Willys vs Rubicon

[randeeezy]

you could do what you're describing in a stock wrangler, in my honest opinion.

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[ArmyRN]

What say you, JL Wrangler Forum?

You need clearance and traction to travel the rougher off-pavement roads and trails. Add a mild lift to allow for taller tires, and some sort of traction aiding devices in the axles front & rear (my recommendation is True-Tracks F&R) and you're good. It will give you peace of mind when overlanding.

For lots of payload or to just bring lots of stuff (bulk storage space - cubic feet) to keep you comfortable and happy (or your spouse comfortable and happy!) when overlanding, more than your Jeep can handle safely (even after upgrading to more of a HD suspension) or has room for inside, I would suggest a trailer. Preferably one on the smaller side.

Even a small trailer like this one (built on a heavily modified HF 4' trailer frame) can carry inside and outside the tub a lot of stuff and weight. A new JLU would hardly know it was back there.

It is easier on your vehicle to pull a loaded trailer (within reason of course) than to carry the weight in/on the vehicle, even accounting for the weight of the trailer.

Here's a very long build thread on my lil' trailer if you're interested in something like this. Even once I get my new JLU (ordered with the tow package) I might take my trailer on some of my overlanding trips (depends on the trip - a lot of my camping gear is more bulk than weight though, and I'll have a lot more room in the back of my JLU than I do now in the back of my TJ).

Mini Harbor Freight (type) Trailer Ultimate Build-Up Thread | Jeep Enthusiast Forums (jeepforum.com)

And a video of the trailer in action.

(902) TJ and trailer - YouTube

Or if money's no object, here's a "Jeep Branded" trailer (not cheap but kinda cool and not too big):

Jeep Branded Edition | Addax Overland

Getting a small-ish trailer (I'm talking WWII sized kinda trailers or like the red one pictured just above) would be cheaper in the long run than selling his Willys and buying a Jeep truck. With the truck you would lose the inside cargo carrying space. Yes, you could put a topper on the truck bed.

A roofrack is good for carrying large bulky lighter stuff (camp chairs, ground tent, traction boards, shovel, etc.). Think bulky stuff that doesn't have to be kept inside the Jeep - keep the weight down so you're not top heavy. Roof top tents are also nice up there - especially if you can keep your bedding inside the RTT when not in use. That frees up a lot of space inside the Jeep.

 

[Reinen]

The 2.5 inch track increase for a Rubicon or 4 inch track increase for an Xtreme Recon (Willys XR or Rubicon XR or High Tide) big wide axles would be nice for an overlander, 5900-6100 lbs GVWR also nice but you will probably need more, Performance Brakes (in the XR package, larger diameter thicker rear rotors with larger brake pistons) also nice. eTorque V-6 gives you an extra 90 lbs. ft. of torque below 2.000 rpm to temporarily fill your torque curve, but with 3.45 gearing it will not be too impressive. Xtreme Recon High Tide gets you 4.56 gears and the eTorque V-6 with 48 V lithium battery pack and 850RE transmission. That combination will get your attention and would work well for an overlander with his gear. Pretty sweet and still decent fuel economy. And there is always the 392 if both price and fuel economy are not an issue. And the diesel would be hard to beat for pulling a load though diesel versus gasoline prices are skewed right now towards gasoline. And it is the last year of production for the Wrangler.diesel. But none of that would get me to sell a nice newer Willys unless there was something that you fundamentally did not like about your Willys. Then cost out what it would cost to upgrade your Jeep to what you want versus buying a new one.

Thought you were going off the deep end until your 2nd to last sentence. It's accurate but it doesn't sound like the OP is going that hardcore. All the OP really needs (whether he knows it or not) is better ability to carry a full cargo load. The Willys will likely be more than capable enough otherwise.

 

[Maverick909]

100% keep the Willys. It is a perfect platform to build off of. My recommendation is if you plan to add a rtt and steel front bumper for a winch I do recommend having a good winch for overlanding as you typically are a ways out from help. I ran my JLU sport for the first year stock and then added a lift with Heavy rated coils for the extra weight of how i planned my jeep to be setup. Sounds to me like a small 2.5" or less lift with a really nice set of adjustable shocks would do you great. I have done mild to moderate trails with the LSD my jeep came with for the first 3 years i found my self bitten with the little harder trails and managed to grab a set of rubicon axles with lockers and the better 4.10 gear ratio and added 315 ( 35" ) tires. i love the way my jeep runs with all my gear in it and my rtt. only thing i plan to change now is bumping up the gears to have a little more get up and go and hopefully get a little mileage back but then again i have the 6speed not that nice 8speed trans. :D

 

[variableknife]

I appreciate the responses and seems like everyone is pushing toward keeping the Willys. Overlanding is definitely the word!! My wife and I enjoy long road trips and not sure I would be able to handle her stressing out and worrying haha.


No leather interior but I can manage. It has the heated seats and steering wheel. I believe those factory mud tires are 32’s(not sure though). Increasing tire size and improving suspension has been thought but could wait until I see how a thorough overland trip feels.

i also appreciate the gladiator recommendation but I would never be able to store in my garage lol. And it hails golf balls in Austin.

I see American Adventure Lab has a nice drawer system that makes room for a fridge. All potential weight from camping gear considered how much could it affect the ride, especially needing a spring upgrade?

I have a Sport S, but was thinking about the Willy's. However, I am going to upgrade my Sport S for a Ford Bronco because they look so much better for mallcrawling.


I'm kidding. Stick with the Willy's. I'm keeping my Sport S.

 

[XYJGuy]

If you want to build something bullet proof with larger tires, and you have the cash, then Rubicon is a good choice. It has a Stronger, wider front Axle, upgraded springs, lockers and electronic quick disconnect (and cool hood).

I got to Rubicon stock height by installing the Teraflex 1.5" spacer lift and some 285/70R17 KO2's. The tires made a major difference in ride quality (MT's look great but I hate the way the feel on road). Finally, I highly recommend Apex Autolynx quick disconnects (manual, but incredibly easy and reliable). For piece of mind you can add a winch and carry maxtrax.

You probably know this but the Willys has Rubicon brakes, shocks (not springs), rear axle, and previously mentioned, limited slip in the rear. Whatever you decide, I wish you good luck and happy overloading!

 

[SBLACK502]

The Willys with standard LSD is going to be more effective in the wide variety of overlanding situations you describe.

If you do decide to get a lift and larger tires, be aware that you might also want to regear. The stock 3.45 gearing is simply insufficient for tires larger than 34 inches.

And while they are doing the regearing, I’d also inquire about adding a TrueTrac to the front axle. After a long wait, a couple months Eaton Corporation finally introduced a TrueTrac LSD that works with JL axles.

I’d keep the Willys and use the money you save for your build. If you do it right, you will end up with a better overall rig for both your overlanding and your daily driving.

Good luck!

I have a Willy’s with stock gearing and 35’s have no issue at all. Still have 8th gear and still get 20mpg. Down from 22-23 stock.

 

[aldo98229]

I have a Willy’s with stock gearing and 35’s have no issue at all. Still have 8th gear and still get 20mpg. Down from 22-23 stock.

Then you must have the “Miracle Edition” Willys....! ?

 

[Albertaktm]

Willys. I just ordered one. Still amazes me of the people that order a new Rubicon, whack it out then hit the rocks. 100 miles on the odometer and climbing insane stuff. I’d love to do that. But not on my $60,000 vehicle. That’s why god invented the Side by Side! Sounds like your intention for this vehicle is the same as mine. I just pitch a quick tent. I have heard stories about those roof top units sucking down the gas mileage.

 

[entropy]

Given your use case "the occasional obstacle" is not inevitable.

Your willys will tackle anything you need it to tackle. If you want to be very prepared for an unforseen situation what you need is a winch.

The Rubicon just makes true offroading a a bit more fun and easier since it doesnt have to rely on traction control for locking up. And some other goodies, but lockers are thr main thing.

 

[djxizodu]

Currently a willys sport xr 4 door is a better deal and more capable than a rubicon 4 door.

keep what you have or buy a xr willys imo.

 

[gek]

You should have no issues doing what you want to do in a Willys. I know you don't plan to go rock crawling, but for reference, I took mine to Moab in October and was able to do all the obstacles the Rubicons were doing. Manual, 3.6, 2" dynatrac lift, 315/70/17s, stock gears(going to 4.56 in the spring). I did rub my fenders a bit, but not enough for me to rush out and get rubi fenders.

I will say that the one thing I felt like mine really needed was the 4:1 transfer case for a slower crawl speed. If yours is an automatics it should be much easier to find a rubi TC to swap though.

 

[Joe98]

Go for the Willys. It is lighter than the Rubicon therefore your total weight will be less and therefore easier to keep within the towing limits.

 

[FreedomFur]

I ran a 2021 willys with a 2-in Mopar lift and 35-in tires and did lots of off-roading with it. What I found is that when I switched to a Rubicon, the lockers made all the difference. That being said, a quality winch allowed me to get the Willy's into places that the lockers on a Rubicon due by themselves. My guess is that a winch would solve a lot of your problems for shorter dollars.

The other issue I ran into is that I got it hung up on stuff a lot before doing a lift kit and going to 35s. In New Hampshire, there is a lot of rock crawling, surprisingly, and I still would scrape every once in awhile. I put in an asfir aluminum skid for the engine / transfer and I'm glad that I did because it took a few hits that probably saved the Jeep.

In November of last year, I ordered the Rubicon. There are a lot of dealers on this forum that offer 5 to 10% discounts, so that's what I did. Added a few options as well. I stripped everything off of the Willy's except for the fishbone front and rear bumpers, the lift kit, and the tires, and sold it for the same amount that I paid for it 9 months earlier, 16,000 miles later, and with pinstriping and beat up metal on the bottom. I took the amount of money left over from the sale and put it towards the Rubicon and ended up with a loan at the same amount that I had started with at the Willy's. I sold the Willys on Vroom. Kind of a pain in the ass to manage the process but it worked out okay.

So at the very least get a quality winch, like a warne because you're going to need it to work 100% of the time. If you start going down the path of getting a lift kit and tires, at least price out the option of trading it in for Rubicon. My guess is your local dealer won't give you the best discount on a new order vehicle, so if timing is at the essence that may not be the best option, but if you can wait 3 to 4 months, I think pretty hard about that.

 

[Pepe My Little Mule]

Keep the Willys. Add a winch, air compressor and firestone airbags for the rear suspension since you are gonna load it up with gear

Done.

Then drive it and save the money to fuel your adventures.

After a year or so, reevaluate your needs.

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