Questions on diesel after test drive.

[NC_Overland]

Since you had a diesel in the Canyon, is there a reason you did not buy the diesel for the Gladiator?

The canyon diesel sucks. I didn’t even consider it when I bought my Canyon. It’s not a good engine and it’s a 4 cylinder and extremely weak. It’s not a good or relevant comparison.

your main issue it’s your gearing. You put 35s on with stock gears and didn’t expect it to make a big difference on towing power? You need 4.56 gears. That would be a hell of a lot cheaper than the loss you’ll take tradinf it in and getting a new, more expensive gladiator. And that’s before getting into the much more expensive operating costs of the diesel.

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[NC_Overland]

A diesel that cheated on emissions, company had the shit sued out of them, it was such a big deal all the cars were recalled and bought back and a documentary was done on it because it was such an issue.

Not a good comparison and current days VW's are pieces of shit, they were never known for a diesel.

Everyone cheated. They were the first to get caught and took the wrath of it. They were the only company who actually treated their customers fairly afterwards and way overpaid or compensated their customers. They were actually great engines. Get off your high horse. Jesus.

 

[jbehrn]

come to think of it I do remember something about Fiat being involved

I have had my Diesel Gladiator for a month and it has never re-gened

Filter Replacement? I only have 20k on my other diesel truck but a friend with same truck has 150k and never replaced the filter.

How many miles did your VW have that you had to replace the filter?

From my memory it was at about 110k miles (I’m not aware of the average lifespan for VWs at the time so I don’t know if that was normal or not - VW did warranty it for 10 years or 100k miles). I don’t believe the design they had allowed more than a few regens and it couldn’t be renewed via a shaker. Coupling that with it being placed on the back of the engine at the firewall (engine had to be pulled to change it) the total cost to replace ate any fuel savings... I doubt that Jeep has the particulate filter in an inaccessible and I would guess that the filter has a better design... However I don’t know and thought I’d ask.

 

[CreepyJeepy]

My feedback is towing in cool temps with the diesel is great. The torque is awesome. But if you tow in high temps, I’d regear the gasser.

The Diesel engine is a very complex animal, the more complex, the higher the probability of issues.

But I do love mine.

Get an obd2 BLE+ adapter, and pull down my gauges and monitor temps while you tow.

I tow 3500lbs camper quite often. RPOD189.

 

[smlobx]

I have had diesels all my life and currently have 2; a ‘14 Grand Cherokee Ecodiesel and an F-350.
there is no doubt that the diesel has a lot of torque and will tow your trailer. You need to be aware that a diesel is not for repeated short trips. That will kill the exhaust system if you use it repeatedly for stop and go traffic. We just came back from a trip from VA to NH and back and averaged almost 30 mpg in the GC. Your mileage with the diesel Gladiator will not be as good but better than the 3.6 gas.

The biggest issue in reading what you’ve done is your increased tire size. You might want to consider re-gearing to keep your rpm’s in the best range which will improve your mileage and cost considerably less than buying a new truck..

 

[WXman]

How are people towing some the trailers they show in their posts?


Thanks in advance.

The way I handled it is by NOT ordering a Rubicon. Very few people really need a front locker or a 4:1 t-case. I find that payload and fuel economy is more advantageous so I've avoided the Rubicon on my last two builds.

I also decided this time to give the diesel's ability to haul and tow priority over the rated payload. Load carrying can be solved much more easily than inadequate power and torque.

 

[Josh00333]

Max tow package and a supercharger is my plan to defeat the payload and power issues.
Aux tank should solve the range issue but not the mpg

 

[Josh00333]

Serious answer;
As others stated, drop to factory tires and or regear. Running big tires robs a lot of power and changes how that power is delivered.
You would get a lot of usability back and it would be a lot less than a diesel.
But, the diesel aside for the heat issues is an awesome rig.

 

[Mastermind]

Ive been pleased with the towing of my JTRD:

Have towed 6 different trailers weighing 800-4500#
2hr trips were the longest.
Towing will cut the mileage from 24 down to 18mpg.
Wind resistance on large campers and rag top back cuts fuel economy.
Plenty of power to go 85mph / pass on hills where needed.

Never smelled any diesel scent other than at the fuel station.

 

[OMTBiker]

Following up on this, the "35s" should not have that big of an impact. The BFG K02s are only 4 lbs heavier than the stock Falkens and measured out to only 33.6", wheels were a few pounds heavier than stock. Sure there is some difference in rotating mass but the majority of that hit would be on acceleration. I did regear back in January and the regear did not help at all. I also have a person in our local club that has heavy 35s towing a 5000 lb trailer and getting 11-12 mpg.

I ended up selling the Gladiator 3 weeks after having it re-geared and went back to a Wrangler, I still believe there was some other problem with the engine that unfortunately did not present any check engine lights, etc. Overall average for mine while towing was 6-7 mpg. Sold the trailer back in April and ordered a smaller off-road/off-grid trailer for now, getting 15-16 while towing with the Wranglers. Still looking at maybe getting another Gladiator, in diesel this time, just for towing at some point in the future.

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