New to Jeep and would like honest opinion

jnottingham93 said:
My mistake! I'm honestly shocked. I have heard a lot of people from Cali say the highways were only 65mph max. I've only driven in Los Angeles (granted that's not super fast because of the traffic), so I couldn't go off of my experience, just their words. Thanks everyone for the input! I appreciate it!
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That's the speed limit. The traffic speed on the other hand is 75mph-85mph. You can driver slower in the left lanes and be a rolling chicane or drive slower in the pot-holed right lanes dodging semis.
 
Anyway while I am feeling all inadequate with wrangler envy plus finishing my last PBR, you do know that colour will always look "Girly" even with a 4 inch lift and 35,s! Not that there is anything wrong with looking "Girly":)
 
Not to dissuade you from joining the Jeep family, but I would not consider a Jeep as a good choice for a daily driver. Especially, not a 25 yr old one.

I did it in a 10 yr old CJ5 with no AC, but I was a lot younger then (and poorer).
 
I have had my 1998 TJ (4.0) since 1999, and it has been the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned. It has always done what I have asked of it without complaint.

But I would *never* drive any Jeep CJ, YJ, or TJ much faster than about 65 MPH.
 
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LONGJP2 said:
Not to dissuade you from joining the Jeep family, but I would not consider a Jeep as a good choice for a daily driver. Especially, not a 25 yr old one.

I did it in a 10 yr old CJ5 with no AC, but I was a lot younger then (and poorer).
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I agree wholeheartedly. I know there is a lot of sentiment that the 2.5L isn't worth it but I absolutely love mine. Granted, I've never driven a 4.0, but I don't feel like I really need to. There's also the matter of cost and especially these days the price of the 4.0 is through the roof. Even back when I bought mine there weren't any 4.0s in my price range with clean bodies and frames.

There's a healthy following of guys on here who daily their TJ, but I would consider it if you have any kind of lengthy commute. The TJ is very capable of handling it, but pretty much every other car made in the past 20 years is going to be better in terms of road noise, handling, and power.

I absolutely love driving my TJ. I don't mind taking it on drives of 2-3 hours, and I'm having a blast ever moment behind the wheel. I'm lucky to have it not be my primary method of transportation, but if I had to cut back to one car I would almost certainly sell my daily driver before my TJ. However, if I were driving somewhere 8+ hours away I would be either borrowing or renting a car.
 
Straight 4? You won't get to 75mph unless you have a tailwind. Against the wind? 70 max with it floored catching a draft from a semi. I'd check the drive shafts, the suspension, rust around the fuel tank...and believe it or not, make sure the front seats are still strong and not rusty. My driver seat broke, and from what I understand, that's a common problem.
 
Aliveandkickin412 said:
Straight 4? You won't get to 75mph unless you have a tailwind. Against the wind? 70 max with it floored catching a draft from a semi. I'd check the drive shafts, the suspension, rust around the fuel tank...and believe it or not, make sure the front seats are still strong and not rusty. My driver seat broke, and from what I understand, that's a common problem.
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Man, that's just not the case. You can most definitely cruise at 75 with a 2.5L. You're going to be over 3000 rpm in 5th, but you can do it. I don't particularly like to though, my rig picks up wind like a sailboat.
 
Well....maybe mine's on it's last legs. Could be the tires, i suppose....But 75 is a rare event. In Florida, with a head wind, 5th gear does nothing. I get passed by tractor trailers and i just catch their draft to save fuel. However, aside from new plugs, oil and air filter.....i'm open to suggestions on what could help....Please and thanks.
 
Aliveandkickin412 said:
Well....maybe mine's on it's last legs. Could be the tires, i suppose....But 75 is a rare event. In Florida, with a head wind, 5th gear does nothing. I get passed by tractor trailers and i just catch their draft to save fuel. However, aside from new plugs, oil and air filter.....i'm open to suggestions on what could help....Please and thanks.
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Yeah, it's highly situational. I mean I couldn't maintain that speed up any kind of significant grade. I'm sorry I can't be of more help in that regard. I just recently changed the plugs (probably for the first time ever) and it made a huge difference. Before that I could still do 75 but it would be revving the shit out of it in 4th. I'm running 31 MT's on stock rims. I think 33 is about the limit for what you can realistically run on a 2.5 even with a regear. Mine is stock height, I don't know how much the aerodynamics of a lift weigh on top speed though.

Full disclosure, I don't daily my TJ so I don't worry about highway performance too much. But defending the 2.5 on this forum is my cross to bear.
 
Aliveandkickin412 said:
Well....maybe mine's on it's last legs. Could be the tires, i suppose....But 75 is a rare event. In Florida, with a head wind, 5th gear does nothing. I get passed by tractor trailers and i just catch their draft to save fuel. However, aside from new plugs, oil and air filter.....i'm open to suggestions on what could help....Please and thanks.
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What size tires are you running?
 
Aliveandkickin412 said:
33's, i believe. I haven't endured the joy of buying new ones yet. Another box on the list.
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Your experience sounds typical for 33's then. My guess would be it has nothing to do with the engine and you just need to regear for those tires, or go to a smaller size. Assuming you aren't doing any rock crawling in FL, even going down to 31's would give you a nice boost in on road performance without sacrificing too much off road.
 
chuck47 said:
Your experience sounds typical for 33's then. My guess would be it has nothing to do with the engine and you just need to regear for those tires, or go to a smaller size. Assuming you aren't doing any rock crawling in FL, even going down to 31's would give you a nice boost in on road performance without sacrificing too much off road.
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I never thought about that, but I'd have to agree. I'd like to do all the fun stuff, but I can't risk it at this point. It's my daily, and I simply can't afford to break anything. One day, though. I like being able to fix it, and I love having the doors off, and I don't need to go on the highway for anything. But i do appreciate the advise, and I will certainly consider tire selection when the time comes. Thanks Chuck!
 
Aliveandkickin412 said:
I never thought about that, but I'd have to agree. I'd like to do all the fun stuff, but I can't risk it at this point. It's my daily, and I simply can't afford to break anything. One day, though. I like being able to fix it, and I love having the doors off, and I don't need to go on the highway for anything. But i do appreciate the advise, and I will certainly consider tire selection when the time comes. Thanks Chuck!
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No problem! Us 2.5's have to stick together.

When the time comes to buy new tires just think about how you've used it in the past year. If you do a bunch of mudding down there then you might be better served by some 31" mud tires than 33" all terrains.
 
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