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First Report on 6 Speed--Drove it Home!!

swozey

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Thank you for sharing @DanW! I was expecting the 6-speed to be very good, but it's certainly good to know as fact now!

Nearly 20MPG straight from the factory, for a rubi no less is very nice. Easy +1 MPG after break in. Was it all highway at 70 MPH?

Say what you will about modern vehicles, but its great at that manuals and autos are so much better than they used to be.
My 96 TransAm got 30+ mpg in 6th gear. That made me a huge fan of higher gear options and one of the main reasons I'm not going for a 4runner with the 5 speed. They're so shockingly behind now. "If it aint broke don't fix it" well, "if it and updated I won't buy it," as much as I love Toyota. The 4runner still has a 5-gear on a 4L v6. 17mpg.
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DanW

DanW

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Thank you for sharing @DanW! I was expecting the 6-speed to be very good, but it's certainly good to know as fact now!

Nearly 20MPG straight from the factory, for a rubi no less is very nice. Easy +1 MPG after break in. Was it all highway at 70 MPH?

Say what you will about modern vehicles, but its great at that manuals and autos are so much better than they used to be.
No highway at all. Just a couple major streets, windy country roads, and neighborhood streets. Perfect break-in routes. I'll get it out on I74 tomorrow. That sixth gear must be really tall. 5th gear felt like overdrive at 50mph.
 
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DanW

DanW

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My 96 TransAm got 30+ mpg in 6th gear. That made me a huge fan of higher gear options and one of the main reasons I'm not going for a 4runner with the 5 speed. They're so shockingly behind now. "If it aint broke don't fix it" well, "if it and updated I won't buy it," as much as I love Toyota. The 4runner still has a 5-gear on a 4L v6. 17mpg.
I think you'll love this tranny. Toyota owns over 50% of Aisin.
 

jeppesen.io

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No highway at all. Just a couple major streets, windy country roads, and neighborhood streets. Perfect break-in routes. I'll get it out on I74 tomorrow. That sixth gear must be really tall. 5th gear felt like overdrive at 50mph.
Wow - this overlander is very very happy :)

Easy on the gas, with extra fuel and I've got 500 mile range with some reserves left.
 

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The Great Grape Ape

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I still need girls to be able to drive me home when I'm drunk though ;(
That should help you weed-out the good ones though. :like:
 

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Yep, I'll do that tomorrow. I did about 50 or 60 miles of driving around tonight, going through break-in, which for me, is lots of stop and go, going through the gears, under 50mph and under 4000rpm. Once I get to 200 miles, I'll push the engine hard and see how it feels. Right now, it feels like its got plenty of torque off the line, just going easy.

I'm absolutely in love with the feel of the gear box and shifter. The throws are just right, and it is smooth as can be. It isn't notchy at all, and it just slides right into each gear exactly the same. There isn't any one gear that is harder or feels different. I'm still getting used to reverse being to the upper left, though.

The clutch just takes a little getting used to, but I haven't even flirted with stalling it. It engages pretty quickly off the floor, but I've driven sports cars that have the same feel. Very different from the JK. It will take some getting used to for people with lots of seat time in the JK, but it doesn't take long. You just develop a feel for it. It will be interesting to see how it goes as I go from JK to JL and back and forth. I used to have a Pontiac Solstice and the clutch/shifter felt night and day different from the JK, but I never had an issue going back and forth.

The gearing is interesting, too. First gear is like a granny. This thing could probably pull 37's with little issue. Second gear is only a little taller. 5th gear feels like overdrive, and 6th....well, I didn't even get into sixth, except when I accidentally thought it was reverse. (JK habit) Fourth to fifth seems like a pretty good gap between ratios. Remember, I topped out at 50mph, so no need for it. I'd almost say I won't be looking for 6th until I hit highway cruising speed around 65mph. I'll test this tomorrow.

I am so glad I chose the manual. I was just having a blast tonight driving around on a windy country road. I can't wait to do it in daylight and after break-in, so that I can push it harder.

As everyone else has said, the steering feels great, and the Alpine sound system is probably the best factory sound system I've ever heard. The Uconnect is amazing, and so is Android Auto.

I'm so tired I'm about to pass out, so I'll try and get video of going through the gears and maybe some pics tomorrow. I barely saw this thing at dusk, but of what I did see, I thought the optional wheels look amazing.
Congrats, Dan!
 

Karl_in_Chicago

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The gearing is interesting, too. First gear is like a granny. This thing could probably pull 37's with little issue. Second gear is only a little taller. 5th gear feels like overdrive, and 6th....well, I didn't even get into sixth, except when I accidentally thought it was reverse. (JK habit) Fourth to fifth seems like a pretty good gap between ratios. Remember, I topped out at 50mph, so no need for it. I'd almost say I won't be looking for 6th until I hit highway cruising speed around 65mph. I'll test this tomorrow.
5th (and 6th) *is* overdrive, though, isn't it? From FCA:
1st – 5.13
2nd – 2.63
3rd – 1.54
4th – 1.00
5th – 0.81
6th – 0.72
Rev – 4.49

Thanks for taking the time to share, looking forward to hearing more from you and other MT drivers.
 

The Great Grape Ape

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Yeah, 5th in the Aisin is actually taller (lower ratio) OD @ 0.81 , than the 0.84 6th in the old NSG370.
 

SpyDJeep

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Congrats on the new JL Rubi. looking forward to ordering one. Great to hear you comments on it. Looking forward to hearing more about it. thanks.

Congrats on being the first JL with a manual transmission on the forum!!
How are the throws through the gears? Any gear grinding when shifting quickly?
I was never concerned with the JK gear shake, but I hated that I couldn't quickly shift from first to second without a very slight grind(like the syncros couldn't keep up.) I also hated the foot long throw between gears. Before you say it's operator error or the Jeep, I had 2 Manual JK's with the same issues(And have driven manual cars all my life.)
Hey Chris, can you explain what you mean by "JK gear shake"? and "slight grind" between gears. Just curios as i have 170k on my manual JK and cant say i've experienced what you described. I clutch shift in the winter but shift clutchless in the summer (except 1st of course). Perhaps I'm blind to the issue?

thanks. Cheers!
 

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Fred

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Ok, I'm not spending much time here until later, but here is the initial impression of Red Rubi....This thing is GREAT! The clutch is just fine. Those reporters at Motor Trend have forgotten how to drive a clutch. It does have very quick engagement, but I've driven clutches like this before and I just don't see the issue. My initial impression is that it is just fine. Different from the JK, but just fine. The shifter itself feels amazing. It is smooth and the gates are very easy to find. I did make my first mistake, though. I put it into 6th instead of reverse, forgetting reverse is now in the upper left.

Right now I've got sensory overload, just from the red paint! All the features and the infotainment are going to take getting used to. I'm accustomed to the simplicity of my JK.

I got 19.8 mpg on the way home on a route that would have gotten about 17.5 on my JK. Those numbers are indicated. My JK is almost 1mpg optimistic, so I'm assuming this one is, too. If it is not, then it is even better. I can't wait to see what it gets when the engine is broken in.

I'm probably still going to lift it and put 35's on it, but I think I could be perfectly happy with it as-is.

I'll report back late tonight. Gotta eat and go break this bad boy in!
How about some pictures?
 
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DanW

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How about some pictures?
Coming today! I haven't even seen this baby in daylight yet! Btw, the headlights are badass! SUPER bright and a very wide spread of light. Unlike most vehicles, the fog lights are excellent, too!
 
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DanW

DanW

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Yeah, 5th in the Aisin is actually taller (lower ratio) OD @ 0.81 , than the 0.84 6th in the old NSG370.
No doubt! You can really feel that right away. It took me aback when the first time I got into 5th gear and looked at my speed and tach!
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