Potential New owner question on Wrangler highway ability.

[Buford T Justice]

I purchased my 4 x E back in May and really thought it was pretty luxurious for this type of Jeep. However after a 2000 mile interstate trip I have decided to trade it in on a new Grand Cherokee L. The main thing was the wind noise on the front windshield. It was very fatiguing after awhile etc... Couldn't have a conversation with anyone in the car etc.... It was just not a good fit for my needs. Loved the looks but was just not practical as I thought for a family of 5 etc...

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[lott]

Like a lot of people, we've been looking a new Wranglers. Wow.... what a crazy market we are in. My question stems from the intended use of the purchase. We are looking at the sky one touch roof as a must have. Other than that, we are open.
My question is this. We would be potentially using this Wrangler Unlimited for 4-6k miles of vacation highway use a year. I have two boys 8 and 11. How highway capable is the Wrangler now days? I'm assuming a Sport or Sahara are the two more road friendly models. Any advise is welcome.

We have a 2021 4 door Rubicon Diesel. We pull an trailer with a RZR and it has plenty of power. Last trip from Phoenix to Colorado and back and doing lots of off roading with the trailer we averaged about 22 miles per gallon. I love the open roof but in Phoenix we were concerned about to much heat coming through the canvas to the cabin. BTW...we get 24 in town and almost 30 on the road.

 

[Bama901]

I had a 2011 JK with 33 muds with no lift with a soft top and noticeably louder that the hard top, but man did I know when I was doing 75 on the highway. The handling and noise both a bit of a "dont love it". I now have a 2018 JL with pretty standard tires (getting 35 muds next month) but got to say I hit 90 with no vibration. Soft top still is a little noisy but worth it to drop the top down when I get to here I am going.

 

[jsmoffat]

I have a '18 JLU Sport S with a soft top, 35's and 3.5" lift. It's my daily and my family and I (we have 4 kids, but the step daughter is usually with her dad) go on many road trips to Ensenada, Laughlin, Vegas, San Francisco, Parker... well you get the picture. My 3 kids ride in car seats 3 across, yes, if you get the right ones, they'll fit but it's tight. The soft top lets a lot of noise in, but with the iPads connected to the sound system and the kids watching their videos, the noise really isn't that bad. I run Nitto Ridge Grapplers. It's a hybrid tire that doesn't have the typical drone of a MT, but it's more aggressive than an AT. It's pretty quiet, even with the doors and roof off.

As others have said, this isn't a plush ride or unibody SUV. But it's one helluva ride, be it going to work or going to the Baja 1000. Prior to my JL, I had a 2016 JK Sahara with the Goodyear Wrangler AT's and that was mostly a street tire. Compared to that '16, the '18 and newer JL's ride like a Lexus. There are concessions you make for getting a rig that is as capable as the JL off road, like on road ride quality. But does it suck? No. Does it get boring? Heck no! Is it the best daily driver? For anyone who wants to make his/her daily drive an adventure, it's the best daily driver around.

From April to October, the doors are off and sure, my hair is a little messier, my hearing a little worse, and the dust a little dustier... but for my drive to and from work, or dropping off and picking up the kids at school, it beats any SUV... period.

You said you are running Nitto Ridge Grapplers. Just did my lift and have my wheels figured out, but can’t come to a landing on tires. The shop I’ve been working with did suggest the Nittos though. My worry was too and doors off. I run that way a lot. So I know I’m going to have more noise, but I don’t want crazy noise. Sounds like it isn’t too bad with the Jeep naked?

 

[BeachNJeep]

You said you are running Nitto Ridge Grapplers. Just did my lift and have my wheels figured out, but can’t come to a landing on tires. The shop I’ve been working with did suggest the Nittos though. My worry was too and doors off. I run that way a lot. So I know I’m going to have more noise, but I don’t want crazy noise. Sounds like it isn’t too bad with the Jeep naked?

No. Not at all. I've been driving with them for over a year and half with 22k miles on them. I have them rotated and balanced every 5k miles through America's Tires. I keep it at around 36 psl even though they are rated higher for daily use to prevent uneven wear between the edges and the center and for a softer ride.

It's not as quiet as the OEM Wranglers, but those were really street tires in AT disguise. My best advice is to see if you have any buddies or someone at the tire shop who are running the Nittos and hear it for yourself.

But for me, it works. I wanted KO2's, but the guy at the tire shop recommended the Nittos just for the on road manners and noise and the proficient off roadability. And it couldn't agree more.

 

[jsmoffat]

No. Not at all. I've been driving with them for over a year and half with 22k miles on them. I have them rotated and balanced every 5k miles through America's Tires. I keep it at around 36 psl even though they are rated higher for daily use to prevent uneven wear between the edges and the center and for a softer ride.

It's not as quiet as the OEM Wranglers, but those were really street tires in AT disguise. My best advice is to see if you have any buddies or someone at the tire shop who are running the Nittos and hear it for yourself.

But for me, it works. I wanted KO2's, but the guy at the tire shop recommended the Nittos just for the on road manners and noise and the proficient off roadability. And it couldn't agree more.

Thank you for the info. Great stuff!!

 

[jlang]

I purchased my 4 x E back in May and really thought it was pretty luxurious for this type of Jeep. However after a 2000 mile interstate trip I have decided to trade it in on a new Grand Cherokee L. The main thing was the wind noise on the front windshield. It was very fatiguing after awhile etc... Couldn't have a conversation with anyone in the car etc.... It was just not a good fit for my needs. Loved the looks but was just not practical as I thought for a family of 5 etc...

Are they giving you a good value on trade?

 

[Buford T Justice]

Are they giving you a good value on trade?

It wasn't great trying to trade so quickly but considering the 7500.00 tax credit I actually didn't do to bad. They now have the vehicle listed on KBB so that helps the dealers give more for trade in etc... Most of the dealers were trying to give me less because of the tax credit.

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