EsByrd

Ive done some reading on the ls swaps and they seem to be the same price range as the hemi and look to be on a stand alone system so you have to have wiring and ecu just for the ls plus have all the jk cpu stuff. The hemi is more plug n play for the diy people

GJeep

Simpler, but not quite problem free from what I see. In any case, I don't lack power with the 285bhp Pentastar and its new gearbox... It's always nice to have more power and the torque of a V8, but I don't think that swapping it a better idea - or justified - when the 3.6L is available.

EsByrd

Just about all aftermarket solutions lack oem dependability but that being said id still love it for the cool factor whether it be a hemi, ls, or my personal choice diesel.

GJeep

...you can get even more power & torque from electric motors...

EsByrd

Lol true, lets do a tesla model s swap so we can outrun zo6 vettes and get 270 miles to a charge that eqauls 11 cents to a mile compared to me getting 25cents a mile right now

mikestoick

we are doing it ourselves and it wont be smog legal haha.

GJeep

Making it sound like a V8, respectively to pedal pressure / engine effort, may be tricky...

JK09TX

Thanks for the input after thinking about it does sound like a good plan. I love LS motors but I was quoted by motech $15000 and it is not even a new engine. Has anyone had theirs done by AEV I saw the DIY kit is $6000, Does anyone know how much it will cost for labor? I am think about an engine swap before I put 35's. Also with a V8 will the axles be able to support a V8 or is that another upgrade that needs to be purchased? I have dana 44 on the rear and 30 on the front.

EsByrd

Anytime you add that much power to a drivetrain designed for what lil it gets now, your gonna have to beef it up to handle the added stress

ShakyJake

I had my 5.7vvt done 3 years ago complete turnkey, for $19k with the AEV kit, a new crate motor and new transmission including all parts and labor. It was a clean install and I have 40k miles on it with no problems. I live at high altitude and have a heavy rig, and the 2010 v6 was simply not able to keep up, no matter what I did. I had a Rubi so stock axles were fine, drove with them hemi powered for over 20k miles, but I ended up swapping them for PR44 front and D60 rear with new driveshafts, RCVs, etc. This was overkill, but I go on long off-road trips and like to drive hard and fast and never want to think about failures. I would think you would want to at least upgrade your front axle to a 44. When you crunch the numbers, don't forget there are quite a few Mopar parts required for the swap that kits don't include. I would highly recommend you get an experienced shop to do it. There are some great ones here in Colorado, mine took one week.
If you come from a racing or muscle car background, you will be quite pleased with a V8 swap,. It completely changes the JK driving experience.
BTW, I averaged 15mpg with the V6 up here at 8000ft altitude. I Average 13 with the V8.
Finally, be careful what you read on the internet. A lot of people giving advice on swaps have never done one or owned one. Many different configurations complicate things. An early hemi swap behaves differently than a vvt. A truck 5.7vvt is different then one from an SUV. Each LS has different properties and some suited better for JKs. Transmission choice can make all the difference in performance. Tuning/programming is critical. This is where a good shop can help you.