[XJ Rocker]

hey guys,

Right now i own a 92 XJ and next year i want to buy a TJ rubicon. But i cant decide weather i should go with unlimited or a regular TJ I was hoping that you guys could point me in the right direction and give me the pros and cons for each model. I noticed that a lot of you guys wheel with stick, Which is better stick or auto.


Thanks Alot,
Jay B

[BlackRubi04]

Originally Posted by XJ Rocker

hey guys,

Right now i own a 92 XJ and next year i want to buy a TJ rubicon. But i cant decide weather i should go with unlimited or a regular TJ I was hoping that you guys could point me in the right direction and give me the pros and cons for each model. I noticed that a lot of you guys wheel with stick, Which is better stick or auto.


Thanks Alot,
Jay B

If you're building the Ultimate TJ then don't start with a Rubicon. Get yourself a 4 banger SE cheap so you can tear out the axles, engine, tranny, t-case etc.

kd

[Haik]

Auto: Better wheel spin, better for mudding
Stick: More control, prefered for rock'n

TJ: short wheel base, great turning radius, less room for storage
Unlimited: stability, more storage space

Personally..... I'd stick with the "Jeep", the real jeep. The short, two door, torque-ridden unstable oldschool style jeep. The longer varients just don't feel like a jeep.

[_Yeti_]

Wow, the advice so far has been different than I would give. Unless you are planning on dropping in a huge engine, then the I6 is the way to go in my opinion. And if you are looking into serious rock crawling, most people actually prefer the auto tranny. If you look at serious offroad competitions, you'd be hard pressed to find many stick shifts.

It seems to me that an LJ might be best for you. You'd get the I6, D44, and a little more space.

[KKiowaTJ]

I agree that the short TJ is the classic, But if you want to build it, Id go with the LJ, no hunting for the 44 rear. Plus if you tow anything, the extra length helps. Auto or manual is personal prefrence, I have an auto, Like it but would rather have a stick. But if you get the auto, As soon as you get it, save for a re-gear and go straight for 4.88's or 5.13's if you get a rubicon unlimited which is the best all around choice with all the added mod's. To each his own, Just my , Good luck

[MattTheMudder]

Don't both swapping an I6 into a four banger. Much more expensive and complicated than just an engine swap. Much. Start with a Sport, Sahara, or X. A lot cheaper than a swap. If you go auto, don't regear too low (numerically higher). Look for one with a D44 rear. +1 on the auto. I prefer manual in my cars, but auto in my trucks.

[bman9089]

Originally Posted by Haik

Auto: Better wheel spin, better for mudding
Stick: More control, prefered for rock'n

TJ: short wheel base, great turning radius, less room for storage
Unlimited: stability, more storage space

Personally..... I'd stick with the "Jeep", the real jeep. The short, two door, torque-ridden unstable oldschool style jeep. The longer varients just don't feel like a jeep.

I'd argue that a stick is better for rock climbing. It's not a preference amongst professional rock crawlers. Most of them run an auto. Gives you one less thing to concentrate on when your attention should be focused on what line you're going to take. Again, for myself I'd go auto all the way.

I don't do any mud bogging, just what little I can find...

Why would the auto be more preferable in this situation?

[bman9089]

Go with the LJ.

handles driveline angles better, and even down the road the extra wheel base should handle larger lifts better as well.

D44 rear end guaranteed which you will want as a base, else you'll be playing catch up with the D35. Ask any D35 owner, myself included.

LJ will give you more space too. Better for towing as well.

As for a rubicon or not, I look at it like this:

If you're planning on going nearly 90% aftermarket and spend 10s of thousands of dollars...or are going to run VERY large tires, then forget the rubi and go for a stock LJ. No sense in paying for goodies that you'll want to replace.

However, if you just want to modify it pretty good, without literally replacing just about every part under the rig, from axles to t-cases, etc.......if you're not planning on replacing those, go for the Rubi. Most of the work will be done for you.

Either way I would take the LJ. I would have got one myself but they're hard to come by and I really needed a vehicle (Jeep!). That, and I got an awesome deal.

Oh yeah, get the I6 unless you're planning an engine swap. Again, don't pay extra for parts you're going to replace.

As for auto or manual, besides having control to cruise down the highway and really feel like you have a hand in the vehicle, I'd much rather have the auto. I for one don't know any offroad situations where a manual would be better than an auto. But again,that's your choice.

[Haik]

Originally Posted by bman9089

I'd argue that a stick is better for rock climbing. It's not a preference amongst professional rock crawlers. Most of them run an auto. Gives you one less thing to concentrate on when your attention should be focused on what line you're going to take. Again, for myself I'd go auto all the way.

I don't do any mud bogging, just what little I can find...

Why would the auto be more preferable in this situation?

With an automatic you can get your tires cleaned via spin, you can't do that with a stick shift in the mud.

I say more control for rock crawling but I don't consider the pro's (they've got some sweeter gear than us common folk). I've seen far too many automatics fail to work at extream angles... granted I've yet to see a jeep lose motion due to angles but I've seen tons of auto chevys and fords who can't climb a steep hill.

[BLK2000TJ]

Rubicon Unlimited with automatic transmission.

[XJ Rocker]

The reason i want to go with the rubi is because it has a 4:1 low t case d44 front and rear and mainly i want the COILS in the back. After wheeling with my XJ i find that im not really happy with the flex in the rear and the only way i can get rid of that problem would be a extremly involved coil over system in the rear. Right now im gonna keep wheeling my XJ until i have paid off all my debt because im kinda in the hole right now and i really dont want a payment. Plus there is a warm spot in my heart for ole buttercup.

As for my decision on TJ or LJ i really apprechiate your input guys and i think im going to find a LJ rubi because i tend to agree with bman9089 because i want to go real high with this one probably an 8inch fabtech crawler lift and some 40's and the longer wheel base will take to this better and im conserned about the driveline angle because i want to go so high. Also I'm 6'4" and i dont really comfortable in a TJ but the LJ i fit in fine.

Thanks guys

[robncar]

Originally Posted by XJ Rocker

The reason i want to go with the rubi is because it has a 4:1 low t case d44 front and rear and mainly i want the COILS in the back. After wheeling with my XJ i find that im not really happy with the flex in the rear and the only way i can get rid of that problem would be a extremly involved coil over system in the rear. Right now im gonna keep wheeling my XJ until i have paid off all my debt because im kinda in the hole right now and i really dont want a payment. Plus there is a warm spot in my heart for ole buttercup.

As for my decision on TJ or LJ i really apprechiate your input guys and i think im going to find a LJ rubi because i tend to agree with bman9089 because i want to go real high with this one probably an 8inch fabtech crawler lift and some 40's and the longer wheel base will take to this better and im conserned about the driveline angle because i want to go so high. Also I'm 6'4" and i dont really comfortable in a TJ but the LJ i fit in fine.

Thanks guys

Another vote for the LJ Rubi with auto!

The Rubi, as you know, has the D44 front. If you plan to run 40's, you'll likely want to go lower than 4.88's; the D30 has a 4.88 limit, the D44 does not.

Somebody above said not to go with low gearing on the auto? That may have been true with the 3-speed auto that had a final of 1:1. The 4-speed auto has an overdrive that is 0.69. You can run a much lower gear and still be fine on the highway. One step lower (higher numerically) for the 4-speed auto is the ticket; 4.56-->4.88, 4.88-->5.13, etc. Your D44 front will support the 5.13's, the D30 (non-Rubi) will not.

[jeepteejay]

If you're going with 40's then I wouldn't get the Rubi LJ.

For 40's I think you'll find most will recommend better axles then stock Jeep D44's.
If it were me, I'd get a old used SE 4 banger and rip out everything that wasn't body and chassis and replace it with V8, appropriate tranny (auto or manual; whatever you choose), Atlas or Stak T-case, and D60's. Comp cut the rear for 'useable' wheelbase gain...and go from there.
You did say 'Ultimate TJ'...

[beryl]

LJ...comes with D44 and handles taller lifts much better due to the longer driveshaft...if you can, get a rubi.

auto tranny

[chadsmeltzer]

All TJ's have coils, not just Rubicon. Not sure if thats what you meant or not.