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Why Jeeps are Better than Hummers

47K views 109 replies 66 participants last post by  fernjack 
#1 ·
Okay so my friend and I were driving around in my Jeep today and guess what, he told me a stock hummer H2 would do better than my stock Grand Cherokee offroad :laugh:. In all honesty, he thinks hummers do better. He wants me to provide cold hard facts why, and so I think you guys would be more than willing to help me out with that (he also said it would do better than a stock wrangler too, yeah right)

Of course I know the right way to prove it would be to just bring him through a couple trails and prove it, but I'm running off a 12 year old fs spare right now so I really can't risk popping it or I'm screwed
 
#18 ·
My sentiments exactly. Love H1's, the others... well... they aren't really hummers. I could afford an H1, but I will still always have my ultimately customizable JK Unlimited!
 
#5 ·
for one, ground clearence. two, IFS, vs solid axle front/rear... it allows for much better articulation off-road. thats a very general statment as it all comes down to design, and like previously stated the H2 is based off a mixture of tahoe and suburban body/frame/suspention, its not designed for serious off-road or articulation. the pure size of the hummer vs a little jeep makes it better as it can go/fit more places.

just tell him to go to youtube... you can see it all in action their, multiple times over.
 
#6 ·
Well H2's are terrible. H1 is good, however expensive. H3 meh, I wouldn't buy one, I'd take one and sell it for parts for my XJ. We'll focus on the suckyness of the H2.... Way to friggin' big, IFS, see more yuppie soccer moms driving them, see more ehh hmmm, minorities driving them with huge rims, sound systems and what not. The H2 is basically just a boxier Escalade. IFS, yes I said it again... you pay 60 grand and up for a vehicle that has as much capabilities as any other SUV but you paid 60 grand for it...to each his own I suppose...
 
#14 ·
IFS flex on 33s (score = 447):


SAS flex on 33s (score = 1100):


But wait....the Jeep is lifted and the H3 is stock, ok lets compare apples to apples:

If you click the link of the picture and read the story, the lifted H3 does WORSE than the stock H3 on the RTI ramp (Score: 420):



Next question.
 
#15 ·
You are all comparing the Wrangler to the H2.
The OP was comparing the Grand Cherokee to the H2.

Let's just compare them as stock from the factory to make it fair;
In the open desert the H2 will out perform the GC.
On a side slope off camber trail, the H2 will out perform the GC.
On a hillclimb, again the H2 will win.
Towing capacity of the H2 far exceeds the GC.

There are many attributes the H2 has over the GC.
But it's big and heavy.
In places like Iraq and Asscrackistan, the Hummer is great.
In a more jungle environment with narrow overgrown trails, the GC might do better, but not by much.

If you pour a bunch of bux into a suspension system on a GC, it will do great. Not as nimble as a Wrangler of course, but it holds it's own.
Do the same to an H2 and it will do pretty damn good too.

This is from experience. My son had an H2 he traded in for a Chevy HD Duramax.
The 3/4 ton chassis is the same in both vehicles.
He took his H2 into some deep mud holes, up some steep hills, over big rocks, and it did really well.

So in my opinion, the H2 does pretty damn good. As good or if not better than the GC in a lot of situations.

The H3 is a pretty capable off road vehicle too. It more compares to the GC than the H2, but can take more of an off camber trail than the GC.

There are many magazine articles comparing the H3 to the GC. The H3 outperforms the GC in all of them.

Don't think I'm a Hummer lover. I think they're ugly and overpriced. (see avatar). But they are both good vehicles for what they are designed for.

The H1 is a whole nuther can of beer for discussion. Not even in the same catagory.
 
#16 ·
You are all comparing the Wrangler to the H2.
The OP was comparing the Grand Cherokee to the H2.
Check your eyes or click and read the links provided. I was comparing an H3 to a TJ.

Let's just compare them as stock from the factory to make it fair;
In the open desert the H2 will out perform the GC.
On a side slope off camber trail, the H2 will out perform the GC.
On a hillclimb, again the H2 will win.
Towing capacity of the H2 far exceeds the GC.
The GC is a mid-sized SUV, the H2 is a monsterous full-size vehicle.
btw, a WJ Overland's towing capacity is 6500lbs. The 2009 WK's towing capacity is 7400lbs. The H2's is 8000lbs. Not a bad difference considering the WJ gets 25mpg and the H2 gets 10mpg on a good day.

There are many attributes the H2 has over the GC.
But it's big and heavy.
In places like Iraq and Asscrackistan, the Hummer is great.
In a more jungle environment with narrow overgrown trails, the GC might do better, but not by much.
The H2 is a street queen and not used by the military - the H1 is used in Iraq and "Asscrackistan"

If you pour a bunch of bux into a suspension system on a GC, it will do great. Not as nimble as a Wrangler of course, but it holds it's own.
Do the same to an H2 and it will do pretty damn good too.
See SAS vs IFS comparison in previous post.

This is from experience. My son had an H2 he traded in for a Chevy HD Duramax.
The 3/4 ton chassis is the same in both vehicles.
He took his H2 into some deep mud holes, up some steep hills, over big rocks, and it did really well.
Did he have tie-rod issues?


So in my opinion, the H2 does pretty damn good. As good or if not better than the GC in a lot of situations.

The H3 is a pretty capable off road vehicle too. It more compares to the GC than the H2, but can take more of an off camber trail than the GC.
the H3 > GC with an RTI score of 420 lifted?

Lifted ZJ (900 RTI):


There are many magazine articles comparing the H3 to the GC. The H3 outperforms the GC in all of them.
cause we all know magazines provide a completely unbiased view of vehicles.

Don't think I'm a Hummer lover. I think they're ugly and overpriced. (see avatar). But they are both good vehicles for what they are designed for.
This we agree on ...
 
#19 · (Edited)
I stated the OP was comparing the H2 to the GC.
I also stated the "hummer in Iraq and Asscrackistan" Not the H2.

So if you follow the original premise for the thread, there is no comparison for the GC to the H2.
The H2 will out climb, out pull, out slant, out torque, carry more payload, and has much more bling than the GC.
I still think they are ugly and over priced worthless vehicles that rarely see much more than a speed bump at the mall.

Here's a pic of the OP's GC....



You honestly think a stock H2 couldn't beat the pants off this GC in ANY situation except the Squeeze in Anza Borrego?

'Cuz if you think it can, you have never driven or ridden in an H2. They are a very capable vehicle off road with a driver that has a brain.
My bone stock Z71 Chevy Avalanche would eat that GC up on the trail.

So as I said, the OP was comparing his GC to the H2.
 
#20 ·
So as I said, the OP was comparing his GC to the H2.
I was, but he also said the H2 was the second best offroad car behind the H1, and the wranglers were below that. So now that we've established that the gas guzzler can pull 5000 pounds more than my GC at half the MPG, lets redirect it to wranglers, because he said that one too...

(and yeah I agree the H1 is an off-road beast)

Lets also think of practicality, with the money it is going to cost him to get his stock H2 (with air suspension as he said) is approximately $65,000. Would somebody like to tell me what $55,000 can get you for offroad upgrades to a $10,000 Jeep? (yes I understand I was speaking stock, but lets digress from that and move now to upgrades)

Annnnd lastly you'll get a fair amount farther on the trail in a ZJ when the H2 runs out of gas halfway there
 
#21 ·
^^^Yep, you'll go a lot farther on the trail. That behemoth with the big block sucks gas big time.

No way a modified or even stock H2 can be more nimble than a stock Wrangler. JMHO
All the towing and power stuff aside, the Wrangler is hard to beat off road with ALMOST any vehicle. The Unimog seem's to do pretty damn good.
IFS does not compare with a straight front axle in modified suspensions unless you stick tons of money in the IFS.
High speed off road trucks use IFS to smooth out the ride, but are not designed for articulation over rocks.
Jeep has known the straight axle is the best for what it's used for.
I'm no Hummer or Jeep expert by any means, but I've been off roading since 1965.
It is all how you compare them.
I have a few friends with H3's, and they admit the Wrangler is more of an off road vehicle. Even tho' the H3 has all the specs that say it's fantastic off road, those specs are for a stock H3 against other stock off road vehicles. Problem with that is, who keeps their vehicle stock?
First thing you do is change the tires, get more flex, more power, more strength. By the time you are finished, your Jeep is built like it SHOULD have come from the factory. But where would the fun be in that?

If you mod a GC to the type of some of the awesome GC's I've seen on here, it's not likely that any H2 or H3 could keep up with it.
So like you said, for $65K you could build a badarse GC rather than a mall queen like a Hummer.
 
#22 ·
...The Unimog seem's to do pretty damn good...

...First thing you do is change the tires, get more flex, more power, more strength. By the time you are finished, your Jeep is built like it SHOULD have come from the factory. But where would the fun be in that?...

If you mod a GC to the type of some of the awesome GC's I've seen on here, it's not likely that any H2 or H3 could keep up with it.
So like you said, for $65K you could build a badarse GC rather than a mall queen like a Hummer.
The Unimog will by far blow anything away, I saw that one on Topgear and WOW, just WOW

and the thing about the hummer is, the majority of them are modded with low profile tires, 23" spinners, and etc etc underglow, lambo doors, etc etc. You don't see rappers driving jacked up wranglers do you?

Oh and if only I had 65k to spend, I'd buy 3 Jeeps and mod them, and all 3 would outperform that hummer :D
 
#28 ·
"Lets also think of practicality, with the money it is going to cost him to get his stock H2 (with air suspension as he said) is approximately $65,000. Would somebody like to tell me what $55,000 can get you for offroad upgrades to a $10,000 Jeep? (yes I understand I was speaking stock, but lets digress from that and move now to upgrades)"

Who's sell'n GC for 10k? I'll take 3!

But really $4$ 35kish for a GC or 65kish for a H2.... With 30K to spend on lifts, tires, grears, bumpers, superchargers...ect...ect... You could build a GC that you could park on top of an H2 and still have money left over.

I think, stock 4 stock H2 could take a TJ or GC. But if you got them on a trail that favored a smaller shorter rig you could leave that big hunk of junk in the weeds.
 
#30 ·
Most people that buy H2s fit one of three categories;
1. Lowlifes; pimps, rappers etc.
2. People with too much money who want everyone to know it (see category 1).
3. Ignorant people that think the H1 and the H2 are basically the same, due to the name similarity. (They think they have something because its what the military uses)(fools).

People who want a practical vehicle buy something else (almost anything else).

Enjoy!
 
#33 ·
That video of massive toe in from football sized rocks says it all
 
#34 ·
I spent my childhood bouncing around in the back of 4x4 suburbans, later learning to drive them offroad. They are marginally bigger and less capable offroad than an h2, which is just a tahoe- the modern suburban. Good 4x4s but not in the same class as a GC if for no other reason than the weight. the GC is much closer in size and weight to a wrangler than a h2 or other GM truck based 4x4. big trucks beat themselves hard even on regular forest service roads, nevermind some more serious stuff. and even if you don't mind the busted suspension and driveline components, that weight will hold you back on the hills. stock GCs keep going in the real world while the h2s and other behemoths are stuck, busted, or turned back to the pavement.
 
#36 ·
I should mention sitting right next to my Jeep in the garage is a 2000 Suburban with the 5.4L Vortec. Its a nice car... well uhhh truck I guess I should say, but theres alot to it that feels really cheap (the interior namely). Oh yeah, also the fact that it costs twice as much to fill it up doesnt really help either. The suburban is a great truck, but I would never take it in anything more than snow. I really do not like the 4wd shifter on it either, as I would rather shift it myself with a lever and not a push-button.

The engine is amazing, just undescribable how it has lasted 130,000 miles without anything more than fluid changes and new tires, and still it idles so silently people ask me if its even on. Plus its a tank too and I use it to tow my boat, around, as I don't really trust the brakes on my ZJ to stop a 3500lb boat going down the ramp, (also cause my hitch is too small and rusted in hahaha) . It suprisingly does well on the highway though, the V8 is good and the ride is very smooth, very airplane like. A well insulated truck.
 
#38 ·


vs.



Oh and also to everybody else, the H2 has 10" ground clearance. I just measured my ZJ and it has 12-15", depending on where you measure it
 
#45 ·
9.9 for the h2 and 9.3 or 10.3 for the GC, depending on suspension package. on stock tires of course. But the GC has only a 106" wheelbase vs the h2's 122.6- this is a bigger deal than any minor differences in clearance, a shorter wheelbase is a requirement for many trails and merely makes things easier on others. the places where longer wheelbases are an advantage are where you're on inclines or steps so severe that the vehicle is in danger of flipping lengthwise, not something you'd be able to negotiate with a stock vehicle anyway.
 
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