The xr suspension sits 1-1.5" taller, plus the 2" larger tire adds 1" of ground clearance. Obviously the empty space doesn't add weight, but the larger rear seat, extra seat belt, doors, frame length, driveshaft length, floor, roof and sport bar length all should add weight, I'm suprised all that adds up to a mere 220lbs.
ahem......
My 2 door on 33 Falkens feels so complete, I keep pushing this Jeep and man I can't even imagine how it would be on 35s. Probably wont ever go there, cause I don't really have to. I scrape too, quite a bit ,even on the 2 door. I got high centered on an obstacle last wheeling trip lol. But I managed with a little easier line. That was a tough line, probably one of the hardest lines i've tried on my Jeep. Was also on a steep incline, and even lifted rear tire from articulation. Was never close at all to rolling over.
That's what I thought you meant. I (and maybe I'm unique) don't count consider it ground clearance, at least in the traditional sense, if it's added by suspension since it doesn't change the amount of clearance at the lowest spot. Certainly the tires add clearance, under the diffs for instance, but suspension doesn't add "ground clearance" as I define it (I'm not saying it's the only way to define it btw).
I wonder how many rocks were stacked!! LOL
Obviously only the tires add clearance at the diffs, but being that the 2dr guys entire argument is breakover angle, suspension lift definitely helps there. A 2dr Rubicon has a 27.8ā° breakover angle, an xr 4dr 26.7ā°. That 1ā° goes to the 2dr. Approach angle the xr has a 3.5ā° advantage. Departure angle same advantage. According to jeep xr has 12.9" of ground clearance while the 2dr tops out at 10.8". 3+" advantage in water fording also goes to the xr. Stock to stock the 2dr is way behind now...cue the "but put 35's on the 2dr" comments.
Gosh and to think all the 2 door jeeps of past that have have done all these trails on 29" tires and no lockers!!
Thanks to the big tires, much higher horsepower, and much larger rigs the ruts and exposed are not what they were 15 years ago, let alone 80. Of course since you love those stacked rocks, I give you the Rubicon trail of the 60's that those flatty's on 29's went through.
I have a kid. 2 door works fine for us. Sometimes mother in law comes with us too.
If all you were going to do with your Jeep was moderate, flat trails with rocks no taller than 10.9ā (stock rubicon ground clearance) at low speeds without brining much with you and enjoy a harsher ride, then yes the 2dr is perfect for you (although I maintain that at that point the lifted Subaru is probably even better suited). Your own experience with break over and scraping answers your own lift question. You donāt have to be pushing the limits of your Jeepās capabilities in order to benefit from a lift or larger tires. You donāt have to be running across the desert at 80mph (although I highly recommend it) to benefit from the better ride and greater stability that comes with the longer wheel base. You donāt have to always have the Jeep loaded down to appreciate the extra space when you want to use it. 99% of the time itās just the wife and I on trips, we donāt need the 4dr for the space. Sometimes the mods are about driveability/ease of tackling the trail as much as the absolute ability to make it through. After the Dusy-Erishim trail this summer, we added 1.5ā of lift to the Jeep, not because we couldnāt make it but because the constant banging/dragging frame, skids, and sliders was taxing. If you purists prefer harsher rides, manual windows, and no AC so be it, doesnāt make you hardcore, especially when I run my school bus through the obstacle you just bypassed.
I scrape in the middle, can't lift due to garage height. Solution: Add wheelbase?
As I said, the 2dr might be perfect for your use (although even you said it isn't). If my garage was too short for a lifted Jeep, I'd just park in the driveway but every choice includes some kind of compromise.I scrape in the middle, can't lift due to garage height. Solution: Add wheelbase?
The JLU is planted at 80 in the dirt, of course if I want to go triple digits I take the rebel. The jeep isn't a trophy truck, but nearly every trail out there has some sections where you can get the speed up. Yes you can roll anything, but the shorter the base, the easier it will roll that's just common sense. If the 2dr is better for your type of wheeling, obviously run a 2dr. As someone whose run most of the major trails in CA in both a 2dr and a 4dr, it's obvious which I prefer for my use and driving style. Some guys love the twitchy, bucking ride of a short wheelbase, I don't. The tj and the jk were the 2 worst riding vehicles I've ever run through the Rubicon. Both on 35's they made it through the trail just as easy as our 4dr on 37's, our XJ on 35's, or the WJ on 35's, but with much more bobbing and bouncing, and therefore at a slower pace. Again, even 1 and 2 seat chassis builders don't build their buggies at sub 100" wheelbases. Of course most ultra 4 cars and rock bouncers have a worse breakover angle than a JL on 35's, and many rock bouncers have a worse turning radius, so clearly a 2dr is better off road as those are the only measurements that matter when wheeling according to the 2dr guys.
