Wrangler Sport vs. Tacoma TRD Off Road

[mintswitch]

My last vehicle was a TRD Off Road. I currently have a Wrangler JL Sport and absolutely freaking love it, but admittedly the off road performance in terms of ride quality was much better in my TRD Off Road. I could drive on bumpy roads much faster in my Tacoma than I can in my Wrangler. My Wrangler is much more harsh. Now, I was expecting that a little bit because of a number of reasons, but the actual real world difference was a little bit more than I expected actually. I know that Wranglers just have a harsher ride overall, and my Wrangler is MUCH smaller that my Tacoma was (I have the 2 door Wrangler), and the Sport trim obviously doesn't have the upgraded suspension like the Rubicon does either, where as my Tacoma had the upgraded TRD Off Road suspension system. So ya, I knew right off the bat that the Wrangler was going to ride a bit stiffer than my Tacoma, but the difference was pretty significant.

With that being said, it of course isn't fair to compare a Tacoma TRD OR to a 2 door Wrangler Sport since they are so different, but my question is, what is the main contributing factor for the difference in off road comfort? It is the larger wheelbase of the Tacoma? Is it the weight/mass of the vehicle? Or can the suspension alone really make that much of a difference?

Also, I did upgrade my tires to 33" BFG KO2s on my Wrangler, which should be quite a bit better than the stock Tacoma TRD OR tires (which are Goodyears), but other than that my JL is stock.

Oh and FYI, I am not complaining at all. I freakin' love the shit out of my JL. Just simply looking for a discussion.

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[Shepherd12]

Congrats on the upgrade! I switched (back) to a Jeep after a short stint in a TRD Pro. Good looking truck, but it didn’t work out.

The suspensions are very different between the two vehicles. The solid front axle on your Jeep vs the Independent Fronts on your Tacoma probably makes most of the difference you’re noticing.

If I can make one tip - air pressure matters. Ride gets more harsh above 37psi or so. I have no idea where you have your air pressure now, but you might find the ride more enjoyable around 34psi.

Enjoy that torque and rear disk brakes!

 

[Alanscott1]

Had a 2017 Tacoma TDR OR prior to my JLR as well. Biggest contributing factor in ride quality between the two is IFS and wheelbase.

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