Selec-trac vs Rubicon

[Adamoni]

I did back to back test drives to compare engines on 11 separate occasions at 9 different dealers on long island (about as sea level as it gets). All were 4 door automatic Rubicons that were comparably optioned, to not taint the waters of gear ratio and weight. Being half deaf, I couldn't tell the difference in engine noise without leaning towards the wheelwell. I also bet each salesman $20 bucks that I could guess the engine by driving it, which accomplished my goals of not being told while also extending the drive time. Some rattled more than others, some wandered more than others, but the one thing that remained constant was the quite noticeable torque advantage of the 2.0T throughout the rpm range. The 3.6 didn't seem to wake up until much higher rpm's and it also required more throttle input to reach a given rpm compared to the 2.0T.

With that being said, I would still recommend to anyone that should happen upon these words and is on the fence about engine choice to go out on at least a couple of their own comparison test drives.

Did you test drive 3.6 with eTorque? Guessing not since it only available on Sahara but thought I’d ask.

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[Mamacast]

Slightly off topic, but are you looking at the 3.6 V6 or the 2T? At sea level both have very comparable performance.

But I see you're in Breck, which has an elevation of like 13k ft. For you, I would HIGHLY encourage you to buy the 2.0T. Naturally aspirated engines lose somewhere around half their HP above 10k ft, because of the thinner air. Turbochargers work to offset this drop (they still experience some loss in power, but nowhere near naturally aspirated engines). I have a friend who just moved to Aspen and is constantly whining about the sluggishness of the vehicle she used to love driving when she lived at 1k here in Ohio.

Thank you for that input, I have both vehicles specked with the 2.0. I hate lag, had huge amounts on my diesel Grand Cherokee, very dangerous.

 

[ChimpanZed]

But I see you're in Breck, which has an elevation of like 13k ft.

The town of Breckenridge is at about 9,600ft. The peaks are at 13K and anybody who is that high arrived there in a gondola.

 

[Headbarcode]

Did you test drive 3.6 with eTorque? Guessing not since it only available on Sahara but thought I’d ask.

I did those comparisons just over a year ago, before putting in my order on 11-23-18, so they were a mix of 18's and 19's which only had a couple of unrelated differences.

As far as ESS vs BSG (e-torque) is concerned, the latter accomplishes the stop/start events much more smoothly. Other than that, I have no first hand experience with any 2020 JL's and their changes to the engine lineup.

 

[TrailJoy]

Meh. Get good tires and slow down.

You could, but why? If the OP is into serious offroading then get the Rubicon. If s/he needs a daily driver to take offroad on the weekends, then get the Sahara. Put good tires on it and slow down, add the full time 4H and you're golden.

 

[TrailJoy]

There’s been a lot of problems with the LSD. I have the Sahara and really wished I got a Rubi instead.

Oh? I haven't heard...? What kind of problems? I'll have to research a little bit.

 

[jlroman2]

Oh? I haven't heard...? What kind of problems? I'll have to research a little bit.

Yeah a knocking noise when coasting is noticeable. Especially if you add bigger tires, it’s more loud. Check this thread out. https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/knock-in-rear-with-dana-44.16921/page-47#post-935549

 

[word302]

You could, but why? If the OP is into serious offroading then get the Rubicon. If s/he needs a daily driver to take offroad on the weekends, then get the Sahara. Put good tires on it and slow down, add the full time 4H and you're golden.

You literally repeated what I said. Lol

 

[TrailJoy]

You literally repeated what I said. Lol

OH! haha My bad! I thought you were insinuating that the Rubicon was better in the snow if you got good tires and slowed down. I was just saying that this would be the same for the Sahara, and the Selec-Trac was just a really big bonus. Sorry, man!

Yeah a knocking noise when coasting is noticeable. Especially if you add bigger tires, it’s more loud. Check this thread out. https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/knock-in-rear-with-dana-44.16921/page-47#post-935549

Thanks. It's 47 pages long (LOL) so I'll read it later, but I did notice that the knocking (at least in the OP) was heard after a lift and assumingly larger tires. But he kept the stock suspension? ... I'll read it later.

 

[word302]

OH! haha My bad! I thought you were insinuating that the Rubicon was better in the snow if you got good tires and slowed down. I was just saying that this would be the same for the Sahara, and the Selec-Trac was just a really big bonus. Sorry, man!



Thanks. It's 47 pages long (LOL) so I'll read it later, but I did notice that the knocking (at least in the OP) was heard after a lift and assumingly larger tires. But he kept the stock suspension? ... I'll read it later.

No. What I'm really saying is full time 4wd just helps people go faster than they need to, especially in a vehicle with such a high center of gravity. The issue is stopping. Like I said earlier, my favorite car to drive in the snow is my wife's Civic.

 

[BrntWS6]

There’s been a lot of problems with the LSD. I have the Sahara and really wished I got a Rubi instead.

Never heard of that either but read a bit of the thread you posted. I have a sahara with LSD, rubi take-offs, 7k miles, no lift and all suspension is stock. The rubi-take offs are only .55" larger than the stock tires. Not sure if that makes a difference or not. But so far all is very quiet.

 

[Mamacast]

Thanks everyone, great points, I think I will hold out for the Sahara, mixed snow driving will be most of what I do, the I70 corridor :-( with tame 4 wheel drive roads compared to epic trails.

Never heard of that either but read a bit of the thread you posted. I have a sahara with LSD, rubi take-offs, 7k miles, no lift and all suspension is stock. The rubi-take offs are only .55" larger than the stock tires. Not sure if that makes a difference or not. But so far all is very quiet.

On another note, what is a Rubi take off?

 

[Sean L]

On another note, what is a Rubi take off?

Parts taken off of a Rubicon and re-purposed for use on a different trim.

I have a suspension off of a Rubi on my Sahara, makes a good difference with the longer reach and the stiffer springs.

 

[BrntWS6]

There’s been a lot of problems with the LSD. I have the Sahara and really wished I got a Rubi instead.

I am about half way through that thread and there are rubicon owners with the same issues. Looks like inferior carrier bearings were used in the D44's. Curious if FCA requested this setup from Dana or if it was just a design change. I am leaning toward the first and FCA being cheap.

 

[aldo98229]

Hopefully Rubicon owners are not having issues with their LSD.

If that’s the case, they have bigger problems than that...

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