Jeep gives Wrangler 1.5" lift, 35" tires and 4.88 gears..

[Todd n Natalie]

I think the competition the Bronco brought is a good thing....

Jeep Gives the Wrangler 35-Inch Tires and 4.88 Gears to One-Up the Ford Bronco Sasquatch

Bigger tires and an extreme low-range crawl ratio boost the Wrangler Rubicon's capabilities, and continue the Jeep vs. Ford slap-fight.

www.roadandtrack.com

 

[Zeep]

Jeep needed some competition, to "wake up" the engineers in this segment.
A lot of tech has not seen the light of day, in recent years.

 

[Bullseye240]

I love my 06 LJ Rubicon but the 4:1 low range is too low for anything but rock crawling. Then again that is what the package was designed for, hence the name. I fixed that problem for myself by adding in the Rubicrawler from Advance Adapters. This gave me another set of gears to play with all without having to change driveshaft lengths. I now have 2wd high, 2wd 2.72:1 low, 4wd high, 4wd 2.72:1 low, 4wd 4:1 low and 4wd 10.88:1 low. Having more options is so much better than only having high and extremely low. Lets hope somebody at the factory figures this out pretty soon. Also it's kinda fun to go from standing start to overdrive in less than 8 feet in double low.

 

[deserteagle56]

Before anyone asks, yes I've crawled a rock or two - just with modern engines (anything new enough to have fuel injection and variable valve timing..) you've access to basically all of your torque just off idle and it seems like after about 30:1 or so the benefits of increasing crawl ratio become meaningless, certainly after 50:1 .

I disagree. You must drive only automatic transmissions.

With my Rubicon, reverse in high range is WAAYYYYY to high. Who needs to drive 25 mph in reverse?? Low range 4:1 ratio reverse is about what it should be in high range. When I'm in a ticklish situation on a trail and need to back out I want a REALLY low reverse ratio - one where the Jeep barely creeps along and I have time to react to the terrain.

And yes, I love what the Bronco has done for Jeep fans. All of a sudden we can now get a powerful engine, deep gears and tall tires without having to go aftermarket.

 

[NEIA Nomad]

I noticed the 4door pickup has more of a high line look to the fenders. Manufacturers are learning.

 

[roving1]

I choose to drive automatics off road these days because they have objective advantages over manual but my first 4x4's were manual. One was carbureted, 4 cylinder and only had a 1.9:1 low range which illustrated very well the need for a good crawl ratio.

I stand by my comment that with a modern engine 30 to 50x reduction is about right and more isn't better. Also manuals are great fun on the road but dinosaurs off it

I have never once complained about a vehicle having too much gear reduction in a situation. Short of trying to drive ridiculous old school three speed Jeeps on the highway lol. Plenty of times I have complained the other way around. If you are in a highly loaded vehicle at altitude up a steep grade in any sort of sketchy situation it's pretty obvious what benefit the gearing does for you. You can overcome a lot in an automatics with higher gears in the short term at the expense of torque converters making stupid amounts of heat but that isn't sustainable or fun in the long run.

Also hilarious watching people cook their brakes going down grades with bad lo range gearing and automatics in general having to get to the stall speed of the converter before any real engine braking occurs. Weird those dinosaurs can drive down mountain grades for an hour straight and never or barely use the brakes lol.

But it's silly to not want more options than less. The same modern engines you praise come with 8-10 speed transmissions with high overdrives that eliminate any downside to lower gearing while making the engine and trans work so much less harder overcoming loads so why wouldn't you want it?

 

[Dan Grec]

This is great, competition means more choices for consumers.
Fingers crossed it will drive prices down!

I'll also be stoked when we can get a bare-bones sport but option the Rubicon Lockers (and nothing else from the Rubicon, for example).
Or, whatever it is that each person wants to option from the Rubicon without getting the whole shebang.

-Dan

 

[Superduty]

The very low crawl ratios are wonderful with manual transmissions, not so needed with an automatic and efficiently running engine.

I am impressed that Jeep and Ford are putting out vehicles with factory 35" tires and lockers and better suspension.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I think the competition the Bronco brought is a good thing....

Jeep Gives the Wrangler 35-Inch Tires and 4.88 Gears to One-Up the Ford Bronco Sasquatch

Bigger tires and an extreme low-range crawl ratio boost the Wrangler Rubicon's capabilities, and continue the Jeep vs. Ford slap-fight.

www.roadandtrack.com

Competition is always good for the market! I love it and I'm not even someone who would own either vehicle...lol.

 

[greg.potter]

The very low crawl ratios are wonderful with manual transmissions, not so needed with an automatic and efficiently running engine.

I am impressed that Jeep and Ford are putting out vehicles with factory 35" tires and lockers and better suspension.

And let's hope that they upgrade the axles and steering components, including the steering box, to deal with the larger wheels and tires.

 

[deserteagle56]

And let's hope that they upgrade the axles and steering components, including the steering box, to deal with the larger wheels and tires.

^ This!

Just watched a video on Matt's Off-Road Recovery YouTube page where he had to go recover a beautiful new Jeep...steering component busted off. Put big heavy tires on components that are not engineered to handle them is a recipe for trouble.

 

[spagthorpe]

I don't think 35s are going to be breaking anything. It's pretty much the defacto tire to put on a Wrangler, and shops aren't swapping out axles and steering boxes.

4.88s will just make it a nicer driving experience. I hope they do something with the brakes as well.

 

[dukabor]

More options the better I say (like many already)

I have yet to get a side by side comparison of my own with a bronco, still do not see many on the trails I frequent, and dare I say there will be far more jeeps than broncos on 35's or bigger from the factory or modded, I think it is as much of a factor of jeep wanting to get the $$ off the showroom for the lift and tires and take a few bucks out of the aftermarket and the shops, probably a significant factor

The manual vs auto is an interesting one.... maybe I am out of date with my thinking but I remember hearing someone say one "You could bust the case of you manual transmission open and as long as you can get it into a gear it can get you limping home, but get a quart low on fluid in the auto and you are stuck" whether that is still accurate (or ever was) is a matter for debate, but I still enjoy the control of my manual, and if that means I dont have a free hand for my phone or go pro hanging out the window, so be it lol

 

[billiebob]

whose three digit crawl ratio is bigger but when is that actually beneficial?

I like my Rubis 70:1 ratio over the Sports crawl ratio mostly when towing "overland" or over a pot hole strewn rough cart track. The slower crawl speed gives a way smoother ride. Extreme Slowness is also wonderful reversing uphill... or downhill with a trailer. Altho I'd never need anything slower than the 70:1 Rubi ratio.

But in many ways I'd prefer Fords bull low first gear over an extreme 4:1 transfer case low. That low first gear reminds me of Fords, Chevs and Dodges pickups 50 years age with a long throw Granny low first gear.

 

[billiebob]

Ford missed the mark by having such a slow roll out. Everyonr who wanted a Bronco should have one by now but there are still guys without who put the $100 down at the introduction. Ford must have known Jeep would one up them.