Both the same year, lets say a 2014. Can a stock rubicon offroad better then a sport 2.5 coil lift and 33's, the sport has no lockers, no gear change just a 2.5 coil and 33s?

 

Id take the rubi.

 

It really depends on the situation. There are spots where my lifted Sport will hang my buddy with a stock Rubicon out to dry. I usually lead since I've got the faster crawl, and sometimes he'll try to follow a line I've taken that simply won't work for him because of ground clearance.

Then again when I'm having a harder time finding traction in a tight spot, his lockers make quick work out of the situation whereas I have to try a bit harder.

I have yet to have his Rubicon save the day; truth is we both chicken out in really bad spots. It's usualliy not a matter of traction or crawl ratio, it's usually due to a slide or extreme rollover risk, or an area where a JK (stock or otherwise) simply won't fit without modification from rocks and trees.

$0.02

 

I had Dick Cepek FC II 33s in the past and they are actually a wee bit smaller than a Rubi's OEM tires. 2.5" of lift gives slight advantage for approach and departure angle. Everything else is advantage Rubi. But I concur with prior poster's description of his real world experiences. I did a lot of hanging with Rubi's in Moab when I had 33s and a 2-1/2" lift and no lockers.

 

If you're looking at what to buy, keep in mind that the base price difference between a basic Sport S and a Rubicon is about $5200 for the 2dr model. Now you can always build a better, more capable Sport with aftermarket components, (Atlas, ProRock, Eaton, AntiRock, etc...) but you will pay a lot more than if you bought a Rubicon, and if you are financing your Jeep all of the aftermarket stuff will be separate and not included in the financing, warranty or insurance. (Unless you want to have the dealer build it for you in which case they will rape you without mercy.)

Your other option is to buy the Sport and acquire Rubicon takeoffs, which will save you some money but they are a bit harder to come by, especially for like new parts, and then you will still be close to what you would pay for a factory Rubicon, and again you would lose the warranty, financing and insurance coverage for those parts.

Taking the two Jeeps you mentioned in comparison, the lifted sport will have a very minimal advantage in ground clearance (.5") and break over angle. Everything else the Rubicon has the advantage, so I would say that all other things being equal (driver, terrain) the Rubicon is superior to the Sport you described.

Bottom line is, if you are planning on taking your Jeep off road and don't want to spend an extra $5k-$10k, I suggest you get the Rubicon. You will be glad you did; I tell you this from experience, my first JK was a Sport S and my plan was to build it up slowly, I lifted it and put 35" tires then the reality of the cost to add lockers and gears considering I had a Dana 30 set in. Long story short, I now own a Rubicon.

 

The MSRP difference between a Sport (base) and a Rubicon (base) is $9,795 based on MSRP for 2014. Incentives on the Sport are usually steeper which can widen that delta even more.

.5" is only the axle rise given by going from 32" to 33" tires. The rest of the undercarriage is being raised by more than 3" (2.5+.5) and 2.5" coil lifts are rarely exactly 2.5" (usually just a tad more). The breakover/approach/departure angles are improved, yes, and so is the ability to carry heavy accessories, and improved ride behavior on the trail and on-road too.

I see a lot of perfectly good build and a lot of perfectly good, non-Rubi rigs being scrapped for Rubis. The transaction costs (lighting money on fire) involved to swap the rig and start one's build all over again is sizeable. It really pays off to make the right choice up front, and that doesn't always mean buying a Rubi, and sometimes it does. Being new, it's hard to know exactly where you might want to go or what you might need.

My Sport really is a value proposition. It was $10k less than a new Rubi when I bought it new, then I put $10k in build into it (things a Rubi would have needed anyway), and now I'm $10k ahead. That's a value proposition in my situation, since my Sport takes me all the places I want to go.

 

I was using the base price information from Jeep seen below and used a Sport S which has A/C standard. (at least that is what is stated on Jeep.com) Sport S $25,195, Rubicon $31,195

I agree that the 2.5" lift gives you improved angles, (approach, departure and break over) but what I meant about minimal is the ground clearance of an additional .5", a lift will not give you true ground clearance, only larger tires will.

I'm certain that you did a great job building your rig, I'm sure a good portion of that build was for bumpers, winch, lift and tires which the Rubicon will need as well, I assume the rest was in lockers, gears, and maybe strengthening or replacing the D30 with a D44, which the Rubicon already has.

My other point was in the unfortunate event your rig gets stolen or totaled, check your insurance to see how much in aftermarket parts it will cover, but I'm guessing it will only cover a portion of the $10k you have invested, and as far as the Jeep its value is based on the Sport model that you insured.

His question was can a stock Rubicon off road better than a Sport with 33s and 2.5" lift, I still say yes.

 

^^^Yep.