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tech
Post First
Trail Run Impressions of the jeepfan.com JK Wrangler
Unlimited Rubicon
thoughts, likes, dislikes, and a review of the new Jeep
by Mike
Obviously I am
not new to Jeeping, I have been enjoying being part of the
Jeep community for many years and will continue for the
foreseeable future. It was exciting to finally get the
jeepfan.com JK out on the trail during
OK Auto's Grand Reopening Event and give it a
good shake-down. The Jeep is a 4 door Rubicon equipped
with a
TeraFlex 2.5" Budget Boost lift
and
295/70R17 (33+") Toyo Open Country M/T
tires and nothing more than what was there off the showroom
floor.
For those of you
not familiar with the Rubicon model of the Jeep Wrangler
lineup, in short the Rubicon is specially equipped with a
4:1 transfer case, Dana 44 front and rear locking
differentials, and an electronic sway bar disconnect.
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Thoughts
 My
biggest apprehension was the thought of damaging the
beautiful Moab aluminum wheels and/or body/paint
damage. I had to accept that these things are
always a possibility on a trail with varying
conditions, I guess I'd rather damage it having fun
on the trail than in the local mall parking lot.
I didn't
expect to get into anything on the trail too extreme
but the day brought trails a little rougher than I
initially wanted. It seemed like every trail
we hit consisted of rock gardens. Nothing that
this Jeep could easily handle but challenging to say
the least.
ONWARD:
Before hitting the trail the normal "get ready"
tasks (below) were completed along with the social
activities (BS'ing with old friends and looking at
everyone else's stuff).
TASKS:
Air down, hit 4WD low, and disconnect the sway bar
(by pushing a button...giggle, giggle) |
Likes
 A
few minutes into the trail the initial love for this Jeep
developed. I have little trail experience with a coil
sprung Jeep and I have to say that they make all the
difference. The uneven terrain of a typical trail was
completely absorbed by the coil springs. The
suspension of the new Jeep is very flexible, much like the
JK's predecessor, the TJ. We soon got into a rocky
section, I pushed the rear locker button, put the Jeep in
1st gear, and with both feet flat on the floor I let the
Jeep drive itself over the rocks. The 4:1 low range
makes for an excellent crawl ratio...The Jeep had no problem
maintaining idle and momentum with no throttle input.
Only once the whole day I stalled the Jeep.
The above images were from the
OK Auto Grand Reopening and Rausch Creek Trail Ride
Crawl ratio
comparison between the
jeepfan.com JK and the
jeepfan.com CJ
JK - 4.46:1 (1st) * 4:1 (low range) * 4.10 (rear) =
73.1
CJ - 6.32:1 (1st) * 2.03 (low range) * 4.10 (rear) = 52.6
A ~21:1
difference is very noticeable and makes driving in the rough
stuff quite a bit easier. I actually found myself
using the brakes for control while the Jeep idled it's way
over the rocks. Next, I had to climb a steep hill with
a quick drop off the other side. The Jeep high
centered itself...I activated the front and rear lockers,
backed up a bit, repositioned myself and over the hill the
Jeep went, fun!
Dislikes
Perhaps these
are some nit-picky dislikes but they are worth mentioning.
The Jeep is a bit wide...I found myself needing to squeeze
the Jeep through some areas easily managed by a TJ, YJ, and
CJ. The engine has a tendency to keep a high idle when
moving along slowly at a higher rpm. For example: I
was putting along in 2nd gear around 2000 rpm and let off
the gas. The Jeep just keep it's 2000 rpm until I
slowed it either by pushing the clutch or using the brake.
It wasn't a problem but it was noticeable and unusual.
In Review
Jeep hit the
nail right on the head with the new JK, two door or four
door the new Jeep JK is superior in many ways than all
previous models. The wider stance is perhaps it's
biggest disadvantage since many trails are made for a Jeep
of TJ width or less. For obvious reasons increased
width, or length for that matter, can be an advantage in
certain situations. Also, not that this makes a good
Jeep but it sure was nice to air up, close the windows, turn
on the A/C, crank up the satellite radio, and drive
comfortably home after the trail run. I may have a
hard time leaving it home next time. 
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