Off-Road Capable

[Uhdinator]

My first jeep (YJ) in 1989 had 3:08 gears, no lockers, no traction control and had something like 28" tires and a soft top. Buried it a few times then learned a lot, eventually lifted it 3-4" just to fit 33" tires.

My second Jeep, The first Rubicon in 2003 didn't have sway bar disconnects and stock tires were barely 31". Lifted it 2.5" to fit 285's (33") tires. It had much better capability with a rear limited slip in 2wd or 4wd and the lockers of course in 4W lo which I rarely used. It had no traction control.

My current Jeep is a Sport 2dr with no lockers or limited slip but it has traction control that is close to having lockers in both axles that works in 2wd, 4wd and 4wd lo. It's not going to be doing extreme rock crawling a lot.

Point being the JL has come a long way since I started jeepin. It's gotten a lot better in ground clearance and ability to upgrade to a bit larger tire without major modifications of a any stock Jeep i've owned. With a 2" spacer lift and a modest size tire like a 285/70 or 295/70 you won't kill your ride comfort an improve ground clearance. Even just upgrading 1 tire size larger with an all terrain or more aggressive mud tire makes a difference. Terrain that used to scare me in my first jeep, i don't blink and eye at in my new Jeep. I never broke or dented/damaged anything on any of my jeeps and wheeled them with a light foot as they were my daily drivers, and had a lot of fun doing it.

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[Joe98]

I have a 2004 Ford Escape. It can handle dirt roads like this:

Imagine rocks stick up from the dirt to a height of 9" and there are potholes to a depth of 9" . So long as they are not too close together my 2004 Ford Escape has enough articulation to handle such a track. A Jeep Wrangler Sport will handle that easily.
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[Highonlyfe]

Where in Iowa you from?

N, S, E or W?

There are jeep clubs in Iowa that wheel at rock quarries, off road areas and the like.

I will hook you up and you can take the MOAB out and your mind will be blown what the lowly sahara can handle.

Also, on Dec. 11 there is a huge jeep meet at bass pro in Altoona and driving through the Jolly Holiday lights display after, bring the family.

Last year i think there was close to 60 wranglers there.

Let me know

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

I went to the Victorinox Watehouse Sale on Friday. It was so busy that I had to park in a dirt parking lot. I’m happy to report that my Rubicon killed it! I only needed 4L when backing in to the spot. I did disconnect my sway bar because the ground was a bit uneven. I pitied the Audi that was parked next to me. I’m not sure how he got out.

 

[AlamedaJeep]

It's just that I've seen WAY more posts suggesting that I made the wrong choice than the right one.

There is definitely a bias toward the Rubicon in this forum. There is no doubting that it is the most capable Wrangler off the lot, but ALL Wranglers are off-road capable and will do more than the most users will require.

Enjoy your Sahara and if you start to run into situations where it's not capable enough for you, worry about it then.

 

[GRAK]

I'm pretty new here (been a few weeks) and I've read through a ton of information on this site (it's actually probably a ridiculous amount of time I've spent reading on here). I recently took the plunge and ordered a new Wrangler. I'll totally admit I'm definitely not a "Jeep Guy" and have never done any real "Off-Roading" (mostly flat land - mud/snow/dirt, nowhere to rock-climb near me for several hundred miles), but I have wanted to do both for a long time and so I thought I made a good decision with a Wrangler.

Anyway, one thing that sticks out that has been mentioned on several posts throughout the forum is the fact that my Wrangler is apparently not capable of being driven off-road. It's a JLU Sahara (Moab to be specific). From what I can gather, only a Rubicon can actually leave pavement. The only thing I can do with mine is take my kids to soccer practice and to the mall.

I guess I need to do both of those on a somewhat regular basis anyway, but I had bigger plans for it on the weekends. Too bad I'm in for such a disappointment, I wish I had joined the forum way before buying a Jeep so I would have known this.

It’s not a big screwup, perfectly understandable. It’s just an order so you can still cancel it. Reorder two door Rubicon. It’ll say “*actual Jeep” in the fine print.

 

[HardRock]

There were millions of Jeeps before the Rubicon model that were wheeled hard.....and did not break. Don't be stupid with the throttle and it will be fine.

Yep. I see so many old Wranglers out deep in the desert crawling over stuff with no lockers. Amazing vehicle - you’ll be fine with good judgement. Be careful and practice a bit before taking a deep dive.

 

[robaw]

It’s not a big screwup, perfectly understandable. It’s just an order so you can still cancel it. Reorder two door Rubicon. It’ll say “*actual Jeep” in the fine print.

Good point. I guess I could surrender my down-payment and do that. My kids will hate getting in and out of the

Where in Iowa you from?

N, S, E or W?

There are jeep clubs in Iowa that wheel at rock quarries, off road areas and the like.

I will hook you up and you can take the MOAB out and your mind will be blown what the lowly sahara can handle.

Also, on Dec. 11 there is a huge jeep meet at bass pro in Altoona and driving through the Jolly Holiday lights display after, bring the family.

Last year i think there was close to 60 wranglers there.

Let me know

Not like it matters which part of Iowa - it's not that big and I'd be willing to drive a few hours to have some fun! Replied via PM, thanks!!!!

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

There is definitely a bias toward the Rubicon in this forum. There is no doubting that it is the most capable Wrangler off the lot, but ALL Wranglers are off-road capable and will do more than the most users will require.

Enjoy your Sahara and if you start to run into situations where it's not capable enough for you, worry about it then.

Let’s be honest. The bias is because the JL Rubicon looks badass, not because it can climb rocks better. I’m living proof of that decision making bias (I live nowhere near rocks to climb).

Also, some of us have spouses who have no idea there are three different Wrangler trims, but who would notice new wheels and tires getting installed.

Buy what make sense for YOU, and ignore the “experts” on an Internet forum. (ICYMI - bunch of guys posting here don’t even own a JL.)

 

[Torero]

Admittedly there was a certain amount of sarcasm in there, but some seriousness as well. As I somewhat mentioned, I'm a total noob and don't know where to start with the add-ons (although I've got a few in mind). I've just read so much about the fact that I spent way too much on a vehicle that can't lock the axles, disconnect the sway bar, and has too low of a gear ratio. I didn't really think I needed any of that, since as I said it's mostly for flat land not rocky mountains (and 95% of the time getting my kids and me where we need to go). Was I wrong?

No you were not wrong. You don’t need to modify your Jeep to enjoy the outdoors. It is very capable and you’ll find lots of people with the same un modified Jeep to go along. People with highly modified jeeps will be braking things way before you do. Your Jeep will get stuck before it breaks and that is a good thing.

 

[robaw]

Let’s be honest. The bias is because the JL Rubicon looks badass, not because it can climb rocks better. I’m living proof of that decision making bias (I live nowhere near rocks to climb).

Also, some of us have spouses who have no idea there are three different Wrangler trims, but who would notice new wheels and tires getting installed.

Buy what make sense for YOU, and ignore the “experts” on an Internet forum. (ICYMI - bunch of guys posting here don’t even own a JL.)

Another reason I went with the Moab - looks pretty much as badass as the Rubicon (at least on the surface).

I don't have a "ball-and-chain" to answer to about my financial decisions, but I did at one point and totally understand that!

Trust me, I'm perfectly happy with my decision.

 

[GRAK]

Let’s be honest. The bias is because the JL Rubicon looks badass, not because it can climb rocks better. I’m living proof of that decision making bias (I live nowhere near rocks to climb).

Also, some of us have spouses who have no idea there are three different Wrangler trims, but who would notice new wheels and tires getting installed.

Buy what make sense for YOU, and ignore the “experts” on an Internet forum. (ICYMI - bunch of guys posting here don’t even own a JL.)

 

[Highonlyfe]

Another reason I went with the Moab - looks pretty much as badass as the Rubicon (at least on the surface).

I don't have a "ball-and-chain" to answer to about my financial decisions, but I did at one point and totally understand that!

Trust me, I'm perfectly happy with my decision.

Here is my old JKU sport at the old quarry i was talking about. Your sahara can do this and so much more. Dont under estimate it.

 

[robaw]

Here is my old JKU sport at the old quarry i was talking about. Your sahara can do this and so much more. Dont under estimate it.

Nice pic, I'm there! Looks like that particular spot could be a little rough on the rear bumper, guess there's one way to find out...

 

[Highonlyfe]

Nice pic, I'm there! Looks like that particular spot could be a little rough on the rear bumper, guess there's one way to find out...

Thats just the poser picture spot, there are some butt puckers there.
There are plenty of aftermarket bumpers that are cheaper, tougher and better quality than the stock steel mopar bumpers out there. dent it up, then upgrade.

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