The time has come for me to buy a new vehicle and I’ve decided it will be a Jeep, specifically a Wrangler Unlimited.

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The question is which model. The search to discover which Jeep is right for me has been an interesting journey so I thought I’d share my thought process behind my decision.

Because of the tire size I have selected there are a lot of options for Wranglers that I can completely ignore. I also don’t want to pay extra for factory gearing options because none of them are high enough for 37″ tires.

I’ll probably trigger error codes that may cause warranty issues and I’ll get flashing locker indicators on the dash if I use a bypass switch. The main engine was the AMC 4. Bodycon dress on different body types of jeep wrangler Long and short wheelbase versions were also available for civilian purchase.

Eventually I’ll replace the Jeep as my daily driver and keeping it for purely recreational purposes, after all my CJ7 won’t last forever.

Even if you are not interested in modifying your Jeep, this article still has a lot of info about the various Jeep Wrangler models you might find interesting.

If your familiar with how Jeep organizes Wrangler models on their website you can see my chart is organized differently from theirs. I have the models sorted by the base model with the optional trim packages listed below whereas Jeep sorts them by MSRP.

I don’t care for Jeep’s method because it places the Backcountry between the Rubicon and Rubicon Hard Rock, yet the Backcountry doesn’t have any of the features that make a Rubicon a Rubicon, like the Rock-Trac transfer case, the front Dana 44, or the lockers.

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They also have the odd Willys Wheeler W above the Sahara in price yet it is a Sport based package like the regular Willys Wheeler so you can only get options available to the Sport.

Strangely absent from the “build and price” model selector at the time of this writing is the 75th Anniversary model, which is based off the Sahara. Comparing all these models is a little crazy because determining their differences is difficult.

The biggest differentiating factor from model to model is what options are available. There are also small differences that can’t be undone with some models, like the “mid gloss granite crystal grille” that ships on all Freedom Edition models.

There are some models that have special colors available that are unique to them like Sarge Green for the 75th Anniversary and Xtreme Purple Pearl for the Backcountry.

Also, with few exceptions, they have part-time four-wheel drive systems , with the choice of high and low gearing, and standard are open bodies with removable hard- or soft-tops. Dress for Women — Find the best skater dresses at cheap price — White Start with the roof and then wash off the foam brush or wash rag thoroughly before moving on to the soft windows.

To simplify things lets start by ignoring all the options and focusing on the mechanical differences of the base models.

All Wranglers have the same motor and transmissions, so that doesn’t play into the decision. The meaningful mechanical differences between the models are in the transfer case and the axles.

Looking at that chart you can see that when it comes to the mechanical make-up, Wranglers fall into 2 categories; Rubicons or non-Rubicons. The Sport and its derivatives are not that different from the Sahara and its derivatives however the Rubicon ups the anti at every point.

So my search began with the Rubicon. If I’m serious about off-roading and Jeeps, it’s obvious I should get a Rubicon, right? It’s got Dana 44 axles front and rear, it’s got lockers front and rear, and it’s got a Rock-Trac low-range transfer case.

This is a shopping list of upgrades that previous generations of Jeep owners had to go outside of Jeep to get.

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It’s reasonable to expect that I could take a Rubicon out of the show room, throw on 33″ tires do I need flat fender to fit 33’s? Depending on driving style and usage I might have no trouble with 35’s.

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Now 35’s look nice but they are the maximum tire size where those Dana 44’s can be considered “reliable” meaning I’ll know when I’m about to try something that might break them.

The stock front axle, thou good, is not as good as it could be. The factory front Dana 44 has smaller diameter axles tubs and inexplicably thinner upper C casting than most aftermarket D44s and they have failed with the added weight and leverage that 35’s bring to the party.

Plus the 35’s will push the limits of the stock U-joints in difficult situations. If I want true off-road reliability I need to address those Dana 44’s.

The front Dana 44 can be made “strong enough” with a few improvements. I can truss the axles tube, re-enforce the upper C’s, or I could just buy a beefier Dana 44 housing from Dynatrac or Teraflex and transplant the stock parts into it.

Add some RCV axles shafts and I’ve probably taken the front axle to the point where it’s more reliable than the back. I might as well get aftermarket shafts for the back to complete the package.

Throw in some 4. Did I mention I want 37’s? Yeah, all this might not hold up to 37’s, especially the front balljoints and the rear entirely.

In addition to the stregth limits of the Dana 44s, the size and weight of 37’s challenge them in other ways. In my opinion there are just too many compromises and concerns with the stock Dana 44’s if I want to run 37″ tires, especially the front.

Well if I’m not satisfied with the Rubicon axles why buy them in the first place? This is where the decision of which model Jeep to buy gets tough.

Let’s say I don’t buy a Rubicon, what am I giving up? All the challenges of 37’s Not all the challenges really, the stock steering will definitely need to be addressed eventually.

See my article on aftermarket Dana 60’s here. A quality set of Dana 60’s will hold up to 37″ tires in all but the most extreme cases and even then they usually survive.

They are upgrades to the Rubicon Dana 44 in all areas, bigger axles shafts, bigger u-joints, bigger ball joints, bigger components inside and out.

Even improved ground clearance with some designs. For that money I also get a new Ring and Pinion of my choice to get the engine back in it’s power band.

All this in a bolt-on package.

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Not only have I addressed reliability with larger tires, I also get larger brakes, bracketry that is designed for lifted vehicles which corrects steering linkage angles, and I get raised track bar connection points.

Another feature of most aftermarket axles is that the pinion angle is designed for lifted Jeeps that allows me to maintain reasonable driveline angles without wreaking havoc on my caster angle.

Good Dana 60’s should have yokes for series U-joints, a meaningful improvement over the stock driveline. Aftermarket axles and lockers also solve a problem you might not even know you had – choosing when you can lock the axles.

With the Rubicon the lockers can only be engaged when you’re in 4 low range. Also, there is a speed limit that will disengage the lockers when it is exceeded.

I’ll probably trigger error codes that may cause warranty issues and I’ll get flashing locker indicators on the dash if I use a bypass switch.

Flashing lights aren’t terrible but it’s less than ideal. If I don’t get a Rubicon I’ll have to put aftermarket lockers in which means I’ll have to install my own switch.

This allows me to lock them whenever I see fit. The only downfall that might exist with this setup is the Jeep’s traction control might not like the wheels all rotating at the same rate regardless of the steering wheel position.

The computer will be expecting the wheels to rotate at different rates when you turn.

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I don’t know if the traction control will start fighting the lockers or what. See my hacks page for ways to deal with this and other problems. This makes it an amazing starting point for the cash strapped.

However, for my needs the Sport is missing too many creature comforts. I’d have to go without the body-color hard top, all-leather seats, automatic headlights, remote start, and more.

In fact I need to bump up to the Willys just to get power windows and door locks, auto-dimming mirror, and remote keyless entry, none of these are options on the Sport.

Bells and whistles aside, a built Sport will wheel just as good as any other JK. So lets explore starting with a Sahara and building from there.

With the Sahara I can order almost every option that a Rubicon can get. You can even get the same “power dome” hood and upgraded steel bumpers that come on the Rubicon Hard Rock Edition if you order the 75th Anniversary Edition, however the bumpers on the 75th Anniversary edition only come in bronze.

There is no easy way of getting around the transfer case issue, the NPOR Rock-trac transfer case is the best rock-crawling transfer case currently offered by an OEM.

Although the Command-Trac transfer case of the Sport and Sahara is of the same lineage as the Rock-Trac, and therefore similar strength, the Rock-Trac’s high gear ratio of compared to the Command-Trac’s 2.

It is possible to swap a Rubicon transfer case into a Sahara fairly easily from what I’m told. The Atlas is available in a range of gear ratios and is considered to be about as good as it gets in the Jeep transfer case market.

One thing to keep in mind here is that if you are running an automatic transmission the Rubicon or newer has a unique feature that might be lost when you swap transfer cases.

When starting from a stop, the computer will start with the transmission in second gear automatically. This is because unless you are climbing something steep the motor will rev out almost immediately if it where in 1st gear.

By starting in second it puts the Jeep in a more drivable gear. Now perhaps the computer of a Sport or Sahara can detect a Rock-Trac transfer case by way of the wiring harness or perhaps the setting can be turned on with a hack or a programmer.

If something like this can be hacked, perhaps it could be made to work with an Atlas as well. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Personally, I think this sounds like a great feature. However, you can disconnect the sway bar of any jeep, just not as conveniently as the Electronic Front Sway Bar Disconnect makes it.

After you’ve manually dealt with the sway bar, there is no performance advantage to be had by the Rubicon over other models, only a convenience, and it’s not a big enough convenience to make it a deal breaker to me.

Their soft materials simply cannot keep out the cold as well as hardtops. Bodycon dress on different body types of jeep wrangler If you are planning on being outdoors for longer than a week, that extra space could mean a world of difference. With all of these perks, expect a high price point.

And the last thing to consider is the resale value of the Rubicon axles. If I do buy a Rubicon and replace the axles with Dana 60’s the stock axles have some meaningful resale value.

That is too much money to overlook. So lets put all this together and crunch the numbers. I’m leaving out any options I might order on my Jeep because all the options are the same price for the Rubicon and the Sahara.

I’m also leaving out the wheels and lift kit because that too is the same price for any model Wrangler. Perhaps there is a small difference for an 8 on 6.

Well, what do you think of that?

17.01.2020 – Compass MP. Other considerations are whether your soft top has half doors with plastic windows, full doors with roll up windows, or half doors with glass slider windows. Personally, I think this sounds like a great feature. The downside to vinyl windows is they’re easily scratched.

Biggest shocker for me is that a Rubicon with 60’s is virtually the same cost to build as a Sahara with 60’s once I’ve taken the resale value of the Rubicon 44’s into account.

Also amazing, you can build a Sport with an Atlas and Dana 60’s cheaper than you can budget build a Rubicon! As I mentioned earlier, there are factory options I want that a Sport doesn’t offer so it looks like it will be a Rubicon for me.

It’s been about 10 months since I did the research for this article so I thought I’d post a follow-up.