Which has the smoothest ride Sport, Sahara, or Rubicon?

[tombovo]

The Sahara is definitely the most road friendly, while the Rubi is the most trail capable. When I was last out of town and rented a Sahara, it was a 3.6 with the auto. I own a Sahara with the 3.6 and a manual.

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[Headbarcode]

I don't know if they are standard issue, but my '18 SAHARA, build sheet shows the addition of GAS SHOCKS--

I'm assuming that they are the same shocks as those used on the RUBICON--

Look at your build sheet for HEAVY DUTY SUSPENSION--GAS SHOCKS !

Good luck

JIMBO

Of course I can't find the exact description now, but the Sport comes with very basic shocks, the Saharas have an upgraded version with on road in mind, and the Rubicons are further upgraded for a balance of on road manners and off road capability. Something to do with the compression and dampening characteristics.

 

[entropy]

I can attest that with my 2 door sport every single time I go over a small bump on the road it feels like I just went over a moon crater. I have Rubicon springs and shocks sitting in the garage, when I install them I'll let you know if it is any better. I am just clocking miles on the stock suspension for now.

According to Jeep, Sahara with the road tires is supposed to give you the best road ride.

 

[Kraty1]

I don't know if they are standard issue, but my '18 SAHARA, build sheet shows the addition of GAS SHOCKS--

I'm assuming that they are the same shocks as those used on the RUBICON--

Look at your build sheet for HEAVY DUTY SUSPENSION--GAS SHOCKS !

Good luck

JIMBO

thanks I’ll check it out. One thing I know for sure is my Sahara shocks are black and the Rubi ones are red!

 

[Shooting or Jeeping]

Had a Sahara JL and have a Rubi JL. Frankly- they are pretty close to the same. It won’t be a sports car. If you are worried that you’ll be breaking your teeth or floating on a cloud- there just isn’t that much difference.

 

[HOOKEM93]

thanks I’ll check it out. One thing I know for sure is my Sahara shocks are black and the Rubi ones are red!

only the Sahara and Altitude packaged Sports have the Heavy duty Gas Shocks. IMO these make for the smoothest ride on road. Especially if you slap on some supple tires like the C-Load KO2's or Ridge Grapplers.

 

[Pig-Pen]

I can attest that with my 2 door sport every single time I go over a small bump on the road it feels like I just went over a moon crater. I have Rubicon springs and shocks sitting in the garage, when I install them I'll let you know if it is any better. I am just clocking miles on the stock suspension for now.

According to Jeep, Sahara with the road tires is supposed to give you the best road ride.

Perhaps that is due to being a 2 door. My Unlimited Sport didnt ever feel like that stock and when i switched to rubi suspension i didnt notice a big change in the ride quality.

 

[blnewt]

Perhaps that is due to being a 2 door. My Unlimited Sport didnt ever feel like that stock and when i switched to rubi suspension i didnt notice a big change in the ride quality.

My 2 dr Sport rides great, no moon craters on my daily drives lol, course I've owned a few short wheelbase solid axle rides before, maybe they aren't as used to that??

 

[entropy]

My 2 dr Sport rides great, no moon craters on my daily drives lol, course I've owned a few short wheelbase solid axle rides before, maybe they aren't as used to that??

Yeah I don't know if it feels better on other trims or not, but I've never own a vehicle were bumps feel so huge on the road before. It might just be all wranglers. When on the trail it feels very smooth, but not on the road. In comparison my Toyota Corolla is very smooth on the road, but if I take it on a dirt road it feels like it is going to fall apart. Suspension components on a Wrangler are very different than city cars for obvious reasons. I am not sure if the Sahara has shocks that mitigate this, or an overall suspension tuned for road driving.

You've got a vehicle with relatively long springs and alright shocks, you will bounce more on road bumps as the dampener (shock) tries to damp the oscillations for the long springs.

It comes down to the shocks really, Rubicon has stiffer springs but it is also heavier, that's why it is stiffer to make up for the added weight. They are also longer, so you'd need upgraded shocks to dampen the springs oscillations. Even though shocks on the Rubicon are better than sport I would guess ride quality is the same or worst.

Sahara's springs are not as long as Rubicon, and it has upgraded shocks, so I would guess Sahara has the best road manners.

Long springs make the ride worst and you'd need better shocks, that's why lifting a Wrangler makes the ride on the road theoretically worst. And I say theoretically because people with good lifts claim the ride gets better, I think that's just a placebo effect, but that's my opinion.

 

[Jeep Number 8]

Shopping for a new ride and the wife and I decided to rent a Sahara from Hertz in Atlanta for a couple of days. This was my first time driving a jeep - somehow I missed out when I was in the Marine Corps. Anyways, I was surprised at how smooth and quiet it drove on the highway. Went up in the North Georgia mountains and drove around some paved switchbacks (before we took it off road) and it handled great. Had more than enough power. Had a blast on the trails. So the question I have is do the Sport and Rubicon models all have that smooth ride like the Sahara? Same power too? My rental agreement didn't have the VIN on it so I was wondering if someone might know the if the Hertz Sahara rentals have the 3.6 or 2.0.

I have owned all three and presently own a 2019 JL Sahara. The Sahara is the best ride on road of the three. The interior is more plus and sound proofed versus the Sport or Rubicon The Rubicon is a better off road vehicle due to the suspension. Pricewise, the Sahara is in the middle with the Rubicon at more money then the Sahara. I personally prefer the Sahara with the 2.0L Turbo.

 

[jdegrave]

I’ve driven a 2019 Sahara and I own a 2019 Rubicon. The Sahara was definitely smoother on road. Rubicon does ride stiffer but I don’t feel it’s a harsh ride at all. People’s opinions on that vary quite a bit. The 2.0 Turbo is a nice engine but I went with the tried and true 3.6. I don’t think you can go wrong with either. Best of luck to you!

 

[xtraham]

The smoothest ride in a Jeep is the one on a newly paved highway. Take it offroad and enjoy the rock n roll!

 

[ZombieMojitoJL]

Shopping for a new ride and the wife and I decided to rent a Sahara from Hertz in Atlanta for a couple of days. This was my first time driving a jeep - somehow I missed out when I was in the Marine Corps. Anyways, I was surprised at how smooth and quiet it drove on the highway. Went up in the North Georgia mountains and drove around some paved switchbacks (before we took it off road) and it handled great. Had more than enough power. Had a blast on the trails. So the question I have is do the Sport and Rubicon models all have that smooth ride like the Sahara? Same power too? My rental agreement didn't have the VIN on it so I was wondering if someone might know the if the Hertz Sahara rentals have the 3.6 or 2.0.

I have a 2018 JLU Sahara with the Turbo/Hybrid - I put a 2" Spacer lift and 35's (I opted to drop down from 18" to 17") rides great though I went with ATs instead of MTs. I am getting around 17 mpg city to 20 mpg hwy. I like the low end torque (295 ft lbs @ 3000 rpm) when you need to get it goes even with the larger tires.

 

[mmcbeat]

I didn’t test drive one but I have to think the base Sport with base steel wheels and tires would have a good ride. The tires are not aggressive at all, pretty much passenger car tires.

 

[entropy]

I have a 2018 JLU Sahara with the Turbo/Hybrid - I put a 2" Spacer lift and 35's (I opted to drop down from 18" to 17") rides great though I went with ATs instead of MTs. I am getting around 17 mpg city to 20 mpg hwy. I like the low end torque (295 ft lbs @ 3000 rpm) when you need to get it goes even with the larger tires.

Nice. I am driving a loaner 2.0 JLU with street tires, my 3.6 JL is at the dealership on a warranty issue. I have to admit the 2.0 liter offers a smoother ride and you can definitely feel the torque. It is a better engine in terms if performance. I hope it offers the same reliability as the pentastar in the future.

I still like my V6 tho. personal preference.

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