When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Modified JK TechTech related bulletin board forum regarding subjects such as suspension, tires & wheels, steering, bumpers, skid plates, drive train, cages, on-board air and other useful modifications that will help improve the performance and protection of your Jeep JK Wrangler (Rubicon, Sahara, Unlimited and X) on the trail.
PLEASE DO NOT START SHOW & TELL TYPE THREADS IN THIS FORUM
I am in need of some more power in my jeep with the added weight and I am not sure where to begin. Currently I have a 3.6l 2017 jku saharah with 35” tires and a 2.5” lift and a k&n intake under the hood. Besides that i just have a roof rack and steel bumpers that add a bit of weight. What can i do to improve power and performance? Re-gear or get a supercharger or other..
Regear. But watch out how low you go with that Dana 30 front axle on your Sahara Unlimited. Get really heavy (you aren't anywhere close to what I run on my X Unlimited with the 3.8L), and you can experience the three blown gearsets (front and rear) that I have. Someday, I'm upgrading my axles.
Boarding the Peel River ferry along the Dempster Highway, Northwest Territory, Canada ...
The way I read the OP is that a regear isn’t gonna be enough. I mean, it’s the right thing to do regardless to get the jeep back to how it should be, but it is in no way comparable to adding horsepower so just don't expect that.
Here’s the real rub as I see it. It sounds great to add some forced induction, but from what I’ve seen first hand is just headaches. I have a friend with a good shop, and his jeep is constantly changing forms so I’ve seen a few things. Between him and another friend, I’ve seen run through Prodigy Turbos, Sprintex and Ripps, and they all resulted in some headaches, usually when it comes to the tunes and shifting. They put up with it cuz they like having the extra HP, but my point is they never seem to be plug and play without headaches. I think what you typically see is someone install one and talk about how great they are, but you never see them come back and admit to any issues. If you research up a bit though and find some folks with issues, you’ll see a real obstacle is getting support. Idk, it’s the biggest reason I accept my 3.6L for what it is. I just don’t care to deal with any more issues. It’s good enough for my build with 37s, and I’ll not be going to any bigger tire or else I won’t fit in the garage. It's really frustrating to invest several thousand and end up with headaches.
The way I read the OP is that a regear isn’t gonna be enough. I mean, it’s the right thing to do regardless to get the jeep back to how it should be, but it is in no way comparable to adding horsepower so just don't expect that.
Here’s the real rub as I see it. It sounds great to add some forced induction, but from what I’ve seen first hand is just headaches. I have a friend with a good shop, and his jeep is constantly changing forms so I’ve seen a few things. Between him and another friend, I’ve seen run through Prodigy Turbos, Sprintex and Ripps, and they all resulted in some headaches, usually when it comes to the tunes and shifting. They put up with it cuz they like having the extra HP, but my point is they never seem to be plug and play without headaches. I think what you typically see is someone install one and talk about how great they are, but you never see them come back and admit to any issues. If you research up a bit though and find some folks with issues, you’ll see a real obstacle is getting support. Idk, it’s the biggest reason I accept my 3.6L for what it is. I just don’t care to deal with any more issues. It’s good enough for my build with 37s, and I’ll not be going to any bigger tire or else I won’t fit in the garage. It's really frustrating to invest several thousand and end up with headaches.
i appreciate the response! Id like to maybe re-gear first and see if its a small improvement. What kinda cost am i lookin at for something like that if i take it to a shop? And what would I need to re-gear to?
Regear costs will vary based on your location. I just got a quote at $1600+ tax. I bought gears for $600 and anticipate buying $400 more worth of tools to do the job correctly. You may find higher or lower prices, but be sure to check their reputation and warranty before picking a shop.
In most places, you're looking at $1500+/- which includes parts and labor. Start adding some traction control like lockers and you obviously have to account for cost of those parts. You have a manual or auto, and what is your use? Primarily DD with some light to moderate offroading I'm guessing. Bora probably right with 4.88s which would help with added weight. Lot of the time 4.56 is sweet spot with 35s, 3.6L, and auto, but that pretty much gets you back to factory feel without accounting for additional weight or use.
In most places, you're looking at $1500+/- which includes parts and labor. Start adding some traction control like lockers and you obviously have to account for cost of those parts. You have a manual or auto, and what is your use? Primarily DD with some light to moderate offroading I'm guessing. Bora probably right with 4.88s which would help with added weight. Lot of the time 4.56 is sweet spot with 35s, 3.6L, and auto, but that pretty much gets you back to factory feel without accounting for additional weight or use.
It is primarily a town/city driving but when im on a longer trip or go up a slight incline it feels to be struggling quite a bit. I have used a superchips tuner also to dial in the tire size to see if it would help.
The folks at Ripp have posted here on numerous occasions suggesting that people should regear before supercharging. Seems to be a pretty good endorsement for which way to go first.
Sounds like you might even want to put some thought into the bigger picture. Research not only the best gear ratio for your current engine/power, but whether that same ratio would be optimal for use with a supercharger. And since you are ok with the cost of both gears and forced induction, go ahead and look into a v8 swap as well (just so you have the numbers for an actual comparison of your options, if nothing else). There are plenty of posts with feedback of the pro's/con's of power upgrades to read through, including quite a number of people who started with superchargers only to rip them out and go v8, or ended up regearing a second time when their power plant changed. The more info you gather now, the less likely it will be to bite you in the ass next year...
Best way is to get a tune on the 3.6 or go the real expensive V8 conversion like I did. You can do a Hemi 5.7 on the 5 speed auto and use the Jeep ECM as it has selections of motor choices on it up to 6.4. I chose the Chev route as I went from manual to auto. I am running a tune post for my son's 3.6 2016. We will embark on that soon. First thing we will work on is power enrichment and the excess spark advance at high throttle that the 3.6 has.
09-09-2020, 08:33 PM
Power Help
