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The order is in. First time Wrangler owners. :)

rob28

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Hello.
The specs are as follows....
JL, 2 door, Sport S with the 3.6L engine and stick shift in Ocean blue.
Options seem to be pretty much everything..
Tech group, convenience group, safety group, cold weather group, tow group, freedom hard top, Alpine sounds........ I think that covers it.

My only question is regarding the LSD. Is it worth having it? Winters will be snowy and icy and this will be used year round. Would I be better off going aftermarket locker for when I need it?

Thanks,
Rob
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Grindhouseknives

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Yes get the LSD. You also get the upgraded tires
 

ThirtyOne

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I got it because at the time it was required for a manual.

One good thing is you also get a beefier rear axle.

To be honest I am not sure I would have gotten it if I had the choice but I don't regret it.
 

JEEPJL

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The more you get under warranty the better you are I would say
 

LiveToWork

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Always get LSD. Its a jeep and it shouldnt come without it. And think of when you are spinning your tires off the stoplight, eventually youll have one bald tire in the back.
 

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Ridgway Jeeper

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Sounds like an expensive Sport S. Are you sure you are not going to regret just getting the Rubicon? Comes with lockers, lift, bigger better tires, standard power options, heavier axles, room for bigger tires yet without more lift, bigger brakes. Maybe the "luxury" options appeal to you more but to me the basic Rubicon without some of that fluff is a better value and a better "Jeep".
 

R00STER

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Edit - just saw the OP was 2 months ago, :facepalm: i should delete this but i will leave it just case someone else finds it helpful.


That is gonna be a fun little jeep. @RidgewayJeeper may have a point with respect to going the full Rubi, if for no other reason than to get the 4.10:1 on 33s from the factory.

The forum is littered with people who dislike the 3:56:1 ratio on the Sport S. Apparently it is too low, and it turns the jeep into a 4 speed (i.e. cant use 5th or 6th even at highway speeds). This may mot be an issue if u are gonna jack it up and put some 35s or 37s on it, cause you would likely re-gear anyways.

Based upon the options u listed it is about a $4k difference for a Rubi with the same options, but considering the cost if re-gearing and putting some 33s on it, you are almost half way there. If u add in lockers you are well on your way. I guess it comes down to rolling the options into ur loan at 4% interest or paying out of pocket for the upgrades later at 22%......even then you wont get the return on your upgrades at the time of resale, like u would the factory Rubi package.

Regardless of the decision to go Rubi vs Sport S, u might want to consider LED group from the factory. Like before, the forums are full of people who think the standard lighting group is subpar, which aligns with the NTSB assessment. Again if u are going aftermarket, then no worries, but if u want to make any changes to ur order you have to do it before it is scheduled (i.e.. D1 status?).

Welcome to the group! Pics and build updates are mandatory now.🙂
 
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Maverick909

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The LSD works great. i wouldnt have gotten my sportS any other way. I got a huge discount on my sport of the lot and in the long run i swapped to rubicon take off front and rear axles for a great price.... im still under the cost of a rubicon and smile every time i drive it. and the only reason i went to lockers is because i started getting into harder trails that where gonna require it
 

Ogre_FL

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If you want a snow and ice vehicle I would suggest the Selec-Trac® Full-Time 4WD System option.
Its basically an AWD system.

In many cases regular 4WD and lockers are worse in the snow & ice.
Particularly when its a mixed surface with patches of it or when it first starts snowing and the roads are not really covered.

Take if from the guy who lives in Florida 🏖 ;)
(I used to live in the north BTW)
 

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viper88

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Hello.
The specs are as follows....
JL, 2 door, Sport S with the 3.6L engine and stick shift in Ocean blue.
Options seem to be pretty much everything..
Tech group, convenience group, safety group, cold weather group, tow group, freedom hard top, Alpine sounds........ I think that covers it.

My only question is regarding the LSD. Is it worth having it? Winters will be snowy and icy and this will be used year round. Would I be better off going aftermarket locker for when I need it?

Thanks,
Rob
I live in Chicago and we get snow. I have daily driven in every possible winter scenario including record snow for Chicago. Not northern Canada snow but about the same as the GTA. Bumper high snow, slush and ice.

I have owned and driven a base TJ. JK, with LSD, JLR. I have daily driven all them in slush, snow, ice as high as the bumpers and have not had issues with any of them. One thing more important then the rear diff choice is having proper tires. Nothing beats dedicated winter tires for snow. My front-drive Mini Cooper with snow tires had better traction in snow than my TJ with ATs. The only limiting factor for the Mini with snow-tires was low ground clearance. I eventually put winter tires on the TJ too and it was unstoppable with the added clearance.

I had dedicated winter tires on the TJ. Good Year Wranglers on the JK. K02s on the JLR. The JLR was the best because of its higher ground clearance and decent winter rated K02s. The TJ could go anywhere with the winter tires but had less clearance. For winter driving I was fine driving in 2-high 80%+ of the time in all of them. I only had to engage into 4-high very briefly in deeper snow to get unstuck or to drivie on un-plowed streets with more than 4" of snow or slush. I would mostly switch back to 2-high after getting unstuck. Never had to use 4-low. I never used the JLRs lockers a single time in snow. Not even in the record high snow we have had. Traction to get moving was one thing but traction to stop is another. Winter tires are a LOT better for steering and braking on ice and snow also.

The most inconvenient thing for all 3 Wranglers was using the manual lever to switch back and forth between 2-high and 4-high. It was not an issue for me because I was familiar with it. That was not the case for friends who did not know how it worked. Something to consider if other family members or friends occasionally will drive in the winter. Maybe consider a model that offers the automatic Selec-Trac option for the convenience if you like to set it and forget it. Personally I liked pulling the lever.

I have owned a lot of different cars. Rear-wheel, front-wheel, 4x4, all-wheel, Quattro, Subarus, etc. The 4x4 or all-wheel drive is great for inclines if you have the tire traction. That is its real advantage. Like I said, dedicated winter tires and ground clearance will make more of a difference in winter for any kind of drive, than anything else. For Wranglers or any other vehicle.
 
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Ridgway Jeeper

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Regardless of the decision to go Rubi vs Sport S, u might want to consider LED group from the factory. Like before, the forums are full of people who think the standard lighting group is subpar, which aligns with the NTSB assessment.
I am not sure LED lighting is a good idea in snow and ice country. The LED's front an rear do not produce enough heat to keep the lights clear of snow and ice in the winter like the standard lighting does. The Jeep headlights recessed into the grille will fill up with snow and you will have a LOT less lighting than the supposedly subpar halogen lighting.

Anybody who lived life with sealed beams knows even the "subpar" halogen lighting is anything but. Anybody driving rural two lanes as the majority of their driving abhors LED headlights for their dangerous amounts of glare projected at oncoming traffic. I know lots of people think LED lighting is the bee's knee's. I think it has some pretty serious safety shortcomings in some settings. I have not ordered them on the new Jeep nor the new truck I have coming because I live in a rural setting with copious winter weather.
 

Ridgway Jeeper

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I live in Chicago and we get snow. I have driven in record snow for Chicago. Not northern Canada snow but about the same as the GTA. Bumper high snow.

I have owned and driven a base TJ. JK, with LSD, JLR. I have daily driven all them in slush, snow, ice as high as the bumpers and have not had issues with any of them. One thing more important then the rear diff choice is having proper tires. Nothing beats dedicated winter tires for snow. My Mini Cooper with snow tires had better traction in snow than my TJ with ATs. The only limiting factor for the Mini with snow-tires was low ground clearance. I eventually put winter tires on the TJ too and it was unstoppable with the added clearance.

I had dedicated winter tires on the TJ. Good Year Wranglers on the JK. K02s on the JLR. The JLR was the best because of its higher ground clearance and decent winter rated K02s. The TJ could go anywhere with the winter tires but had less clearance. For winter driving I was fine driving in 2-high 80%+ of the time in all of them. I only had to engage into 4-high very briefly in deeper snow to get unstuck or to drivie on un-plowed streets with more than 4" of snow or slush. I would mostly switch back to 2-high after getting unstuck. I never used the JLRs locker a single time in snow. Not even in the record high snow we have had.

The most inconvenient thing for all 3 was using the manual lever to switch back and forth between 2-high and 4-high. It was not an issue for me because I was familiar with it. That was not the case for friends who did not know how it worked. Something to consider if other family members or friends occasionally will drive in the winter. Maybe consider a model that offers the automatic Selec-Trac option for the convenience.

Like I said, dedicated winter tires and ground clearance will make more of a difference in winter than anything else.
I have been driving in winter weather for over three decades. Minnesota and Colorado. When there is snow on the road I run in 4wd, period. No switching back and forth unless the road goes full dry, no point to that, just rock the 4wd. I am not sure why people try to avoid using it. Chances are you will NEVER wear out the 4wd components.

"Snowflake on the mtn" rated AT's are not really "dedicated snow tires". They are most certainly an improvement over non rated tires and do exceptionally well in snow. If you have a lot of icy roads to contend with get real dedicated snow and ice tires. Of course, anybody living in Canada probably knows exactly what they need. In CO we have little ice but lots of snow and I run "snowflake" rated tires on my plow truck and pack a full set of heavy tire chains along. The Jeep will do great on the K02's and I will always have a set of "snowflake" tires for it.
 

viper88

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I have been driving in winter weather for over three decades. Minnesota and Colorado. When there is snow on the road I run in 4wd, period. No switching back and forth unless the road goes full dry, no point to that, just rock the 4wd. I am not sure why people try to avoid using it. Chances are you will NEVER wear out the 4wd components.

"Snowflake on the mtn" rated AT's are not really "dedicated snow tires". They are most certainly an improvement over non rated tires and do exceptionally well in snow. If you have a lot of icy roads to contend with get real dedicated snow and ice tires. Of course, anybody living in Canada probably knows exactly what they need. In CO we have little ice but lots of snow and I run "snowflake" rated tires on my plow truck and pack a full set of heavy tire chains along. The Jeep will do great on the K02's and I will always have a set of "snowflake" tires for it.
In Chicago, streets transition often between wet and dry. Side streets can be un-plowed where main streets might plowed and dry.

I never said K02s are a dedicated winter tire. I said they are a decent winter tire.
 
 



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