Ok. I'm about at my limit. I have a 2010 JK unlimited Sport 4x4. Love it and was looking to make some upgrades to it but am having a few problems.

First off the lack of power is killing me. I live in the Phoenix area and love going north with the family to Sedona, Flagstaff and Jerome but driving north from the valley just shows how little power this thing has. I drive I-17 north and get into the 6% inclines coming out of the valley and the JK drops from 75 to 55 in seconds. The RPM is over 5000 and the engine sounds like it's going to explode trying to maintain speed. Is this normal? My wife has a Toyota Highlander and when we take that there's no issue what so ever. I think the Toyota has 270 HP compared to the JK's 205. Didn't think that would be such a huge difference.

Second issue is the windshield. Man, I've repaired it four times since November 2009 and it only gets driven twice a week at most. I have a take home car at work so from Monday through Friday it's a garage queen.

I've checked the posts here to see what can be done to increase the power and haven't really found anything. Some say exhaust and air intakes help others say their a waste of money. I'm no mechanical wiz so if there is a solution dumb it down for me. The only thing everyone agrees improves power is investing in a Hemi upgrade for around $19k. And I see mixed reviews on whether or not a bug shield works for rocks. I live in the desert so small rocks in the road are everywhere.

I like taking the family and two dogs camping and to the mountains but hate the drive. I want a good vehicle that is actually built to take some off road abuse but fixing the windshield every other month and standing on the gas to get up hills is killing me.

I'm at the point where I'm considering getting rid of it for either a 2010 Grand Cherokee or an 2010 Xterra. The GC would obviously be a Hemi since the V6 isn't much better than the JK's. I'm thinking Xterra since I've read the reviews about it being a true off road vehicle and I see them all the time on the trails here.

I'm not a serious off roader so I will never need anything Moab extreme but want something that is fun and will get me to the remote hunting and camping sites.

My JK has the 3.73 rear gearing. I was planning on a 2 inch lift and swapping out the Goodyear tires for the Rubicon BFG's. Besides that the only other upgrades would be light, winch and storage security related. The lift was really only to compensate for the weight of upgrading the front and rear bumpers. But if it's already this bad going up hills how much worse will it be with the added weight?

Any suggestions before I take a bath trading it in?

 

Nothing you can do about the windshield except stop following people so close. A RIPP supercharger will take care of your power deficit for around $5 grand. The Xterra is very nice, but I wouldn't switch to one just to get more power.

The Xterra is a nice truck. Get the Off-Road package. All the others are mall crawlers, but the Offroad is a pretty serious rig.

 

I agree with the lack of power issue but I am not ready to trade it away. I have just ordered the banks intake and exhaust for my 2008 X. I will try and remember to give you a heads up on how much if any more power O get. ext couple of months I am going to order the superchip programmer. Then I plan on re gearing. I enjoy the off roading to much to get rid of it. If anything I could drive my F-350 V10 that does not lack any power.

To be continued.........

 

From the SpeedGlass site..

"Note: SpeedGlass is not DOT approved for use on front automobile windows on US Highways. Percy's assumes no liability or responsibility if used illegally."

 

<raises hand sheepishly>

 

Thanks for the info. I'll check out the supercharger. Will this void the warranty?

I was only looking at the off road Xterra. If I made the switch I want something that will get me to the remote areas where I don't have to deal with people. But I want to keep the JK and dress it up a bit.

I'll wait to hear about the air intake too. I was planning on adding the Banks monster exhaust and Banks ram air intake. Not sure if that would add anything.

As far as Jeeps not being for everyone that's true. But since I sold the 79 CJ7 I had in high school before going into the military I've wanted another and after over 20 years I got one.

 

Youll get used to it. Keep the Jeep, its not meant to go 0-60 in 5.5. The windshield will chip, that is normal. If your going to trade in for more power and fun, the only thing comparable for your location in the US and has adequate power is the Ford Raptor or a Porshe. Dont waste your time with an xtrerra, or some other wannabe. Dont waste you money with air intake, exhaust, its not going to make much of a difference. If you want some more umph, either a Ripp or Hemi is your only choice

 

Have had no problems with the windshield and have not been disappointed with the power...sorta what I expected! My stepfather has a TJ and it really moves like a brick...roars more, but I would not say it is substantially more powerful. I am not a gearhead, but I am happy with my JK...low speed thrill ride!

 

I went to a AFE cold air intake, the help was very negligible for the 150 bucks spent. On the other hand, I could definitely tell the difference when I got a Superchips Flashpaq and hit it with the performance tune and run 91 octane. If I start up long hills at highway speed or buck a strong headwind, mine will still want to hunt for a lower gear. You can always regear to bring yourself up into the powerband of the engine, or do like I do. When I think its going to downshift, I just turn the overdrive off and keep my speed up. When I start down the hill or level out, I put the overdrive back on. Overdrive on my automatic at 2000 rpm is about 72 mph. If I hit the overdrive switch it will jump up to about 2700 rpm if memory serves me correctly. You get used to. You ought to live in Oklahoma where it stays windy most of the time or always going somewhere it is alot of long hills. You get used to it.

 

Climbing I-17 north out of Phoenix slows down many vehicles. If you like everything else the Jeep has to offer, I would recommend taking a test drive in a 6 speed.

I have a 6 speed, 3.73's and 37" tires, and I can run the speed limit all the way up the hill.