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Who has taken their JL on a long road trip and what was your experience like?!

JJMalone

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My first 3 cars were model a fords. My 2020 fully optioned rubicon bought last may has over 78,000 miles; so, yeah, I think it is fine for any driving, long, short and in between. The best your jeep will drive for long highway trips is if you leave the suspension and tire size alone. If you bought it for looks, prestige, challenging wheeling, etc., maybe you don't care so much about a higher center of gravity, bigger (heavier) tires, worse mileage, less favorable angles of U-joints, brakes with less stopping leverage and impacting highway driveabilty . I do a mix of highway, forest service and blm roads and obviously like the jeep as the mileage shows. It is completely stock and that's just the way I like it. The 392 on it's way will be the same.
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roaniecowpony

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There are a lot of things that make up long distance ride comfort, IMO.

There's the obvious ride smoothness, and seating comfort. But the less obvious stuff starts to become apparent on longer drives. Noise is up pretty high in my book.

Studies have shown constant noise causes fatigue. But how much noise a Jeep makes is highly dependent on tires. A stock JL Sport on very conservative street tires will be pretty quiet compared to a JL on mud tires or even AT tires. Soft top vs hard top vs no top, doors off or on, will all be different noise levels.

I have to say, my JL is much quieter than my brother-in-laws 08 JK at highway speeds. You literally have to yell to carry on a conversation in his JK at 70 mph. So you just don't tend to converse. The JL is still loud compared to a modern pickup or car.
 

DadJokes

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LooselyHeldPlans

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One I got my shit factory steering fixed with the fsb, it drives really nicely in the highway for a solid front axle vehicle.

The only thing remaining that makes long trips hard is the NVH. Eventually I’ll ha e quite a bit of sound proofing installed and an Ursa Minor top. I really hope these help quite a bit.
 

Packard

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I am in fact on a long trip now. I bought my JLUR May 14, left Ohio May 20, went to South Dakota first, then to Colorado and on to Page, Az tonight. Will be working my way down to Southern California back to Arizona and then back home. That’s a long trip. Right now I have put over 5000 miles and have averaged between 27 and 30 mph with the diesel. Since I traded in a 2019 F350 diesel long bed I wasn’t expecting much for a smooth ride but it’s doing great. Would do it again in a heartbeat
 

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We are about 3,000 miles, mostly on highways, in this country country road trip in our new, stock, 21 JLURD, getting about 22 to 23 miles per gallon while at enthusiastic yet prudently fast highway speeds.

I’m getting better, this time, on pouring in the 2.5 gallons DEF fluid: Almost no spills this time, using a funnel.

Really like the ACC feature on less crowded highways; Alpine stereo sounds good; and like having the air conditioning on while our dog’s inside, doors lock, on quick meal stops.

This truck-wagon does demand more attentive driving than my half-ton pickup (which may be a positive feature encouraging alert eyes for the roads) and high winds do require smooth adjustments.

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Jeep Wrangler JL Who has taken their JL on a long road trip and what was your experience like?! 142B78BD-0CA5-45CF-B9EB-DDFCC7AE6F03
 
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Windshieldfarmer

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I have a 2” lift and KO2s (315x70x17)...so fairly close to factory on my 2020 Recon. Ride is decent, tire noise not too bad, but the wind noise gets tiring on long drives at speeds above 65 mph or when driving in windy conditions. It’s better than my JK but it’s still has the aerodynamics of a brick. For long highway drives not involving adventure my wife’s Ford Edge is much nicer.
 

Lithics

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Did 1,800+ miles roundtrip MT to UT last month in my '21 JLUR with a week of light to moderate wheeling while there - zero complaints about either paved or unpaved performance. Sure, it's not as quiet as other vehicles - but it's a JEEP. If anyone buys a Jeep and expects it to be Sedan-quiet, ehem, well...
**Edit - Alright, alright - I admit, driving in strong wind is louder than it is pleasant, but I guess I just manage my own expectations and call it good.
 
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alksion

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So funny everyone talking about the noise. I came from two Mercedes before a wrangler. The noise doesn’t bother me at all, but the seats I can definitely feel the difference after driving 4-8 hours.
 

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I did a 5000 mile road trip with my son in my JLR with a BestTop Sunrider. Two things surely helped - I had the full Stage 2 suspension kit from Synergy with Fox IFP shocks, steering stabilizer, drag link and tie rod, which made the ride super Cush, and I did the seat tilt mod and added a dead pedal, which improved comfort. Generally averaged 17 mpg with 35” Nitto tires, except that stretch from SLC to Boise where a vicious headwind had me at 13 mpg and struggling to hold 70 without having the engine at 3800RPM due to the wind. Otherwise, great at 75mph, noise wasn’t as bad as expected. It’s nowhere as comfy as my RAM 2500 but I’d do a road trip again I a heart beat.
 

supermike

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crappy lift kit/tires/shocks will definitely vary the result, while defining comfort is a extremely objective matter.
 

RealMenDIY

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My 2020 fully optioned rubicon bought last may has over 78,000 miles; so, yeah, I think it is fine for any driving, long, short and in between.
Holy crap and I was worried about putting 40K miles on mine this year with my current commute.
 

Somnium

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I bought mine in Caldwell, ID and immediately went on a 1700 mile road trip. Went camping in Great Basin on Wheeler Peak, Red Rocks Canyon outside of Las Vegas, up to Jackson, WY to wild camp above Antelope Flats in the shadow of the Teton mountains, up through Teton and Yellowstone to home.

As everyone has said, you're driving a square sail, and wind isn't fun. The noise was greatly reduced after installing "Hotheads" headliners with included sound deadening. My steering was great, but has really gotten bad, but the 2021 Jeeps have the new box, so that shouldn't be an issue.

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