What is soo different about the JL over the JK??

J

Jesse_01

New member
I had never driven a JKU, when we bought the wifes JLU. I put a long arm & 37" with gears on her JLU. I enjoyed driving it so much I wanted one for myself but couldn't afford it. So I went & bought a JKU thinking it would be similar. Boy was I wrong. The JL feels as different as the JK does to a TJ.

If I was to throw a long arm & wider axles on the JKU, do you guys think it would close the gap on how different they are? I don't want to dump $15k into it & figure out I still don't like it.

I originally had a built TJ, but wanted more room.

I can't pinpoint what is different, it is just a totally different feeling.
 

wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
The biggest difference is the utter lack of power. Even if you have a 3.6L as opposed to the 3.8L, you still won't have the awesome new 8-speed automatic that the JL has. Sure, you could throw on a long arm kit to help smooth out the ride and wider axles to give you more strength and stability but you'll still be missing the power. And, before anyone goes down the road of suggesting a supercharger, let me just say it's far from being the same. Among other things, the one of the biggest reason why I still love my JK more than my new JL is because it has a 6.2L LS.
 

JTCO

JTCO

Meme King
Jesse_01 said:
So I went & bought a JKU thinking it would be similar. Boy was I wrong. The JL feels as different as the JK does to a TJ.

If I was to throw a long arm & wider axles on the JKU, do you guys think it would close the gap on how different they are?

I can't pinpoint what is different, it is just a totally different feeling.
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Any lift kit on your JK? As far as road manners, ours was really comfortable stock and still comfortable currently lifted a little, IMO.
 

Bear_JT

Bear_JT

Member
Power goes a long way in adding to comfort! Especially after adding big tires and still being able to move at a reasonable pace. I just sat in a Brand new JLU Rubicon yesterday and inner me felt like a kid in a candy shop, with all the comfort and newness at the same time as feeling like a preacher in a whore house like if I was cheating on my JKU.


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J

Jesse_01

New member
wayoflife said:
The biggest difference is the utter lack of power. Even if you have a 3.6L as opposed to the 3.8L, you still won't have the awesome new 8-speed automatic that the JL has. Sure, you could throw on a long arm kit to help smooth out the ride and wider axles to give you more strength and stability but you'll still be missing the power. And, before anyone goes down the road of suggesting a supercharger, let me just say it's far from being the same. Among other things, the one of the biggest reason why I still love my JK more than my new JL is because it has a 6.2L LS.
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I have a 3.6 auto & yes it is gross compared to the JL. My 4.0l 6 speed TJ with 5.13s felt more powerful.

Mind you when the wife did let me offroad her JL in the snow, the new auto transmission didn't like me one bit. It is great on the road though.




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J

Jesse_01

New member
Bear_JKU said:
Power goes a long way in adding to comfort! Especially after adding big tires and still being able to move at a reasonable pace. I just sat in a Brand new JLU Rubicon yesterday and inner me felt like a kid in a candy shop, with all the comfort and newness at the same time as feeling like a preacher in a whore house like if I was cheating on my JKU.


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Exactly, sit in the JL you feel all giddy & excited. Get in the JK you feel all sad lol.


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notnalc68

notnalc68

That dude from Mississippi
Jesse_01 said:
3.5" metalcloak. I have Evo high clearance arms on order & half way into getting sd 05+ axles with 5.38s built.




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Is the ride harsh in the JKU? Could be the coils. Granted, I haven’t driven a JL yet, but my JKU was not bad to drive at all. I’m with Eddie on the automatic transmission, though. It always felt like it needed at least one more gear.


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J

Jesse_01

New member
notnalc68 said:
Is the ride harsh in the JKU? Could be the coils. Granted, I haven’t driven a JL yet, but my JKU was not bad to drive at all. I’m with Eddie on the automatic transmission, though. It always felt like it needed at least one more gear.


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Not overly, mainly the auto transmission sucks. I wonder if there is any standalone ZF8 controller available yet. I don't mind the power of the 3.6 & 8 speed. It's actually pretty peppy when geared.


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notnalc68

notnalc68

That dude from Mississippi
Jesse_01 said:
Not overly, mainly the auto transmission sucks. I wonder if there is any standalone ZF8 controller available yet. I don't mind the power of the 3.6 & 8 speed. It's actually pretty peppy when geared.


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Click to expand...

Yeah. I had a manual 2 door, and it seemed to have much more pep than the automatic. Still, a JK is plenty capable, if you are going off-road. Having mine re-geared made a lot of difference, but I see you’ve already got the correct gear ratio.


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