Which engine for Colorado passes?

[LooselyHeldPlans]

I’ve had my 3.6 over 13,000. No issues and unlike others, I couldn’t tell the difference. That said, the trail that high is unlike the 95% payment the jl sees.

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[jamesnewbern]

The turbo diesel kicks ass in the mountains!

 

[1quick1]

I'm happy with how my JLU runs up the hills. I'm sure the 2.0 is better but the 3.6 is sufficient. On the other hand I was not happy with the same engine in any of my JK/JKU's manual or automatic. So that speaks to how well the 8spd does.

 

[9mmkungfu]

The 3.0 diesel does extremely well in the Colorado mountains. With stock tires and gearing, I was averaging 30 mpg and plenty of power, over the course of one tank. This was on shorter wheeling trips with highway driving to get out to the mountains and back.

 

[CNSD]

I would stay away from the 2.0 turbo. Check the other threads. There are multiple complaints, mostly on high altitude passes of the battery charge light coming on and eventual shut down and stranding.. This has happened to me several times, and many others. The dealers are clueless and Jeep Cares, etc have no fix. Jeep has refused to recognize this issue. Love Jeeps but I am very disappointed in my JLUR considering what I bought it for.

I’ve had multiple problems with my 2021 2.0 JLUR as well. Only 11,500 miles on it! Why did I spend so much money for this Jeep? Head scratcher!

 

[ExpeditionBuilds]

@CNSD Sorry to hear you've had trouble with your 2.0L!

My 2.0L e-Torque really shines in the mountains, and I'm always pleasantly surprised at how cool it runs, especially getting up and over the Rocky Mountain passes.

-Steven

 

[SnowDog]

I have the 3.6 and with 35" tires and a normal load it does fine at any altitude, even above treeline (roughly 12,000'). But I would have bought a turbo if I could have found one with the other options I wanted. Generally speaking, a good rule of thumb is that normally aspirated engine loses about 3% of its HP for every 1,000 feet of altitude. A turbo loses far less, something under 1% from the charts I have seen. So if you want to tow or carry heavy stuff, or put on 40" wheels, definitely go with forced induction.

 

[ExpeditionBuilds]

I have the 3.6 and with 35" tires and a normal load it does fine at any altitude, even above treeline (roughly 12,000'). But I would have bought a turbo if I could have found one with the other options I wanted. Generally speaking, a good rule of thumb is that normally aspirated engine loses about 3% of its HP for every 1,000 feet of altitude. A turbo loses far less, something under 1% from the charts I have seen. So if you want to tow or carry heavy stuff, or put on 40" wheels, definitely go with forced induction.

Thanks Paul for breaking it down force us! Having owned both the 3.6 and now the 2.0L, my personal experience backs up what you state.


-Steven

 

[Bigdagdaman]

I used my 2.0L Wrangler (2020) to go skiing through this last winter in CO and I have no issues to report. I never gave the engine a second thought until I read this thread. I did rent a 3.6 for a week and quite frankly, after a day it never dawned on me the engine was different.

 

[jason0341]

It’ll be interesting to see if the new 3.6 etorque acts up at higher elevations like the 2.0 etorque has.

 

[somedude922]

It’ll be interesting to see if the new 3.6 etorque acts up at higher elevations like the 2.0 etorque has.

I will let you know in a few months.

 

[Sgt Beavis]

The only complaint I have about the 2.0 is the noise. The 3.6 has a better sound to it. But even then, it fades into the background and I never notice it.

So far, the highest elevation I’ve been on is Loveland pass which is just under 12000 ft. My property in Fairplay is 11500ft. So far I haven’t noticed any real dropoff in power.

 

[jason0341]

I’ve had my non Etorque 2.0 up to 13.6k with no power drop. Love it in the mountains.

 

[Geos7812]

Whe

I’ve had my non Etorque 2.0 up to 13.6k with no power drop. Love it in the mountains.

Where did you find 13,600? I am intrigued!

 

[txj2go]

Where did you find 13,600? I am intrigued!

You may know better than the rest of us, but Mount Evans and Pikes Peak are some of the highest paved roads, and Mount Antero and Mount Bross are even higher unpaved roads. I'm sorry I couldn't find any exact numbers on the trails with just a quick search but I believe all of the are above 14k at the peaks.

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