Not impressed with 2010 Jeep

[ledslinger]

Help a neighbor pull his MasterCraft X 10 out today, he left sit in the water during two 17 F nights. The block was OK, the water in the 40's saved it.

He had a low miles, in near new condition Jeep that looked quite rugged, but performed otherwise. It pulled the probably 4000 lb boat and trailer out of the water just fine in 4 low, but he attempted to pull it in 2 Hi and it wouldn't do it. The V6 engine had no low end grunt, and wouldn't take off on a moderate hill in 1st gear in 2 Hi. He had to drive it home about a mile in 4 Low. The manual transfer case shifted poorly, but possibly he didn't know how to work it very well.

In contrast, another friend has a V6 Honda van front wheel drive with traction control. It pulled their probably 3200 -3300 lb American Skier out despite a wet slippery ramp after letting the traction control do its thing. At the same spot the manual trans Jeep wouldn't pull 4000 lbs on 2 Hi, the Honda van pulled 3300 lbs without a whimper.

I'm pretty sure my 2003 Silverado would have pulled the 4000 lbs up the same hill without problem in 2WD now that I have Michelins. No promises with the OEM Goodyear Wrangler ST that came on the truck.

 

[daves87rs]

Which jeep are we talking about here?

 

[95busa]

Jk unlimited is only rated for 3500lbs with automatic and tow package. The 2 door is lower. Jeep = offroad beast and fun. Jeep does not equal tow rig. This is like complaining that your submarine wont fly.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

The 3.8 Wranglers were grossly underpowered. The amount of power produced does not feel like what they are rated.

 

[crazyoildude]

I am not to impressed with the newer jeeps the older ones with the strait 6 were fantastic and ran forever... The Honda is a nice vehicle but transmission wise they are the worst!
The silverado has the best of all worlds.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: 95busa
Jk unlimited is only rated for 3500lbs with automatic and tow package. The 2 door is lower. Jeep = offroad beast and fun. Jeep does not equal tow rig. This is like complaining that your submarine wont fly.


+1

 

[Donald]

I am thinking he was pulling too heavy a trailer, but I also think maybe he did not really know what he was doing.

The issue of towing capacity is more than just ability to pull up a hill, its stopping and also the weight of the tow vehicle so it does not get pushed all around by the trailer.

One or two axles? Brakes?

Maybe he had a bearing or brake issue with trailer causing drag.

 

[KD0AXS]

Last time we took a trip with the 4 wheelers, we towed them with the wife's Jeep (2011 JK 4 door) figuring it would use less gas than my F-350 . The trailer was about 2500 lbs. I thought it handled the trailer reasonably well, but you definitely knew it was back there. Gas mileage dropped from the usual 20 mpg on the highway to about 13-14. My F-350 gets about 12-13 highway towing the trailer and you can't even tell it's there. Needless to say, we're using my truck to tow the 4 wheelers from now on.

I will say this though...The Wrangler tows the trailer much better than the Liberty she had before it, even though both are rated for 3500 lbs.

 

[tomcat27]

I've got a Liberty with the 3.7 which is a miserable, worthless, gutless, gas-sucking engine. my GC with the 5.2 runs circles around it and only uses about 2mpg more.

at least the liberty is quiet, reliable, and put together well. but that 3.7....

 

[bvance554]

Jeeps and their short wheel base were never designed for towing.

 

[shDK]

At Work we gave an older Nissan patrol 4x4 with a 2.8 litre 135 hp diesel.

It. Is approved to 3500 kg towing capassity. And. Does it without a problem.

We also have a Mercedes sprinter van with the 5 cyllinder 2.7 litre 155 hp engine. It pulls 3000 kg verry easy.

Big engines ain,t allways a guarentee for a good towing car.

 

[montero1]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
The 3.8 Wranglers were grossly underpowered. The amount of power produced does not feel like what they are rated.



Possibly it was undergeared. Mine has 4.10s, the one mentioned could have 3.21s.

 

[ARB1977]

Swap engines with a hemi, then you might have something.

 

[Cujet]

The Jeep was never designed for towing such a load. I'm not at all surprised at the result.

Thinking about the classic tow weight ratings, Only fairly recently were "light duty" vehicles were rated to tow absurd numbers.

20 years ago, an F150 with the famous 4.9L 6 cylinder, 4x4 and manual transmission was rated to tow an incredible 2500 pounds! (with the 2.73 axle, it dropped to 2000 pounds!!!) And with the automatic, and all the options, up to 6000 pounds. A far cry from the 11,500 pounds they are rated at today.

 

[meep]

Did the jeep have it's traction control turned off? In 2wd the first thing it does is cut throttle if there's wheel slip. Traction control automatically turns off when you shift out of 2hi.

Originally Posted By: shDK


Big engines ain,t allways a guarentee for a good towing car.


agree ^^^

OffTopic----

I hear so much about--- "I need an F6000 to pull this 4000 trailer because my F150 won't hold speed on the big hills."

"Well, you aren't going to... how fast do you expect to go?"

"70"

Wheelbase/stability, suspension characteristics, gearing, trans programming, robust cooling... all more important for me when towing than HP. Sure, it's a bit more stressful when you realize you're going to have to lay into that pedal ahead of time and plan your speeds, lane position, and line on an approaching hill--- and you feel like you are losing time, but really, it's not that bad. You just have to think differently. Some folks either seem too impatient or get stressed about it.

Back OnTopic,

Definitely depends on which jeep and what gearing, and if the driver knows how to use it. Long wheel base would be a start. More gear helps--- the lower trims are geared for mpg. The 3.8 has a lot of torque for what it is--- I have had both the 4.0 and the 3.8 --- the 3.8 is not THAT bad, and it's a great motor in its own rite. It's all about gear.... was the jeep a stick? That can be tricky on a ramp, especially for folks who don't have much practice. If it's an auto it's more mash feather and go.

I had that 3.7 in my WK, and it saw a little tow duty. I really thought it started as a pretty decent motor, but they detuned it so bad it lost a lot of its usable power. The versions that came in the Rams breathed better and had much more power down low. The SUVs got it set up as a rev'er. smooth but gutless at 2500 rpm. It would have been a LOT more fun in the liberty and WK alike if the intake and whatever else had been pulled from a ram. (wish I'd even thought of that when I owned mine)...

 

[ledslinger]

I think its a Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon with a 3.8. It is truly a gutless wonder. Several have said it was overcapacity or not suited for towing. If a 4WD SUV won't pull a ski boat up a ramp and a mile to your house competently, its pretty pathetic.

The owner of the Jeep said they were much better when they had straight sixes and the V6s basically have no power. The way this thing acted on takeoff with no torque at low revs, reminded me of a friends big Ford back in the 70's with a 170 6 cyl and three on the tree. Miss the required revs by 50 rpm when letting out the clutch and it just falls on its face. It truly is a horrible engine I feel sorry for anyone who owns one.

Another friend used to do similar duty with his small Toyota shortbed 4WD with a 22 Celica engine. The boat he was pulling was lighter, but the 4 cyl was more impressive than the V6 in the Jeep.

It might be that the low end grunt works fine through an auto trans, but sucked with a manual trans.

 

[afoulk]

If it is a Rubicon, it has 4.10 gears. If not, and its an automatic, it has 3.73's. I had an 08 automatic unlimited, and while underpowered, I never had an issue with it. The 4spd autos are the biggest problem with them. Mine could not climb a curb in 2wd, it just sat there with the front tires against it and would not spin a tire because the torque converter slipped that bad. Once in 4lo, it did it boo problem. They had poorly designed transmission coolers that would let them overt heat very easily. I installed an aftermarket cooler on mine when I had and never had it get above 190, even when 4 wheeling forwhole day. I'd say he was either doing something wrong, or had an issue with the Jeep or trailer. If he was spinning the wheels, traction control would have killed power. I once towed brothers gti 2 miles,b all up hill,b on a tow strap when he broke a CV shaft and it never broke a sweat.

 

[meep]

I've driven the 3.8 4door rubi with 4.10s and a manual, on 35" tires without a regear for the larger rubber. The engine has more than adequate power to do what it needs to do, however I can see it being tricky on a boat ramp--- they are Heavy with a big H, especially this particular one, and with a stick I can see it being a fight to feather the clutch and get it all moving. I'm not sure if I'd choose a stick for boat ramp duty since it would strain the clutch a bit, unless digging into 4-lo. In high range you will HAVE to slip the clutch some-- 4500lb vehicle + 4000 lb boat is no small total regardless of what is pulling it. Consider a V6 ranger with a 9" clutch and the same boat--- clutch done after one season.

The I6, while still having a bit more grunt, would still have to slip a clutch if it was a manual--- still have to get the same amount of weight moving.

 

[ledslinger]

There was no problem with tires slipping, just no grunt taking off in 2 Hi in first. Seemed first (manual transmission) was too high for a utility vehicle, but I suppose they are more soccer mom than utility vehicle these days.

I read one supplier of supercharger for this vehicle said that on a chassis dyno they have only 108 to 133 rear wheel horsepower. No wonder they are whimpy. $6K for the supercharger kit.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

My parents had a 2008 Rubicon with 4.10 gears and manual. That thing would barely get out of it's own way and could not go 55MPH on flat ground in 6th gear. 4th or 5th gear had to be used in order to maintain 55MPH.

The old 4.0L I6 was a great engine. It didn't look as good on paper as the 3.8 but they felt (and performed) much better.

The problem with the 4.0 was they came with 3.07 gearing with 5 speed manual (unless Rubicon).