I went from Rubicon to Sport. AMA

[Dadams20]

I love my Sport, a few more mods to the axles (RCV) and an Ox locker and I'll be good to go (with a re-gear). It's all about what you enjoy and how gnarly you want to get - respect!

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[multicam]

I love my Sport, a few more mods to the axles (RCV) and an Ox locker and I'll be good to go (with a re-gear). It's all about what you enjoy and how gnarly you want to get - respect!

Wow! I thought that was Gobi whatever they called Tan on the JK for a second. Is that all a trick of the light?!

 

[cktlarge]

Wow! I thought that was Gobi whatever they called Tan on the JK for a second. Is that all a trick of the light?!

That golden hour light. Such a cool color on the jeep.

 

[Schism75]

Congrats on the Sport. I test drove the 8speed auto JL and it was good but I was dead set on a manual instead. I like to drive the JEEP instead of it driving me. I had an auto jk for 4 years and it took some of the fun away for me.

 

[D60]

I have a manual Sport on Rubicon wheels and tires. I wouldn't put 35s on a Sport, but 33s are fine. The manual transmission has lower gearing than the auto. Final drive ratio with a manual and 3.45 axles is roughly the same as an auto on 3.73 gears. The 4.11 gears on a Rubi will be no problem with a manual and 35s unless you're a hardcore rock crawler. 5th gear is overdrive and 6th gear is actually second overdrive. We don't use i6th except on long downhills and 65+ mph.

We're averaging 19-20 MPG in mixed suburban, hilly driving with our Sport. I averaged right at twenty mpg from Tulsa to Fort Smith and back at 75+ and the AC on.

It doesn't quite work like that; a manual does not get the infinite gear reduction of a torque converter.

Because manuals are a DIRECT mechanical link with no slippage (other than toasting the clutch) they are regularly geared deeper, but just unlocking a torque converter on the highway will give you a couple hundred RPM. Granted, I don't know EXACTLY how the new 8 speed handles converter lockup....

 

[Dadams20]

Wow! I thought that was Gobi whatever they called Tan on the JK for a second. Is that all a trick of the light?!

The color is interesting - it changes so much depending on the light - sometimes it looks really dark, and sometimes it pops in the sun like this one.

 

[Love6MT]

Lots of pics to come. In the meantime, ask me anything!

Lurker that joined just to comment on this topic. You are not alone OP.

OP, I am a car guy and I love the enjoyment of a manual transmission.
I also, at one point did something very similar, I bought an automatic BMW 3 series years ago (thinking my wife could then drive it) and the paddles would be fun. After 2 weeks I knew I had make a huge mistake and took the financial loss to get the same car with 6MT only 3 months later, on a BMW......ouch! It was embarrassing, financially not smart, and caused tension with my wife, I actually lost sleep, but I knew I had to have the manual.

Obviously, I lost some money and ended up with a stripper to help offset the cost.
It was not nearly as nice as the car I had traded in, but it had a manual and I absolutely loved that car!!!

It was one of the best things I have ever done, it was agonizing because everyone thought I was crazy, but if you love a manual transmission it really is not that crazy. You made a mistake and now you are rectifying the mistake.

Just letting you know, you are not alone, and the entire reason I am thinking of getting a Jeep is due to the manual transmission.

As for ask you anything - As a newbie to Jeep what is the downside to a Rubicon, I never really hear the downsides only the positives?

Do you notice the sport to be more fun, due to different suspension and less off-road capability which I am sure adds weight and compromises?
Does the Sort feel faster/better paired with 6MT?

Please help a manual fan who is deciding rubi vs sport 4door......

Thanks!

 

[RagTopDeluxe]

I traded in my 6 speed Miata for my JLR auto because an old shoulder injury made dailing a manual painful. I loved the manual in that car and called it my three-pedal therapy. I can appreciate trading in your auto for a manual. It’s an important part of driving.

I had a 6 speed M235i. I got into a discussion with a sales guy about the transmission. He was insisting that their auto was faster than the manual. My reply was that I don’t care, the three pedals are a lot more engaging and fun.

@Love6MT, I’d recommend driving them all to see what makes you smile.

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

Yikes, I would have expected better. I was considering the manual in a Rubicon, but all the research indicates that 6th gear is too TALL, my commute consists of 43 miles one way at an average speed of 40mph. In that case, I'd never get out of 3-4 gears. Any thoughts?

I have a 2dr Rubi 6sp. It’s my DD. 60 miles round trip of stop and go. I average 18-19 mpg. Cruising on the highway I get 20-22.

That said, I didn’t buy a wrangler for fuel economy...

6th gear is just a second overdrive. I use it every time I’m on the highway. If I need power I drop to 4th. No complaints.

 

[cktlarge]

@RagTopDeluxe, Sad about the injury, that is definitely a concern. But you are right, I like "driving". In the Auto I stop paying attention half the time. It's just not quite the same.

@Love6MT, welcome! Its an interesting journey hey. For myself, I don't see it as mistakes. I wouldn't appreciate the manual as much without having the auto for a while. Financially it is a bit unfortunate. However, I wouldn't have changed if I couldn't make it work. Lets call it a cautious pursuit of happiness.

To answer your question with a question: Why do you want a Jeep? Once you figure that part out you can figure out which model works for you.

I can't say there is any downside to the Rubicon, price aside. If I had to nitpick, the stock shocks were a bit too soft for my liking. But I didn't complain until I started driving on my new mopar lift... The rubicon hood vents were a little annoying when cleaning my jeep, and I was never a huge fan of all the trim. I tried really hard to find a few things for you, but its pretty awesome.

Of course with the tires and shocks the Rubi feels different than a sport. The Rubi felt faster to me with the 8spd, really is a great trans. As mentioned above, go try them out to bee sure.

 

[blnewt]

Very cool thread, I do miss rowing the gears from my CJ days but that 8AT is a great match w/ the 3.6. I'd be lying if I didn't say I miss MTs from time to time, but I'm sorta over it, or am I???
Great wheel choice too!

 

[cktlarge]

Very cool thread, I do miss rowing the gears from my CJ days but that 8AT is a great match w/ the 3.6. I'd be lying if I didn't say I miss MTs from time to time, but I'm sorta over it, or am I???
Great wheel choice too!

8sp is fantastic, only downside imo is it's not a manual

6spd is also fantastic. Definitely has downsides (crawling, traffic, trying to eat or drink while driving, harder to hang your foot out the door, no dead pedal room etc)

On paper auto wins every time... But the heart wants what it wants.

 

[cktlarge]

Few more quick pics (108 degrees outside )

@elduderino83 Side shot:

 

[RagTopDeluxe]

^ love the wheels

 

[SpeedKills]

It doesn't quite work like that; a manual does not get the infinite gear reduction of a torque converter.

Because manuals are a DIRECT mechanical link with no slippage (other than toasting the clutch) they are regularly geared deeper, but just unlocking a torque converter on the highway will give you a couple hundred RPM. Granted, I don't know EXACTLY how the new 8 speed handles converter lockup....

Yeah, I know how a torque converter works. At highway speeds when you're in 6th gear in the manual vs. the 8 speed in lockup final drive ratio matters.

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