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Things you have learned the Hard way about owning a Jeep.

aldo98229

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Things Iā€™m learning the hard way:
  1. FCA offers a Mopar lift that gets you 3+ inches in lift, making it possible to mount 35-inch tires very easily. Which is great. Unfortunately, FCA totally f*cked up making the standard gearing 3.45. That gearing is absolutely worthless with tires larger than 33s.
  2. The Mopar lift rides and feels great, but a key weakness is the lack of proper geometry correction and an adjustable track bar. It is a half-assed kit.
  3. Add to that a dealer network that is happy to sell you ā€”and installā€” the Mopar lift, but absolutely hates having to deal with all the consequences that come with it: the numb steering, pull to the left/right, the poor gearing, the shitty fuel economy, etc. Once you start down the Mopar lift path, you find yourself fighting the dealer at every turn, and are forced to keep spending thousands upon thousands of dollars fixing this and that.
  4. Finding a shop to regear my JL has been an eye opener as well. Quotes are all over the place, from $2,200 to $5,000, and a ton of the shops are flaky.

Knowing what I know now, I would think it twice before getting a Mopar lift and 35s.
 
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Strommen95

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Unfortunately, FCA totally f*cked up making the standard gearing 3.45. That gearing is absolutely worthless with tires larger than 33s.
I never understood why 3.73s were never a factory option with the JL like it was for the JK. Perfect for 33s, okay with 35s.
 

aldo98229

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I never understood why 3.73s were never a factory option with the JL like it was for the JK. Perfect for 33s, okay with 35s.
Indeed. Coming from several JKs with 3.73 and 4.10 gearing, it never occurred to me that Iā€™d be scrambling to regear my JL like I am now.
 
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Tredsdert

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I've learned that buying a $50,000 vehicle and then disassembling parts of it makes other people cringe, namely my wife.
I've learned that as long as you know what you want out of your Wrangler, you're good. Not everyone will understand why you destroyed your side mirror to get at the steel base of it, and then painted it red before putting it back on the mirror mount. :CWL: šŸ˜Ž
Jeep Wrangler JL Things you have learned the Hard way about owning a Jeep. IMG_20220112_163333302_HDR

I've learned that the most fun mods are the ones you make from scratch, drill your own holes, bend your own metal, and come out successful on the other side.
Jeep Wrangler JL Things you have learned the Hard way about owning a Jeep. IMG_20220112_162524373_HDR
 

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Tredsdert

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One thing Iā€™m learning the hard way:

...Unfortunately, FCA totally f*cked up making the standard gearing 3.45. That gearing is absolutely worthless with tires larger than 33s...
Obvious hindsight here, but that's one of the main reasons I purchased a Diesel Wrangler with the Tow Package. Gets you M210 fronts, and M220 Rears, and the 3.73 gearing, all told you can run 37's without having to regear. A little more money up front, to save you the trouble later.
 

Roky

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RESEARCHā€¦ā€¦ the less you do, the more it will cost youā€¦..šŸ¤“ ā€¦ā€¦donā€™t just stop when you read the review you want to hearā€¦. Research several sources, thereā€™s to many variables involved. The more you know about the mod, chances are youā€™ll only do it once, thus saving you moneyā€¦ā€¦ā€¦.āœŒ
 

Zandcwhite

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Indeed. Coming from several JKs with 3.73 and 4.10 gearing, it never occurred to me that Iā€™d be scrambling to regear my JL like I am now.
I think youā€™re putting way too much faith in re-gearing. The fact is, a JL with 3.21ā€™s still has a lower 1st gear drive ratio than even a JK rubicon with 4.10ā€™s (3.59x4.10=14.719, 4.71x3.21=15.12 for the JL). 3.21ā€™s are high for 35ā€™s, but they didnā€™t sell the JL like that and the transmission still makes them adequate. Jeep clearly suggests 4.56ā€™s for 35ā€™s by the way they built the XR package, but I wouldnā€™t say thatā€™s the only option thanks to the massive gear spread enabled by the 8 speed. Gearing being right was much more critical in a JK in my experience. I hope the regear has the results youā€™re looking for, but I canā€™t see it doing anything for fuel economy on the highway. The engine sees load and rpm, it doesnā€™t know if you are in 6th gear with 3.21ā€™s or 8th gear with 4.88ā€™s, same effective drive ratio, same rpm, same load.
 

Jjirish

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Similar lesson... I stopped at the doughnut shop drive through with the kids on the way home from the lake. It was already dark, and the top was down. The next morning when I got in the Jeep to go to work it was COVERED in powdered sugar.

Lesson learned: donā€™t let your kids eat powdered doughnuts with the top down on the highway.
Omg Iā€™m TOTALLY giving the kiddos powdered doughnuts next time the tops down! Ha!
 

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Jjirish

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Your bikini will fit in that lil that little door hinge storage spotā€¦. If it doesn't then your bikini has too much material!
 

vegasblue

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I've learned that after EVERY wheeling trip I identify at least two or three things I NEED (not want, please!) to get. This weekend I'm headed to WinterJam in Sand Hollow. There are venders there. Lord help me.
 

Jjirish

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I've learned that after EVERY wheeling trip I identify at least two or three things I NEED (not want, please!) to get. This weekend I'm headed to WinterJam in Sand Hollow. There are venders there. Lord help me.
He canā€™t help youā€¦. Itā€™s the ā€œother dudeā€ that controls your wallet.
 

bshaw4377

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I've learned that buying a $50,000 vehicle and then disassembling parts of it makes other people cringe
Yeah I feel that, my friends made fun of me when I ordered my lift kit and bumpers before even having my JLU and then regearing it with 1000 miles on it...
 

MrGneissGuy

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I learned that even when you have no intention of lifts, bigger tires, and similar mods, you still end up spending too much $ with new headlights, various storage solutions, Sidetrack lights, tailgate tables, mud flaps, etc., etc., etc.
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