How to make the best on-road TJ/LJ

tomtaylz

tomtaylz

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I'm curious to open up discussion on how we could make our TJs/LJs drive more like a "standard SUV" (realizing it's never going to drive like a modern day crossover) outside of the standard Ranchos and load C AT tires advice.

Reading through the 'How far would you drive to wheel your Jeep' thread it seemed a lot of people were tapped out after about 3/4 hours. Thunderhead put it well.
Thunderhead said:
They are comfortable, for 2-3 hours, then its just white knuckle time. I've driven some old Class A trucks and they give me the same burnt out feeling after driving for 12 hours
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This got me thinking, assuming your suspension is decently set up with just a standard short arm and it's set up correctly, what's next? I realize that at this point the Jeep drives okay, and is not bad, and there are limiting factors with the Jeeps design.

Obviously with some of the off-road trade offs you’ll only get so far, but if there’s more spendy things, not for everyone, we can do for on-road performance in the suspension which might include: coil overs, outboarding shocks, shocks with reservoirs, sound dampening, to at least make our TJs/LJs drive like a JL which from what I’ve heard (not driven yet) is decently civilized (when the trackbar hasn’t failed) while still having good off-road performance.

Does anyone have experience of this first hand? Obviously you're dealing a bit with a butt dynos here and also if you spend XXX on a mod mentally you're going to justify it drives amazing, but with that note I'm curious what mods seem to help make a real impact. Also are there any specific LJ things as we have a longer wheel base to play with?

My dream for my LJ is to have sort of an expedition vehicle and this will require a lot of time on America's freeways and want to point my long term plans towards making this driving experience a good one.
 
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jodomcfrodo said:
Very hard to do with such a short wheelbase and solid axles. The only useful things I can think of besides the usual shocks/tires are:
Outboarding rear shocks
Sound dampening
Manual hubs for vibration purposes

They're always going to be loud, though I forget what it was like with my hardtop because I haven't had it on in 1.5 years.

In terms of coilovers, I drove a JKU on 40's with kings (I think...). It confirmed a lot of what I've seen online. Coilovers suck on road. The whole suspension felt slow and the Jeep swayed a lot more than I expected (don't know what swaybar was on it).
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Already posted from @jodomcfrodo
 
The longer wheelbase on the LJ will play a factor in ride quality. However, one of the biggest factors in ride quality is in my opinion a placebo... sound deadening.

Think about it. Go get in a modern day Lexus or Mercedes and what's the first thing you notice when driving it? How smooth it is! If you were to strip away the frame and just drive it on a chassis and an engine, it would be loud for sure. It's all the sound dampening materials they use that give it the illusion of riding even better than it does (not to say it rides bad of course).

Don't think for a moment either that those JKs and JLs aren't heavily insulated, as they are... much more so than a TJ. Even the glass on those things is thicker from my understanding.

Lastly... tires, tires, tires. Riding around town on an E rated M/T tire is going to be loud and harsh no matter what. Switch to an all season tire and you'll be amazed at how much better it rides.

You already have an advantage since you have an LJ, but I would suggest some sound dampening material on the floor and a headliner for the hardtop. I think that alone will impress you! I did both to my black TJ and it made it so much quieter to drive. That floor pan alone lets in tons of noise!
 
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Good topic! For me I started with refreshing the suspension parts the previous owner put on: control arms, springs and shocks. I think I could have done better in the shock department, maybe. Good tires, in the properly rated load range, which I dont have, could also help. But beyond the ride of the Jeep, for me its really the other options my Jeep was missing to make it more comfortable. Good seat covers and seat heaters was an awesome drivability upgrade. Misch Big Boy Brackets to get a bit more leg room for the driver. I moved the brackets back on the rear seat to get my son a bit more leg room in my LJ. Good stereo and speakers. Little things like that. Saw a post on here a few days ago from a TJ owner in Canada that just put in a nice touch screen stereo with nav built in. I'd love something like that, but fear of theft keeps me from doing that.
 
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JeepZilla380 said:
Good topic! For me I started with refreshing the suspension parts the previous owner put on: control arms, springs and shocks. I think I could have done better in the shock department, maybe. Good tires, in the properly rated load range, which I dont have, could also help. But beyond the ride of the Jeep, for me its really the other options my Jeep was missing to make it more comfortable. Good seat covers and seat heaters was an awesome drivability upgrade. Misch Big Boy Brackets to get a bit more leg room for the driver. I moved the brackets back on the rear seat to get my son a bit more leg room in my LJ. Good stereo and speakers. Little things like that. Saw a post on here a few days ago from a TJ owner in Canada that just put in a nice touch screen stereo with nav built in. I'd love something like that, but fear of theft keeps me from doing that.
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Yeah I do get those creature comforts add up, once I get my Jeep how I want it from a suspension/armor point of view, I will turn to the interior. I'll probably switch out seats, change to a double DIN with CarPlay, bedrug, and I know some AEV builds put Earmark Ultra Sound Insulation Lining in doors, floor and top.
 
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So having driven Class A truck for about 20 years, my TJ isn't that far off from those old dinosaurs. Newer Class A trucks are a lot more comfortable than the 70's and 80's rigs I learned how to drive in. I'd drive for 16 hours then get off and still feel like I was driving from all the vibes. I don't know what i could do to the TJ to make it feel more like a modern vehicle. Maybe a quality pilot seat? Ugh, the never ending list
 
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Westtown Willy said:
I think you’re chasing a ghost, seems to me that the totality of favorable attributes that make the TJ what it is are inconsistent with (& will forever prevent it from) being an SUV, or like an SUV, thankfully
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Oh yeah I can agree with that, I think it's more for me just making it as comfortable as possible for longer trips.
 
Westtown Willy said:
I think you’re chasing a ghost, seems to me that the totality of favorable attributes that make the TJ what it is are inconsistent with (& will forever prevent it from) being an SUV, or like an SUV, thankfully
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Definitely agree with this. I think it's possible to make it a bit more comfortable with the sound deadening, headliner, insulation, etc. But there's no way it's ever going to ride as nice as the new JLs for instance. Those have way more going on than good shocks and correct tire psi. The entire body on those is double walled I believe, which again cuts down on the outside noise.
 
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I think there are some things that can help a TJ with highway driving, but I don't think a TJ will ever be comfortable on long trips. The best way to make a TJ comfortable on long trips is to buy a 2019 Duramax Denali and a nice gooseneck trailer. You'll feel like you're driving a brand new luxury vehicle all the way there :D
 
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jodomcfrodo said:
I think there are some things that can help a TJ with highway driving, but I don't think a TJ will ever be comfortable on long trips. The best way to make a TJ comfortable on long trips is to buy a 2019 Duramax Denali and a nice gooseneck trailer. You'll feel like you're driving a brand new luxury vehicle all the way there :D
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:risas3: I went with a Ram 1500 ecodiesel. I get better mileage towing the jeep then driving it, dont need to listen to the wife and kids complain about how noisy it is, and enjoy my heated / cooled seats.

Given my jeep in no way is set up for driving comfort (no carpet and usually soft top since the hard top is a pita to remove) but I have taken it on plenty of 3 hr one way trips.

Tom. I think dynamat will help it out a bit
 
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Alex01 said:
:risas3: I went with a Ram 1500 ecodiesel. I get better mileage towing the jeep then driving it, dont need to listen to the wife and kids complain about how noisy it is, and enjoy my heated / cooled seats.

Given my jeep in no way is set up for driving comfort (no carpet and usually soft top since the hard top is a pita to remove) but I have taken it on plenty of 3 hr one way trips.

Tom. I think dynamat will help it out a bit
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Love my ecodiesel on long trips. I have driven it from LA to Vancouver and back and enjoyed every minute of it, especially with 28 mi/gal.
 
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Alex01 said:
:risas3: I went with a Ram 1500 ecodiesel. I get better mileage towing the jeep then driving it, dont need to listen to the wife and kids complain about how noisy it is, and enjoy my heated / cooled seats.

Given my jeep in no way is set up for driving comfort (no carpet and usually soft top since the hard top is a pita to remove) but I have taken it on plenty of 3 hr one way trips.

Tom. I think dynamat will help it out a bit
Click to expand...

I've been looking at trucks recently. I like the newer Ram 2500's, mostly because they come in a manual. I know I can tow more with the automatic, but I don't anticipate towing anything super heavy. I've also been looking at older Ford 7.3's and Dodge 12 valves. I really like those old diesels but I'm sure my passengers wouldn't... I'll have to see where I am in 5 years and then decide what I want I guess. If I'm honest, I wish newer diesels weren't so fancy and quiet.
 
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Does anyone have experience with things like out boarding, or reservoir shocks and do they make a noticeable impact on the road?
 
Tigerman said:
Here is what I think will make the TJ better for longer trips.

1. Full doors
2. Hard top
3. Smoother shocks and better tires (like Ranchos)
4. Sound proofing!!!!
5. Better seats
6. Cruise Control (Even on the manual)
7. Hot girl on the passenger seat?

Cheers
Click to expand...
3. Actual tunable shocks will make it ride better.
5. Heated and cooled seats.
8. Auto dimming mirror w/ compass and backup camera.
9. Deep tint windows (cuts down on A/C usage/noise)
10. A/C
11. LED headlights
12. More power (cookie cutter LS swap)
13. Hydro assist steering.
14. I know its going to scare a majority but a wheelbase stretch will really help on road manners. The firther you get away from the >100 inch wheelbase the better.
15. Selectable lockers for pure comfort and ease.
16. Manual front hubs (less spinning parts is a no brainer for road manners and interior manners)

15. and 16. conflict but makes sense to me

I’d like to add the Gen Right bigger gas tank, but it would also conflict with the wheel base stretch. But just throwing it in there. The less stopping you have to do, the better.




The tunable shocks are going to honestly make a night and day difference. Guaranteed.
 
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Does the crappy vague steering not wear everyone out ? That’s the main thing that bugs me. I am a motorcycle guy so sound and wind is not an issue but trying to drive at highway speeds with all the little corrections is tiring.
 
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I agree with @Chris on sound dampening and cabin quietness adding a lot to comfort on long trips and one of the primary factor (next to the suspension setup) in what we perceptive as a good comfortable ride. A lot of high end cars have double walled vacuum insulated glass that cuts down the noise tremendously. I watch a lot of Doug Demuro's videos on high end cars and the other thing next to cabin sound is the precision of the steering. Go drive a new BMW or even a new Mazda CX-5 and you'll see how light and precise the steering feels. It will be very difficult to make the TJ steering like those but whatever you can do to improve the steering will play a big role since you won't be correcting it as much. I've driven cars with poorly set up steering and it fatigues you quickly on the highway.
 
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