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Water Fording In Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 2 Door

Humvee4us

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Good morning,
I'm thinking about getting a new off road 4x4 for off roading. The place where I'll be going has a lot of water crossings so I've been looking at the water fording capabilities of the 4x4s. Land Rover has a very detailed water fording section that provides the exact water fording depth of each model not only by model but down to the actual trim of the model since it can vary by a few inches even within the same model depending on the trim.
However, honestly there's something about the Jeep Wrangler, particularly the 2 door version, that has always been very appealing to me and as such would much rather buy the Jeep than the Land Rover; but Jeep says 30 inches of water fording where the Land Rover says 35.4 inches. I did notice though that Jeep seems to be taking a very generic approach to this as 30 inches of water fording is listed for all trims of the Wrangler. Additionally, the Ram Power Wagon also lists 30 inches of water fording which got me thinking if perhaps Jeep (Chrysler) is taking a corporate approach of one fits all? Because the Rubicon is clearly taller than say the Sport Wrangler yet they both say 30 inches of water fording. I'm therefore wondering if 30 inches is really the true water fording capability of a Rubicon Jeep Wrangler or if it's significant higher than this?
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daveprice7

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I'd imagine if water crossings are your primary purpose, you could get a snorkel kit for your Jeep and not really worry about water depth. There's a Mopar one that involves cutting a hole in your hood and one from Rugged Ridge that is just a swap-out with a little body panel near the windshield. My understanding is that the factory air intake isn't in a great spot for deep water (behind passenger headlight).
 

multicam

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The intake isn’t the only concern. Axle vent tubes and other vent tubes exist which should be extended to higher locations. Then some other precautions should be taken- like monitoring your differential fluid to ensure they don’t get water in them and replacing as necessary.

Obviously I’m biased but I’d get a jeep over the Land Rover (JLR [Jaguar Land Rover] vs. JLR, JL Rubicon). I had my old TJ up to the hood, overflowing across the hood, and kept it alive. These things can go anywhere, just take good care of it afterwards.
 
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Humvee4us

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Just out of curiosity, since the Ram also is rated for 30" of water fording will it also go anywhere in water like the Jeep, or even though they're both "officially " rated for the same water fording depth the Jeep has a different build that allows it to go deeper into water or for longer periods of time?
 

multicam

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I’m not an expert on Rams, in fact I’m not an expert on anything so take this with a grain of salt, but I would imagine that a Power Wagon can ford deeper than 30” too. Manufacturers aren’t going to rate vehicles for fording as deep as they’re physically capable of because then they’d open themselves up to warranty claims if anything went wrong. There’s almost certainly some wiggle room built in there.

But yeah like I said, look into extending the axle and transmission (if applicable, someone else can chime in on this, I haven’t looked into it) vent tubes. It’ll give you a little more peace of mind.

Also, enter slow, accelerate out, and don’t let her die while submerged!
 

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Arterius2

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Good morning,
I'm thinking about getting a new off road 4x4 for off roading. The place where I'll be going has a lot of water crossings so I've been looking at the water fording capabilities of the 4x4s. Land Rover has a very detailed water fording section that provides the exact water fording depth of each model not only by model but down to the actual trim of the model since it can vary by a few inches even within the same model depending on the trim.
However, honestly there's something about the Jeep Wrangler, particularly the 2 door version, that has always been very appealing to me and as such would much rather buy the Jeep than the Land Rover; but Jeep says 30 inches of water fording where the Land Rover says 35.4 inches. I did notice though that Jeep seems to be taking a very generic approach to this as 30 inches of water fording is listed for all trims of the Wrangler. Additionally, the Ram Power Wagon also lists 30 inches of water fording which got me thinking if perhaps Jeep (Chrysler) is taking a corporate approach of one fits all? Because the Rubicon is clearly taller than say the Sport Wrangler yet they both say 30 inches of water fording. I'm therefore wondering if 30 inches is really the true water fording capability of a Rubicon Jeep Wrangler or if it's significant higher than this?
I’m sure if you extend the rear axle vent tube beyond where it’s at right now (just right below the tub) you can significantly increase your fording depth, because this seems to be the foremost limiting factor on the JL.

The other vent tubes are higher.
 

word302

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You want to buy a new vehicle to Ford deep water with? You're going to have a bad time.
 

word302

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I'd imagine if water crossings are your primary purpose, you could get a snorkel kit for your Jeep and not really worry about water depth. There's a Mopar one that involves cutting a hole in your hood and one from Rugged Ridge that is just a swap-out with a little body panel near the windshield. My understanding is that the factory air intake isn't in a great spot for deep water (behind passenger headlight).
Adding a snorkel is the last of your problems if you want to Ford deep water in a rolling computer.
 

JlRubicon13

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I had water inside the cabin and water splash over the hood a couple times before I got a snorkel. Everything was fine after. just make sure to check all the fluids.
 

Karnak

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Its been said before by all the others but I'll also weight in that if you cover possible water entries like the Axle vents and a snorkel, the jeep is a very very very capable water fording vehicule. I had my old TJ above the headlight just cresting over the front of the hood and it kept going and going without issues. The other factor is you have to verify the electrical vital areas like the fuse box and computer, make sure those are sealed up but not permanently as you still want them to aerate under normal circonstances. In the past, I had siliconed the boxes or make boxes for the computer under the dash etc and then ran vent tubes up to the top portion of the pillars inside. a Fan disconnect is mandatory for water crossing, but I beleive the Rubicon comes with (correct me if I'm wrong).

Also, one thing not mentionned is compared to other vehicule, its very very easy to lift a jeep and usualy costs less than other brands and if you lift the jeep 3", then you're almost adding 3" of water fording ability because you're moving most electrical items 3" higher so even if the jeep is listed as 30" water fording, you can easily crank that to 35" to 40" just by adding bigger tires and a lift and extending the Axle vents.

so if you're trying to compare other vehicules, obviously yes I am biased as well, but I am biased because I had multiple different vehicules and the best option for all around including water fording to me is the jeep.

If you really really are only concerned about water fording and you want the best for that, then Get an Original H1 Hummer (or russian copy)...:D

 

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As much as I love and trust my JLUR, I would trust my Rover to go under that much water much more. I think it is better sealed and breathable.
 

Gropax

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its 30 inches for the sport sahara and maybe an extra 1-2 inch for rubicon since they have the built in 1 inch lift and 33 tires over the 31s that the sport and sahara have.
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