All differences between Rubicon and Sport with Max Tow?

[LostWoods]

I fail to see how, between the lift and the 40" tires, that this truck would be anything other than a toy with the bed being as high as it will be. This is also a lot of investment in a daily driver/family truckster that may see trails perhaps one out of every thousand miles and is being built to tackle a very small portion of a very specific trail.

Lets say the trail fairy comes and waves her wand and presto, you suddenly have the gladiator of your dreams. And she covered the taxes, dmv and insurance! And a tank of fuel!! She's good like that. Now in the next 365 days how many days would be spent on trails and of these days how many would be capable in a stock truck.

For myself I have two scheduled full day outings and an unknown amd variable number of days plowing, one year it was 45 and this year it was 1. I also have an unknown number of incidental days doing tasks, which i could say is 5. It would be a very tough sell to say Honey, I NEED to set aside 10% of the household income because one of the rock at massmog is just a little too big for me to get over easily and we will only be deriving any benefits perhaps two weeks a year. A very hard sell indeed.

Also, the safety packages are not designed to detect trees and rocks like you are thinking. Will they? They might, until the sensor gets mushed. The best tools on the trail are the good old fashioned Mk.1 mod.0 eyeballs and mirrors & spotters. Adaptive cruise is useless off a highway. The cameras are cute but are no replacement for going in a pair, one is none two is one and all that.

Just trying to shed a little contrast on project and not trying to dump on the dream. I support what you want to do but want to see you happy not broke.

Good to see some sanity in this thread. IMO, there's no getting around that this is a 137" wheelbase pickup and it's not going to do typical "Jeep" things as well as a JLU will. You get less payload than a JLU with a standard 8AT and only a couple hundred more with the Rubicon or max tow. The only reason to pick this truck over a JLU for a crawly toy is because you truly value the look of a pickup over capability because it's an inferior choice in nearly every other way.

For mixed use, however, it's a great choice. 35's and a 2.5" lift make a very capable truck that will more than keep up with any Toyota that isn't SAS'd while still being an appropriate height for trips to Home Depot on the weekend. That is where these trucks truly shine and are what pulled me over from my Tacoma.

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[futzin']

The only reason to pick this truck over a JLU for a crawly toy is because you truly value the look of a pickup over capability because it's an inferior choice in nearly every other way.

Let's not overlook the fact that the JTR has twice (7000 lbs) the towing capability as the JL. People that don't use the JT for towing tend to forget the towing aspect. I still say many folks tend to think of the JT as an improved Scrambler, not as an actual truck (including many dealers).

 

[ACAD_Cowboy]

Running some numbers

Currie 9" front and rear axle with arb air locker - ~$18,000
Teraflex 4.5" Alpine suspension ~$4,800
Teraflex Falcon shocks, 4 - ~$1,700
Adams 1350 driveshaft front and rear - ~$1,700
Wrangler MT/R 40" tire, 4 - ~$2,200
17x9 8 lug wheels, 4 - ~$1,200
Calipers, pads, rotors - ~$1,000
Master cylinder - ~$200

Just the axles, lift, wheels and tires is nominally $30,800 plus either shop labor or sweat equity ( you aren't free and neither is your time due to opportunity costs and down time). That's most of the cost of the truck, no matter which model.

 

[Elanachan]

For mixed use, however, it's a great choice. 35's and a 2.5" lift make a very capable truck that will more than keep up with any Toyota that isn't SAS'd while still being an appropriate height for trips to Home Depot on the weekend. That is where these trucks truly shine and are what pulled me over from my Tacoma.

Mixed use is exactly why I'm looking at the JT over a JL, it needs to be a jack of all trades type vehicle, capable of towing, doing those Home Depot runs, and tackling the obstacles on the trails I would be taking it on without getting stuck, something I would probably do to some extent every summer.

We have a prius for day to day use when we don't need a truck or a second vehicle, part of the JT's job is to fill the void left by my frontier when we sold it which was used as a work truck, secondary commute vehicle, and offroad vehicle, as well as enabling us to have something that can pull trailers again.

 

[Elanachan]

Running some numbers

Currie 9" front and rear axle with arb air locker - ~$18,000
Teraflex 4.5" Alpine suspension ~$4,800
Teraflex Falcon shocks, 4 - ~$1,700
Adams 1350 driveshaft front and rear - ~$1,700
Wrangler MT/R 40" tire, 4 - ~$2,200
17x9 8 lug wheels, 4 - ~$1,200
Calipers, pads, rotors - ~$1,000
Master cylinder - ~$200

Just the axles, lift, wheels and tires is nominally $30,800 plus either shop labor or sweat equity ( you aren't free and neither is your time due to opportunity costs and down time). That's most of the cost of the truck, no matter which model.

What would your suggestion be on which order to do these upgrades in, as it would be in incremental stages as it can be afforded?

 

[whiteglad]

You could buy and tow a JLR with your JT instead of spending the money trying to make the JT an ultimate rock climber.

 

[Alabama Mud Machine]

What would your suggestion be on which order to do these upgrades in, as it would be in incremental stages as it can be afforded?

I wouldn’t go with those Currie 9” axles...

Quadratec has Mopar Dana 60 (complete with brakes) drop-ins for the JL/JT for around $15,000 a set (F&R). MUCH stronger IMO.

that would also be the time to do suspension.

Suspension & axles, and tires & wheels are first. Then go from there.

 

[Elanachan]

You could buy and tow a JLR with your JT instead of spending the money trying to make the JT an ultimate rock climber.

Wouldn't the net cost be lower to spec the JT than to get a third vehicle?

 

[ACAD_Cowboy]

Mixed use is not 40" tires and a BIG lift.

As @LostWoods said, 35's and a gentle 2.5" lift should be more than enough. Should you need a helping hand I'd invest in a nice mile marker front and rear and skids & armor.

 

[Elanachan]

Mixed use is not 40" tires and a BIG lift.

As @LostWoods said, 35's and a gentle 2.5" lift should be more than enough. Should you need a helping hand I'd invest in a nice mile marker front and rear and skids & armor.

Stuff like what was captured in the video bellow is why I am looking at larger than 37 inch tires, as that is what the vehicle shown was equipped with:

 

[ACAD_Cowboy]

I wouldn’t go with those Currie 9” axles...

Quadratec has Mopar Dana 60 (complete with brakes) drop-ins for the JL/JT for around $15,000 a set (F&R). MUCH stronger IMO.

that would also be the time to do suspension.

Suspension & axles, and tires & wheels are first. Then go from there.

The cost difference would get gobbled up in building a steering system.

But the point is the costs involved are not small.

@Elanachan the fastest way to make it happen would be to start at the bottom; to do axles and suspension it all has to get ripped out but it open up the opportunity to put it all back as a set. This lets you buy and do sub assemblies pushed into the shop corner. If you have the axles setup with the brakes, wheels and tires, you only need to lift it enough to get the stock parts out and the new parts in, roll out and roll in. Once the axles with arms are out of the way the springs fall out and the shocks only need uppers undone and then attack drive shafts.

But you need to have them at the ready, how many thousands are you prepared to throw on the fire in addition to the acquisition of the (any) JT? If I was having this family discussion with my family I'd be woken up at about 4am with the gentle whisper of "No." based on cash outlay alone.

 

[LostWoods]

Let's not overlook the fact that the JTR has twice (7000 lbs) the towing capability as the JL. People that don't use the JT for towing tend to forget the towing aspect. I still say many folks tend to think of the JT as an improved Scrambler, not as an actual truck (including many dealers).

Fair point, but that top statement from me was mostly regarding the truck being purchased as a toy where modifications would go well beyond a FUBAR tow rating. I do definitely fall into the aforementioned Scrambler category that I don't really see a mid-size when I think "towing" though.

But adding to that, I don't think even 35's and a 2.5" lift are a good idea if you really want to tow heavily with this truck unless you are upgrading to 4.88's to compensate for the tires and are just doing spacers in the rear. I don't know of any lift kits that would retain a firm enough rear spring that I'd feel remotely comfortable towing near a 7k rating and even less so if it were through CO passes or across windy states.

 

[ACAD_Cowboy]

Stuff like what was captured in the video bellow is why I am looking at larger than 37 inch tires, as that is what the vehicle shown was equipped with:

I blame the hitch, not the tires. To be honest I'd take shit out of the truck. But in the end, winch saves the day, probably should have saved all the horror and winched it once it touched down. But I wheel different with very different trucks.

 

[smlobx]

This build ( if real) is going to run $100K which clearly places it in the toy category.
If the OP is coming from a Frontier (!) just get a Stock Rubicon and learn to drive it well. A stock Rubicon is way more capable than 99% of the people who drive them and can tackle 90% of the trails out there.

When I was teaching High Performance driving with PCA it was the same thing. Everyone wanted to add bits and pieces to their Porsche in the hope of dropping their lap time a second or three. I specifically bought a 944S2 (200 hp) as a tool to teach people how to drive. It was a hoot when this little car gets on the rear bumper of a GT3 with twice the HP and my student realizes that the car (Jeep) is far more capable than the driver...

off my soapbox now...;-)

 

[Elanachan]

If the OP is coming from a Frontier (!) just get a Stock Rubicon and learn to drive it well.

I am not inexperienced, take a look at the photos of it in my garage page, the rear locker was required for some of the trails I took it on. I'm trying to expand on vehicle capability so I can tackle obstacles like what was shown in the vid without making being winched up a requirement, as I would much rather save it for actual vehicle rescue than simply compensating for the reduced departure angle compared to a JL, especially sense winching over stuff like that isn't always an option.

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