Is the Wrangler JL Reliable enough for a 10k road-trip?

[GATORB8]

Damn. Dude’s about to tip to tip North America, and half the posts are about him rounding up his MPGs.

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[AlgUSF]

Been to Tuk .i would be worried about being caught up there between the river crossings when they change from a ice road to the ferry's . Could take weeks . The questions you ask here make me think you need to do more due diligence .

I agree, 3 weeks isn't enough time to seriously road trip up to Tuk and enjoy the trip. You'd literally have to drive the entire time to have a chance. Before we had kids my wife and I did a Tampa->Denver->Rocky Mountain NP->Yellowstone NP->Reno->SF Bay Area->Yosemite->Vegas->Tampa trip and we were booking. Had a great time but it wasn't nearly as far as Tuk. If the OP is seriously taking the trip, I'd make sure to double check the plans and adjust accordingly.

EDIT: It is certainly "doable" at 472 mi./day but that leaves absolutely no time for any contingencies nor free-time. I've gone on a lot of road trips, but your plans are more aggressive than I'd like.

 

[GATORB8]

I agree, 3 weeks isn't enough time to seriously road trip up to Tuk and enjoy the trip. You'd literally have to drive the entire time to have a chance. Before we had kids my wife and I did a Tampa->Denver->Rocky Mountain NP->Yellowstone NP->Reno->SF Bay Area->Yosemite->Vegas->Tampa trip and we were booking. Had a great time but it wasn't nearly as far as Tuk. If the OP is seriously taking the trip, I'd make sure to double check the plans and adjust accordingly.

EDIT: It is certainly "doable" at 472 mi./day but that leaves absolutely no time for any contingencies nor free-time. I've gone on a lot of road trips, but your plans are more aggressive than I'd like.

Great point, and I’d agree.

For us, bombing out 1,000 miles a day isn’t awful, for two or three days with a break after.

I think another week and well planned layovers would add a ton to the trip.

 

[dragoneggs]

No one is going to ask about 20MPG on 40s??

Thread derailer.

 

[dragoneggs]

Thread derailer.

Yep finished the thread… told ya so!

 

[Vinman]

If you’re going through the Calgary, Alberta area you’re more than welcome to stop by my place and use my heated garage to change the oil and give it a good mid-trip once over before heading north.

 

[wibornz]

I agree, 3 weeks isn't enough time to seriously road trip up to Tuk and enjoy the trip. You'd literally have to drive the entire time to have a chance. Before we had kids my wife and I did a Tampa->Denver->Rocky Mountain NP->Yellowstone NP->Reno->SF Bay Area->Yosemite->Vegas->Tampa trip and we were booking. Had a great time but it wasn't nearly as far as Tuk. If the OP is seriously taking the trip, I'd make sure to double check the plans and adjust accordingly.

EDIT: It is certainly "doable" at 472 mi./day but that leaves absolutely no time for any contingencies nor free-time. I've gone on a lot of road trips, but your plans are more aggressive than I'd like.

That is a lot of seat and wheel time everyday in a row.

 

[wibornz]

Thread derailer.

Set the cruise at 45 mph with a tail wind… DONE.

 

[wibornz]

If you’re going through the Calgary, Alberta area you’re more than welcome to stop by my place and use my heated garage to change the oil and give it a good mid-trip once over before heading north.

This forum is full of great people. You are one of them.

 

[zrickety]

Planning on driving from Florida to Tuktoyaktuk Canada and back within 3 weeks.

Its 5k each way. I have a 2020 3.6 Rubicon 4door with 15k miles on it.

Anything I should consider doing this trip. Currently it’s got a 3.5” lift with 40s and regeared so I get about 20mpg on the highway.
Question is. Is the Jeep reliable enough for such a journey?

Change the oil when you get there, you'll be fine. I've done a couple 6k trips and the Jeep hasn't missed a beat. 2020 with 32k now.

 

[GATORB8]

Change the oil when you get there, you'll be fine. I've done a couple 6k trips and the Jeep hasn't missed a beat. 2020 with 32k now.

This got me wondering if there's an oil change place in Tuk. Google Maps doesn't show one, so make sure you bring your own roaster pan

 

[cafecito820]

Seriously… perform a check on fluids and filters, oil change if not recently done. Rotate your tires. Then launch! Oh and emergency kit… cell phone and credit card.

This. Gauging likelihood of a disaster based on comments from randos on the internet is a fool's errand.

Make sure everything is topped off, tight, and in good working order. Have roadside assistance and rental reimbursement on your insurance policy. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Actually do things to mitigate how effed you would be if something were to happen.

 

[Firetrak]

Just to quickly reply, not sure why some people are so incredibly pressed that I get 20mpg doing 65mpg on the highway on 40s regeared lol.

i know how to accurately gauge real range. I generally fill up the tank with 15 gallons, usually, around the time the range is 280 for a roughly combined mpg of 18.5, I don't often drive on the highway with it. But when I do I've averaging 65mpg, i'll take a picture later today for the doom-mongers lol.

Currently, the Jeep is in a 4x4 shop in Sarasota getting fully inspected and some things upgraded such as shock mount bracket skid plates put on. The tires are actually going to be replaced with 37" Nittos soon. And as the previous person did a spare delete I'll have to install a new back arm and spare tire.

That’s pretty good gas mileage, are you calculating that yourself. I went on a road trip recently and got 25 mpg at 90 mph in a 2 door rubicon with a 2.0 but hit a horrible head wind on the way back and got 18 mpg going 70 mph. Calculated MPG myself at the pump.

The car computer is, but I've also done manual calculations on fillup so its accurate, not sure why its so good.

Damn. Dude’s about to tip to tip North America, and half the posts are about him rounding up his MPGs.

seriously, I figured the journey was more exciting, i didn't build the jeep its why its currently at the shop getting fully checked out.

That is a lot of seat and wheel time everyday in a row.

that's awsome thank you.

I hope it is a grammar error and that you are not planning on leaving in three weeks. If you are…

Are you aware of what the weather conditions are like in late February? Not saying to not go, but if you are not from a state that deals with cold weather you may need to do things that you have not prepared for.

Do you have satellite communication device like a Garmin Inreach or Mini Inreach or the new Iphone 14? There will be places that you can easily be snowed in for weeks, or be on the way to the next town and get enough snow that you can’t tell where the road is. Are you prepared for -40 degrees weather?

If you are expecting to get 20 mpg like you do in warm, flat Florida, you better think again. You better plan for 13 mpg at best in the colder states and Canada. Do you have a way to carry spare fuel? Spare fuel would not be a concern in July and August, but it could save your life if you get stranded and can’t see where the road goes do to snow.

Do you have proper cold weather clothing? When the weather is below zero, a pair of $15 gloves, or a $100 coat from Walmart is not going to cut it. I never thought I would spend $275 on a pair of gloves until I snowmobiled in -20 degree weather in the UP of Michigan.

There is a bunch of stuff that you need to prepare for just because of the weather. Like are you prepared for your trip to run weeks over due to weather? Have you budgeted double what your fuel budget is? There are times people in the far north don’t turn their vehicles off for days and weeks. Note many people block off their radiators with plywood or cardboard because the vehicle can not produce sufficient heat otherwise. Are you prepared for 16+hour or darkness each day?

If it is a grammar error and you plan on doing the trip in the summer, you may run into us as we are leaving mid June to do Tuktoyaktuk Canada and Alaska. We will spend about two to three months to do the trip. Three weeks is not much for time. On paper it is doable, but in reality, you are going to be doing many back to back 16 hour days in the Jeep. The speed limits in Canada are low, think 50 mph and that does not take into consideration any road construction that can cost you hours in delays. If you are thinking you’re just going to drive along at 70 mph there and back….. It is not going to happen. Just because it is called a highway does not mean it is a highway like what we think. You can not make great time driving 1000+ miles on dirt roads.

I hope all the typing I did was for nothing and that no matter what, you have a great time and an adventure of a life time.

To answer this and many other questions and comments in general.

I'm leaving hopefully in August most likely. I've driven across America numerous times, last trip was 5000 miles in 7 days, so honestly, 10k in 21 days doesn't seem that big a deal to me, I work for myself and will be taking a Starlink RV satellite with me, so if it takes longer then all good. Not really a deal breaker.

I've personally driven in every single Biome in America, including the Grand Tetons in November, but I don't plan on going this in snow.

I'm grateful for the comment regarding the roads switching over to ferries, but I thought that was the point of the raised road construction that finished in Nov 2017 that essentially got rid of the ice road, so the communities were not cut off.

And true I highly doubt i'll get get gas mileage the whole way, i'll have 20 more gallons of fuel in 4 5gal jerry cans that i'll be bringing along as well, essentially doubling the range if it comes to it.

I also plan to sleep in the Jeep most of the time once I get into Canada except for some nights when I need a break.

The trip itself for me it more about the actual drive, journey and experience of doing such a drive than going off wheeling into the the unknown.

If you’re going through the Calgary, Alberta area you’re more than welcome to stop by my place and use my heated garage to change the oil and give it a good mid-trip once over before heading north.

Super nice offer thank you.

If I didn't reply to you directly, know that I read everyone's posts including those telling me I'm an insane MPG liar pants on fire wrangler driver lol....

Keep the suggestions/comments/advice/raging mpg incredulity coming, its so helpful.

Lastly, as I know some seem concerned for me and that's very touching, but I've had a fair amount of off-road long road trip experience but mostly in an FJ, this is my first jeep and it is also my very first trip going on such a long continuous drive to a place I've never been.

 

[Canjeeper]

Mid August is a great time to go , very scenic . there are two ferry crossings . Inuvik has services do not expect any in Tuk other then fuel .

 

[five9dak]

Previous owner of my Jeep drove it back and forth from NC to Vegas, twice. Which totals about 10k miles. Nothing to note on the service history besides some oil changes dotted all over the country.

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