matt852

So I was wondering if you had an extra 20k around would you buy a new Jeep as a buddy of your current Jeep, or go for a Hemi upgrade since those cost 20k with parts and install.

I'm thinking in the longrun because I'm gonna keep my Jeep forever but don't really know if I will need a hemi. The most "extreme" mods I plan to do for my Jeep is a TF long arm with 6 inch coils, coilovers 37's, and 5.13s if that gives you an idea my goal is to be able to do the rubicon trail thats as hard as I'm gonna go for, not planning on doing those rocks that are the size of people, but that will be in a couple years. I know a hemi will make it more capable but would I really need it?

zaknafien

If I had an extra 20k lying around, the wife would be in an '11 GC... that is if she knew about it.

But personally, I'd go for a Hemi (5.7 VVT). Though I think she'd notice the difference if I tried to sneak that past...

matt852

Any more votes? The V8 would also improve mileage I believe but I only live 4 miles from work.

07XMan2Door

Personally I think it's all about going slow, not fast. Once you lift your Jeep & put on the huge tires, they really aren't all that fun or safe (IMO) at speeds in excess of 75mph. Talking about 2 doors here.
We put the low gears in our Jeeps so we can slowly, safely, overcome obstacles without spinning our wheels. My 3.8L has plenty of grunt now that I re-geared.
As a matter of fact, even on the freeway it pulls hills in 6th now that I would have had to downshift to 4th.

I may be in a different category though. I have shaved weight everywhere possible. No Dana 60's here, Just 44 in the rear & C's & tubes in the front dana 30. No heavy bumpers here. Just stubbed out the stockers. No heavy spare tire carrier, my 35 actually fits on the stock set-up. No extra roll cage, sliders or extra skid plates. I'm a trail guy, got dirtbikes to rock hop on. If you have all that heavy crap then you prolly need more juice to go fast, but not slow. My Jeep goes 0 to 70 as fast as I can shift. 70 is my limit though. Turning 3400 RPMs, that's a high as I will take her. Generally I'll set the cruise at 65 on the freeway, 2700 rpms.

If I had to go fast & wanted all that power I'd put it in a new Camaro.
Good luck with your decision & be thankful you've got the extra 20K lieing around!
Oh, & remember, it's not about need, it's all about want.

matt852

Haha no I don't have 20k lieing around I was just seeing what the responses would be I have one friend who has lots of jeeps but they are all barely modded and I have a neighbor across the street who has put a lot of $ching into their 1 jeep.

I think I will go with a second jeep instead because I don't really need to go fast and I can't really tow anything even with a v8 I think your right about the 3.8 having enough grunt once I regear it properly.
So I think a second jeep would be more fun.

scouter4life

For me, I'd go with the 2nd Jeep. The reason would be for my kids when they start driving, so we have another Jeep for them to drive. I still have a few years as my oldest is 12, but that time will be here before I know it.

I would get a 2 door and just do some simple mods to it, but no lift to keep it safer for new drivers.

OC-JK

I would say hemi because if you had two wranglers you are going to like one more than the other and drive that one more so I don't see the use to buy a second one. But that's only me.

doug42

First everyone has there own situation and values.I just recently traded my unlimited for the same year unlimited with a Hemi.With that there is no right or wrong just what works for each one of us.I live in the Co. mountains, I pull a trailer with my Polaris Ranger on it. My 6cyl got me where I was going but it had to rev high and keep shifting. I need to add I did regear my 6 cyl. in an effort to be happy and keep my savings in the bank.The next thing I was going to have to do was to add a trany cooler. I always run a trany temp gauge and the temps would get up there on the 6 cyl.,evan when it was not pulling the trailer. I am also probably a motorhead and love the Hemi power. I guess I have never had any vehicle that I left stock. You are right, off road the 6 cyl gets it done. I am not a wheel spinner, I believe in proper lines. But there are situations I need to have a burst of power to get over an obstacle. The Hemi has unreal lowend, it takes a lot less right foot to do the same as the 6 cyl. If you lift your vehicle up to install larger tires then the Hemi will not work as hard (apples to apples). I will say I had 38,000 miles on the 6 cyl., it was a lot of fun to drive and never let me down. Good luck to anyone trying to decide on a Hemi,or not !

Mark Doiron

Hemi. I've already put somewhere around $15K into my Jeep, and if I had a second one, I'd just have to put that same $15K into it or I'd never drive it. I'm not into trail rigs at all. If it can't be driven on the highway, what's the point? I may as well get a beat up piece of junk or a motorcycle or ATV if I want to have fun just on trails.

But, I don't look at the Hemi as something to improve off-road performance. No, it's so that the next time some goofball in a Harley-Davidson pick-up tailgates me doing 80 mph while struggling going uphill to pass someone, I can smoke his butt.

toymaster

A Hemi does not improve off-road performance....only highway performance. The only way I'd do a 20K hemi conversion is if I had a 4 door with dana 60's on both ends and had money to burn.

A jeep is a large ATV that is street legal in all 50 states. It is a 1/4 ton vehicle. They are light weight, low horsepower, low geared vehicles. Now since the longer wheel base of the 4 door you have the room to "upgrade" but it does no good to "upgrade" only one portion of the jeep.

Like I said would only do Hemi as part of making the jeep into a 1/2 ton vehicle. I agree with Mark, if I bought another jeep I'd have to dump another 20K in mods just like I did with my 08 rubi.