Driving to the airport today with a strong head wind was depressing! Jeep was floored and i could not hold 60 mph. After a few i realized this was a losing battle and backed off of the gas but felt defeated. The rest of the trip consisted of what to do to help this pig out. The Hemi/LS conversions are a bit out of my league so i come to the vast knowledge of the fourm for help. I don't need to be a10 second monster, but some get up and go would be nice.

What i have is a 2011 JKU 3.8 with 373's and 33" tires.

 

It must've been quite the wind. Regearing can help you in that particular scenario but would likely suck (experience and fuel wise) in most other scenarios.

Do you have excess weight that you're carrying around? I ask because I didn't feel that kind of depression with my 33's and 3.8 until I was pulling a trailer and hit that wind you're talking about.

 

A Programmer might change the shift points a bit. Maybe you'd feel it. But since your tires are only an inch taller than the stock 32's, maybe not.

Tuners claim to add somewhere around 20 HP. Way up over 5k rpm. Down in the range most of us run, expect 6-8 HP or so. (Some people say they can feel that extra power, I can't.)

CAI's and Thottle Body spacers and other bolt-ons don't have the best rep as far as performance goes. Most here seem to say they are not worth the cost.

Gears will raise the RPM for a given speed. Higher rpm = more HP and Torque. There are easy to read charts in the FAQ's stuck to the top of this modified area, and there are a bunch of Dyno charts to be found with a quick search to get some ideas. (I ran 5.13's with 33's for a few months, and didn't mind it a bit. Just depends on use and preference.)

Forced Induction may be a viable option, and certainly cheaper than a v8 swap. You'll need to read through a bunch of threads to see if any of the turbo's or superchargers make sense.

 

Gears will help the most. I am running 37s with my 3.8 and going to 40s with 5.38s. I just put up with the horrible highway power as the price to pay for awesome off-road capabilities.

 

Gears then power adders if you don't\can't go V8

with a head wind you just gotta go slow and take in the scenery...not much you can do in a Jeep

 

I had the same experience in my Jeep over the winter holidays. I have about a 6.5hr drive to my parent's farm and had the luxury of having a headwind in both directions.

4.10 stock gearing with 35s and the pentastar, I lost speed in 6th gear, had to drive in 5th. I got 11 MPG on the trip home...

 

You guys are over thinking this....you just need to use the features already built into the Jeep. Take the hard top off, fold down the front windshield, and put on a pair of goggles to keep the bugs out of your eyes, and Walla!!! An instantly more aerodynamic Wrangler that will go through a head wind much easier.

 

Hard to think the 3.8L with 3.73 couldn't hold 60mph with 33's on. That must have been a heck of a headwind. If the jeep beats you down daily driving it, then regearing is probably worthwhile. If it was more of a one-off event due to the wind that specific day and you're still generally happy, I'd chalk it up to driving the least aerodynamic box and not worry bout it. I personally think all the non-regearing or engine swap options offer minimal gain in power and that it's typically a placebo effect. They might technically add some HP, but it's not noticeable in the seat of your pants.

 

Superchargers can be had for under $6k especially for the 3.8. They are supposed to add up to 50% gains. A lot cheaper than a hemi swap.

 

Our Stage 2 turbo system for the 3.8 Wrangler will give about a 100% gain in power and torque for $5999.

Also, contrary to popular opinion/belief, the turbo produces some amazing gains in the mid-RPM range for the type of high-load situations you are talking about: driving uphill or into winds at freeway speeds, passing, etc..

Let me know if you would like more info or have any questions.

~Jeff