The "hate" on Jeeps + Speed

[Zandcwhite]

Certainly looks stock to me

Still a solid axle Jeep in a class against all those superior go fast ifs guys in tacomas, rangers, Colorado, etc. Maybe the Honda civic suspension isn't as good as the internet thinks?

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[yokramer]

Still a solid axle Jeep in a class against all those superior go fast ifs guys in tacomas, rangers, Colorado, etc. Maybe the Honda civic suspension isn't as good as the internet thinks?

Again nobody said they cant be fast. Hell a Viper has won the 24hrs of Daytona over prototype cars of its day, doesnt mean its the better car for racing than a prototype, just that on that particular day it was able to last longer and make more laps.

 

[Remorseless]

 

[Zandcwhite]

Again - things that people talking about not fast vehicles say.

Again - things that people talking about not fast vehicles say.

If you didn't break the sound barrier your slow, the thrust sc did it. Since context and actual useablity don't matter.

 

[AskBin]

So winning the Baja 400 class doesn't qualify as fast either?
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/jeep-gladiator-wins-class-in-baja-400.22211/

dident say they werent or cant, just said there are better platforms to start and build on, and thats where i think the hate comes from.

 

[flick2614]

This whole thing called a solid front axle makes a jeep speeding through offroad terrain terrifying. IFS means that if you hit a bump on one side, the other side will not react. As a solid axle acts as a fulcrum, one side going up forces the other side down; which is incredibly helpful at crawling speed but catastrophic at high speed. Yeah massive and overly expensive shocks can help but will still have limitations.

Additionally I believe the Jeep owners bragging about high speed passes in dirt like jackasses don't realize the limitations of the factory roll bars and give us all a bad name. The 3 examples given of drivers/companies modifying for high speed include a suitable roll cage along with the mods.

Coming from someone with a background in pre-runners and that has walked away from a few rollover crashes do yourself a favor and stick to IFS and a good cage if you want to go fast off-road. The Jeep is not designed to do it.

 

[Slate]

Jeep is a lifestyle brand, period. Either you identify with that lifestyle or you don't. I think lowered trucks looks dumb, but that isn't my jam - and that is OK.

It is odd that the people that seem to gripe the most about Jeeps are Jeep owners themselves. Guess its part of that lifestyle angle - we can all certainly be upset about the missteps the corporate offices have done, and we would all be right.

Most of us just want to drive fun vehicles with a distinct identity and not deal with all the recall drama, crazy stupid price gouging, etc.

 

[BXFXJeep]

I think really anyone who bought instead of leased. I think when the lease debate threads come up we can simply point to the 4xe and state "case closed".

Dunno I bought, and have a 10 year warranty, which was how long I expected it to last, maybe an extra year or two.

But now I'm hearing extended warranty, and I'm thinking maybe I can squeeze more life out of it, but then maybe the whole thing might corrode into dust by then.

 

[James Westfall]

If you didn't break the sound barrier your slow, the thrust sc did it. Since context and actual useablity don't matter.

And again - things that...you know what never mind.

 

[deserteagle56]

Show me a “mildly modified” jeep going fast off-road.

 

[flick2614]

Doesn't look like that spoiler is generating a lot of downforce.

 

[AskBin]

now this i like

 

[RubiSc0tt]

I mean swapping a solid front axle for IFS doesn’t sound like “lightly modified” to me.
But ya notice what basically all those fast vehicles you used as examples have in common?

I don't know OP but this sounds like someone who has never gone deep into Jeep work or someone who just drops it at a shop and swipes the card. an IFS Swap is heavy work and kind of a pain in the ass to DIY and there's a lot of things that can go wrong.

Still a solid axle Jeep in a class against all those superior go fast ifs guys in tacomas, rangers, Colorado, etc. Maybe the Honda civic suspension isn't as good as the internet thinks?

This looks like the Savvy offroad JT. IT competed in King of the Hammers several years back. It did well in the EMC class before Ford and other manufacturers started pouring money and pro drivers into the EMC class.

I think this is a design question: Do you want one thing that can do everything kinda ok, or one highly specialized thing. Most people don't buy Jeeps to do Autocross, or go fast: They're looking to go rock crawling or overlanding or get out in the back country.

The other thing to keep in mind: Going fast is expensive. I learned this in my brief stint with modern muscle cars. Going fast AND jumping things puts a lot of stress and requires a lot of overbuilding and over engineering. Some Prerunners can do that easier than Jeeps but to do it right and make it reliable? Still a lot of engineering and money going into that to make it perform and drive home reliably. If you're going to spend that much money, probably spend it wiser with your beginning platform.

Despite all this, Jeepspeed racing was a thing.

 

[Zandcwhite]

Again nobody said they cant be fast. Hell a Viper has won the 24hrs of Daytona over prototype cars of its day, doesnt mean its the better car for racing than a prototype, just that on that particular day it was able to last longer and make more laps.

If you were just building a desert only rig of course I'd start with a trx. But what if you want to run the Rubicon trail and go faster than most in the desert? The OP didn't ask about track cars or of the Jeep would be the best prerunner. Yes it can do both. No it won't beat out trophy trucks in the desert or ultra 4 cars through the Rubicon. If you can afford it build terrain specific vehicles for all types of use and tow rigs and trailers then of course each one will be better at is intended use. For those of us that aren't billionaires, the Jeep is still the best starting point for an off road rig in my experience. And the solid axle durability probably contributed to the win for the gladiator as it's total time over 400 miles not who attained the highest top speed at a given time. Context, it's the reason the classes exist in the first place. Otherwise only the ultra wealthy could run the baja in their full trophy trucks and everyone else would be out.

 

[Ol’ Timey Manual SWB Guy]

(Massachusetts statutory lift math)… I'm guessing that's not enforced much..

It is definitely enforced much. Each inspection site has DMV cameras. we call that “RMV” here. Big Brother is watching.

The JL would fair far worse at 2.75" max. 2" lift and 34s and that's it?

For muggles like you and me, yes. There’s a couple of “rounding up” options. But, yeah. 35” on a JL starts to max it out. Like 2” on the springs also starts to max it out. I forget the exact math, it’s been a minute since I did it.

OEMs have a whole different set of rules. So you can just buy an OEM 35” XR package. But you may or may not be able to build an identical one yourself. Unless you open up a car company.

It’s one reason that “factory lifts” like TRX are attractive, even if done by a factory-adjacent coachbuilder.

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