Most economical way to add some pep to my Wrangler?

[Sparty]

I tried both and at 5000 foot elevation the 2.0 won hands down, that’s why I have a 2021 2.0 rubicon

Right about now we all wish you were a ditzy 21 year old blonde in a sorority

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[spmcatis]

I re-geared my ‘22 JLU Willys 6 speed to 4.11 and am rolling on the stock 32” tires. It is a night and day difference. Before the re-gear, I’d pull onto the interstate at 70 MPH in 4th. Now, my shift points are around 13ish MPH to go into 2nd, 24ish MPH to go into 3rd, 40ish MPH to go into 4th, and 60ish MPH to go into 5th. It seems like 6th is truly an overdrive gear now. I’m so glad I did it, as the driving experience is so much better now.

 

[Industrialwrench]

Gearing and weight loss are probably your best bet. Engine swap next. I wouldn’t add forced induction to the 3.6.

 

[Zandcwhite]

Gearing and weight loss are probably your best bet. Engine swap next. I wouldn’t add forced induction to the 3.6.

Everyone's afraid of forced induction due to the comically short and weak pistons. Add a set of forged pistons and you're good to go up to 12 psi easy and double the output of the v6.

 

[LARSONEM]

I can say my XR package with 4.56 and 315's is like a rocket ship when I step on the gas. Especially compared to my JK's or 4 Runner's.

I agree completely. My XR with 4.56 and 315/70’s just begs you to step on the gas. The performance is phenomenal. I was leary of going from the 4.10 and 315/70 combination to the 4.56 315/70 setup for fear of it wracking into the fuel economy (not that I really gave a damn anyway). But I didn’t want it to use more fuel. Quite the contrary. Fuel economy is about the same. It actually runs about 500 rpm’s less on the highway at 70 mph thanks to the OD gearing in the 8 speed automatic vs the 6 speed manual I had in the 2012. I really like the setup. And the 8 speed 850RE transmission is smooth as silk. After two Jeeps with a manual transmission, I was sick of shifting. A manual transmission was always something I wanted as a young person, that I never had. I’m over it now. I’m not bashing the 2.0L turbo but personally I’m not a fan of adding a turbo to a small motor and pushing it to get the power out of it. That goes for a lot of the other engine combinations that manufacturers are putting out; think 2.7L turbo in GM half tons and 3.5 Echoboost Ford runs in the 150. To me it just a joke. The 3.6L seems to be a great motor. Long term I’m not as sure about the e-torque but that’s how you have to take it, so it is what it is. The diesel might not be a bad option but I couldn’t see the added expense for the engine, added operating cost plus fooling with DEF (I do enough of that on
my GMC Denali HD). I think the original posters best option is to spend the money to rehear or better yet trade for a XR package with the bigger gears.

 

[LARSONEM]

Threads like this are why I sold enough bodily fluids to order a 392 right out of the gate……yes, I feel woozy most of the time but it will pass.

In the old days, the first advice would be to add high flow heads (or re-work yours). That used to add 40 hp if done right….but I don’t know if this is an option on newer Jeeps.

You’d be amazed what the XR package does; the 4.56 gears with the 3.6L is an amazing beast in terms of acceleration. It’s not the biggest dog on the porch, but it definitely didn’t cost as much either. Not knocking a 392; just question the cost vs. what you need a 6.4L for normal use. You whip my ass off the line on the street but I don’t see where the extra power benefits the average off roader.

 

[wscottyh]

Right about now we all wish you were a ditzy 21 year old blonde in a sorority

Damn, that isn’t a picture of my Jeep. The attached file (which was of my Jeep) didn’t get posted weird

 

[jmccorm]

In case nobody suggested, as an additive measure, remove your spare tire.

 

[Shark01]

You’d be amazed what the XR package does; the 4.56 gears with the 3.6L is an amazing beast in terms of acceleration. It’s not the biggest dog on the porch, but it definitely didn’t cost as much either. Not knocking a 392; just question the cost vs. what you need a 6.4L for normal use. You whip my ass off the line on the street but I don’t see where the extra power benefits the average off roader.

Depends on the usage though.....I don't plan to do much if any off roading.....I wanted the most fun and entertaining daily Wrangler and all signs pointed to the big dog of the yard.....giddee up

 

[azjl#3]

Simple, racers adage, add lightness. Remove all weight. Don't carry the recovery gear like a hilift 24/7, probably not needed at Walmart. Research, get lighter tires.

 

[AussieJLOverland]

Hmmm it's an odd post....if you wanted "fast" don't buy a 2 ton Wrangler or you should have bought the 392. I'm not sure what the problem is here. My 2 ton 2019 jlu wrangler with pentastar 3.6 (automatic) on 33's goes from 0-100klms In about 6-7 seconds which for a 2ton curb weight 4x4 is damn good. It sounds like you bought the wrong vehicle because basic 4x4's are generally not built for speed, that's what sports cars are for but of course there are some like the 392 which are built for more speed. I think you should have just paid the extra for the 392 out of the blocks instead of buying the pov pack & then spending tens of thousands to get a few more horses which will never be enough so you will only end up selling it or trading it for a 392 anyway or a sports car. I ONLY WISH THEY SOLD THE 392 IN AUS. You Yanks get all the good stuff lol.

 

[Cream1316]

My 8 speed 2019 on rubicon wheels moved pretty well. I dont understand how fast or quick you are trying to be in a wrangler. Lol get a porsche.

 

[Wabujitsu]

The cheapest way I have discovered to improve pep in my 2.0T JLUR on 35s is to modulate my right foot. When I want more pep, I dig deeper into the gas tank.

 

[Infidel09]

The 3.6L's are great engines! I get passed by them all the time on the highway. They've been on the Wranglers for 20 years, I've never seen anyone complain that they don't get you from point a to point b. I know for a fact they crawl great, otherwise people wouldn't have bought the JKs. I mean if you really want low end torque, by the now discontinued EcoDiesel. The 2.0s seem to have enough issues that I wouldn't chance it with them. At least the 3.0 EcoDiesels have been around for three generations, so they already worked out most of those bugs.

If I didn't buy an EcoDiesel, I would have hands down gone with the 3.6L. in fact I plan on some point in the future purchasing a two-door 6 cylinder gas Wrangler.

Maybe Wranglers aren't for you? They're flying bricks, they're not meant to go fast. The fact that some of them do is kind of cool, but it's not really why you buy a Wrangler.

If you were willing to re-gear which would be a couple thousand dollars I believe. Why not just get a couple parts to upgrade it. You could start by at minimum cat-back exhaust. If you're into it you could probably do a straight pipe, would definitely open up the engine a little bit. Cold air intake wouldn't hurt. I'm not really know too much about turbochargers, but they definitely provide a lot of torque. I'm not sure if you could add one to the 3.6 l, I feel like that would be a costly thing to do, but I feel like it would definitely get you that torque you're talking about.

I don't know, if I were you and you just didn't like the engine, personally I'd trade in for a EcoDiesel Wrangler. Lots of low end torque their get up and go is honestly pretty nuts. Only downside is they got a governor on it at 97 mph. But realistically you really don't need to go faster than that anyways unless you just like talking to cops.

I had the 3.6 and traded for the Ecodiesel - I added the cold air intake, AFE scorcher tuner and Pedal Commander - Hands down the best motor for the jeep. I average 23 mpg on 4" lift with 37s. = 400 plus miles per full tank of Diesel. Keep it under warranty in case of DEF issues.. I have the stock 3.73 gears and it is not slow - my passing gear is incredible with over 500lbs of torque you feel it. On the trail its a beast. The turbo boost will get you out of any situation. On the highway sit back and enjoy the fuel economy...you wont get it anywhere else.

 

[Tredsdert]

Keep it under warranty in case of DEF issues..

Or you can spend $1,000 and get a PCM bench flash done so that you can delete the EGR and DEF, only downside is you void all warranties on the vehicle. On the plus side your engine will be much healthier, your engine oil will stay cleaner longer and you won't have to worry about the inevitable super expensive replacement DPF and the ever common clogged EGR.

Couldn't agree more with the rest of what you said guy. The EcoDiesel is by far the best engine on the Wranglers. If only they were still producing them.

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