jsukey

I agree. I was running 35's with my factory ordered 4.10's with a 6 speed. It left a little something to be desired on the highway, but especially offroad. I'm now running 5.38's with it, and I feel the performance is excellent. I'm still running the factory 3.8 with 122k on the clock, along with a CAI and a Superchips Flashpaq with a 93 Octane tune. I know the 3.8 has a bad rep, but I have been completely happy with it. There was a considerable amount of oil consumption when I first bought it 4 years ago, but it hasn't used a drop since I changed the PCV valve out. Other than a pinhole in the radiator and a bad oil pan gasket, that's the only problem I've had with it.

All of that being said, is the Jeep a race car? Absolutely not. It was never meant to be. I have my 700 hp Jeep SRT8 for that! Do I think you should go out and get 5.38 gears? Nope. I got a deal on a pair of fully built axles that already had them installed. My Jeep is not an everyday driver, but it does not bother me driving it the way it is. When I'm on the highway running 80, my RPM's are hovering around 3200 but it has plenty of power and pull. Around town, it will chirp 3rd's with the 35" Nitto Trail Grapplers, while being fully outfitted with winch, F&R bumpers, and all of the other associated heavy accessories. The gas mileage isn't great on the highway, (around 16) but again...it's a Jeep, and that's not what I bought it for. Gears will make a huge difference though, and make it much more enjoyable on and off road. I don't trailer it to any of the events that I go to. It was meant to drive, and drive it I will!!

In the end, I would regear first. If you plan on keeping your Jeep, I would suggest doing gears first before FI. Especially if it's something you're probably going to do in the future anyways! At the next Jeep event you attend, talk to some people who have regeared. See if they will take you for a ride. I would let you take my Jeep down the highway, just to let you get a feel for it. I'm pretty sure a lot of Jeep people would. Just my .02! Best of luck!

spartan99

I have driven the 3.6. A minivan motor is s minivan motor. Same mpg, maybe a hair more power. Am I missing something?

BLK08JK

It's even worse with the auto trans, I pretty much stay overdrive off constantly and even then I find myself in 2nd gear at 50mph and 4000RPM trying to drive into higher elevations.

I thought about regearing (3.73 now) to see if it helped even just 32" tire performance.

jsukey

This chart is your best friend when it comes to questions about tire size, and gear options. You're already in the double yellow with your tire size and 3.73 gear. Your Jeep would be a different animal with a 4.56 - 5.13 gear set. However, make sure you pick the right gear that will keep helping you down the road, if you decide that 32's aren't going to cut it. That Jeep bug has an expensive sting! Even more expensive if you have to do it more than once because you didn't do it right the first time.

JeepLiam

3.6l is 285horses 260 pounds of torque, with the intake and free flowing exhaust that i have on my 3.6, i'd blow you away compared to a 3.8l, with a tuner i would hope for 50 percent more horsepower than a 3.8l, at about 310 with some higher octane gas. Its not a race car but a different animal compared to the 3.8l

rob_engineer

It's actually 10% better gas mileage and 40% more HP, so yes, I think you are missing something. The overwhelming majority of people in here that have experienced the 3.6 and 3.8 emphatically state that the 3.6 is superior, particularly for everyday driving. Not quite as superior off road.

Riptide9

I own both a 3.8 and a 3.6. Even with my 3.8 supercharged it isn't even in the same class as the pentastar. The poor 4 speed transmission in the 3.8 makes it even worse. Not even close!

Jeepinjim

I have a 2013 JKU auto. Am I able to turn the overdrive off ? There is no button on the shifter

Riptide9

No overdrive on the pentastar motor. Just use the tap shifter to drop down a gear.

spartan99

Drove a 3.6 today. Yeah you're right. This time I drove it hard it is much faster holy crap. Pretty impressive. I baby the gas though so I don't need it but yeah if you want gobs of power that motor is for you.