My 1st, 2nd and 3rd Gladiators Compared

[Gladiatorx2]

Hello to all! Just wanted to share my experiences with three different Gladiator's.

The first was the Black Sport S. It was missing some options that I wanted such as Max Tow, Alpine Audio and Cold Weather Package. I changed the tire size and it averaged 23 MPG for the 17,000 miles that I owned it. Tire size during this time was 265/70r17.

The Stingray Rubicon had everything that I wanted an them some. I listed most of the upgrades in a previous post. During my time with it believe it or not I averaged 21 MPG on 37's with the 4.10 gear. It weighed 5780 with me in it. I drove it the easiest of the three to obtain fuel economy.

My third I still own. It is a Max Tow Sport S that stickered a little over 55k and it had all of the options that I wanted with the exception of the LED light package. I put over 11,000 miles on it in about 4 months. With the stock tires it averaged 22.3 MPG. With the 315/70r17 tires it has averaged 20.3 but admittedly I do not drive it as easily as the other two. It is simply is more fun to drive!

Out of the three the Max Tow suspension seems the most stable and the handling is crisp. That's why I am only going to a spacer lift. The non Max Tow was by far the worst in the handling department. The ride was okay but it was know where near as stable. The shocks leaked fluid from day one. Even after upgrading the shocks it just never seems right. What may seem strange to some is the ride quality was the best on the Rubicon with the 37's. But it did have a rocking motion at times due to the OEM Fox shocks . Also I should note that I do not think the Max Tow Gladiator will ever see the MPG of the other two. Even with the 245/75/17's it didn't do as well as the others did. Comparing the black one w/3.73 and the white one w/4.10 there was a 2-3 MPG difference new to new. Another thing weird between those two was after about 6,000 miles the fuel went up about 1.5 MPG on the non Max Tow ( black )one but never changed on the Max Tow ( white ) one. I can't speak for the Rubicon as I bought it used. As far as acceleration the Max Tow Gladiator by far is the best and a noticeable difference. If I buy another it will be a Max Tow....or a Mojave. I have not experienced that one yet!

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[KWin]

thank you, I love this review! I noticed some of these differences during my test driving and owning is >> than test drive.

 

[Badweather]

I must have a heavy foot because I get no where close to that mpg. I’m around 15 mpg maybe 16.5 on the highway.

 

[Gladiatorx2]

The key is definitely how driven. The Rubicon that I got used on he averaged like 12.59 MPG. He lived in Louisville, Kentucky so probably a lot of stop and go traffic...and he traded it in on a Mustang GT. My driving is mainly state highway's at 55-65 on rolling hills. Heck, I got 23-25 MPG out of my Hellcat!

 

[DanW]

Even a minor change in tire size can make a difference in the entire feel of the truck. My Rubicon felt so good with the stock 33's, I thought about not lifting it and keeping it straight stock. When I added 35's, it became mushy....The tires were the only thing I changed. It was fine, but just felt mushy and less planted on the road, particularly during sudden inputs, such as a quick lane change. I could also feel a big difference over humps on the highway. When I put the AEV Dualsport 2.5 lift on it, with the same 35" tires... moving to AEV springs and Bilstein shocks, the truck now feels better than even stock. It is much more firmly planted, the steering feels more responsive, and there is less body roll and no mush at all. It absorbs bumps and humps with more stability and control and no mush at all. The difference is even more pronounced when towing or hauling a load.

Funny how the same suspension design can vary so much with changes in combinations of shocks, tires, or springs. It was never bad. I enjoyed driving it in each configuration. It's just that now it is in a different league altogether.

Great post, OP! Really interesting! You've got a unique perspective having owned three of them and with different combinations of tires/suspension!

 

[JS52]

How did you like those goodyear's on your white JT?

 

[Gladiatorx2]

I really like them! I mounted them on Mojave wheels. I have 8,000 miles on the with one rotation. The wear pattern is even and they have wore 1/32nd. Excellent in even heavy rain. I run 33psi cold. Noise is minimal considering the fairly aggressive tread. Ride is smooth compared to the little OEM Bridgestone A/T. I lost about 2 MPG when calculating by hand but speedometer was off 9.4 %. I just corrected it tonight! Now it is exactly where it should be and it seems that it performed near exactly as new. I think the MPG will go up some. I paid like 164.00 a piece at Discount Tire. The seem like the has went up quite a bit.

 

[Dp7]

My frankengladiator has a weird mix of stuff... it's got 275/55-20 A/T tires, wide axles like the max tow, but 3.73s and suspension that's probably from the now discontinued high altitudes... It handles great - much better than my 2dr JL which had a ton of body roll and sloppy steering. That being said, I'm luuuuuucky to average 18mpg so far (driving it like a gramma, mostly country highways). I'm under 1K miles though, so I'm hopeful things will get better... I just don't know how it would jump up to 23, and I can't figure what would be causing such a big hit to my MPG.

 

[Vtur]

I barely gets those numbers with my diesel lol.

 

[whiteglad]

I have owned two Gladiators (max tow and Mojave) after two JKUs. The Mojave has been the best, and I like it better with narrower 255-80-17 tires which are E rated but about 10 lb each lighter than the stock tires. Out here in the West, 70-75 mph are the speed limits on highways and it gets about 18-20 depending on whether hilly or flat.

 

[Jaxmax]

Dp7 somewhere around 4-5,000 miles most people reported big gains in gas mileage, my Mojave went from 14 to 18 mpg. in that time period, and has stayed there for the whole time Zi’ve owned it. OP thanks for posting your observations pretty cool ….Jack

 

[Timoleon]

I have owned 2 Gladiators. The first one was a 2021 Overland. Had the V6 and stock tires and wheels. It had a few options and it rode well on the highway. I think the best mileage was on a trip across New Mexico, AZ and into California.

I liked the ride so much, I traded in my 21 Tacoma TRD Pro in for a 21 Gladiator Rubicon with just about every option on it. I still drive the Rubicon daily. It is rock stock and I have taken it on a few of the level 5 offroading trips. But, I have never achieved better than 19 MPG. Truth be told, I am happy getting 16 to 18 mpg on the long drives.

I sold the Overland and got a 24 Tundra. The MPG is the same and it tows a bit better than the Rubicon (although it has the softest rear springs that nearly makes it useless). And in a severely crazy flip flop on quality, I had the Tundra in the shop for some very expensive out of warranty repairs. I am getting rid of the Tundra at the next opportunity.

But, I do know that I am not changing the Rubicon from stock. It is the best offroader I have owned since way back when I owned my 79 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ 40 (the real one).

I guess the thing I learned about owning these off road vehicles is this:

The folks that design these vehicles spend a lot of time developing these vehicles.
Any modification to the vehicle affects the original design intent and capabilities.
Consider the pro's and cons of any change in design. What looks good in the driveway may not translate to better performance on the trail.

Enjoy these vehicles as much as you can.

Tim

 

[Gladiatorx2]

Thanks to all for your input/thoughts. I took am learning from you. On a test it's kinda like a first date, you're enamored with. Ownership is kinda like being married to it...you learn more about it. I like mine more every day!

 

[Geoarch]

I must have a heavy foot because I get no where close to that mpg. I’m around 15 mpg maybe 16.5 on the highway.

Same here: 2024 JTR 35s with 4.10.

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