Michigan 2018 Sport Unlimited JL - Moderate Budget - Maximizing Wheeling

[tshaw2009]

Dude, your build thread is one of the most underrated threads on this forum. Great job building up your JLU. I wish I had more hands so I could give your thread four thumbs up. I didn't even know there was a winch plate I could put on my factory plastic bumper.

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[mbrewer]

Agreed, this is a really great build thread. Rational reasonable intelligent upgrades carefully chosen to improve the real capability and off-road reliability of a JLU.
I'm about to order a JLU and now I'm wondering if I'm going to end up dropping in a new transfer case myself down the road.

 

[Mudduck]

Agreed, this is a really great build thread. Rational reasonable intelligent upgrades carefully chosen to improve the real capability and off-road reliability of a JLU.
I'm about to order a JLU and now I'm wondering if I'm going to end up dropping in a new transfer case myself down the road.

Very much enjoying this myself

 

[Johnny3]

This is a GREAT thread - real functional upgrades as opposed to cosmetics.

Question... Have you ever given thoughts to a hand throttle?

I am in here as I previously owned a JLUR (now have a JTR); I also have a 2000 TJ (4.0 sport, manual trans) that I am about to undergo a large DIY project with. Hand throttle was something I was considering... just curious if you had too, and any pros/cons.

 

[bllprk]

Question... Have you ever given thoughts to a hand throttle?

Yes I have given it thoughts. My last Wrangler was a TJ as well. I still miss it.

With rock climbing and a MT, there are advantages to not using the accelerator.

I think the TJ would be a no brainer. It’s any easy install and very effective. Also know you can easily disable the clutch sensor.

The JL has a few items to consider.

1. Hill Assist does hold the brake for 2 seconds. I actually don’t trust it and it almost puts me in a panic that I need to be quick. The bronco feature where it holds the brake unless you are moving forward would work better. But, as long as your aware of the feature, it can help.

2.When you put the JL in 4LOW, RPMs increase to 900rpm. This helps a lot, but also increases the minimum crawl speed.

3. The JScan app can put the engine in winch mode. Winch mode puts the engine at a higher rpm as well. Never tried this, but this could help in a situation with a easy path forward.

4. I don’t think a hand throttle would be allowed on a JL.

Right now I don’t use the accelerator to start in 1st gear 4 lo. Brake and clutch work great.

Also thanks for the feedback!!

 

[c20040215]

Yes I have given it thoughts. My last Wrangler was a TJ as well. I still miss it.

With rock climbing and a MT, there are advantages to not using the accelerator.

I think the TJ would be a no brainer. It’s any easy install and very effective. Also know you can easily disable the clutch sensor.

The JL has a few items to consider.

1. Hill Assist does hold the brake for 2 seconds. I actually don’t trust it and it almost puts me in a panic that I need to be quick. The bronco feature where it holds the brake unless you are moving forward would work better. But, as long as your aware of the feature, it can help.

2.When you put the JL in 4LOW, RPMs increase to 900rpm. This helps a lot, but also increases the minimum crawl speed.

3. The JScan app can put the engine in winch mode. Winch mode puts the engine at a higher rpm as well. Never tried this, but this could help in a situation with a easy path forward.

4. I don’t think a hand throttle would be allowed on a JL.

Right now I don’t use the accelerator to start in 1st gear 4 lo. Brake and clutch work great.

Also thanks for the feedback!!

Nice build.
Where do you normally go in the area?

 

[bllprk]

Silver Lake Sand Dunes, Holly Oaks and Drummond Island. We have been to Windrock as well. I don't love to drive in pure mud so I stay away from some of the local parks. I would like to try Bandlands. They seem to have a nice rock garden.

 

[c20040215]

Silver Lake Sand Dunes, Holly Oaks and Drummond Island. We have been to Windrock as well. I don't love to drive in pure mud so I stay away from some of the local parks. I would like to try Bandlands. They seem to have a nice rock garden.

Badlands is good. Has a mix of everything for everyone. There are a few challenging rock crawling obstacles. You will have fun.

Is Holly Oaks any good? I heard they are opening up more sections soon. Seems like a small park with many man made concrete obstacles.

 

[bllprk]

Nice build.
Where do you normally go in the area?

Badlands is good. Has a mix of everything for everyone. There are a few challenging rock crawling obstacles. You will have fun.

Is Holly Oaks any good? I heard they are opening up more sections soon. Seems like a small park with many man made concrete obstacles.

The new back 60 acres is open. That's more of the wild west, they have let it develop itself. I have not been on the new section.

The front section is fun. Some sandy climbs and a track around the park that is fun. Nice elevation changes for sure. Mount Magna is fun, and one side was too challenging for me. There is a nice race track for Jeeps. They have an air up station. You can find mud if you want, but its messy. I'd say a full day at the park and you would have attempted what you would want to try. Here is my short video: I would go back, maybe once per year. Note that I speed up my videos, so they are not so boring to watch. Ha ha

 

[Grayhound]

The new back 60 acres is open. That's more of the wild west, they have let it develop itself. I have not been on the new section.

The front section is fun. Some sandy climbs and a track around the park that is fun. Nice elevation changes for sure. Mount Magna is fun, and one side was too challenging for me. There is a nice race track for Jeeps. They have an air up station. You can find mud if you want, but its messy. I'd say a full day at the park and you would have attempted what you would want to try. Here is my short video: I would go back, maybe once per year. Note that I speed up my videos, so they are not so boring to watch. Ha ha

I really like Holly oaks and end up there every month at least! Lots of different this you can practice on.

 

[Punknhed]

Centerforce Clutch - Self Install Review

Jeep Details:
Jeep Sport 2018 3.6L 6Speed Manual Transmission. 2 inch lift. 35" tires. M186 / M220 5.13 Gears. Rubicon Transfer Case. Open Front / LSD Rear. Crawl Ratio of 104:1 65,000 miles

Background:
I go off-roading as much as I can. I try the hard stuff. But remember, I drive a Sport on 35's.

Stock Clutch: I didn't mind it. I like the light clutch pedal. I did burn it up a few times off roading. I went to a crawl ratio of 104:1 to help avoid that. Maybe it would very slightly slip at 5k rpm on heavy acceleration. I replaced the stock clutch because I didn't want it slipping and exploding on a trip to Moab. I was also excited to get the heavy flywheel. I did NOT love the stock flywheel. This jeep was so easy to stall. The other note is the clutch was very on or off in terms of engagement. It didn't really feather.

Install:
Centerforce ® II, Clutch and Flywheel Kit Item #: KCFT157077. I installed this myself. Total install time was about 11 hours and that included changing the rear main seal. I also had to remove and re-install skid plates. Install was straight forward. Pain points included the top fasteners on the bell housing and the bracket. I did separate the transfer case. I did not disconnect the shifter linkage. I had tons of room to put the transmission to the side. I installed this on the floor of my garage.

With respect to mounting the flywheel: use one of the old flywheel bolts and cut the head off. Use that to hold the flywheel in place (and while trying to align the holes). I also purchased 2 long bolts and cut the heads off to align the bell housing to the engine. With respect to bleeding the clutch, follow Centerforces instructions exactly. It was a very straightforward install. I have only installed one other clutch in a TJ.

Performance:
My first comment is that the clutch feels like a clutch. It engages smoothly, pedal force is a bit higher (to push down the pedal) than stock, but it feels like a traditional single disc clutch.

This clutch feels right. Right now I am trying to teach my son a manual transmission. On the factory clutch, he could never feel it engaging. Even with the 5.13's he still struggled with stalling. He loves this new one because he can tell when it's starting to grab.

I have 600 miles on it now. I did some simple off-roading obstacles at a friend's house. First thing to note wasn't I didn't stall a single time. I have one video of the engine running very low RPM due to me being on the brake, and while it was lugging, it kept going. The other thing I noticed was I could actually control speed with the clutch itself. I could let it slip a bit, and it performed beautifully. While rock crawling, with my crawl ratio and the Centerforce clutch, I don't need the accelerator at all. I know not to slip the clutch while driving. But, it's nice to know that on the hardest obstacles, I have an additional tool to get up it. Jeeping with the Mopar twin disc clutch, I had forgotten you could do this with a clutch.

I will be disabling the ESS at some point. I just want to save the wear and tear on the starter due to the heavier flywheel.

I did run into some questions about bleeding the hydraulics. Centerforce was on the phone with me almost immediately to help me work through the issue. The support was top notch.

So, in conclusion, I am happy to have the risk of a Jeep fire removed. In addition, I gained some amazing off-road capability. Very happy to have a solid flywheel and a single disc clutch!

Video of me not stalling...

you should be able to just push the button to turn ess off ? its next to the start button, thats what i do with mine now, and when i had a manual sport did with it.

 

[Punknhed]

i agree with others, awesome build. i had a JLUS w a 6 speed and got rid of it because of the stupid clutch. definitely nice to see what you have done to combat the shit clutch, and especially gear ratio.

 

[bllprk]

Just for fun. Put some 37’s on and hit my friends trail… it’s pretty incredible. That extra clearance was really useful.

Not going to keep them on. Small pinions, small axles and 37’s may be too much out of my comfort zone…

37 verses 35

 

[bllprk]

My test:
How strong is the Dana 30 with 5.13's and stock everything else on 35's?
What do I think about the Centerforce II Clutch?

Updates:

Went thru 10 trails at Moab. 8 of the BOH Trails. Cliffhanger was the hardest. (I'd say too much for 35's with no lockers)

Also, 3 days at Silver Lake Sand Dunes in Michigan.

Gears for Moab: The crawl ratio was king. The jeep moves so slow, it allows time for the jeep to fineness its way up so many different obstacles. It gives you the time you need to adjust your line and stay off the clutch. Due to the gearing, I could use the clutch and the brake as well, or just use the brakes while the jeep was in gear. Lockers would help, but were not necessary. My tire size was a limitation as well. Some 'bouncing' but very conservative driving so I didn't aggressively test the strength of the ring and pinion (and everything else)

Video Example of the Jeep finding traction

Gears for Silver Lake: I'd say it was not ideal. (too much gear) I had a hard time finding speed AND torque in a single gear. Speed to gain momentum, but then torque to pull it up the last bit of the dune. It was not designed for the dunes, but that said, I did every dune. But this could just be a limitation of the 3.6. Honestly my 3.0 CRD does a lot better going up the dunes. Tons of wheel hop trying to get up some of the dunes. Redlining the engine. Drag racing in the sand. All is still working.

Centerforce II Clutch - This is what the factory should have installed. It feathered when needed, it held like a champ. It gave incredible control on the rocks. At the dunes, high RPM and rev hang messes me up sometimes. I did smell the clutch in certain scenarios, but I was driving in a way that I would expect that. This clutch is rock solid (7000 miles on it now). My only complaint is it shutters a bit going into first when I am in town and the temp outside is 80F or above. I think the flywheel gets hot from the engine and then it shutters a bit. Highly recommend. This made the difference in both Moab and the Sand Dunes.

Metal Cloak Sumo Springs- These are amazing at the dunes. Bump stops that provide a soft collision between the frame and the axle. Very happy.

Cooper SST Pro - Been incredible. Moab beat them up pretty bad. I ran as low as 10psi in Moab to help remove bumps from the trail. They are noisy on the highway now. But they have taken everything I have thrown at them.

 

[CptFloridaMan]

Man I'm loving this build, it's reminding me that sometimes less is more and not to get blinding by the forum saying to go full on axle swaps and 37s

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