Trim Level Advice

[Bobby Hank]

I live in Kemah, just down the road from you.
Think really hard about your willingness to drive 5+ hours to do any decent off roading.
Closest places with hills are Hidden Falls near austin, Barnwell up near Gilmer, TX, or Hot Springs, AR.
You and I live in flatlandia.
When I do the math, it's cheaper for me to fly southwest to Denver, or Vegas, or Los Angeles ... rent a cheap car, drive to the offroad areas, and then rent an off road jeep from one of the off road rental places for 1-3 days of offroading run.
You're going to spend a lot on gas and a lot of hours driving, plus wear and tear on the jeep.

Of course, if you are retired, or wealthy, or have a work from anywhere zoom job it makes sense to drive to a place and spend a month wheeling, and working from your hotel or camper.
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If you get the sport with the LSD limited slip you will have the dana 44 axle.
Willy's has the dana 44

Here in Houston I STRONGLY encourage you to get the soft top. If you get the hard top you should immediately buy the bestop sunrider option. The "freedom" panels are too heavy and bulky. (take a test drive, tell the dealer you want to take the freedom panels off, see for yourself) I see LOTS of jeeps driving around galveston county. In the last 2 years I have only seen one time where people took the freedom panels out. Meanwhile I can open/shut the sunrider in 30 seconds at a stoplight. If it's not actively raining my top is open. That's why I bought a jeep. I wanted a convertible that could hold grandkids and didn't look like an old man chrysler sedan. I daily drive my jeep. Flip open the top and drive to work. 70mph, no problem. Flip it closed when I park, flip back open to drive home. Except july/august when I use the airconditioner in the afternoon. mornings it's cool enough to drive with the top open.

THe hard top does let you put a luggage rack on top so if camping is your thing a hard top makes sense.

Gotta disagree on the top advice. Freedom panels can go in/out in 3 minutes. With the hardtop I can go completely together to doors off top off in 45 minutes going slow and careful, same going back… and that adding mirrors, sunshade and footpegs. Older soft tops may leak and be worn, view out rear window is vastly superior as well.

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[randymac03]

https://fcagroup.my.site.com/RAM/s/equipment-listing
Put the vin in and on the build sheet it will say Dana M220 rear axle or Anti spin differential.

I found one that has the M200 Dana Axle. Is that in between? Its a 2018 Sport S.

 

[Stuckinthesand]

I found one that has the M200 Dana Axle. Is that in between? Its a 2018 Sport S.

That is the Dana 35. M186 is the Dana 30.

 

[Heimkehr]

I found one that has the M200 Dana Axle. Is that in between? Its a 2018 Sport S.

The M200 rear axle is just an open differential.

 

[kah.mun.rah]

I found one that has the M200 Dana Axle. Is that in between? Its a 2018 Sport S.

I would stay away from the 2018s. For the same price, I would buy a 2021 Willys over a 2018 Rubicon.

 

[jimcoffey62]

Gotta disagree on the top advice. Freedom panels can go in/out in 3 minutes. With the hardtop I can go completely together to doors off top off in 45 minutes going slow and careful, same going back… and that adding mirrors, sunshade and footpegs. Older soft tops may leak and be worn, view out rear window is vastly superior as well.

My advice to folks that like the open air is to go to a car dealer and take the freedom panels off, store, them. then put them back on. keep a stop watch. For me 3 minutes is too long.

I was coming from a Miata ragtop where I could flip it open or closed without getting out of the car. Being able to flip the top closed at a stop light is actually important in Houston because we get random pop up rain showers with no warning. I can just pull over and flip it closed in 30 seconds, sometimes less. I have to unbuckle and stand up, but I don't have to open the door.

So it all depends on what you need. The original poster is from Houston.
Of course, you're from Florida and get similar random rain showers perhaps?

 

[yokramer]

My advice to folks that like the open air is to go to a car dealer and take the freedom panels off, store, them. then put them back on. keep a stop watch. For me 3 minutes is too long.

I was coming from a Miata ragtop where I could flip it open or closed without getting out of the car. Being able to flip the top closed at a stop light is actually important in Houston because we get random pop up rain showers with no warning. I can just pull over and flip it closed in 30 seconds, sometimes less. I have to unbuckle and stand up, but I don't have to open the door.

So it all depends on what you need. The original poster is from Houston.
Of course, you're from Florida and get similar random rain showers perhaps?

Thats one thing I do miss from my Miata even with the roll bar in the way is being able to reach back and flip the top back up lol.

 

[kah.mun.rah]

My advice to folks that like the open air is to go to a car dealer and take the freedom panels off, store, them. then put them back on. keep a stop watch. For me 3 minutes is too long.

I was coming from a Miata ragtop where I could flip it open or closed without getting out of the car. Being able to flip the top closed at a stop light is actually important in Houston because we get random pop up rain showers with no warning. I can just pull over and flip it closed in 30 seconds, sometimes less. I have to unbuckle and stand up, but I don't have to open the door.

So it all depends on what you need. The original poster is from Houston.
Of course, you're from Florida and get similar random rain showers perhaps?

Or get the sunrider for hardtop and have open air or close it in 3 seconds.

 

[Remorseless]

IMO, the soft top is where it's at for tops. The modern Jeep soft tops are damn good, especially the twill, and 100% worth it. Safari mode is my favorite way to wheel:

Really, IMO, it's a Jeep and if you're going to buy a Jeep my thought is it should be because of the Jeepiness, which means soft tops which are lighter, more configurable, more storable, and - most importantly - quintessentially Jeep. The sunrider for hard top, while nice, isn't the same as all the windows out and your option of safari mode, sunrider mode, or fully folded - IMO anyway.

 

[jimcoffey62]

That is the Dana 35. M186 is the Dana 30.

jeep makes it complicated to figure out which axle.
My main regret is not getting the heavy duty axle.
Very few options to add traction aids to the M200/dana 35.
I'd love to add a helical limited slip. But nobody makes one for my rear axle.

M186=dana 30, but Dana improved it significantly vs. the old TJ dana 30.
M200=dana 35 ... ditto improved
M220 = dana 44, also called heavy duty axle in the jeep build sheet.

Use the vin number lookup from an earlier post.

 

[jimcoffey62]

IMO, the soft top is where it's at for tops. The modern Jeep soft tops are damn good, especially the twill, and 100% worth it. Safari mode is my favorite way to wheel:

Really, IMO, it's a Jeep and if you're going to buy a Jeep my thought is it should be because of the Jeepiness, which means soft tops which are lighter, more configurable, more storable, and - most importantly - quintessentially Jeep. The sunrider for hard top, while nice, isn't the same as all the windows out and your option of safari mode, sunrider mode, or fully folded - IMO anyway.

I agree 100% - part of my decision to get a 2 door, soft top, was the jeepiness. My brother had a CJ7. If I had kids I'd get the 4 door. With grandkids the 2 door is perfect.

 

[jimcoffey62]

Gotta disagree on the top advice. Freedom panels can go in/out in 3 minutes. With the hardtop I can go completely together to doors off top off in 45 minutes going slow and careful, same going back… and that adding mirrors, sunshade and footpegs. Older soft tops may leak and be worn, view out rear window is vastly superior as well.

I agree that the hard top will last longer.
From what I've heard the OEM soft top is good for about 5 years.... a bit more if you take really good care of it.

I'm guessing you have a hard top hoist or place to store it in the garage?

My first trip to the beach was a drive to South Padre. Once we got there I realized that it's not really practical to remove the doors if you are in a hotel. No good place to store them.

For my 2nd beach trip we had the fabric doors.
I can drive on the freeway in the rain with fabric doors and soft top closed.
Then when we get to the beach I can remove doors, remove windows, fold the soft top all the way back, or leave it in safari mode if I need the shade. The fabric doors and soft top windows fit INSIDE the jeep. No need for a garage or car port.

For those who haven't tried it - driving topless or safari on the beach with no doors is just the most amazing feeling. In fact driving on the beach with the doors on feels kinda wrong.

 

[Pig-Pen]

I have a 2018 v6 auto base sport. Been wheeling it since day 1. I had 35s with stock gears then jumped to 37s on 4.88s. Still on stock axles.

i have a $500 mecanical locker up front that works great and oem lsd in the rear (m220).

my jeep wheels just fine on 35s with stock gears. Only struggled on steep rocks a couple times. It drive just fine on the street.

i had rubi suspension but youd need rubi fenders as well.

or do what a couple friends did. Rubi suspension plus spacer lift

 

[kah.mun.rah]

IMO, the soft top is where it's at for tops. The modern Jeep soft tops are damn good, especially the twill, and 100% worth it. Safari mode is my favorite way to wheel:

Really, IMO, it's a Jeep and if you're going to buy a Jeep my thought is it should be because of the Jeepiness, which means soft tops which are lighter, more configurable, more storable, and - most importantly - quintessentially Jeep. The sunrider for hard top, while nice, isn't the same as all the windows out and your option of safari mode, sunrider mode, or fully folded - IMO anyway.

I agree with the soft-top option when it comes to the 2 door....which in all fairness, true Jeepiness is the 2 door version. Many of us that have the 4 door have it so that we can store more stuff in the back (which the hardtop keeps more secure), and so that our kids can hear us when we scream at them in the back seat while driving down the highway.

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