New Jeep, Sport S or Rubicon?

[PaintRock]

Hey guys, sorry if this has already been covered. I'm looking at buying a JKU. Around here the sticker price difference between a Sport S and a Rubicon is roughly $5K, depending on options. But the real world, out the door, price difference is more like $13k -$14k. They just don't bargain on the Rubicons and are always advertising the Sport Ss at a discount. Right now I'm thinking get the Sport S, a 2.5" Teraflex or AEV lift, and run some 255/80R17s on the stock wheels.

My questions are: 1. Has anyone else done this, if so, any regrets or concerns? 2. The lowest gearing available on the Sport S is 3.73, will the Jeep be a dog running 33.5" tires? 3. Will the "weaker" front axle be a concern with this size tire?

Again, I apologize if these questions are commonly addressed already, but I'm really leaning toward this rig and don't want to have any regrets. I don't rock crawl, but if I decided I wanted to upgrade to 35s and bigger axles, the $13k price would go a long way towards getting that done.

 

[BADDANDY]

I have a 2013 2 door, 6 speed Sport w/3.73s, 35's, and 3.5" lift. Power to spare. I would get an S so you can get a rear limited slip. If you can afford a Rubi, do it so you DON'T have to spend anymore money on drivetrain upgrades. DO NOT buy an early 2012 due to head issues. 2013s have better seats, only diff between the two.
I have no regrets, but Trutracs or lockers are in the future. I have a free front bent D44 Rubi axle with the 4.10 gears and locker standing by for the front and a rear Trutrac/4.10 as the plan.

 

[haven]

Edmunds.com bought a 2012 Sport S with the idea of modifying it for off-road adventures. Their long-term test can be found here
http://www.edmunds.com/jeep/wrangler/2012/long-term-road-test/
It's a little difficult to navigate the site, but with luck you'll be able to follow their progress. They primarily used Mopar parts for the upgrades, and installed the parts themselves.

 

[PaintRock]

BADDANDY, you stated you have a free "bent" front axle? I've heard those are prone to bending. You're not concerned about installing that? Thanks for the info on the power, I'll be going with an automatic, probably, although a stick would be fun.

Also, what's the difference between the D44 and the D35, I've heard different things. Now off to check out that link.

 

[BADDANDY]

I won't be reusing the housing, just the internals to put in a new/used housing, or sell it to get a complete replacement. Yes, the fronts can be bent or broken, but you really need to have hammered it for it to happen. The stories by people who say it just bent/broke is BS! The one I have was admittingly treated like a #$%^& by it's rich owner and it's only bent as are the mounts and it didn't break. They even reused the shafts and knuckles in the new housing. Of all the JKs my friends have wheeled the snot out of, only one was broken and that was a stock JKU X on 32s trying to always keep up with the big boys. Tera just came out with a D30 that might skew my plans a bit as I can reuse my D30 parts and prevent regearing my rear.

 

[PaintRock]

Thanks for the info! Have you ever run chains? Where I go hunting in the Rockies, huge tires aren't a must have, but chains will save your @*!. That's about the only thing I miss about my old solid axled Dodge, I could run chains on it. That's another reason I'm leaning towards the skinny 255/80s with the Jeep. I'm thinking I could run chains with those on the stock wheels with the 2.5" lift.

 

[gregaf3]

Look into joining tread lightly... they offer a straight 1% under invoice pricing.

 

[PaintRock]

Really, is that nationwide?

 

[BADDANDY]

Have you ever run chains?

I did alot with my TJ on 33s. I need to extend those chains to fit my 35s still.

 

[Septu]

I've owned both a sport and a Rubi. I rarely had issues keeping up with the big boys in my 07 JKU. I had 33s and a 2.5" BB. The majority of the time I got stuck, it wasn't from a limitation of the jeep, but driver error. I bought a Rubi the 2nd time around, and am happy I did. But I rarely use it to it's full potential.

If you're not always playing in the rocks, mud or snow where lockers will make a big difference, I wouldn't worry about a Rubi that much. And as was pointed out, you can get the limited slip in the rear that will help.

 

[Longtallsally]

This has been asked before, so search a bit for some more detail. But here are my thoughts. We went from a reasonably modified YJ to a JKUR. Don't just think about what you plan to do wheeling-wise, but also driving wise. In other words, I thought it was much easier to already have all the comfort stuff in the Rubicon than it is in a Sport. These are things like heated seats, upgraded stereo, steering wheel controls, etc. If these are not important to you (they were to us) then move forward as you see fit.

Next is something no one has mentioned: the T case. 4 to 1 is NIGHT AND DAY from 2.73 to 1. My YJ was a 4 banger with 33s and I regeared to 4.88. This brought the Jeep back to basically stock gearing- if not a touch shorter. This was great for drivability, but in gnarly stuff I still had to slip the clutch, use the hand throttle, and bulldog just a bit despite being fully locked front and rear.

Now with the JK (we have the 6 speed by choice) I can hold the brake in 1st gear 4 low while climbing. STAGGERING difference.

Do not underestimate how nice it is to have a button for the sway bar disconnect as well.

Bottom line, even if you don't use the Rubicon to its full potential, it is SOOOOOO much easier to use and is basically done especially if you don't plan to go nuts. You will have all sorts of head room, and if things suddenly go sideways, you already have all the major tools turn on without ever leaving the cab- all with a factory warranty. The only significant modifications we've done to ours is a bunch of extra/upgraded armor for the underside, and a winch.

We've also done it's namesake in addition to towing a camper and hauling motorcycles and such, for which the 4.10 gears make a HUGE difference.

 

[PaintRock]

Thanks for all the info/opinions. I'm going to have to give this some more thought while I keep looking for a better deal on a jkur.

 

[JIMBO]

:sombrero: If you can getta deal ona Rubi--getit

The Rubi comes with over $5000 worth of mods--WITH WARRANTY- that you won't get with self installed mods

The resale of the Rubi, (if you sell) is generally 15/25% higher than a Sport/X/Sahara and that will depend mainly on your state/area-

Good luck

:costumed-smiley-007:wings: JIMBO

 

[slvyj]

Besides the drive train upgrade on the Rubicon, it also includes comfort items such as heated seats, climate control and GPS. To get those items, I was looking at the Sahara, which for the price might as well go with the Rubicon.

 

[m(a)ce]

this topic can be argued all day ;>

if you're not doing serious rock crawling and want to run up to a 35" the rubi is a good way to go. the d44 will hold up as long as you're easy on the skinny pedal. and you can reinforce it a bit if you do decide to push it harder.

I'd buy another rubi in a heartbeat. stock rubis are quite capable & offer a good platform to build on as your need grows. warranty & resale are a bonus.


obviously if you're handy & like wrenching I can see the argument for a different model.


this topic can be argued all day ;>

Besides the drive train upgrade on the Rubicon, it also includes comfort items such as heated seats, climate control and GPS. To get those items, I was looking at the Sahara, which for the price might as well go with the Rubicon.

These are options on the rubi too not standard equipment.