Finally got my Jeep! Day 2 / 250 miles - Is All this Normal?

[mbush91]

Hi All!! I picked up my new JT on Saturday morning and overall I love it! The Sting-Gray color with the black trim of the Willys package is badass. Already kicked in the 4WD for some heavy snow. Heated seats and steering wheel are wonderful. And all the tech on board is everything I wanted. But I purchased it about 150miles from my house and was a bit surprised when I hit the express way. (This is my first every JL/JT Jeep)

I have noticed the first time I drove it that it likes to wander on the road quite a bit, more than I ever noticed with the rubi I test drove. Does the looseness in the steering just vary from truck to truck? Between that and the wind on the express-way there were times I felt like I was having trouble staying in my lane. I was pretty uncomfortable with the experience.

Then next thing that bothered me was the vibrations from the road. I could feel it all the way into my steering-wheel. It almost felt like I had a nice subwoofer and it was vibrating everything in the vehicle. Sometimes it was just a constant thrummmmm thrummmmm thrummmmm. Maybe the Mud-Tires that come with the Willys are the culprit?

Third was the road noise. It was loud but more than I would have expected. And it sounded like air was leaking in somewhere, like it was being blown in through a straw. Maybe the roof/door isn't sealing right??

Last was the MPG. I know it's a box on wheels but 13.6?

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[dakota.morgan91]

I just ordered a Willy's specd just like yours so I am curious to see what you find out!

 

[Deleted member 24880]

Check your tire pressure. They are probably over inflated from the dealer. The MT will be loud on highway speeds. As far as mpg give it time. I average 15mpg and I have 35s. It will get better and you will enjoy it more and more as you own it. Definitely took me a little while coming from a F150 as well.

 

[Unkiebunk045]

i’ve noticed that when the winds blowing it’s loud and certainly sounds like it coming in somewhere.

also for road noise it’s all relative, i came from a 2019 Ram 1500 and you could hear a pin drop inside no matter what was going on outside, so when i picked up my JT is was an adjustment. my wife has a 2020 Honda Pilot Black Edition and road noise between that and my truck seem pretty comparable.

 

[BEERviper]

I just picked up my new JT on 1/18/21 and noticed the same thing about the wandering steering. Coming from a JKU on 35's this was weird, but the first thing I checked was the tire pressure and wouldn't you know it, the dealer had all 4 tires inflated to 46 psi (cold). After reducing the tire pressure to the recommended 36 psi the wandering is no longer noticeable.

The vibration could also be due to overinflated tires?

Road noise could be from the mud terrain tires. But air noise could be the freedom panels incorrectly installed. The panels install differently than my JKU but I haven't noticed any wind noise from mine.

As for MPG, make sure you are hand calculating. The readout from the EVIC can be pretty far off from what I've seen. But if you were driving in windy conditions with a headwind that could explain it. From reading these forums the past several months it seems that 65 mph is the upper limit of maintaining decent fuel mileage. My JT has the ecoDiesel so it's a different story, I saw 19.92 mpg on the first tank - and that was with my heavy right foot and a turbo giving me a smile to every mile

 

[Kindafearless]

What everyone else said.

Unless you are being really hard in the pedal or carrying a bunch of weight, you should be seeing 18+ at the end of a tank.

You can also do a lot for road noise by adding a little insulation to the floor and roof.

If it’s a soft top and it’s windy, it’s normal for it to be fairly noisy depending on what direction the wind is coming from.

 

[j.o.y.ride]

All normal. I can feel my mud tires below 10 and over 70. Try playing with the tire pressure. The chalk test is pretty good. I would not be surprised if they are overinflated.

Wanders? Yup. Solid front axle gonna do that.
Mileage terrible? Yup, who cares!
Road noise? Yup! There's basically no sound deadening on the thing.

 

[wchevron]

From what others have mentioned on this site, the MPG should increase as you break the engine in.
I believe there is a thread here or on the Wrangler site about lowering the windshield and adjusting the brackets, they are sometimes out of line from the factory and might be the cause of the whistling you hear.
I find my '20 JLU feels like it's all over the road sometimes. I'll let the wheel go and it's tracking steady, if I wiggle it side to side, the truck moves side to side. But if highway is a little rough or windy I feel like I've got to hold the steering wheel on a 30* angle to make the truck go straight.

 

[LiftedrubiconJT]

Definitely check air pressure in tires. That helped mine a lot. Dealer had them at 45 psi. This is my first Jeep as well, a lot to get use to. Wind noise is crazy at 70 and above in mine and I daily it everyday so it took a while to get use to. Mine sounds like there is air leaking in as well when it’s super windy out. I’m surprised yours is getting a lot of the wind noise , it looks like you have the headliners. I thought that was supposed to help. I was about to purchase some. I have the mopar 2 inch lift on 35s and average 15 mpg, if I drive only city I only average about 10 mpg. Anything over 70mph and it drops down to 13 mpg. Also be prepared for your back window to start leaking as this is a big known problem

 

[IslandFalconer]

Hello, and congrats on your first Jeep. I agree with checking your tire pressure first. But if this is your first Jeep, some of this is par for the course. Solid axle trucks tend to drift a little. And Mud tires also are not the worlds best highway tire. Having owned CJ’s, YJ’s TJ’s and Jk’s I find the new JL/JT one of the best riding and quietest versions of a Jeep I’ve ever owned. That being said I have a Rubicon and I find the suspension much better than the sport I test drove. An upgraded steering damper may help as well.

 

[nbajunkie]

I've had my willy's for a month with 700 miles on it I'm averaging 13.5 mpg. It's concerning. Im waiting it out to see if it improves. But I'm thinking I'll check my tire pressure soon. But in the dead of winter is probably not the best time. Since tire pressure reading isn't as accurate as I'd like

 

[LiftedrubiconJT]

I've had my willy's for a month with 700 miles on it I'm averaging 13.5 mpg. It's concerning. Im waiting it out to see if it improves. But I'm thinking I'll check my tire pressure soon. But in the dead of winter is probably not the best time. Since tire pressure reading isn't as accurate as I'd like

Mine improved a little after 1500 miles on it

 

[cfowler55]

I have a different trim , Mojave , but it actually tracks pretty nicely. Prior to ordering I drove most of the trim levels , and AT vs MT tires. The Mojave with AT was the clear winner as far as ease of driving and road noise. Highway MPG is 21 / 15-16 mixed driving , hand calculated. So far my readout has been pretty close to actual , within a few tenths. 33“ tires & 4.10 gears. Wind noise is another thing. Definitely has plenty. Mine seems to be from the sides of the front hard top panels. Worse in a cross wind.
Charlie

 

[RavensEyeOffroad]

I just picked up my new JT on 1/18/21 and noticed the same thing about the wandering steering. Coming from a JKU on 35's this was weird, but the first thing I checked was the tire pressure and wouldn't you know it, the dealer had all 4 tires inflated to 46 psi (cold). After reducing the tire pressure to the recommended 36 psi the wandering is no longer noticeable.

I got mine, noticed same as OP and this in red.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Don't accept that "solid axle doesn't do as well" type of bunk these days. There's no excuse and no, wander or pull is NOT normal, solid axle or not. This is 2021, not 1940.
These should handle as well as any other truck with the sort of steering it has - it should be as good as a similar Chevy or Ford.
Wander can be many things - dealers often inflate the tires way over the door sticker number, or not set them down from the factory over-inflated numbers.
Your mud tires won't help handling any - and it won't be quiet. MPG will normally improve with miles. Mine jumped up after about 7,000 miles or so.
Again, solid axles can and should steer fine - NOT wander and not pull and they should be as stable as anything else out there. When you are on a highway that's at least reasonably smooth and level - where's the reason for any drift or wander? The steering you have on these is the same as any other truck (unless you find one with rack and pinion)
These will have the same sort of alignment built in - similar camber, similar caster, SAI, scrub radius and so on - so why should they wander or feel less than straight and stable? They shouldn't. So don't accept that solid axle stuff as an excuse.
Just ask those who have JTs that handle just as well as other trucks. Any that don't are abnormal.

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