Is it me, or does the JT really struggle...

[donaldus]

...going up hills. I swear, I could be driving it empty and it still drops the mpgs and sounds like it struggles even up small grades. Today I drove it up a park road (pavement) ranging from 9-11 degrees and it dropped all the way down to 2nd gear.

On highways, any hill requires pretty good gas pedal depression to maintain speed. I can IMMEDIATELY feel when there is even a slight slope because the Jeep will slow down in 2 seconds.

ETA: paved road hills. Off road it is great!

install a ror pedal or the like…changed my gladiator for the better

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[Dan in Pasadena]

It's you.

 

[joeym7]

install a ror pedal or the like…changed my gladiator for the better

That is a great idea...How did you mount that little screen unit? Or do you just lay it in the cup holder like in this vid.

 

[Biff Happy]

How ‘bout post war willys Jeep had one engine for all models, the 60hp ‘hurricane’ used to power the little cj’s used to power full size trucks and sedans, your top speed at a (actual) screaming 5000 rpm was probably 50 mph at best if you didn’t mind the engine sounding ready to explode and uphill speeds of 30mph unloaded.

 

[Biff Happy]

My 2006 LJR MT with 4.0 is pretty good on a flat but to pass at speed or going up a grade you gotta down shift to 4th or even 3rd to. maintain speed and you better have a good size gap in oncoming traffic (like no one coming) to make a pass. And I’m getting 13-15 mpg hwy on 32”. The JT can make 20-24 mpg on the same route. The 4.0 really sounds like it’s working over 3000 rpm and you. can see the gas gauge dropping. 4.0 runs great off-road just make sure to your jerrycans.

 

[CMac]

The JT is slug. But's supposed to be. Low end torque at low speeds.…..
Know your roll.

Yes!! I’ve never understood why people want to drive a Jeep like it’s an AMG Benz or a M5 Beemer….or it doesn’t get the gas mileage of a Prius…makes zero sense.

 

[steelponycowboy]

I've owned 37 Jeeps since 1972. I loved the 401 in my J20. I loved the diesel in my JTR until my DPF failed at 8k miles. Before that plenty of power and 26mpg. Now lucky to get 15 and power is no better than the 3.6 in my JKUR

 

[WK2JT]

I've owned 37 Jeeps since 1972. I loved the 401 in my J20. I loved the diesel in my JTR until my DPF failed at 8k miles. Before that plenty of power and 26mpg. Now lucky to get 15 and power is no better than the 3.6 in my JKUR

Yeah, I loved the diesel in my WK2, but diesel emissions are delicate. I miss not having that torque in my JT, but like the relatively better peace of mind of the 3.6. With gears the 3.6 really isn’t too shabby.

 

[BAT]

It's a TRUCK. It's built for any conditions on or off road. As such it's not made to win races but to get there no matter what.
It's not a race car.

Spot on.

 

[HardDriveMB]

I think others have probably answered this better than I and I’m a little late coming to the party on this one but saw it and had to throw my 2 cents in...

I would caution against mistaking a downshift and high RPM for "struggling". It's an 8-speed auto to give it a range of options for power vs economy attached to a motor that gets its best torque at high RPMs. This is a drastic change from previous Jeeps. For example, my ‘90 YJ's 2.5L motor would blow a waterpump quite consistently if I maintained RPMs at 3000 or more for an extended time (a few hours). My ‘06 TJ's 4.0 motor (3.73 diffs 34” tires 6-spd manual) doesn't like to be held high either... its power band is right around 2300-2900 RPMs whereas the JT Pentastar 3.6L’s power band is generally around 4800-6400 RPM's. (mine is also 4.10 gears max tow) There’s also a major power difference between the two 6-cylinders, the 4.0L as stock was rated at 185 horsepower compared with the stock 3.6L at 285 horsepower and the TJ weighs in around 4500 pounds, if I remember correctly, not too far from the JT (Thank you, aluminum). The TJ typically gets around 13-16MPG. Around Florida highways, the JT gets around 20MPG, when I took it up north through the mountains in upstate New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire over the summer, I was getting 24MPG.

As far as comparing the acceleration of a JT to that of a car, that’s comparing apples to oranges… expecting a JT to accelerate the same is kind of like taking a Honda on a trail it was never designed for.

That said, both of my Jeeps are faster than most people think they are… and that’s just the way I like it.

 

[RiverMtnBeach]

Compared to the 4.7L v8 commander I traded, the v6 in the JT does a great job! Max Tow with lift and 35s did way better towing a 4800lb travel trailer up mtn roads to 7000ft on an 85 degree day. The commander used to run hot and had to stop on turn outs. Is it a towing beast!? No, but didn’t even phase it. Not going to win any races, but it’s a great compromise.

 

[joeym7]

Yea, not optimized for High-Speed cruzing, but it is optomized for off-road (best in class easilly), especially the Rubicon and Mojave...

How fast do you need to go off road anyway, the thing tops out at what 97mph (?). My Mo' comes in in 2 months or so, but I've seen enough vids that shows some respectable reviews driving the thing off road with plenty of accelaration and speed for the task. And obviously, power is only one component, vehicles with more power but a lesser suspension and even gear ratio's are not going to do near as well in a challanging off-road segment (not in this mid-size class for sure).

If you want to stay in the mid size class and want a little more power, look at the Frointeer Pro4X, has a little more ponies and tourqe so although it will not come close to a jeep off road, it might meet your needs better on pavement...And you will save a lot of $$$ vs the top Gladiator models.

 

[FormerToyotaGuy]

How ‘bout post war willys Jeep had one engine for all models, the 60hp ‘hurricane’ used to power the little cj’s used to power full size trucks and sedans, your top speed at a (actual) screaming 5000 rpm was probably 50 mph at best if you didn’t mind the engine sounding ready to explode and uphill speeds of 30mph unloaded.

That is interesting perspective My father's two uncles the younger of which is now 95. Back in the day would deer hunt in Montana and drive all the way from northern California in a flat fender Willy's. I was told top speed was about 50 mph and kept it about 45 mph all the way. PS I'd love to have the truck in pic in a barn

I had at one time in college a 1992 YJ with the 4.0L fuel injection and the 3.7 would stomp the 4.0L in terms of power. Way back in day I drove dad's 304 v8 Jeep CJ 5 and again the 3.7 has more power. The 3.7 is notably better than the 2016 3.5 Tacoma it replaced. That truck had ZERO low end power.

 

[KWin]

Now if someone could make an exhaust that cancled the noise from every other pulse the high reving engines would sound like the torque-y monsters we want to hear while driving a truck. ?

 

[CMac]

My '90 YJ, with the 4.2 258 ci I-6.... was an absolute gutless pig. Roadtrip on the highway, uphill with a headwind? Hmmm. Might look into a bus ticket instead.

Still, offroad, it could climb buttpuckeringly steep hills, hop over rocks, go thru mud, sand or snow whenever or wherever i wanted it to and turned like a shopping cart. I only got it stuck once and that was a high-center on a pile of compressed snow (ice). It did all this on teeny 31x10.50 BFG A/T's.... and with--sit down for this now--NO LOCKERS. Holy $#it, Katy, bar the door!

A major benefit, despite its lack of rocketship speed on the freeway....I'd drop the top, take off the doors and hit the street with my big English Bulldog buckled into the front seat... then just collect phone numbers from the ladies. I loved my gutless YJ. Had it for 16 years...and it rarely--if it ever--let me down.

Whenever I read all these posts about Jeeps that need 37" tires, regearing, sky-high lifts, lockers front and rear, i wonder if these owners have actually wheeled the Jeep to really see what it WILL DO (directly off the dealership lot) before dropping several thousand dollars on "upgrades" that seem to invite problems down the road. Many of these same people complain that the Jeep "only goes 97 mph"... or that it doesn't drift like a WRX or that it lost in a light-to-light drag race against a Tesla. These "struggles" are a complete joke.

As much as I loved my YJ, I love the JT more.

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