[GnCherokee]

Later on this year I hope to buy a WJ, I want one with the 4.7...maybe a H.O. model...I'm not sure. There are a lot of V-8 WJ's...and a lot of I6 WJ's. My question is do you find yourself wanting more power every once and a while? Would you rather put up with a little less power and have more gas mileage...maybe? How did you owners feel after you lifted it and installed bigger tires? Do you like your I6 now? Finally, what kind of mileage do you get? Is it what you expected?Trying to make up my mind on what to get. Thanks, Greg.

[mycreativename]

Honestly, the difference in mileage is negligible.

There is a member on here somewhere that sums it up very well in their signature, "Lots of guys with the I6 wish they had the V8 but no one with a V8 wishes they had the I6."

Also if you get the V8, you get a much stronger transmission behind it. Keep up on the maintenance with the V8 and you will be plenty happy with your vehicle.

True to the above quote, I have the V8 and I wouldn't ever trade it for the I6.

[thestig_wj]

Mileage is really not that different, my only concern with v8s is the problems that they have head gaskets and rod knock , however with that being said take a look on CL and see what's wrong with the wj that are being parted (if not wrecked) you will find almost 50/50 they are bad motors with a v8 or bad trans with a i6...its really a win win after all you are getting a wj aren't you, best bet would be to find the wj that has the best service history that is in you price and don't let v8 or i6 sway you cause you may find yourself overlooking the slight tap in the motor cause you really want the v8 or overlooking the trans slip "must not be warmed up yet right" cuz you want the i6 only to later on be without a wj cause you have to fix the slight tap or cold trans

[compcrasher86]

The i6 was great in the wrangler and my XJ which was really light. Even stock it felt burdened in the WJ. Granted I could pull 22-24mpg out of it on the freeway. I added 400lbs worth of bumpers and armor and some add ons and am running a ~3" lift. With stock tires I still get 20-21mpg and the power isnt too much worse, rather feels like you have a full car. With the 32s on I can get 18mpg at best probably more like 16 and its very underpowered and will have trouble staying in overdrive over small hills on the highway. I would reccomend the v8 if you're considering offroad modifications such as lift and tires. I wish I had the v8.

[somabva]

I love my i6 (qt2 no tow pack). Its great in town, plenty of power, very torquey. If I'm on the highway I wish I had the v8. Over 55ish it starts to suffer quite a bit (cant maintain speed up a hill @ 70 w/o flooring it). But I'm on a highway maybe 6 times a year so idc. 65k on the clock, 30 of them mine, and not a single (engine-related ) issue whatsoever. But I do plan on ditching it pre 120k or dropping 500 bucks on a 3 year warranty because of tranny apprehension.

[meangreen75457]

I've got a 99 I6 with selec-trac. I personally don't regret buying the i6 at all. Though it is underpowered for the weight that it has to lug around, I still get 17 city and 22 hwy out of it. That's a nice improvement over the 95 F150 I had before. The biggest flaw with the I6 wj's is the crappy 42RE transmission that they decided to bolt it up to. Other than that the I6 motor design has gone through hell and back an continues to prove itself to be a great motor no matter how old it gets. However, if you're wanting to go with any sort of lift or bumpers/armor then I'd go with the V8. Not only will it be better able to handle the extra weight, you're also getting a better tranny, D44 rear instead of D35 with the I6, and 3.73 gears instead of 3.55's which are standard on the non-tow package I6's. If I had to do it over again I would probably go with the V8 simply for those facts. But going with the I6 has allowed me to get a little more creative in the long run. Can anyone say stroker???

[snobrdrkid07]

Get a v8. You get better MPG's with a v8... I have to basically press the throttle 90% down to the floor to make it up hills at 75+ mph and I watch my "Intsant MPG" readout say 8 mpg. That is on my way to school in the mountains. It is not at bad a home where it is 100% flat. But get the v8

[pinky2252s]

The V-8 runs smoother, more power. And its barley gets worse gas mileage. And you have a tough tranny, and if you were to ever tow any thing the V-8 would do a better job.

[Voltage258]

The only time i really get mad that i have a 4.0 is when i am driving back and forth from idaho and going up hills and doing 80mph, if you have any amount of head wind on a flat road you will not be able to do 80mph with it being in overdrive. But i do have a 4 inch lift and 31's and get an average of around 15mpg. If your just going to be driving around town or at about 70mph it is great, as long as your not planning on going on to many road trips the 4.0 is great but i still wish i had a V-8. But i will admit i have overheated my 4.0 4 times and 3 of those times the check gauges light came on and it has had no ill affects that i have seen yet atleast, so they are good with abuse...

[sbxj]

I'll take the reliability of the I6 over the V8 anyday.
All Chrysler tranny's are prone to problems regardless.
Too bad they didn't pair the 4.0l with an AW4 like the XJ

[kernalklink]

- i advise the 4.0 - in my 04 it is great, tons of power, fun to drive really - its not a racecar... but it isnt a racecar so i dont know what to tell you

- basically everyone concerned with driving 80mph is wrong, just drive 65mph inprove mileage and have more power on the hills - pretty easy solution really

- i would only suggest the v8 for towing but why buy a jeep to tow stuff any bigger than the 4.0 could handle... use a truck...

[EisBlade]

I own the I6 would never trade it for the V8. It's an iron horse; I have enough power, lots of torque, I can do major engine repair without pulling the engine, and last weekend I got 24.6 mpg highway using GPS. (3.73 gears, 3in lift, 30's, no bumpers/rack/spare/or cargo, 60mph). At times I pull an enclosed trailer with my black HD Street Glide in it.

With the HHO generator I made I briefly got around 29mpg highway before detecting leaks and shutting it down. I have another now, ordered from hhokitsdirect, to install soon; my next project following installing 32"s tomorrow and follow-on mpg testing. I expect better mpg's from this new one with the VoloPerformance Fuel Saver 2 chip. ** I could care less, but I'm a middle-aged geek and my WJ is also a toy I play with :-)

Edit: no additives nor seafoam used.

[spazzedface]

Originally Posted by kernalklink

- i advise the 4.0 - in my 04 it is great, tons of power, fun to drive really

Ever driven a v8 to compare it to?

[compcrasher86]

I drive my buddy's 4.7 on a normal basis and its a constant reminder as to how much more I like it than my 4.0. Granted, my 4.0 has been rock solid reliable (knock on wood). I hate the tranny though, hate it hate it hate it.

[grancherkee]

If you are spending most of your time fixing, it's irrelevant whether it's an I6 or a V8. People will argue the relative merits of each until you are too old to care. Reliability is the most important factor when you buy your WJ (or any other SH vehicle). Go for the one in your price bracket with the lowest mileage and best service history that you can find. A clapped out V8 doesn't compare to a well looked after I6 and vice versa. Good luck