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Why no max tow with the manual transmission?

kd1yt

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Uh. I own a 6MT and have driven a variety of commercial vehicles with standard transmissions. The JL/JT 6MT shifts very nicely. And the clutch is fine too. What sucks is the huge jump from 2-3rd, and the tall 5th and 6th gears. 6th is so tall I wish they had just spaced everything out much more evenly. As it is now you have to be over 3200 RPM to stay above 2000 RPM shifting to 2nd and 3rd. Apart from the clutch the real issue that I think Jeep won't mention is that the gearing combined with the 3.6 leaves something to be desired. Wish they made the 2.0T (more low end torque), the 4XE or the diesel with a manual, or heck bring back the 4.7v8.... I love my JT but you have to drive it like a sports car to get it to perform in ordinary street traffic.
I've come to think of this transmission as the equivalent of an "old school real-truck 4 speed" (1970s and earlier "work truck") - a really low 1st to get a substantial load moving from a dead stop, including a stop on an uphill slope, and then 2nd gear acting almost like a high 1st gear, and then a semi-normal pair of 3rd and 4th gears - but then in our case of the JT MT, with the addition of two pretty tall overdrives stacked on top (one (5th) high overdrive, and the other (6th) a really, really high overdrive)

I'd have personally preferred more even spacing across all six speeds. And I'd dance for joy at more low end torque.

But once I embraced and started to drive it like I describe above (old school real-truck 4 speed), and I also keep in mind that significant torque is sort of missing in action below about 1800 RPM -instead of what I'd wished it was- it actually works pretty well.
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ShadowsPapa

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Mine definitely changed. I'd say it was BETTER towing ~4800 pounds than it was towing 1600 pounds in 2020. May sound weird, but if I had to get my trailer somewhere far away, I'd want a load on it! The truck would do better.
I'd have to agree with you on towing a light trailer my LJ got better MPG towing my 4wheeler on the light trailer I got for it.
Now on with the subject of JT Manual transmission I test drove a few long before I got my Max-Tow to include a Rubicon I really thought the clutch was crappy and weak (in all the Jeep's I drove) I'm possible jaded on heavy clutch feel. I started driving old Ford's 3 on tree and 4 on floor, tractors to M35 2 1/2 tons, 5 tons with 5 speeds, VW golf's, vans and few other European cars to my LJ.
 

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No, really seriously! Honest!
Oh, wait - there was just a bill introduced in the house - something about Florida being declared a manual transmission-free state because all of the college kids down there get too confused............it was hurting their feelings and they declared discrimination.
 

matt.firstlife

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I don’t know what all variations Jeep has out there but I have a 2021 Freedom Edition that has all the components of the Max-Tow and I have the manual transmission. I even looked to make sure because I knew it wasn’t supposed to be offered. But I have the wider axles, bigger brakes, bigger alternator, trailer brake setup and wiring. The window sticker and Jeep Inventory even says max-tow package included. I have no idea…🤷🏼‍♂️
 
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flsupraguy

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No, really seriously! Honest!
Oh, wait - there was just a bill introduced in the house - something about Florida being declared a manual transmission-free state because all of the college kids down there get too confused............it was hurting their feelings and they declared discrimination.
Wow! You get all the new info! Move over fox and cnn
 

ShadowsPapa

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I don’t know what all variations Jeep has out there but I have a 2021 Freedom Edition that has all the components of the Max-Tow and I have the manual transmission. I even looked to make sure because I knew it wasn’t supposed to be offered. But I have the wider axles, bigger brakes, bigger alternator, trailer brake setup and wiring. The window sticker and Jeep Inventory even says max-tow package included. I have no idea…🤷🏼‍♂️
Does it say MAX tow, or just "tow package". MAX tow is very different.
ALL tow packages, all of them have the bigger alternator and the brake pads are the same if you look up the actual pad part numbers.

Look again at the details. I have the largest alternator, I have the heavier fans, I have the HD brakes, but it's just a "tow package".
ALL Gladiators have the trailer wiring - all of them, even with no tow package. That means there's the connector for the trailer brake controller at the left kick panel even if you don't have a receiver under the bumper.
 

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Uh. I own a 6MT and have driven a variety of commercial vehicles with standard transmissions. The JL/JT 6MT shifts very nicely. And the clutch is fine too. What sucks is the huge jump from 2-3rd, and the tall 5th and 6th gears. 6th is so tall I wish they had just spaced everything out much more evenly. As it is now you have to be over 3200 RPM to stay above 2000 RPM shifting to 2nd and 3rd. Apart from the clutch the real issue that I think Jeep won't mention is that the gearing combined with the 3.6 leaves something to be desired. Wish they made the 2.0T (more low end torque), the 4XE or the diesel with a manual, or heck bring back the 4.7v8.... I love my JT but you have to drive it like a sports car to get it to perform in ordinary street traffic.
That was something else that chapped people with this new manual trans. 1st is deeper, but 2nd through 6th ALL got taller which made the Jeep feel slower than the outgoing JK model. I remember a lot of trash talk over that early on.
 

AKDrifter

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You guys are hilarious.
So Sunday I was moving a trailer around my trailer yard with the Jeep instead of my big Ford. I like using the Jeep for parking that trailer after rentals because it's just more maneuverable and a lot easier to back up with. So since I was totally hooked up I said to the wife let's go see how it actually tows. Ours is an August 2019 build 6 speed Rubicon. This particular trailer is 4400lbs wet weighed on the scale so right at the max of what it's rated for. Got onto the freeway and in 3rd gear I could not get above 55mph going up a slight hill. In 4th I could maintain the 65mph speed limit on the flat. Since we don't have a transmission temperature gauge I was just watching engine coolant temp. Coolant temp cruising was 185 degrees. Go to the on ramp to head back, push the clutch in, and that coolant would almost immediately go to 220. After releasing the clutch rolling again it would drop back to 185. It did this every single time I pushed in the clutch. Definitely made me aware of how hot that clutch/transmission is getting. Jeep has assured everyone it's still rated for 4500lbs but I would not tow anywhere with it unless I absolutely had to. At the end of the day the Jeep will do it, extremely underpowered, but it was very stable, braked fine, but not knowing if the clutch would suddenly let go is a little unnerving. If I tow it again I'll make a video of the temperature gauge.
 

ShadowsPapa

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You guys are hilarious.
So Sunday I was moving a trailer around my trailer yard with the Jeep instead of my big Ford. I like using the Jeep for parking that trailer after rentals because it's just more maneuverable and a lot easier to back up with. So since I was totally hooked up I said to the wife let's go see how it actually tows. Ours is an August 2019 build 6 speed Rubicon. This particular trailer is 4400lbs wet weighed on the scale so right at the max of what it's rated for. Got onto the freeway and in 3rd gear I could not get above 55mph going up a slight hill. In 4th I could maintain the 65mph speed limit on the flat. Since we don't have a transmission temperature gauge I was just watching engine coolant temp. Coolant temp cruising was 185 degrees. Go to the on ramp to head back, push the clutch in, and that coolant would almost immediately go to 220. After releasing the clutch rolling again it would drop back to 185. It did this every single time I pushed in the clutch. Definitely made me aware of how hot that clutch/transmission is getting. Jeep has assured everyone it's still rated for 4500lbs but I would not tow anywhere with it unless I absolutely had to. At the end of the day the Jeep will do it, extremely underpowered, but it was very stable, braked fine, but not knowing if the clutch would suddenly let go is a little unnerving. If I tow it again I'll make a video of the temperature gauge.
That wild temperature swing is pretty normal even for an automatic. When driving back from Colorado Springs, I saw temperatures of about 190 all the way up to about 230. it would jump, then the voltage would change and the temp would drop down.
Due to the fans I'm thinking. They don't run full blast all the time. It's not just the thermostat in these things, it's the fans cycling.
Anyway, what you describe is pretty much what we saw with our automatic when the elevations or inclines on the road changed. I could watch the temperature change with the hills.
The transmission and clutch getting hot or not has nothing to do with the engine coolant temperature on these. The heat doesn't reach the engine and the engine coolant temperature isn't connected to the transmission or clutch.
Your transmission could be too hot to touch and the clutch smoking and the engine temp wouldn't change dramatically.
 

ShadowsPapa

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What's the point of this response?
As good as the point it's a response to in a "why no max tow......." thread.
What's up with people? Can't take a bit of satire or sarcasm - I noted you had a dislike for me from the first posts in the last days.
It would have faded off or otherwise been ignored so apparently you were looking to poke, maybe, perhaps?
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