4 cylinder vs straight 6

[Sixthbook]

I've had a 98, manual 4-cylinder since 2000. Driven it from North Carolina to Texas and back to Virginia. Don't know what people complain about. Works on highway, on roads, in back country. Have to gun it up the steep mountain roads, but so what?

I did have 92 manual YJ with a 4-cylinder for a while and that engine was not strong. Would get frustrated with slow minivans on the highway, but when I tried to pass the wind would just hold me in place. Needed 3rd gear to get up steep mountain roads, too. I've not had that experience with my TJ.

 

[Nicholas]

I've had a 98, manual 4-cylinder since 2000. Driven it from North Carolina to Texas and back to Virginia. Don't know what people complain about. Works on highway, on roads, in back country. Have to gun it up the steep mountain roads, but so what?

I did have 92 manual YJ with a 4-cylinder for a while and that engine was not strong. Would get frustrated with slow minivans on the highway, but when I tried to pass the wind would just hold me in place. Needed 3rd gear to get up steep mountain roads, too. I've not had that experience with my TJ.

Same here. However I don’t don’t look down on those that look down upon the 4cyls I guess some people have higher comfort levels and wouldn’t wanna change that which is fine too. I don’t know everyone’s very different to me


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[AndyG]

Generally , the 4.0 is the engine . It's had a great reputation for a long, long time .

It is a great engine , if the Jeep is geared for the tires it's running . If not , it's about like a 4 cyl. as well .

Most all inline 6 cylinder motors , from the old 258 , the Ford 300, the Cummins Diesel, have legendary reputations.

What do they have in common - reliability , torque and low cost of ownership.

 

[astjp2]

my wifes old 4 banger got 16 mpg, the 6 was 19 mpg, the amount of power with 4 just sucked, I would not own another 4 banger if someone else bought it...now the 4.6 stroker gets 14 mpg but it runs like a v8 and the jeep it is in does not have OD.

 

[TJ Starting]

My second TJ which is a project, is a 99 Sahara, I got a deal on it because it’s a flood victim, PO got stuck in the Brazos river bottoms and the river got up before they could get it out, it was fully submerged for a few days.
Needless to say, they filed an insurance claim and it was totaled, no big deal to me, it’s has zero rust, not wheeled hard, just a good solid platform to build...
Just a thought, find something you like with a salvage title, or an unfinished project someone wants out from under, or as others have said a 2.5/2.4 TJ and do an LS swap...

How can i find somthing like that?

 

[astjp2]

Below is a list of vehicles that may be of interest to you.

2017 Jeep Wrangler

Location: Illinois
Deadline: 2019-01-24 10:45:00 CST
Current Bid: USD 15,600.00

2005 Jeep Wrangler

Location: Colorado
Deadline: 2020-01-01 00:00:00 CST
Current Bid: USD 3,800.00

2018 Jeep Wrangler

Location: New York
Deadline: 2019-01-24 08:00:00 CST
Current Bid: USD 2,225.00

2006 Jeep Wrangler

Location: Louisiana
Deadline: 2019-01-24 10:45:00 CST
Current Bid: USD 2,900.00

2017 Jeep Wrangler

Location: Ohio
Deadline: 2020-01-01 00:00:00 CST
Current Bid: USD 200.00

1999 Jeep Wrangler

Location: Texas
Deadline: 2020-01-01 00:00:00 CST
Current Bid: USD 1,000.00

2018 Jeep Wrangler

Location: Florida
Deadline: 2020-01-01 00:00:00 CST
Current Bid: USD 200.00

2005 Jeep Wrangler

Location: New York
Deadline: 2019-01-24 08:00:00 CST
Current Bid: USD 25.00

2003 Jeep Wrangler

Location: Tennessee
Deadline: 2019-01-28 07:30:00 CST
Current Bid: USD 1,575.00

2011 Jeep Wrangler

Location: Oregon
Deadline: 2019-01-24 10:00:00 CST
Current Bid: USD 6,025.00

 

[AndyG]

If you will get a 4 Cyl, a cat and a greasy string... We will show you something.

 

[KCsTJ]

I love my 97 SE 4 banger... isn't she pretty.. it's the white one ..

It's a blast to drive with its 3 speed auto and 3.73s

 

[Devinr29]

I'm 17 years old and it came down to an SE or no jeep, so I picked the SE and its totally fine on the highway if you don't load it up with crap like huge steel bumpers and armor, I'm not even running a rear bumper. if you're going to run an SE, its gotta be light and nimble I'm running 31's with a 2.5inch lift just for that reason, enough clearance but I'm not getting bogged down by 33's on the highway

 

[Tray Burge]

I love my 97 SE 4 banger too, though I wish she was a 6!

 

[danof76]

I had a 2.5 YJ (manual AX-5) and I'll echo what others said: on the highway it was a dog and I was lucky if I could go 70MPH downhill with no dream of ever passing up anyone. It was perfectly fine off-road though, torque was adequate. I bought a 4.0 TJ (manual NSG370) while I still owned the YJ and it was night and day difference.

If I just wanted an off-road toy or something to cart around town without much highway travel I'd have no qualms saving a lot of cash and getting an SE, but it still depends on how much I'd be saving... $1,000 or more? Yeah, probably. If I would be using it like I use my TJ nowadays as a DD and driving 17 miles on the highway to and from work everyday? Not a chance. I'd pony up whatever I needed to so I could have a 4.0

 

[lindsey97]

I wish I had driven a stock 4 cylinder before buying my 2002 sport 6 cylinder 5 speed. I thought I was getting 3.73 gears, and it turns out they were 3.08. Figured that out when I added 31" tires and changed the speedo gear.

A 4 cylinder can't be that bad compared to my 3.08 gears and 31's. Drove home last night, had a 40mph headwind, 5th gear is unusable before factoring in the wind, the Jeep bogged down in 4th, and I downshifted to 3rd once in order to hold 60mph on the interstate. Took the next exit and went state highways the rest of the way home. Still getting 15 mpg and I am really happy with my Jeep.

I would like to see the torque curve of the 2.5l on a chart compared to the 4.0l.

Another interesting set of data I would like to see is how much less a SE 2.5l motor and transmission weighs compared to a 4.0l and ax-15 trans combo. And if there is that much of a difference in weight, how much does a supercharger weigh, and can you get just past 190hp with a boosted 2.5l and still be lighter than a stock 4.0l?

I really think the only time a 2.5l would be at a disadvantage is when on the interstate trying to hold 70+mph. State highways and backroading would be where it would work good, and I suspect offroad the 2.5l would shine.

As I am finding out, the Jeeps suck no matter the engine if they aren't geared correctly.

When shopping for a Jeep, I found several 2.5l for sale, and roughly they were an average of $3,500 less than a similar 4.0l equipped Jeep. And the 2.5l's were all in excellent condition as well.

A yellow 2.5l stuck in my mind I found on craigslist in Texas. It was beautiful, less than 100k miles, lifted, new 33" tires/rims, and had a few other nice parts on it, no rust, looked perfect. Price was $7000. My thoughts were to buy it and use the remaining funds that would have been spent on a 6 cylinder to regear it, lock it, and winch or whatever else I could bolt on it( I enjoy mods).

The only thing that I have found in looking for a SE 2.5l is that every single one I found that I like has a soft top(not a big deal, I wound up with a 4.0l soft top), and the half doors with soft uppers. I refused to get one with half doors(personal preference) and spend $1500 later on used full hard doors.

 

[danof76]

I wish I had driven a stock 4 cylinder before buying my 2002 sport 6 cylinder 5 speed. I thought I was getting 3.73 gears, and it turns out they were 3.08. Figured that out when I added 31" tires and changed the speedo gear.

A 4 cylinder can't be that bad compared to my 3.08 gears and 31's. Drove home last night, had a 40mph headwind, 5th gear is unusable before factoring in the wind, the Jeep bogged down in 4th, and I downshifted to 3rd once in order to hold 60mph on the interstate. Took the next exit and went state highways the rest of the way home. Still getting 15 mpg and I am really happy with my Jeep.

I would like to see the torque curve of the 2.5l on a chart compared to the 4.0l.

Another interesting set of data I would like to see is how much less a SE 2.5l motor and transmission weighs compared to a 4.0l and ax-15 trans combo. And if there is that much of a difference in weight, how much does a supercharger weigh, and can you get just past 190hp with a boosted 2.5l and still be lighter than a stock 4.0l?

I really think the only time a 2.5l would be at a disadvantage is when on the interstate trying to hold 70+mph. State highways and backroading would be where it would work good, and I suspect offroad the 2.5l would shine.

As I am finding out, the Jeeps suck no matter the engine if they aren't geared correctly.

When shopping for a Jeep, I found several 2.5l for sale, and roughly they were an average of $3,500 less than a similar 4.0l equipped Jeep. And the 2.5l's were all in excellent condition as well.

A yellow 2.5l stuck in my mind I found on craigslist in Texas. It was beautiful, less than 100k miles, lifted, new 33" tires/rims, and had a few other nice parts on it, no rust, looked perfect. Price was $7000. My thoughts were to buy it and use the remaining funds that would have been spent on a 6 cylinder to regear it, lock it, and winch or whatever else I could bolt on it( I enjoy mods).

The only thing that I have found in looking for a SE 2.5l is that every single one I found that I like has a soft top(not a big deal, I wound up with a 4.0l soft top), and the half doors with soft uppers. I refused to get one with half doors(personal preference) and spend $1500 later on used full hard doors.

Hey if you ever find a yellow one with half doors I'll gladly trade you my yellow full doors!

 

[jazngab]

I borrowed a coworkers 4 cyl before I bought my 6 cyl Jeep. The 4 banger was on stock wheels. My 6 cyl is currently on 31s with 3.07. The 4 banger was incredibly slow. Like I couldn’t keep up with traffic locally. And cars were riding my bumper. And this is with the pedal to the floor high rpms. Although my Jeep now is also slow I feel like I can at least drive with the flow of traffic and I’m hoping once I get regeared that will drastically improve it.

 

[lindsey97]

I borrowed a coworkers 4 cyl before I bought my 6 cyl Jeep. The 4 banger was on stock wheels. My 6 cyl is currently on 31s with 3.07. The 4 banger was incredibly slow. Like I couldn’t keep up with traffic locally. And cars were riding my bumper. And this is with the pedal to the floor high rpms. Although my Jeep now is also slow I feel like I can at least drive with the flow of traffic and I’m hoping once I get regeared that will drastically improve it.

Thanks for the info. Did a lot of research and picked up a 6 cylinder based on the advice of this forum. My current setup of 6cyl/30.5" tires/5 speed isn't great, and where I really notice the mismatch of gearing is at interstate speeds, taking off from a stop in 1st, or trying to use high range offroad. I use low range exclusively offroad. I have regeared several other vehicles in the past, and am looking forward to 33" tires and 4.56 gears with selectable lockers.

 

[astjp2]

Yeah, buying a 4 cylinder jeep is like being really excited and getting too small of a condom, you might get it to work but its not comfortable long term. Tim

 

[RaymondT]

I wouldn't give up my 4-cyl. It's quick and nimble and a lot of fun ripping around town. The secret - keep it light and quit messing around with oversize/heavier tires! I run the stock (optional) 225/75R15's with all-terrains in the summer and 215/75R15's in the winter on factory aluminum. With the 4.10 axles and an engine running in top tune, it does very well on the highways. IMO, extra weight, higher center or gravity, and larger gyro's spinning on all 4 corners take a big toll on the handling.

 

[astjp2]

I wouldn't give up my 4-cyl. It's quick and nimble and a lot of fun ripping around town. The secret - keep it light and quit messing around with oversize/heavier tires! I run the stock (optional) 225/75R15's with all-terrains in the summer and 215/75R15's in the winter on factory aluminum. With the 4.10 axles and an engine running in top tune, it does very well on the highways. IMO, extra weight, higher center or gravity, and larger gyro's spinning on all 4 corners take a big toll on the handling.

You just dont know the difference...

 

[Fughuert]

I wouldn’t recommend the 4 unless it’s a manual, a good deal, and you understand the power drawback. By good deal I mean a couple grand in the same body / frame condition as 6s in your area.

Mine was about 3k less than most rot free unmodified 6s in my area. I was looking for a year and a half and test drove a few.

That said I enjoy mine, don’t regret not getting a 6.

I don’t have trouble keeping up with traffic, 5 speed, 31s, 4.10, I’m usually begging for a passing zone or for people to get out of the left lane. I cruise 70-75 on the highway even uphill.

 

[RaymondT]

My Trailrunner 225/75R15's spec out at 28.3" tall and 27lbs of weight. I switch to Destination LE2 215/75R15's for the winter at 27.68" and 25lbs of weight. Even the difference between these two is very noticable.

The factory spec tire for a 4-banger is actually 205/75R15 which are 27" tall. The 4 cyl is quite capable when shod with the correct tires that the Chrysler engineers specify.

Believe it or not, they even make All-terrain tires in that size.

https://simpletire.com/firestone-p205-75r15-026495-tires

So if you want to modify your ride, get the 6! But if your happy with the stock stance and stock sized rubber, the 4 cyl is quite capable. If it's a dog, there's something wrong with it!