Finalizing a JL 2018 Build

[nimbler]

Hi All,

BACKGROUND
So I've been working on this 2018 JL Rubicon build (https://goo.gl/pEDi1S) for a while now, it's all coming together slowly, but I wanted to get an opinion from people other than those that are selling the vehicle to me.

I will not be going for hard-core rock-crawling: if the rock-crawler index of:
- the average urban driver was ~ 0%,
- the average 4wd camper was ~ 5%,
- and the hardcore crawlers on this forum were ~ 100%,
I would be starting off at around the 5% and working my way up to say 40-50% at most, at least in this 2-door.

I will stick with the JL, and forgo the luxury of space of the JLU - which means I'll have to become a better camper.

I will not invest in a lift and raise the already high center of mass of the vehicle. I will, however, put on 35" tires though.

I'm a total newb to Jeep/4WD/off-roading, I've only ever driven pieces of crap, or otherwise, lowered Japanese sports cars (Nissan Skyline R33).

QUESTION
With all that out of the way, I would like your advice/opinions.

I had initially settled firmly on the manual transmission. More control, way more fun. However, an expert that I've been talking had this to say (based on my memory of the conversation, not direct quote):

If it were any other Jeep (JK and older), I would recommend the manual, for all the reasons most Jeep enthusiasts argue that a manual is better. However, for the 2018 JL/JLU, I absolutely hands-down recommend the 8-speed automatic transmission. It outperforms the manual, and the human in charge of it, has an amazing crawl ratio, been tested in serious trucks for years, is trustworthy, easy to maintain, and other reasons I can't recall or did not fully understand when explained to me due to being a complete newb.

That being the case, would you still go for the 8-speed?

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[UNC Rubicon]

Whatever you decide, you better decide now. Order banks close tomorrow.

With that said, I went with the 8 speed and absolutely love it.

 

[WXman]

The 8-speed auto has deeper (numerically higher) ratios all the way to 6th gear, and it has the torque converter multiplication that you get with automatics. Therefore, it will turn large tires more easily, it will tow better if you ever decide to pull a camper, it will get better real world fuel efficiency, and it will just simply feel better in day to day use.

It also has the ability to be semi-manually shifted. By that I mean that you can select any gear you want, but, the computer will often over-ride your desires. So, it's a half way awesome feature.

Resale value will be higher too. And, they work better offroad because you don't have to burn your clutch disc up trying to inch your way over obstacles.

850RFE all day every day.

(To be fair, I had a 2012 with the 6-speed manual and the Pentastar V6 as my last Wrangler, so I have a taste of both under my belt.)

 

[ToolMan514]

I have the 8-speed auto and love it. I regularly drive it in 'manual' mode where I do the shifting. It's the fun of driving without cramped knee and stalls. I do a lot of stop-and-go city driving.

 

[JIMBOX]

I have the 8spd in my RAM and love it, so

I have the NEW 6spd in my RUBI because it's simpler, you can push start the jeep and actually the 6spd, wit a 5.13/1 1st gear gives the RUBY an 84/1 crawl ratio, the lowest jeep has ever issued--STOCK

Strictly a personal decision, same as getting a RUBICON, or not

W.E.

JIMBO

 

[JeepSmash]

IMO the 3.6 needs the 8 speed. It just makes such good use out of it. Really feels like it’s got more power than it actually has.

Test drove the 6 speed and it really feels like a dog down low. You gotta rev it up pretty high all the time and it just makes it feel slow all the way around.

 

[bobzdar]

Hi All,

BACKGROUND
So I've been working on this 2018 JL Rubicon build (https://goo.gl/pEDi1S) for a while now, it's all coming together slowly, but I wanted to get an opinion from people other than those that are selling the vehicle to me.

I will not be going for hard-core rock-crawling: if the rock-crawler index of:
- the average urban driver was ~ 0%,
- the average 4wd camper was ~ 5%,
- and the hardcore crawlers on this forum were ~ 100%,
I would be starting off at around the 5% and working my way up to say 40-50% at most, at least in this 2-door.

I will stick with the JL, and forgo the luxury of space of the JLU - which means I'll have to become a better camper.

I will not invest in a lift and raise the already high center of mass of the vehicle. I will, however, put on 35" tires though.

I'm a total newb to Jeep/4WD/off-roading, I've only ever driven pieces of crap, or otherwise, lowered Japanese sports cars (Nissan Skyline R33).

QUESTION
With all that out of the way, I would like your advice/opinions.

I had initially settled firmly on the manual transmission. More control, way more fun. However, an expert that I've been talking had this to say (based on my memory of the conversation, not direct quote):

If it were any other Jeep (JK and older), I would recommend the manual, for all the reasons most Jeep enthusiasts argue that a manual is better. However, for the 2018 JL/JLU, I absolutely hands-down recommend the 8-speed automatic transmission. It outperforms the manual, and the human in charge of it, has an amazing crawl ratio, been tested in serious trucks for years, is trustworthy, easy to maintain, and other reasons I can't recall or did not fully understand when explained to me due to being a complete newb.

That being the case, would you still go for the 8-speed?

I used to be a manual die hard, but the reality is the new autos are better in every objective way except possibly weight. But they give better acceleration, gas mileage, towing etc. I went auto and it's truly excellent.

Also, it's a lot easier off road. I don't know how anyone can say a manual provides more control, you can't stall an auto and it provides more control on steep hills. There's no real argument for a manual any more, other than it's fun to drive. I'll agree with that but you give up too much capability for it, imo. Prior to the latest 7+ speed autos and dual clutch transmissions I'd argue the opposite, but they've firmly and completely surpassed manuals now.

 

[kkuntz01]

After daily driving my 3.6L JKU Rubicon with a 6spd manual on both 35’s and 37’s and comparing it to my JLU Rubicon with the 3.6L and 8spd auto I’ll take the auto all day long. Sure the 6spd was fun to drive, but it sucked donkey ball in bumper to bumper traffic. Also having done trips through Colorado in my lifted JK on 35’s and JL on 37’s (both fully loaded with a family of 4 and everything needed for a two week road trip) I can say the JL handled the mountains much better than my JK ever did. Surprisingly I never felt at a loss for power in the JL.

 

[kkuntz01]

you can't stall an auto

I’ll disagree with you there, I stalled my JL with an auto plenty of times in Moab last month. Every time I was climbing something and whacked the bottom hard enough it stalled out.

 

[shacdaddy]

I’ll disagree with you there, I stalled my JL with an auto plenty of times in Moab last month. Every time I was climbing something and whacked the bottom hard enough it stalled out.

Huh?

 

[kkuntz01]

Huh?

Did I stutter on something? I thought I was pretty clear...

Off-road Jeep, smack underside on big f’ng rock, Jeep stalls out. I’ve got a video of it happening on Cliffhanger in Moab. Also not an issue isolated to the JL. I’ve had it happen on 3 different JK’s, 3.8, 3.6, auto or manual transmission.

 

[shacdaddy]

Did I stutter on something? I thought I was pretty clear...

Off-road Jeep, smack underside on big f’ng rock, Jeep stalls out. I’ve got a video of it happening on Cliffhanger in Moab. Also not an issue isolated to the JL. I’ve had it happen on 3 different JK’s, 3.8, 3.6, auto or manual transmission.

Just wondering how an auto "stalls"

 

[TaiMc]

Did I stutter on something? I thought I was pretty clear...

Off-road Jeep, smack underside on big f’ng rock, Jeep stalls out. I’ve got a video of it happening on Cliffhanger in Moab. Also not an issue isolated to the JL. I’ve had it happen on 3 different JK’s, 3.8, 3.6, auto or manual transmission.

Heyyy...naw you didn't stutter...I think he's not sure why you would stall if you hit the bottom of your rig. TBH i said "huh" in my mind as well lol. Just not sure how that would cause a stall. It's all good...ty for the further explanation tho.

 

[TaiMc]

Just wondering how an auto "stalls"

Same lol I Just commented on this.

 

[Sunin-Retired]

Manual, because the automatic should be a free option at this point in car history, and the extra 2k can go towards upgrades. Now if you want better resale choose an automatic. I went like @JIMBOX did a 2dr rubi with a manual.

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