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zy1337
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no, 3.6L MT. No MT in diesel sadly.
steelponycowboy
Well-Known Member
So here is my opinion for whatever it's worth.
I've been overlanding since 2006, long before it was cool or even called overlanding with the biggest Jeep overlanding club in the country.
I've had all kinds of Jeeps in those 15 years and I can tell you without a doubt that the Rubicon is the best choice for an overland build. I'd take the Mojave as the second, a distant second.
Some of the trails you might know such as the Trans America Trail and the Heart of the West (HOW) have some difficult areas and the 4/1 transfer case on the Rubicon along with the ability to switch front and rear lockers on and off is invaluable.
It will cost you much more in the long run to build up a Sport, Overland (what a joke), Sahara, etc that you would have spent in the end for a Rubicon in the beginning.
Rubicon is ready right out of the box for overlanding. Add a 2" Mopar lift, 35s or 37''s (no need to regear right away with 35's for sure), get your roof rack, RTT, 12v fridge/freezer and pack up for a week of fun,
I've been overlanding since 2006, long before it was cool or even called overlanding with the biggest Jeep overlanding club in the country.
I've had all kinds of Jeeps in those 15 years and I can tell you without a doubt that the Rubicon is the best choice for an overland build. I'd take the Mojave as the second, a distant second.
Some of the trails you might know such as the Trans America Trail and the Heart of the West (HOW) have some difficult areas and the 4/1 transfer case on the Rubicon along with the ability to switch front and rear lockers on and off is invaluable.
It will cost you much more in the long run to build up a Sport, Overland (what a joke), Sahara, etc that you would have spent in the end for a Rubicon in the beginning.
Rubicon is ready right out of the box for overlanding. Add a 2" Mopar lift, 35s or 37''s (no need to regear right away with 35's for sure), get your roof rack, RTT, 12v fridge/freezer and pack up for a week of fun,
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zy1337
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Thanks this is great input.
I didn't mention but I'm not looking at financing this vehicle and the cost difference with the rubicon is non negligible. So this also allows me to get the vehicle and add upgrades as I go.
I didn't mention but I'm not looking at financing this vehicle and the cost difference with the rubicon is non negligible. So this also allows me to get the vehicle and add upgrades as I go.
Trauma PA
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Nice rig. Can you elaborate on how you added passive entry?So I was at a cross roads like you. I had been negotiating with a Toyota Dealer on a Tacoma TRD sport 4x4 with the xp package. I looked at the Gladiators and was torn between the two. The loaded Tacoma was priced about the same as the Gladiator sport S. Then I came across a Willys that was intransit to a dealer. It had the right stuff for a good sold base for overlanding. Kinda a unicorn of Jeeps. It had the 8.4 nav and Alpine but more importantly it had the Dana 44's with 3:73 the Select Trac transfer case. 4 auto. The most useful 4x4 system I have ever had. Also LSD in the rear diff. What I really like about this system is the sure footedness. Today was a good example. When I left the house it was monsoon raining (Typical Florida Rain) As I left the driveway I shifted to 4 auto. By the time I was headed home it quit raining. I pushed it back to 2H. I am running 34x11.50 285/75/17 with only a 1.5 Terra Flex level. With the factory 2" lift easily run 35". Now my Gladiator was 45k. Of Course I put Rims, Tires, Bed cover etc on it but for the money it's well setup. Below is stock with less than 100 miles. 2nd is 3k miles as it sits. Just waiting on winch bumper. Best mods to date. Passive Entry and Sunriver for hard top. Good luck on your pick.
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steelponycowboy
Well-Known Member
So here is my opinion from nearly 60 years of Jeeping with now Jeep #37 my 2021 JT Rubicon diesel. I've been with JeepExpedtions.club for over 15 years now. Overlanding trails can vary. Some you can drive your Honda CRV on and others can have technical sections that require a bit more than a lower trim Jeep can offer. Many or in-between.
The Arizona Peace Trail comes to mind with a section called "The Good the Bad and the Ugly". There was nothing good about it. All 8 of our rigs were Rubicons and we were glad we had the more capable Jeep. Parts of the AZ BDR were so washed out that we needed lockers and I can list and go on and on. Many of the popular overland trails are the BDRs and they were designed for motorcycles not Jeeps and sections can be difficult.
I run into people all the time that buy the cheapest Jeep they can find with intentions of building it into a "Rubicon" later. In the long run you cannot save any money trying to make an "S" into a Rubicon, like I said before, I've built 37 Jeeps, I know how much it costs to build one the right way and the cost difference between an "S" and a Rubicon is less than you will spend trying to make yours a Rubicon.
The Arizona Peace Trail comes to mind with a section called "The Good the Bad and the Ugly". There was nothing good about it. All 8 of our rigs were Rubicons and we were glad we had the more capable Jeep. Parts of the AZ BDR were so washed out that we needed lockers and I can list and go on and on. Many of the popular overland trails are the BDRs and they were designed for motorcycles not Jeeps and sections can be difficult.
I run into people all the time that buy the cheapest Jeep they can find with intentions of building it into a "Rubicon" later. In the long run you cannot save any money trying to make an "S" into a Rubicon, like I said before, I've built 37 Jeeps, I know how much it costs to build one the right way and the cost difference between an "S" and a Rubicon is less than you will spend trying to make yours a Rubicon.
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zy1337
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Hey Mike,
Sorry for the confusion but the reason why I didn't get a Rubicon is because most of the suspension related upgrades (between S and upgrades) are parts I would be ditching (or selling at best). Axles and suspension will get installed next month (everything was 30-60 days backordered) when I ordered everything last month.
Cheers
Sorry for the confusion but the reason why I didn't get a Rubicon is because most of the suspension related upgrades (between S and upgrades) are parts I would be ditching (or selling at best). Axles and suspension will get installed next month (everything was 30-60 days backordered) when I ordered everything last month.
Cheers
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