On Pavement: Sport, Sahara or Rubicon?

[Geronimo]

Our Rubi rides nice at right around 29 PSI. It also rides well while pulling 3,000 Lb Camper. Great for hauling wild hog back to camp too. It's my wife's daily driver to the Med center. All and all a very well rounded vehicle. Her last one was too, we miss that Jeep. She needed a Rubi because sometimes she cannot find a parking spot at work and she likes the way she can cut through the landscaping and jump curbs in it without bottoming out at higher speeds. She is really anxious to get her lift on her JL, Says she can't disconnect before pulling into the parking lot at work on these 37s. Says that greatly reduces her parking options.

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[mgroeger]

We have a Sahara that at 1200 miles we got rid of the 18" rims and aggressive all weather tires for stock Rubi 17" rims and KO2 tires.
We have zero road wander and when you let go of the wheel it tracks dead straight. We love the KO2, it feels more grippier on the road and has excellent off road capabilities so it is an all around great tire. It rides great and after putting on a 2.5" budget lift it still rides great, a little bit stiffer and a little more roll which is to be expected.
Next up is throwing the Rubi suspension on it that I have laying in the garage.

 

[Dogboyslim]

I live in Wisconsin, and heated seats and steering wheels are VERY nice for a good chunk of the year! To each his/her own.

 

[Spank]

So after all that, my real question- purely for on pavement/daily driving, which of the 3 perform best as far as comfort/smoothness/handling... if any difference at all? I'm aware of the interior differences and off road capabilities, but it's difficult to find many reviews to differentiate between the three for any needs other than on the trail.

The Sport, having less aggressive tires, is probably going to give you the smoothest ride out of all of them, but make sure your tires aren't ridiculously over-inflated. There's no reason any Wrangler needs tires at 40psi, even with the boiler-plate street rubber. That being said, the major differences between the three will be the KO2s and different shocks featured on the Rubicon. That's it.

Didn't even bother with the Rubicon as my off road needs are no where near Rubicon level and that is obviously significantly more expensive.

Despite what you may hear or read, the Sport is still excellent both on and off pavement. Not having all the Rubicon goodies doesn't diminish its capability whatsoever. Sure, it has to work harder, but not much. Slap some good tires on a Sport and wheel smart and it'll do almost anything a Rubicon can do.

 

[Tacoman03]

I’m on the opposite side of this equation I guess, as I traded in my JL Sahara for a JL Rubicon and found the Rubi better riding/driving.......

 

[azamani]

I’m on the opposite side of this equation I guess, as I traded in my JL Sahara for a JL Rubicon and found the Rubi better riding/driving.......

I really do think it's a subjective matter, especially after the comments on this thread. Everyone drives differently and has different ideas of what satisfies them in different driving situations. I guess it really just comes down to: drive all the trims and find which one works best for you as well as how much you're willing to spend. I find my smile getting bigger each day driving my first Jeep.

 

[azamani]

The Sport, having less aggressive tires, is probably going to give you the smoothest ride out of all of them, but make sure your tires aren't ridiculously over-inflated. There's no reason any Wrangler needs tires at 40psi, even with the boiler-plate street rubber. That being said, the major differences between the three will be the KO2s and different shocks featured on the Rubicon. That's it.



Despite what you may hear or read, the Sport is still excellent both on and off pavement. Not having all the Rubicon goodies doesn't diminish its capability whatsoever. Sure, it has to work harder, but not much. Slap some good tires on a Sport and wheel smart and it'll do almost anything a Rubicon can do.

It seems like the tires are truly one of the biggest factors playing into the smoothness on concrete/asphalt surfaces. No doubt any Jeep at stock is still very capable off road, and for my needs specifically (light trails, mud, water) the Sport will be more than enough.

I check my tire PSI levels daily and they usually hover around 37-40PSI. I haven't really had any issues like others I've read about, so I'm just going to leave them and watch them slowly drop to the mid 30's.

 

[Bubba33]

We have a Sahara that at 1200 miles we got rid of the 18" rims and aggressive all weather tires for stock Rubi 17" rims and KO2 tires.
We have zero road wander and when you let go of the wheel it tracks dead straight. We love the KO2, it feels more grippier on the road and has excellent off road capabilities so it is an all around great tire. It rides great and after putting on a 2.5" budget lift it still rides great, a little bit stiffer and a little more roll which is to be expected.
Next up is throwing the Rubi suspension on it that I have laying in the garage.

So you're taking off the spacer lift and doing the rubicon shocks and springs. Are you going to miss the extra lift.

 

[RussJeep1]

...purely for on pavement/daily driving, which of the 3 perform best as far as comfort/smoothness/handling.

If this is your criterion, the play is to save your money and get a Sport S. Don't expect better road handling from higher level trim models.

 

[Joe98]

If a Sport and a Sahara have the same transmission and the same tyres they will ride just the same on bitumen. A Rubicon has a lift and more aggressive tyres so it can never be tge same as tge others on bitumen.
.

 

[old8tora]

If a Sport and a Sahara have the same transmission and the same tyres they will ride just the same on bitumen. A Rubicon has a lift and more aggressive tyres so it can never be tge same as tge others on bitumen.
.

So , get a sport .

 

[Geronimo]

It's a shame that more folks do not chalk test their tires, regardless of the "trim" level. Many would discover how much better the ride. The door jam is not the correct pressure. You would also realize much longer tread life, and better all round traction. Running them at 40 Psi will save you about a cup of gas per tank.... ever wonder why the center wears out and you still have decent tread on the edges?
Before we changed wheels and tires our KO2s were happy at 30 in the rear and 31 in the front. Our Cooper STT Pros I have set at 29r 30f so far, will check them again in a few 100 miles to allow them to "limber up". You will need a programmer to lower the threshold on your TPMS or you can have your dealer do it for you to get rid of the "low pressure idiot light". It should be set at about 25 for highway use and if you like to air down to wheel you could set it at 15 or even lower depending on how low you like/need to go. With a programmer you can change it anytime you want.

You would be amazed at what just 5 PSI does for ride quality.

 

[B-man]

I have a rubicon and it’s great. I traded in my 2008 Kia Sorento so this is a big step up as a daily driver. I’ve found the wind and road noise to not be too bad at all. Very happy with it around town.

 

[Threxx]

For ride quality, we should be considering the difference between these on each of the three trims:
- Tire sidewall height and tire composition
- Unsprung weight (larger wheels don't automatically make a car ride worse, but the greater unsprung weight usually associated with them, and lower sidewall profile tires do)
- Shock/strut stiffness
- Center of gravity
(there's lots else that could be a factor but I think they're all the same when comparing 4 door to 4 door of each trim)

It'd be interesting if we could see some quantifiable side by side test data. However I suspect the difference is pretty marginal. Most people who are Wrangler shopping already know they're getting about a 2 out of 10 vehicle when it comes to ride quality and noise. So whether it's a 1.9 in a Rubicon or a 2.1 in a Sahara probably isn't all that interesting except to the geekiest of us - so a real test is unlikely to happen.

 

[droadrunner]

2-door basic sport .

I just picked up a basic 2 door . I'ts great!

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