Anyone have 2.0 Turbo regret?

[COJeeper]

My current setup is 35 on 3.45 stock gears. I am on a 2.5 lift. I am thinking of going to 4.56.

I bet you can find a really good deal from a Rubicon take off who's going to 4.88.

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[Philly_]

Just completed 2 round trips to Brownsville Texas from Flagstaff Arizona in my 2door JLR 2L turbo with e-torque... very impressed!!!

That's approx. 2,500 miles per round trip (over 5,000 miles total with all the side visits to McAllen, Austin & San Antonio...

Only issue I encountered was the mpgs... I'm running 2.5lift on 37s and normally get 18 to 20 mpgs average in Arizona BUT as soon as I deep into the heart of Texas, my mpgs dropped to 16 to 18 average. Not sure if this is because of the type truck stop gas I was getting or the lower elevation or jiat windy sections along I-10
But each time back as soon as I got into NM my mpgs went back to normal.

I really need the turbo in the mountains where I live but the power was solid throughout the trip all the way to South Padre Island. It was so cool to drive on the beach at Boca Chica... such a cool experience

The Jeep & engine
did great on both back to back round trips except for the dip in mpgs.

Here's some pic from Boca Chica Beach and SPACE X where my son started working BIG MOVE TO TEXAS

I’m willing to bet it’s almost entirely the wind. I’ve done a couple cross country trips and as soon as I’m back over the border into Texas, my mileage drops significantly. No issues anywhere else I’ve been! It’s comical, really.

 

[CreepyCrepe]

I’m willing to bet it’s almost entirely the wind. I’ve done a couple cross country trips and as soon as I’m back over the border into Texas, my mileage drops significantly. No issues anywhere else I’ve been! It’s comical, really.

Everything's bigger in Texas, including your fuel consumption.

 

[Philly_]

Everything's bigger in Texas, including your fuel consumption.

Maybe not everything... I didn't get any taller!

 

[CreepyCrepe]

Maybe not everything... I didn't get any taller!

You're not wearing the right cowboy boots!

 

[Sting]

TLDR; No Regrets. IMO the 2.0T (non e-torque) is the engine to have. Over all other JL engine options.

I have a 2021 Rubicon JLU w/28,000 miles. I've driven it on multiple long distance road trips, and I off-road the heck out of it on a regular basis. I've taken it to multiple off-road parks, and local woods alike. It has plenty of acceleration off the line, and it pulls away from most other vehicles at a stoplight (trucks, passenger cars, etc. - not higher end sports cars.). Turbo lag (as others have mentioned as an issue) is almost non existent, and I've owned multiple turbo/boosted vehicles to compare it to. Additionally, I've not experience any lunging or jumping when the boost builds as others have stated. However I almost always wheel in 4Lo and I've never been in deep sand. The 2.0T is the engine I would choose if I were to buy another Wrangler today.

My thought processes on choosing the 2.0T over all other engines:

• The 2.0T is the lightest engine option.
  • Weight is not your friend when wheeling tough rocky trails.
• Single pipe exhaust system that is tucked out of the way of the front drive shaft.
  • The 3.6L is known to have drive shaft clearance issues with the exhaust when flexed out with a 2.5in+ lift.
• The 2.0T makes more power down lower in the RPM range than the 3.6L v6.
• The 2.0T is the more common engine.
  • Great if I should ever need to source junk yard parts or even an entire engine years down the road.
• Turbo engines work better at higher elevations Vs. natural aspiration engines. (ie. Up in the Colorado mountains.)
  • Naturally aspirated (non boosted) engines rely on atmospheric pressure to intake air. The higher the elevation the less atmospheric pressure there is. Therefore less air pressure equals less power at higher elevation.

Reasons I did not choose the 3.6L:

• The 3.6L is not as peppy as the 2.0T on the road
• The 3.6L is known to have drive shaft clearance issues with the exhaust when flexed out with a 2.5in+ lift.
• Naturally aspirated engines loose performance at higher altitudes.
  • IF you plan to boost (turbo/supercharge) the 3.6L, just don't. Buy the one designed to handle boost from the factory.

Reasons I did not choose the diesel engines:

• HEAVY! - by far the heaviest option (not including those heavy batteries in the EVs/hybrids)
• Diesel freezes/gels in winter.
  • I don't want to have to plug my vehicle into an electrical outlet everywhere I go in winter.
• The diesel model has a bunch of crap sticking out of the rear, where the muffler would be on a gas model.
  • It just looks weird. Like a filled saggy diaper. I don't like it.
  • Also, it has the potential to hang you up on rocks more due to less ground clearance than the gas models.
• DEF (diesel exhaust fluid).

Reasons I did not buy a 392 (even though it sounds amazing):

• Weight - Its heavy.
• Too powerful
  • Yes too much power can be a bad thing. More power more chances of breaking stuff.
• Its ALL WHEEL DRIVE all the time
  • Yes, I know you can get a programmer. However my argument is it wasn't designed for 100% power to go to the rear and I like having a warranty.
• I bought a Jeep to enjoy nature, not scare it away with a roaring v8.
  • I would have kept my C7 Z06 if all I cared about was how the engine sounds and how fast it goes.

Reasons I did not get a EV/Hybrid:

• HEAVY! - Those batteries add a ton of weight!
  • Not something I want to bounce off rocks with.
• Expensive to replace - Have you ever priced a replacement battery for an EV or hybrid!? You can (usually) buy multiple new gas engines straight from the dealer for the cost of a single battery that will need replaced on average every 8-12 years.

 

[diesel_dave]

TLDR; No Regrets. IMO the 2.0T (non e-torque) is the engine to have. Over all other JL engine options.

I have a 2021 Rubicon JLU w/28,000 miles. I've driven it on multiple long distance road trips, and I off-road the heck out of it on a regular basis. I've taken it to multiple off-road parks, and local woods alike. It has plenty of acceleration off the line, and it pulls away from most other vehicles at a stoplight (trucks, passenger cars, etc. - not higher end sports cars.). Turbo lag (as others have mentioned as an issue) is almost non existent, and I've owned multiple turbo/boosted vehicles to compare it to. Additionally, I've not experience any lunging or jumping when the boost builds as others have stated. However I almost always wheel in 4Lo and I've never been in deep sand. The 2.0T is the engine I would choose if I were to buy another Wrangler today.

My thought processes on choosing the 2.0T over all other engines:

• The 2.0T is the lightest engine option.
  • Weight is not your friend when wheeling tough rocky trails.
• Single pipe exhaust system that is tucked out of the way of the front drive shaft.
  • The 3.6L is known to have drive shaft clearance issues with the exhaust when flexed out with a 2.5in+ lift.
• The 2.0T makes more power down lower in the RPM range than the 3.6L v6.
• The 2.0T is the more common engine.
  • Great if I should ever need to source junk yard parts or even an entire engine years down the road.
• Turbo engines work better at higher elevations. (ie. Up in the Colorado mountains.)
  • Naturally aspirated (non boosted) engines rely on atmospheric pressure to intake air. The higher the elevation the less atmospheric pressure there is. Therefore less air pressure equals less power at higher elevation.

Reasons I did not choose the 3.6L:

• The 3.6L is not as peppy as the 2.0T on the road
• The 3.6L is known to have drive shaft clearance issues with the exhaust when flexed out with a 2.5in+ lift.
• IF you plan to boost (turbo/supercharge) the 3.6L, just don't. Buy the one designed to handle boost from the factory.

Reasons I did not choose the diesel engines:

• HEAVY! - by far the heaviest option (not including those heavy batteries in the EVs/hybrids)
• Diesel freezes/gels in winter.
  • I don't want to have to plug my vehicle into an electrical outlet everywhere I go in winter.
• The diesel model has a bunch of crap sticking out of the rear, where the muffler would be on a gas model.
• DEF Fluid (diesel exhaust fluid).

Reasons I did not buy a 392 (even though it sounds amazing):

• Weight - Its heavy.
• Too powerful
  • Yes too much power can be a bad thing. More power more chances of breaking stuff.
• Its ALL WHEEL DRIVE all the time
  • Yes, I know you can get a programmer. However my argument is it wasn't designed for 100% power to go to the rear and I like having a warranty.
• I bought a Jeep to enjoy nature, not scare it away with a roaring v8.
  • I would have kept my C7 Z06 if all I cared about was how the engine sounds.

Reasons I did not get a EV/Hybrid:

• HEAVY! - Those batteries add a ton of weight!
  • Not something I want to bounce off rocks with.
• Expensive to replace - Have you ever priced a replacement battery for an EV or hybrid!? You can (usually) buy multiple new gas engines straight from the dealer for the cost of a single battery that will need replaced on average every 8-12 years.

As someone who owns a 2.0L two door and a 4xe, I agree with almost everything you've said. I've never raced them but I think the 2.0L would be pretty close to the 4xe just due to the massive weight difference. The 4xe does launch like a bat out of hell though.

I test drove a 3.6 before ordering a 2.0 and yeah, the V6 really needs to get spun up before it starts to pull. The 2.0 has a ton of low-rev grunt which is a little surprising. Overall, its a great little engine. Weighs nothing, had great power output, and has proven to be fairly reliable so far.

 

[Jiggs1960]

I am in the process of purchasing a JL 2.0 and kinda freaked out by all the electrical and quality control issues. Anyone with experience recommend avoiding the 2.0 and going for the v6 instead?
THANKS!!

so far, so good, but haven't had it off-road yet......waiting for spring (just got it late last summer)

 

[Sublime]

No problems. Would buy it again.

 

[mgroeger]

The 2.0 is definitely no slouch, when one wants to jump off a stoplight or drop a couple gears to pass slower traffic. Even lifted on 38's and stock gearing, I can break the tires if feeling foggy off a dead stop. And I'm not talking about torque and boost building first, just normal from brake to throttle take offs. I'm not at all a fast driver regularly, but it's nice to know that it's there and ready for when I need to tap into it. I'll soon be replacing the front and rear axle shafts with rcv's, but am glad that I can forego shorter gears that come with less surface contact in the carrier assembly. Twisting axle splines is a bigger concern, between this engines torque and taller tires.

Also, I highly recommend a throttle controller. Even adjusted to maintain the same range of motion to wide open throttle, removing the delay between throttle input and throttle body reaction has really improved drive ability. Not that I had any complaints before, but it was deemed money well spent within a minute of the 1st drive after installing it.

Questions:
Which throttle control did you get? I'm hearing Super Chips is best for the turbo.
You don't plan on re-gearing from the 4.10s to at least 4.88s with 38" tires?

 

[scj64]

Reason I did not buy a 2.0T; cannot get a 6MT behind it.
As soon as someone offers a boost system for a ‘23, I’ll install it.

 

[Headbarcode]

Questions:
Which throttle control did you get? I'm hearing Super Chips is best for the turbo.
You don't plan on re-gearing from the 4.10s to at least 4.88s with 38" tires?

I have the EVC iDrive throttle controller. It's sole functions are to remove the delay between throttle pedal imput and throttle body reaction, and to provide sensitivity adjustments that simply shorten or lengthen the distance that the pedal needs to be pressed to reach wide open throttle.

I don't think EVC exists anymore, but I'd probably go with the Hike It 9 version if I was shopping right now. Neither one will have any affect of the engine beyond the fly by wire throttle pedal.

I don't at all discount the benefit of shorter gears when it comes to offsetting the performance loss that comes with larger tires. Although, I must say that the felt loss wasn't all that drastic with the 38's and 4" of actual lift, due to the low and mid range torque of the 2.0 engine. Also, the closer sequential gearing of the 8-speed auto does a phenomenal job of keeping the engine in the meat of its torque plateau.

It's when I upped the ante to 40's and 5.5/6" of actual lift that the performance loss became very noticeable. It's still not at all a pig. When I'm froggy off a dead stop, I can still spin a tire. At the same time, it does feel heavier to accelerate because I'm stretching the 4.10's beyond their happy range.

It really boils down to stubbornness on my part. I've already sunk enough money into these factory 44's as is, and I wouldn't be able to stop myself from also adding ARB lockers during a re-gear. That's about another $4k, if installed by myself.

Also, my driving style both on and offroad doesn't fully exploit that performance loss. I typically let it low rpm shift into 2nd and 3rd, bring it up to moderate rpms for the shift to 4th, and that's when I really start feeding it the coal. I've always had the habit of shorting shifting the lower gears of all my vehicles. If I was a spirited driver, I'd probably wouldn't be as okay with it.

Another factor involved, is my plan to go with larger axles to better support the shorter gears. The larger diameter ring gear allows for a larger pinion gear, resulting in a larger contact area in the mesh. I'm willing to wait for 72.5" wide axles with air lockers and 5.38's to get that performance back.

38's and 4" lift vs 40's and 5.5/6" lift...

 

[diesel_dave]

Those who pay $$$ for pedal controller type devices, why don't you just... press the pedal down farther? It's the exact same thing the controller is doing.

 

[John VonJeep]

I’d be surprised if many people wind up regretting their engine choice. Both the 2.0 and 3.6 are good engines with relatively similar power.

Once you own one or the other, it probably feels pretty good to you most of the time and so you’re not spending much time thinking about it.

 

[J0E]

TLDR; No Regrets. IMO the 2.0T (non e-torque) is the engine to have. Over all other JL engine options.

I have a 2021 Rubicon JLU w/28,000 miles. I've driven it on multiple long distance road trips, and I off-road the heck out of it on a regular basis. I've taken it to multiple off-road parks, and local woods alike. It has plenty of acceleration off the line, and it pulls away from most other vehicles at a stoplight (trucks, passenger cars, etc. - not higher end sports cars.). Turbo lag (as others have mentioned as an issue) is almost non existent, and I've owned multiple turbo/boosted vehicles to compare it to. Additionally, I've not experience any lunging or jumping when the boost builds as others have stated. However I almost always wheel in 4Lo and I've never been in deep sand. The 2.0T is the engine I would choose if I were to buy another Wrangler today.

My thought processes on choosing the 2.0T over all other engines:

• The 2.0T is the lightest engine option.
  • Weight is not your friend when wheeling tough rocky trails.
• Single pipe exhaust system that is tucked out of the way of the front drive shaft.
  • The 3.6L is known to have drive shaft clearance issues with the exhaust when flexed out with a 2.5in+ lift.
• The 2.0T makes more power down lower in the RPM range than the 3.6L v6.
• The 2.0T is the more common engine.
  • Great if I should ever need to source junk yard parts or even an entire engine years down the road.
• Turbo engines work better at higher elevations Vs. natural aspiration engines. (ie. Up in the Colorado mountains.)
  • Naturally aspirated (non boosted) engines rely on atmospheric pressure to intake air. The higher the elevation the less atmospheric pressure there is. Therefore less air pressure equals less power at higher elevation.

Reasons I did not choose the 3.6L:

• The 3.6L is not as peppy as the 2.0T on the road
• The 3.6L is known to have drive shaft clearance issues with the exhaust when flexed out with a 2.5in+ lift.
• Naturally aspirated engines loose performance at higher altitudes.
  • IF you plan to boost (turbo/supercharge) the 3.6L, just don't. Buy the one designed to handle boost from the factory.

Reasons I did not choose the diesel engines:

• HEAVY! - by far the heaviest option (not including those heavy batteries in the EVs/hybrids)
• Diesel freezes/gels in winter.
  • I don't want to have to plug my vehicle into an electrical outlet everywhere I go in winter.
• The diesel model has a bunch of crap sticking out of the rear, where the muffler would be on a gas model.
  • It just looks weird. Like a filled saggy diaper. I don't like it.
  • Also, it has the potential to hang you up on rocks more due to less ground clearance than the gas models.
• DEF Fluid (diesel exhaust fluid).

Reasons I did not buy a 392 (even though it sounds amazing):

• Weight - Its heavy.
• Too powerful
  • Yes too much power can be a bad thing. More power more chances of breaking stuff.
• Its ALL WHEEL DRIVE all the time
  • Yes, I know you can get a programmer. However my argument is it wasn't designed for 100% power to go to the rear and I like having a warranty.
• I bought a Jeep to enjoy nature, not scare it away with a roaring v8.
  • I would have kept my C7 Z06 if all I cared about was how the engine sounds.

Reasons I did not get a EV/Hybrid:

• HEAVY! - Those batteries add a ton of weight!
  • Not something I want to bounce off rocks with.
• Expensive to replace - Have you ever priced a replacement battery for an EV or hybrid!? You can (usually) buy multiple new gas engines straight from the dealer for the cost of a single battery that will need replaced on average every 8-12 years.

This should be pinned
How can we make that happen?

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