When is there not a point of weight reduction?

Blake Stamper

Blake Stamper

TJ Enthusiast
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Jan 29, 2021
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Boise, Idaho
Hey guys, I know I'm going to get bashed for the choices I've made on my Jeep thus far, I have a 1999 Wrangler Se. I decided that I needed 35's when it came to get new tires, I know that 35's and a 2.5 do not mix well, I am getting Rubicon Axles at the end of the summer with 5.13s. I know that no matter what I do the only true way to improve the performance of the 2.5 is to get rid of it. I am curious though, I have added A LOT of steel parts, Poison Spyder Defender XC Fenders, Poison Spyder Steel Flares, Steel Front and Rear Bumper, Genright Swing down Tire carrier, 4 10in Subs in a custom box. I've added a lot of weight but would I really gain all that much drivability by reducing weight, I.E Aluminum Bumpers and fenders, downsizing My sound system, and things like that?
 
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@Chris, you had a supercharger in your Jeep right? Would forced Induction be a feasible cheaper route, an Eaton M62 with the right pulley can match a 4.0 in power and there's a pretty detailed video series on youtube going through that process.
 
What do others think about the difference that the new 5.13s would make? Would the OP still need a higher gear ratio with this much weight, or would that solve the problem?
 
I’m not even looking for it to be a race car just to be able to go 65-70 without feeling like I’m gonna blow it up. My current cruising speed is 55
 
SSTJ said:
What do others think about the difference that the new 5.13s would make? Would the OP still need a higher gear ratio with this much weight, or would that solve the problem?
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I had 4.88's and 35" tires. Steel bumpers front and rear. If I hadn't done the V-8 swap I was going to install a supercharger but if I was doing it now I'd install a turbo.
 
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Blake Stamper said:
I’m not even looking for it to be a race car just to be able to go 65-70 without feeling like I’m gonna blow it up. My current cruising speed is 55
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I used to wrap mine out to 5k RPM and a little higher when going over Snoqualmie pass. You can cruise at those speeds on the flats but you'll slow down on the hills.
 
My seat of the pants meter tells me that weight reduction makes a big difference. Every spring I would take the soft top down and remove the doors until September October. Just the removal of the door weight made it feel like a go kart. If I had a garage I would have overhead storage for my new hard top and roof top tent so I could zip around in day to day driving. Yes, you will be much happier with a larger engine, but you at a point where you need to determine the time/resources equation for two paths: 1. New powerplant 2. Keep drivetrain and strip weight. It all depends on what you want the mighty TJ to be.
 
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Wildman said:
I used to wrap mine out to 5k RPM and a little higher when going over Snoqualmie pass. You can cruise at those speeds on the flats but you'll slow down on the hills.
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I was running it at around 4200-4400 and then it started backfiring really loud whenever I did it for more than a couple of minutes and I haven’t dared push it that hard since
 
My first TJ was a 2.5l ax5 trans and stock 4.10a. We bought it with 35 inch tires already installed and after a few months referred to 4.88s (5.13s did not exist for the 30/35 at the time). Night and day difference and able to use 5th gear periodically. Gears are your best bet and cutting weight won’t hurt, but with the 2.5l don’t expect it to be a speed demon. Without considering cost, maybe getting into some aluminum armor, alloy wheels, and possible synthetic line for the winch. Beyond that, half doors, remove the rear seat, and make sure you give it a fresh tune up and stock air filter. Not much more you can do.
 
Weight reduction makes a huge difference at low speeds and almost nothing at highway speeds on level ground. Sounds like you're most concerned with highway performance, so weight reduction won't get you what you want.
 
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f=m/a, or rearranged a=m/f. Force essentially represents torque here.

Since the torque is in the denominator, adding 20% more power is more effective, and probably less expensive than losing 20% in weight, in agreement with the consensus of this thread.

It makes sense to shed weight when for whatever reason, adding power is off the table.
 
Blake Stamper said:
I was running it at around 4200-4400 and then it started backfiring really loud whenever I did it for more than a couple of minutes and I haven’t dared push it that hard since
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You need to figure out why it's doing that first before you do anything else.
Blake Stamper said:
Curious, why would you choose a turbo over a supercharger?
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Better options with the turbo and tune ability. Cheaper and can cool the air charge. In the How To section is a guide for a DIY turbo setup.

Basically yes IMO you'd be better off to replace all your steel parts with aluminum.
 
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Wildman said:
You need to figure out why it's doing that first before you do anything else.


Better options with the turbo and tune ability. Cheaper and can cool the air charge. In the How To section is a guide for a DIY turbo setup.

Basically yes IMO you'd be better off to replace all your steel parts with aluminum.
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It’s really weird, when it backfired the gauge lights would turn off for like a fraction of a second and a check engine light would flash at the same time not like multiple flashes just a fraction of a second on off. The working theory is I lose complete power and that leads to fuel getting shot in the exhaust phase and pop
 
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