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3.6 at high altitude

RokCat

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Folks in high altitude states: are you happy with the 3.6? I'm specifically interested in the 3.6 eTorque with the automatic. I drove a 2.0Turbo briefly at the Denver auto show a few years ago, and thought it was a kick in town. However, I'm really a fan of the Pentastar 3.6 I've driven in some other FCA rear wheel drive products. I've never driven a 3.6 eTorque, and it's kind of hard to find one to test drive right now. I have the 3.2 Cherokee and it's a bit of a dog in town, unfortunately. Awesome off road and in sport mode.

I'm planning to order a Rubicon. Biggest tires I would ever get would be 35". Also will be towing up to 3000lbs.

From my research, I believe it could be a bit better for hauling heavy loads and the eTorque is less prone to start/stop issues. Right now it's about a $1400 upgrade cost over the turbo, which is obviously a quicker engine. Gas mileage seems to be a wash, especially considering regular fuel vs premium.
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LarryB

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I live at about 3800ft and spend a lot of time in the mountains at higher altitudes. I have a 3.6 and it is fine. I am never lacking for power on uphill climbs.

However, I am running stock and don’t tow anything other than a mountain bike on a trailer hitch. Chances are that the turbo might better meet your needs with bigger tires/towing, but that is just my opinion.
 

Rodeoflyer

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i own a 3.6 on 37'' tires and 5.13 gears. Honestly i didn't think the 2l turbo would be reliable plus i wanted a manual trans.

It will run full to redline at 13k feet and it climbs fine now after a regear.
 

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I'm often at 6,200 ft and go up to 7K over passes. I don't notice any difference over sea level performance. Manual gearing is a little tricky in that you may be in 4th going 65 uphill. Redline is far away, so no problem, but it feels odd being at freeway speeds in an in town gear
 

Old Dogger

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In the Summer months, we are at our Cabin which is about 6,800 ft elevation. The highest elevation that we have had ours at , is about 8,000 Ft.. No problem with ours...
 

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somedude922

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I live at 750ft. Went to San Juans last year and stayed a while. No issues at 7k feet or 13.5k feet. 37s 4:10 gears. Only issue I had was lower octane gas I put it in caused it to run rich over 10k feet. Easily fixed with a new tank of gas.
 

hockeynut258

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You’ll be okay, the 3.6 does well. I don't tow with it though..
I live at 6,000 and wheel in higher elevations. It’s always a noticeable improvement in power and loss in MPG going to sea level in any of my vehicles, even the turbo’ed ones. As mentioned, this engine and my Tacoma’s V6 do not like 85 octane. 86 is okay.
 
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Spank

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Same here. I live above 6,000ft. and notice little difference in performance up here vs. sea level.
 

tk1700

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I live at 7000 ft and daily drive between 5000 and 7000 ft. I have a 2019 JLU 3.6 auto, no e torque and a 2021 JLUR 2.0 auto, no torque. The 2.0 feels quicker in acceleration, but the 3.6 still gets the job done. The 2.0 is a bit noisier. Coming up from 5000 to 7000 at 75 mph the 3.6 stays in 6/7th gear while the 2.0 stays in 7/8th gear. At higher altitudes, 12000 ft, the 2.0 definitely has more pull. I use 85/86 octane both and mileage is always within 2 mpg of each other.
 

blnewt

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No problems here either, the 3:45 gears w/ 295/70 tires kicks you down a gear or two but still has plenty of power. Plus the 3.6 sounds much better, not a 392-V8 better, but still pretty good :)
 

Red Willy

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Had my '14 JKU up at 11500' at one point two years ago and it performed fine. Didn't really notice a difference in power although I'm sure it lost a little. That said, a turbo engine would eliminate the thin air problem.
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