations.
That's a given.
Heat-wise, though, again - you just don't see it here.

 

[ericw.]

There's a lot of extra rolling resistance and a lot of extra weight.
2360 pound trailer should be running 200 pound tongue weight. That's crazy light and asking for trouble if you are seriously running only 50 pounds! You don't want it balanced on the axle! Might want to check up on safe towing rules. I don't know anyone who would even think of running 2% of trailer weight on the tongue.

And of course any engine with a turbo is going to win against a NA engine in extreme elevations.
That's a given.
Heat-wise, though, again - you just don't see it here.

I'm not asking for advice on my custom trailer. You can judge it if you want but I built it with my father before his stroke and I'll never sell it so it doesn't matter. It handles well, on and off road. Does exactly what we built it to do.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I'm not asking for advice on my custom trailer. You can judge it if you want but I built it with my father before his stroke and I'll never sell it so it doesn't matter. It handles well, on and off road. Does exactly what we built it to do.

I know you aren't, but I sure hope no one thinks a "balanced" trailer is a good thing by any stretch.
Anyone well-versed in trailers, towing or trailer making will explain it.

You've been lucky.

 

[Mr Miami]

There's a lot of extra rolling resistance and a lot of extra weight.
2360 pound trailer should be running 200 pound tongue weight. That's crazy light and asking for trouble if you are seriously running only 50 pounds! You don't want it balanced on the axle! Might want to check up on safe towing rules. I don't know anyone who would even think of running 2% of trailer weight on the tongue.

And of course any engine with a turbo is going to win against a NA engine in extreme elevations.
That's a given.
Heat-wise, though, again - you just don't see it here.

It's interesting that you mention tongue weight. A neighbor bought a Hyundai Santa Cruz small pickup and I just happened to take a peek at the specs and found this interesting. If you get the Turbo you get towing up to 5,000 lbs. but regardless of the engine, the tongue weight is only 220 lbs. or just over 4% of the load. I guess somebody at Hyundai either doesn't understand proper tow capacities or it is a misprint.

 

[ericw.]

I know you aren't, but I sure hope no one thinks a "balanced" trailer is a good thing by any stretch.
Anyone well-versed in trailers, towing or trailer making will explain it.

You've been lucky.

I know how to load a trailer.. lol it's not luck, it's by design.

This isn't a car trailer with all 2400 lbs above the frame. It's a 1200lbs steel box truck frame, a truck axle, 200 lbs of tires, and light weight steel service body.

Know your load, know your purpose. The weight above the frame is minimal so having a balanced load with a low center of gravity in this case makes it ideal for my purpose and easier to maneuver during articulation off road. Having a shorter overall length and tongue length keeps the wheels in the same track as the Jeep.

A lot of the small military trailers are setup the same way.

I also have decades in a highly technical career, not just some guy with a cheap welder slapping things together.

 

[biodiesel]

I'm heading to CO on Weds with the camper, but it's going to be highs in the 70s so hoping I won't see much of an issue.

Have fun and take a lot of pics. The EcoDiesel will tow like a dream. My recommendation is to back off the speed when you begin to see oil temps reaching 245*F. It's not the end of the world if you hit 260*F, but I try to keep the oil temps under 255*F. Oil temps are much easier to regulate in the Ram because of adequate air flow and a large engine bay. The Gladiator EcoDiesel is so cramped in that small engine bay that it gets heat soaked a lot faster. And with inadequate air flow, the oil temps can creep up faster.

I'm in Northern New Mexico and our nighttime lows are in the 40's. I wouldn't be surprised if we see some freezing temps within the next two weeks.

 

[guntrust]

I felt the same way until i regeared.

 

[rughboy]

I have a 2020 Rubicon gladiator that I use to pull a 25 foot Lance travel trailer. When we first got the truck in stock form it pulled the near 6000 pound trailer just fine at 55 to 65 mph (about as fast as you can go here in Cali without getting into trouble) … though it worked a little on the 6 and 7 % grades along the California coast and in some parts of the high deserts and also in Oregon. At about 25000 miles on the odometer I had magnuson superchargers of Ventua California install a supercharger that is tuned to deliver just around 440 hp. It has really made a huge difference, we’ve racked up around 45000 miles since the upgrade. I was really worried about the reported weak internals that the Pentastar engine seems to suffer from and because of that I run the Lucas oil treatment with my oil changes, and thus far absolutely no troubles at all! The truck is pretty much a beast when it comes to power. without the trailer attached the thing is like a muscle truck. I have a co-worker who has a 2000 ford (supercharged)lightning pickup that I’ve smoked, and recently I did the same to a 2017 dodge charger R/T the one with the 5.7 naturally aspirated HEMI engine. Don’t get me wrong I am not going around racing my gladiator … and like I said originally I just wanted the little extra power for the trailer, and with that it does great! But really in hindsight if I could do it all over again I would have just left my engine stock cause it did just fine!

 

[BlackRuby23]

Do you think your Gladiator is lacking power or are you happy with it?

I am totally happy with the engine power. The annoyance to me is the nasty detonation sound I get intermittently. It's always under low/no throttle input when the engine is warm, between 1,800-2,200 rpm, but that's neither here nor there. Otherwise, completely satisfied with the engine performance. With the 8 speed tranny, I think this Jeep rips.

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