Sahara vs Rubicon JL Technicals

[JamesWyatt]

I noticed Rubicon has a bumpier ride in a way, as the dealer confirmed to me that the rubicon suspension is different from Sahara!!! (not sure how true is that if any can confirm) or is it just the tires? you can clearly notice the lower gear ratio on Rubicon, compared to the Shara which is smoother in terms of a ride and the gears as it ha s higher gear ratio, and accelerates smoother
So I noticed overall that the sahara is more comfortable on the road. but in terms of the looks and the $3500 difference, I think teh Rubicon has better value for the money

If you end up putting the same KO2 tires on the Sahara, it may negate some of the difference in ride quality. The KO2s have very stiff sidewalls and ride more like a quiet MT tire.

But most importantly, did you look at the EVIC and check the tire pressures on both models? Many dealers don't bother to lower the over-inflated tire pressure as set by the factory. The JK/JKU Rubicon's KM tires arrive at the dealer at around 48 PSI which will make for a very harsh ride, and I'm sure the JLs KO2s come similarly over-inflated.

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[Gus]

If you end up putting the same KO2 tires on the Sahara, it may negate some of the difference in ride quality. The KO2s have very stiff sidewalls and ride more like a quiet MT tire.

But most importantly, did you look at the EVIC and check the tire pressures on both models? Many dealers don't bother to lower the over-inflated tire pressure as set by the factory. The JK/JKU Rubicon's KM tires arrive at the dealer at around 48 PSI which will make for a very harsh ride, and I'm sure the JLs KO2s come similarly over-inflated.

Thanks James for your feedback, will keep the in mind when I go again.

 

[1quick1]

That is true as the JK's I picked up all had ridiculous high psi off the lot like 48-50. I would immediately lower them to 37 and it would make a huge difference.

 

[Dynomite1371]

That is true as the JK's I picked up all had ridiculous high psi off the lot like 48-50. I would immediately lower them to 37 and it would make a huge difference.

This should be its own thread, when I put the KO'2's on my JKU I tried many different pressures, wanting to find that fine line between comfort and tire wear. I must have hit the sweet spot around 40 psi. But with a system set to monitor this, will it always show tire pressure low if we deflate to around 40psi? I had roughly 50k on those when I traded JK for JL, dealer said they looked brand new. ( they did look good). And I rotated all 5, every oil change! Perfect tire and quiet!

 

[1quick1]

This should be its own thread, when I put the KO'2's on my JKU I tried many different pressures, wanting to find that fine line between comfort and tire wear. I must have hit the sweet spot around 40 psi. But with a system set to monitor this, will it always show tire pressure low if we deflate to around 40psi? I had roughly 50k on those when I traded JK for JL, dealer said they looked brand new. ( they did look good). And I rotated all 5, every oil change! Perfect tire and quiet!

On my 2door JK I had 285/70/17's (same size as JL rubi) GY Duratracs and actually lowered them to 33 and found good wear and ride comfort. I had to deal with the chime and light on the dash though for low tire pressure as well. I understand there was a way to flash it to go away but for how much it was I didn't care that much.

 

[JamesWyatt]

This should be its own thread, when I put the KO'2's on my JKU I tried many different pressures, wanting to find that fine line between comfort and tire wear. I must have hit the sweet spot around 40 psi. But with a system set to monitor this, will it always show tire pressure low if we deflate to around 40psi? I had roughly 50k on those when I traded JK for JL, dealer said they looked brand new. ( they did look good). And I rotated all 5, every oil change! Perfect tire and quiet!

40 seems on the high side (JKUR KM factory psi is 37) unless you have super-smooth highways and air down a lot when you hit dirt. I kept my KO2s around 28 psi (34s with load range D). I use the AEV Procal for my JK to set the warning threshold down to 23 psi. I’m sure AEV and others will release JL versions of their tuners soon.

 

[JamesWyatt]

On my 2door JK I had 285/70/17's (same size as JL rubi) GY Duratracs and actually lowered them to 33 and found good wear and ride comfort. I had to deal with the chime and light on the dash though for low tire pressure as well. I understand there was a way to flash it to go away but for how much it was I didn't care that much.

The tuner for the JK is worth it because not only does it set the psi warning threshold, it allows you to set the computer to the larger tire size — as a result, the speedo is corrected along with the auto trans shift points. The proper shift points make a huge difference in everyday driving and are alone worth the price of the AEV tuner.

 

[Direwolf]

40 seems on the high side (JKUR KM factory psi is 37) unless you have super-smooth highways and air down a lot when you hit dirt. I kept my KO2s around 28 psi (34s with load range D). I use the AEV Procal for my JK to set the warning threshold down to 23 psi. I’m sure AEV and others will release JL versions of their tuners soon.

I'm actually curious what Jeep recommends for the JL/JLU 285/70R17. Haven't seen any photos of a JL/JLU Rubicon door placard yet.

 

[JDaPP]

I noticed Rubicon has a bumpier ride in a way, as the dealer confirmed to me that the rubicon suspension is different from Sahara!!! (not sure how true is that if any can confirm) or is it just the tires? you can clearly notice the lower gear ratio on Rubicon, compared to the Shara which is smoother in terms of a ride and the gears as it ha s higher gear ratio, and accelerates smoother
So I noticed overall that the sahara is more comfortable on the road. but in terms of the looks and the $3500 difference, I think teh Rubicon has better value for the money

On the JK the Rubicon comes with stiffer springs (there is also a difference between hardtop packaged springs). The net effect is usually a stiffer ride plus greater height. Not unusual for folks to buy Rubicon takeoff springs and put them on sport / Sahara for a 1-1.5" lift. if you can do any work yourself, you will be able to get Rubicon takeoffs on forums or craigslist and get the Rubicon height, fenders, rock rails and tires for fractions of the cost. Just takes patience... I have even seen lockers, axles and transfer cases. There are plenty of how-tos on how to wrench on a jeep.

 

[JamesWyatt]

On the JK the Rubicon comes with stiffer springs (there is also a difference between hardtop packaged springs). The net effect is usually a stiffer ride plus greater height. Not unusual for folks to buy Rubicon takeoff springs and put them on sport / Sahara for a 1-1.5" lift. if you can do any work yourself, you will be able to get Rubicon takeoffs on forums or craigslist and get the Rubicon height, fenders, rock rails and tires for fractions of the cost. Just takes patience... I have even seen lockers, axles and transfer cases. There are plenty of how-tos on how to wrench on a jeep.

All the JKUs are the same height except for the 10th Anniversary and the Recon. There are some differences in spring rates, but these don't account for meaningful height changes when swapped. There are those who put 4 door springs on 2 doors to get a budget lift, so maybe that's what you're thinking of.

With the JL, it will get more complicated. I'd guess something like this:

JLU 4-door Rubicon springs:

• Swapped to a JLU 4-door Sport/Sahara = modest lift
• Swapped to a JL 2-door Rubicon = modest lift
• Swapped to a JL 2-door Sahara/Sport = more substantial lift

JL 2-door Rubicon springs:

• Swapped to a JL 2-door Sahara/Sport = modest lift

 

[JDaPP]

All the JKUs are the same height except for the 10th Anniversary and the Recon. There are some differences in spring rates, but these don't account for meaningful height changes when swapped. There are those who put 4 door springs on 2 doors to get a budget lift, so maybe that's what you're thinking of.

With the JL, it will get more complicated. I'd guess something like this:

JLU 4-door Rubicon springs:

• Swapped to a JLU 4-door Sport/Sahara = modest lift
• Swapped to a JL 2-door Rubicon = modest lift
• Swapped to a JL 2-door Sahara/Sport = more substantial lift

JL 2-door Rubicon springs:

• Swapped to a JL 2-door Sahara/Sport = modest lift

Yep that was what I was talking about. I should clarify my lift comments, the only time I have ever seen reported "lift" 4 door to 4 door was usually someone who added armor, winch, etc.to a Sport/Sahara and put Rubicon Springs on. It is not lift as much as the stiffer springs bringing them back to factory height so I apologize for referring to it as lift.

 

[desertbuzz]

The JL with the new transmissions have a lower drive and crawl ratio than a JK with 3.73's. So gearing would not be an issue. The auto has a 4.71 first gear and the manual has a 5.13 first gear compared too gen 2 JK's 3.59 auto and 4.46 manual first gears. Simple math. Axle ratio is a number that works hand and hand with 1st gear and transfer case ratio.

Problem solved! .... Thank you
I guess what would be left to do is program the new tire size into the ECU for accurate speed reading and ABS/ESP operation. I wonder if this operation can now be done directly on the JL or will we need an external device like AEV's Procal, Diablosport, Superchips etc...

 

[chandlermerr]

I'm probably the worst person to ask for this but I'm going to leave my opinion. IF you want a very dependable vehicle jeep that handles well on the road but you can go offroading/camping at the drop of a hat, I'd say buy an absolute bone stock Sahara and have a upgrade done by AEV. even something as small as a 200 package will expand and broaden your offroad horizons beyond belief. I have an '08 Sahara that I sent up to Detroit to have the 250 package installed. Couldn't love another vehicle more than this. Well worth the investment.

 

[c2m2h3]

Could not agree MORE ! The only change I (myself) would have is go with the Rubicon and let the Pros at AEV go from there.... I was planning on a JLUR sent to AEV for the 450 package (4.5" lift with the 37s); however, with the increased height and fender clearance, there is no need for the 4.5.....AEV is already R&D-ing their packages/products for the New JL.... They have a way of making everything work seemless and proportional...

(and NO I don't work for AEV.......would love to though !)

 

[JEEPJL]

Meh. The decision was easy for me:

Rubicon = badass
Sahara = elegant yet capable

I wanted badass, and so I didn’t overthink it.

(Admittedly I had no choice because no 2dr JL Sahara, but I almost got a JK this summer and above was my rationale.)

I live in CT which sees its fair share of snow. Tires matter more than differentials in the snow...

My advice - don’t overthink the decision. Get whatever is going to make you smile when you get in it every day!

I have done tons of research and the bottom line with the Wranglers is they can all climb rocks , Its just the Rubi is more beefed up and specifically built for anything !

Dont let the Sport or Sahara fool ya ....There jeeps !!!

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