hey all,

i have been wanting to get an unlimited rubicon but with my budget im having a hard time. so i was wondering, would it be worth just getting at x or sahara and building my own rubi? im kinda new to this but my dad is an excellent mechanic. to have the rubi suspension would i need to buy a whole d44 front axle and just the rubi drive shafts for the rear and upgrade the rear gears? if so what do you think that would cost if i bought all the stuff used? $2000? if i did it all myslef

if im missing something please comment.

 

Your better off just buying the rubi. It would cost alot more than 2k to swap a 44 front, e-lockers front and rear, e- sway bar dicos, low ratio transfer case, and all the skid plates. Just get the sport and build it with aftermarket parts as money allows and you can build it however you want

 

i am looking at doing the same but with a two door and from what i can tell you need to get the axles front and rear, also from what i have read the transfer case is geared differently but i am not sure exactly

 

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that you educate yourself as to exaclty what the differences are with a Rubicon, and how they affect what you do offroad. Then decide if it's money worth spending given your intended use.

Once you've gotten that out of the way, then you can make an informed decision as to whether or not a Rubicon is worht spending the extra money on. To be honest, if your intended use is moderate to heavy (but not extreme) wheeling on 35's or 33's, it's very hard to beat the "bang for the buck" offered by the Rubi package. If you don't need anything heavier than a D44, you'd be hard pressed to sell your take-offs and buy aftermarket upgrades for the price difference between an X and a Rubi.

 

You'll need front and rear D44 ( different cause they both have lockers), You'll need the 241OR transfer case (4:1 gear). Those are the big things, all the little things you need, E-sway bar, rims and tires, reflash of your computer to make all the stuff work.
I've probley forgot somethings but you get the idea. 2K for all of that not likely. Just buy the rubi if that is what you want its easy and cheeper to do it.
Or buy the X or saraha, and go all aftermarket, and build it in stages.

 

i know the difference....what i didnt know is if the axle came with e-lockers and e-swaybars.

i plan to run 35s which is the whole reason for the d44. i guess the rubi package is a great deal so ill just stick to finding a rubi.

thanks for the info though

 

didnt know the e-swaybars and stuff didnt come with the d44 axle.

thanks for the info though, helped a lot

 

The non-rubi D30 and the rubi d44 use the same basic housing. You will want the same housing upgrades for both. The rubi axle has slightly better shafts/ujoints, and much bigger gears. The rubi lockers are semi problem prone, and very, very expensive to replace. The rubi e-disco is a convenience, and very expensive to replace. The rubi 4:1 tcase is a nice upgrade over the non-rubi 2.72:1. The rubi 4.10 axle gearing and m/t tires are a non-issue, since you will be going to bigger tires and replacing the gears with the bigger tires. The rubi stickers make it look cooler than an x/sahara/sport.

If you want a capable rig right off the lot, go for the rubi. If you start with an X, you can build it to suit your needs, and end up with a much better jeep. The price difference is up in the air, as it depends completely on which components you upgrade from/to.

 

I would not buy a Rubi with the cost difference between that and an X, Sport or Sahara. Lets be conservative and say you spend $6,000 less for the X. You buy take off D44 FOR $3000. Lift for $1000 and wheels and tires for $2,000. I built a better then Rubi less Tcase gearing for the same cost. Do your own labor.

Only way I would pay for a Rubi upfront is if I were to run it stock. Yes, Rubi's are nice of course. No hater here. Just my thoughts.

 

thanks for that very detailed info. sounds a little more complicated that i thought it would be. also, i agree that the rubi sticker makes it look sick


well with the jeeps im looking at now the price difference depends on the miles.

i can get an x sport or sahara with 55k-80k miles anywhere from 17,000 to 19,000.

i have found a couple rubi's with about 65-95k miles on them for 19,000-21,000

so right now after some research the rubi looks to be a better idea for now, unless i can find the parts for cheaper than i expected.

thanks for your info and opinion though