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Posted by: Vision
i have 02 sport 6cyl auto tranny with k/nfilter body lift and 33=12.50=15 on it .i love it, the gas mileage isnt great but has plenty of power for me. i wouldnt go back to my stock setup.
Posted by: DeuceRooster
I have driven both a 98 4.0L 5-Speed as well as a 00 4-Cyl 5-Speed both where 4x4.
The 4-Cyl was bone stock and it did not have a ton of power however it had more then many compact cars I have driven like Civics and Corollas. Plus the handling felt very balanced compared to the 4.0L
The 4.0L had 32" tires and a K&N filter otherwise stock and it had plenty of power all the way to 75mph however the powerband of the 4.0L seemed so flat that it was no fun to drive on the highway. Then again I guess it was meant for offroading BR>
If it where me I would get the 4.0L though mainly because of resale value and many more mods are avaliable.
Call me weird but for awhile I was thinking of buying a stripped out 2WD Wrangler softtop with a 5-Speed and 4.0L and adding a KenneBell supercharger. Talk about a sleeper. However I then decided that was as stupid as someone putting 22" wheels on a Land Rover, like I so often see around here.
Also be aware that insurance is not very cheap on NEWER 4x4 Jeeps (at least in Kentucky) it is not sports car like high but it's certainly not as cheap as one would think, mainly because of the death rate from accidents and they are super easy to steal.
Posted by: Chris142
I'm on my 2nd Jeep.
My first was an 89' TJ. 4-cyl, 5-speed and a soft top. I WILL NEVER, EVER OWN A JEEP WITH A 4-CYL OR A SOFT TOP AGAIN! Totally gutless on the hwy. Mine would not maintain the legal speed limit (70mph) on flat ground and 31 inch tires. On small hills the Vw's pass you, On the big hills the fully loaded diesel trucks pass you!
Fuel milage is terrible since you must have your foot in it to go anywhere.
The soft top will give you a headache and make you deaf. Even more fun when it blows off and you gotta go get it.....In the rain and it will blow across the hwy so you gotta cross all 4 lanes to get it, then find a bridge to put it back on BR>
Reaching into your front pockets while seated will break the seat backs!
Off-road the Jeep was great! The 4.10 gears and the 2.72-1 transfer case were perfect for most trails. It would run all day on 5 gallons of gas....Off-road.
My new Jeep is an 02 'TJ. 4.0 6-cyl, 5-speed, D-44 rear axle, 3.73's, hard top, PS and AC. The 6-cyl has plenty of power, there's no reason to rev it over 2000 rpm unless your racing. The torque output is amazing. It gets better Mpg than the 4-cyl.
I had to look hard to find the options I wanted. The standard axle ratio is 3.07's which are not off-road friendly. Neither is the D-35 rear axle. It's very weak.
The D-44 rear is much stronger and has many aftermarket parts available such as lockers and gears. Another option I deleted was anti-lock brakes. If you have ever driven in mud or sand dunes with anti-lock brakes you wont forget it. You can step on the brakes and nuthing happens.
No thanks!
As for Off-road it does fair. It's still stock. The sway bars are the limiting factor on it's off-road ability.
When it was 3 days old I did run a trail near me (Holcomb valley trail) with it, I had no problems except for the rock gardens....I spent hours movin rocks so I could go through.
Mine does have a computer glitch. The TPS goes bad every year. The dealers suk and don't want to do warranty work....It's less of a p.i.t.a. to just buy a new TPS and install it yourself.
Posted by: Chris142
Quote
Originally posted by: Ol
'98 TJ soft top 4cyl here.
I bought my Wrangler new. It now has 94K on it. I drive it 28 miles each way to work every day on the freeway @80mph (eighty).
My Jeep gets 20mpg (always has - since it came off the showroom floor). 4cyl - stick. It is NOT a gutless wonder
Wow. Sounds like you got a good one. Mine would not do 80 mph if it fell off of a cliff -LOL
I never got over 15 mpg.
Mine blew the motor @88K. I change the oil and filter every 2500-3k miles.
Mine was a tbi motor, I'm sure that the port injected ones do run better but I would not had guessed 20 mpg.
My 6-cyl gets 21 mpg.
Posted by: Chris142
Most of the changes were the suspension and round headlights. The 2.5, trans and axles are virtually unchanged mechanically. The only major difference would be the switch from tbi to port injection but mechanically the engines are identical.
The 4-cyl engine from an 89 will bolt directly into any newer year Jeep as long as you swap the intake manifold and various sensors. The earlier CJ's did use a Chevy 4-cyl but it's totally different than the Amc/Jeep/Chrysler 2.5 that was used in TJ's and YJ's.
I still think that you got a good one! Most 2.5 Jeeps are gutless regardless of the year.
When I bought my o2 I went for a test drive in a 2.5 with an auto trans! Now that was real gutless.
Posted by: Ol
'98 TJ soft top 4cyl here.
I bought my Wrangler new. It now has 94K on it. I drive it 28 miles each way to work every day on the freeway @80mph (eighty). In my Jeep I've made trips all over California and into Nevada - snow, desert, sand, etc.
I was 55 when I bought my Jeep. I sold our 10 year old Corvette and paid cash for the Jeep - best deal I ever made too. The Mrs was NOT "for" it at all. Today, she enjoys the Jeep as much as I and we both enjoy it much more than we enjoyed the Vette (except on long road trips - the Vette could "fly"). In fact, when we go to Hawaii she INSISTS on renting a Jeep and she's currently planning Jeep excursions into Alaska and the Yukon during this spring's vacation. At home, it's our primary transportation. My Jeep gets 20mpg (always has - since it came off the showroom floor). I change the oil every 6000 miles, and tuned it up at 30K, 55K and 80K. The only "work" it's ever needed was two catalytic converters were replaced under warranty by Jeep. The first set of tires were replaced at 60K.
So, after having it for 6 years and being 61 years old now, what would I change? Not one damn thing!!! Rag top - 4cyl - stick. It is NOT a gutless wonder, but you do have to know how to drive and have enough sense to not run the largest oversized tires possible. I run Goodyear Wrangler 235/75R15s and they have always performed beautifully both on road and doing some serious off road stuff in snow sand and desert.
Love my TJ......
Posted by: Ol
Chris,
There was so much difference between yours and my experience that I went back re-read both posts very carefully. What I see is that your Jeep was an '89. Mine is a '98. There were some major changes in the intervening 9 years.
Posted by: Ol
Chris,
Sounds to me like you know your stuff...... I reckon I just got a good one.
On one of our Hawaii trips we ended up with a 2.5 engine and an automatic transmission. That experience completely re-defined "gutless wonder" for us.
Then again, it was plenty good for Hawaii where the speed limit is about 9 MPH.
Posted by: dancingqueen
Have an 02 TJ Sport (check my page)
Dual Tops
I6
3.5 Rubicon Express S/F
33x12.50 Mickey Thompson Baja Claws
DT 3000 Shocks
and a few extras.
One think I wish it had....D44. But o-well, I dont have the budget for hard-core wheeling yet so maybe when Im older and its time for a new Jeep I will make sure it has D44. But you can always go with a Super 35 kit and lockers. It has stock gearing (3.07) and seems to pull just fine, tho I plan on putting in 4.10's for better off roading capabilities.
Posted by: MnFriesen
not a wrangler but I own a cherokee...went out bowlin tonight and here was a huge snow pile...one of my friends told me to go over it...walked right over it no problems what so ever..ohh and its an 88'
Posted by: RenegadeRider
I drive a 91 yj renegade with a 2.5" lift, 31's on eagle alloys, spicer posi
The girlfriend has a 99 TJ. Asyou can tell we really like our jeeps (and kawi's)
Posted by: JensUK
One of my good friends has an 02 Wrangler. The thing is amazing off road - esp. for tight trails, you can't buy a better machine in the US.
He has a 4.0 Sport with the five speed. He's running 33s with 2.5" of suspension lift (from OME, which made the ride a bit better, though imho a stock Wrangler Sport rides 1,000,000 times better than say, a 4x4 Ranger, which is the stiffest, bounciest, most annoying ride on the planet) and, iirc, a 1" body lift, and budget sway bar disconnects (hitch pins from Home Depot). He has a few aftermarket skids and a JVC CD/MP3 player.
The 4.0 was peppy on the stock tires, but now with the 33s it's a little sluggish at freeway speeds, so he has to shift a bit more or drive a gear down. He either needs a better rear-end ratio or just to drive it like a four speed.
His only regret is that the Rubicon edition came out a little while afterwards; if he could do it over I think he would've waited and bought one of those.
He got the dual tops, but the soft top is fine, and since the hardtop isn't any quieter, I'd just get the softtop.
If you have any other questions, let me know.
*Edited* after my slacker friend rolled into work at nearly 10 am and fact-checked my post.
Posted by: TORK
My daily driver is 1958 Jeep Willys pickup, 6-226 Flathead bored .030 over otherwise all stock except for the radio(got to have tunes!!).
Posted by: HappywithVForce
I have an 01 (for the wife). We love it. The 4.0 does very well and I have the stock-size 30" tires. We take the top and doors off from early may till sept.
Posted by: HappywithVForce
I have allways loved JEEPS. My first car was a 63 Willys CJ5 with an old Buick V-8 (aluminum). I wish I still had it!
Posted by: HappywithVForce
Well, the newer soft tops are 4 ply and muck quieter than we were used to. I can hear the radio while driving without turning it down when you stop.
Posted by: Suzuki587
What model Wrangler do you have and what options, mods, etc do you have? Does the 190hp/235lb/ft 4.0L Inline 6 engine move the vehicle pretty easily? Does it offroad really good (pretty sure it does)?
Posted by: AlaskaBoy
How about a x-owner? I just sold mine after owning it for 10 years it was a 89 Islander, it had the stock inline 6 4.2 litre and I had put a 2.5 inch Rancho lift and 2 inch Confer extend shackles and a set of 31 BF All terrains, every thing else stock. I sold it because the Jeeps and trucks that offroad have been giving the trails he@@ and I did not not want to be included in that group. There is some guys who tread lightly but there is more who don't give a rats @@@ about anything but digging trenches. The 4.2 did not like step inlines or bouncing over ruts, do to the float in the carberator. I loved to take the top off and run the trails and the strip, especially on warm days. AlaskaBoy.
