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Two door rough ride when offroad? How about 4 lo?

Lightsped

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Currently have a 3rd gen Tacoma TRD Off Road with the OEM Bilsteins. This truck is very soft when off road (trails and light mud) which is nice compared to my brothers old Ranger.

Am considering adding a two door Sport or Willys Sport to the lineup. Will the Sport/Willys Sport be signifigantly stiffer when on trails or light mud? What are the OEM shocks/springs like? I don't mod my vehicles much so not really concerned about mods....

Also, the TRD Off Road is a manual tranny which means it is equipped with 4.30 rear end. It does pretty good in 4 lo. Will the Sport/Sport Willys be as good with the higher gearing?

Thanks
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631_Islander

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Currently have a 3rd gen Tacoma TRD Off Road with the OEM Bilsteins. This truck is very soft when off road (trails and light mud) which is nice compared to my brothers old Ranger.

Am considering adding a two door Sport or Willys Sport to the lineup. Will the Sport/Willys Sport be signifigantly stiffer when on trails or light mud? What are the OEM shocks/springs like? I don't mod my vehicles much so not really concerned about mods....

Also, the TRD Off Road is a manual tranny which means it is equipped with 4.30 rear end. It does pretty good in 4 lo. Will the Sport/Sport Willys be as good with the higher gearing?

Thanks
Given your use case of Trails/Light mud I think the 3.21 Gearing of a Sport (or Willy's) will be sufficient. It is not until you get to the heavier use off roading that the 4.10 Gearing of a Rubicon is needed IMHO. Having driven both a Taco and a JL Sport as rental cars, I find the JL to be a little bit softer.

The JL Manual Transmission is considered very good however the 8 speed automatic is considered one of the best in the market right now. I was used to driving Manuals until my wife stepped in and forced me into buying an 8 speed automatic for my JLUR (I reluctantly agreed back then). Needless to say I have been spoiled by the 8 speed auto. And this is coming from a die hard manual transmission supporter. But if you want the 6 speed manual: go for it! It is also a very good choice.

With that said, I do not think you will need the 4.30 gearing for light off road use like trails or a little bit of mud. 3.21 in a Wrangler might be sufficient. If not, the next upgrade is the 3.72 you get in a Sahara or a 4 door Diesel Engine.

The only issue you may run into is space. The 2 door JL versus a 4 door Tacoma may make it feel tighter. 2 door is also rougher on the road (esp Highways). It isn't too good on the snow either as the short wheelbase makes it a bouncy ride versus a longer tacoma. Can always opt for a 4 door JL Wrangler. It is more stable on the highway, more "on road" friendly and can tow 3500 pounds. However off the road, it is not as nimble as the 2 door.

Just my 2 cents. Have rented plenty of 2 doors for work purposes. But settled for a 4 door due to family reasons.
 

roaniecowpony

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I find the off-road ride of my JL Unlimited Rubicon to be very soft and comfortable, when driving fairly slowly (think 4 lo speeds). As driving speed picks up, however, the unsprung weight of the solid front axle and heavier (than a toyota) rear axle makes for a rougher ride, IMO. The low unsprung weight of a independent front suspension will ride better, on average, than a heavy solid axle, specifically at higher speeds where unsprung weight plays a role.
 
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Lightsped

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Thanks for the replies. If a Jeep is bought, it will be a two door as I need something to fit in the short side of the garage. The rear seat would probably be removed if more space is needed. At the moment am considering manual V-6.

Main concern is if the Tacoma's soft ride on the trails would be matched by the Wrangler. Overheard someone saying that the only soft riding JL is the Rubicon, but don't currently need a Rubicon.
 

JoeValkIS

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Hello David,

I will weigh into this discussion a little but not sure how much help I will be. I can't help you with the comparison between the Taco and JL as I haven't owned a Taco and have a 2-door Rubicon.

I have had my Rubicon off-roads a couple of times and didn't feel it was overly rough. Airing down your tires helps a lot. The shorter wheelbase of the 2-door hurts...but the JLs ride SO much better than the JKs.

Also, I have the V6 and 6-speed...simply love it...but...when off-road, it is a little harder to handle when crawling over obstacles, starting out uphills, etc. Hill assist helps alot with the hills. So does being able to start the Jeep in 1st when in 4lo. For me, I knew I hat to have the 2-door Rubicon with the V6 and 6-Speed...definitely didn't need the Rubicon, but it is what I wanted.

I have just over 54k on my 2018 Rubicon (got it in July 2018)...most of which are highway miles. I like taking gravel roads more than plowing through mud and it has always done good by me.

My best suggestion would be to go test drive the JL you want. Take it over different roads, through parking lots, go over curbs, etc. to get a feel for it. Put it in 4hi and 4lo to see how those are...just remember not to turn much on hard pavement. Don't get it dirty or do anything stupid but most salesmen will understand in this case.

Sorry I couldn't directly help you...but hope this helped a little.
 

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@Lightsped At highway pressure, my 2 Door Rubicon has what I would describe a pretty rough ride on trails compared to say a Grand Cherokee. I do not know how much of that difference is due to the suspension vs wheelbase. Anyway, I always air down even on non-technical trails with my Wrangler and this pretty much fixes the rough ride.
 

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We bought my son a JL sport s. Love the ride when stock. Rides better on the highway than my JLUR. He has the 6 speed and he loves it. Off road it’s still pretty smooth. I think it’s all perspective
 

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The Rubicon is not a soft riding jeep. It is fairly stiff. The stiffer suspension off road with stock travel is less prone to bottoming out. Sure tall lifts with a lot of travel can be softer and not bottom out.

Don't have a Taco so can't comment there.
 

Bruce Willys

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Currently have a 3rd gen Tacoma TRD Off Road with the OEM Bilsteins. This truck is very soft when off road (trails and light mud) which is nice compared to my brothers old Ranger.

Am considering adding a two door Sport or Willys Sport to the lineup. Will the Sport/Willys Sport be signifigantly stiffer when on trails or light mud? What are the OEM shocks/springs like? I don't mod my vehicles much so not really concerned about mods....
Yes, the Wrangler will be stiffer over bumpy terrain compared to a lot of trucks in my experience. We had a 2015 Chevy Colorado on LT(C) Duratracs and it was a lot more comfy over bumpy terrain, my 2-door Willys is pretty stiff and unforgiving in stock form on rough roads. It's worth it though, the capability offroad is in a whole different league. But as far as passenger comfort over pothole covered tracks, they'd be happier in most of the trucks that I've been in. I have to slow down for potholes more than some of the trucks that I've owned, otherwise I'm likely to give my passengers whiplash with the short wheelbase and stiff shocks.
 

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Thanks for the replies. If a Jeep is bought, it will be a two door as I need something to fit in the short side of the garage. The rear seat would probably be removed if more space is needed. At the moment am considering manual V-6.

Main concern is if the Tacoma's soft ride on the trails would be matched by the Wrangler. Overheard someone saying that the only soft riding JL is the Rubicon, but don't currently need a Rubicon.
Removing the back seat definitely opens up a lot of space. It's a one person job too, not difficult.
I bought my Rubicon for Sport money, so it pays to shop around. I would not call it stiff by any stretch of the imagination, it's a pretty comfy ride.
 

roaniecowpony

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I guess what's hard or soft riding is a very subjective area.

To me, the JL 4dr Rubicon feels soft riding while going slowly off road. This is in comparison to my GM crewcab truck, which I also consider soft riding. Also compared to a CJ leaf spring Jeep, which I think rides like a buckboard.

I do think the Rubicon 4r feels soft overall. But with all that unsprung weight, it will always ride rough at paved road speeds.

For the OP, you can buy Rubicon take-off suspensions all day long for pretty reasonable. Probably a good upgrade for the $$ IMO.
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