2 Door versus 4 Door in High Winds.

[631_Islander]

Just dropped my cousin off at JFK as he is going to see his parents after almost a year. I have his 2 Door Base Sport JL (2019) for the next two weeks. It is a bare bones factory stock Hard Top with an A/C, the Turbo 4 and an 8 Speed Automatic. Nothing else.

Interestingly tonight (Dec 24th) into Tomorrow morning (Dec 25th), we will be having a significant rain maker hitting Long Island with 60 MPH winds. Will for sure be checking out how his 2 Door Sport behaves versus my 4 Door Rubicon in the 60 MPH cross wind gusts on the Long Island Expressway. Given the supposed relative unstability of the 2 door versus the 4 door, cousin thinks I will hate the 2 door a lot in high winds on the highway as I already hate my 4 door in those conditions. Wonder if anybody on this forum has experienced both the 2 door and the 4 Door JL in a wind storm and what they think.

Once drove my factory stock JLUR last summer in the middle of a Tropical Storm on the Highway with the Soft Top on. Never doing that again. The Jeep hated going above 60 MPH. Maybe I will slap the Hard Top back on in case I want to do that again.

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[Hound Dog]

It will handle like a jeep instead of an SUV.

 

[multicam]

I’ve driven through some moderate winds in my 2-door and it can get crazy. Drive safe!

 

[At Risk Ute]

Gonna be sporty / white knuckles. One benefit is his hardtop. You won’t have wind blowing between and separating the soft top roof and rear window on the windward side.

 

[The Fixer]

Yeah the 2-door soft top does not like high winds, that's for sure! I wish they had a longer velcro section instead of a tiny square at each corner by the B-pillar. That would make things feel much better IMO.

Between our two, the 4-door definitely behaves a little better in heavy crosswinds. Just keep the speeds moderate and you should be just fine though.

 

[Timmyjoe]

Yeah, it will be exciting to say the least. Had my two door out in a high wind blizzard in rural Iowa last winter and I got to experience blowing off the road numerous times. Never had a vehicle do that as easily as the Jeep, including a jacked up Toyota 4-Wheel Drive pickup and a Ford Ranger I used to own. But you get used to it and compensate.

Best,
-Tim

 

[ScoobyBlue]

IMHO asking about high winds in a two or four door.....I mean it’s a Jeep Wrangler. Face it, it’s gonna suck.

Like I wonder if there’s much driving difference in high winds between a Lotus Elise and a Long Nose Pete. Lol

Just havin fun, to quote the song, “And since we’ve no place to go, slap a hoe slap a hoe slap a hoe.”

 

[631_Islander]

Yeah the 2-door soft top does not like high winds, that's for sure! I wish they had a longer velcro section instead of a tiny square at each corner by the B-pillar. That would make things feel much better IMO.

Between our two, the 4-door definitely behaves a little better in heavy crosswinds. Just keep the speeds moderate and you should be just fine though.

He also once drove my JLUR in a Windstorm with my hard top slapped on. In his experience he liked my 4 door better in inclement weather as he found it more stable. He however was not a big fan of my Rubicon being taller plus bigger factory tires than his Base Sport. He said that made the Rubicon a little more difficult for him to handle on highway versus his Wife's 4Runner SR5.

Now it is my turn to experience the 2 door. Waiting for the weather to turn bad later tonight.

Guess waiting for bad weather to test our rigs is definitely a Jeep thing, isnt it lol?

 

[631_Islander]

IMHO asking about high winds in a two or four door.....I mean it’s a Jeep Wrangler. Face it, it’s gonna suck.

Like I wonder if there’s much driving difference in high winds between a Lotus Elise and a Long Nose Pete. Lol

Just havin fun, to quote the song, “And since we’ve no place to go, slap a hoe slap a hoe slap a hoe.”

Just did a quick test drive in his two door. Was too tired in the morning to judge it. Some differences I noticed esp with his engine (a 2019 Turbo 4 with eTorque) versus mine (a 2020 Pentastar without eTorque).

1. The ESS operation is a lot smoother in his Jeep versus mine. I always turn off the ESS in mine. Dont really care if the ESS is off or on due to the eTorque in his Jeep.

2. The transmission isnt as smooth when mated with his Turbo 4 versus my Pentastar. It jerks around a little. Its not much but I can still feel that slight jerk. Its as if the Transmission manufacturer designed it with the Pentastar in mind rather than a Turbo 4. Its not a negative in my mind but not a positive either. It is definitely something I can live with if I had the Turbo 4.

3. That Turbo overall gives a nice boost and makes for a more fun and peppier drive. Maybe the lighter weight of his 2 door also makes it more fun.

All in all, I like his Turbo 4. If I were to get me a second Jeep my engine choice could be driven by whether I want a 2 door or a 4 door. If 2 door then the Turbo 4 will be my preference as I liked that boost. Felt like I am a 20 something year old (I am 34 and a married father of a 3 year old girl). But if my next rig is a 4 door then I would still prefer the Pentastar. The overall refinement is something I would prefer when driving something heavier.

Let me know what you guys think of this assessment of mine.

 

[cosine]

@631_Islander

my 2 door base model with the hard top is not all that bad in the wind, cross drafts, etc. its just one of those things to be aware of. yeah, i've had a couple of white knuckle rides. have you tried a 2 door with the 3.6 and 8 spd auto. thats what i have and its a rocket ship.

 

[Wolfy]

How it handles in the wind could also be greatly affected depending on if it has the new steel steering gear of the stock alu unit. Wandering and excess play in the steering wheel would magnify the problem.

 

[631_Islander]

How it handles in the wind could also be greatly affected depending on if it has the new steel steering gear of the stock alu unit. Wandering and excess play in the steering wheel would magnify the problem.

He got the TSB done a while ago (unlike my lazy ass).

 

[Smoke ‘Em]

My experience is similar to Cosine’s. 3.6, auto, JLR.

I have never had any issues in 50 and 60 mph gusts or in 30 mph sustained crosswinds.

At 85mph on a KS turnpike with a 30mph wind gusting to 50+, yeah, you have to chase it around a little, but I never felt like it was out of my control.

 

[631_Islander]

My experience is similar to Cosine’s. 3.6, auto, JLR.

I have never had any issues in 50 and 60 mph gusts or in 30 mph sustained crosswinds.

At 85mph on a KS turnpike with a 30mph wind gusting to 50+, yeah, you have to chase it around a little, but I never felt like it was out of my control.

Waiting on the winds outside to pick up a little. Then testing time!

 

[631_Islander]

Waiting on the winds outside to pick up a little. Then testing time!

UPDATE: just went out for a quick spin on the Long Island Expressway. I was expecting myself to get ragdolled like a Pornstar's date on Saturday night.

But it wasnt too too bad at 65MPH. My 4 door handles better in the cross wind for sure but surprisingly the 2 door didnt do as bad as I had expected. But I wouldn't be comfortable going above 70 in a 40 to 50MPH cross wind while driving the 2 door. The 4 door I might be able to push to 75 if needed I think but it will be white knuckles by then.

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