Ok so I am planning out what mods I want to save up for my JK. I have seen some JK with LS V8 swaps. What are the advantage of having a V8 besides more horsepower? Wouldn't re gearing keep the jeep from losing power when adding bigger tires and weight? What all needs to be changed to add a V8? Any input would be great it would help decided what upgrade are in the future for me?

 

Get ahold of MoTech in Vegas to ask specific questions as they seem to be the ones doing many of those swaps.

More HP, better mpg's, less lag in your throttle, forget the oil issues the JK has- all good reasons for the LS.

You can only regear the jeep so far (5.38 IIRC) and even then you've still got a 200hp motor pushing everything. If you go all the way to 5.38 then you run the risk of a small contact patch on your ring and pinion which would be more susceptible to failure as opposed to other options.

 

We have found using any V8 swap will help with HP and gas mileage, if you are a Mopar fan the newer HEMI VVT Truck engine is the way to go. But if you are a Chevrolet fan the Newer LS engines are a very good way to go.

I have a 6.2L/6L80 in our Jeep and i have had this engine in our Jeep over a year and we keep our GM engines all GM, the extra HP and torque makes the Jeep a lot more enjoyable to drive and every one loves HP.

A lot of Jeeps are getting very heavy and a V6 is not pulling the weight also if you have a tire that is over a 35 the V6 does not seem to turn that tire very well and adding gears just works the V6 harder and you do not need to put as low of a gear with the V8, because of the Torque of the V8. I think their are many things i could add why you need a V8 and if you have a 3.8L that engine is not holding up.

 

[QUOTE="JSS;3879152"]"and adding gears just works the V6 harder"

What do you mean? My V6 runs a lot more effortlessly with lower gears than those with high gears. My RPM's may be higher at highway speeds, but going off-road, starting from a stopped position, and pulling a trailer is way easier on any engine that has lower gears.

 

Ok the 3.8L has no torque and the JK weights a lot, so we add gears to make up for the loss of torque and now the 3.8L is revving at a higher RPM to makeup for the loss of torque. The end result is the 3.8L starts burning oil and will not hold up to the extra RPM and we are seeing now more and more 3.8L engines dying. The 3.8L engine is the worse engine ever in a JEEP, but the JK is the best JEEP ever, so buy putting a V8 in a JK it makes all the difference.

 

Just curious as to what a parts and labor swap cost?

 

I was actually doing a lil browsing online about the swap this morning and ive seen alot of shops that are doing the swap but not a whole lot on prices.

I saw that the aev hemi kit sales around 6k plus price of motor and transmission and if your doing the 5.7 hemi you can find them for under 5k since they are rather common.

Sry I cant be more help but im sure some of the v8 owners will chime in soon

 

Because mounting a Hemi badge on your JK is just badass!!!

 

I also wouldn't say you need a V8. Tons of people out there with larger tires and running the regular V6 3.8 or 3.6. Swapping in a V8 is not feasible for a majority of jeep owners. Most of us don't have the high amount if money to throw into something like that. Id love to have a V8 in mine though. You need a guinea jeep to try something in? Lol.

 

Depends on the weight of the rig and the tire size. Once you get over 35" on the 2007-2011 automatics or 37's on the manuals the motor does not have enough power for hills and highways. The more weight you add the more hp you need to propell it as well.

I would figure starting pricing at around $12k and as high as $40k depending on the motor and how much you do yourself. I was quoted a turn key starting price for an emmision compliant 5.3 LS swap using my 6 speed and atlas for $13k exhaust is an extra.