Should I switch to Jeep

[Steve A]

Hi all, new to this forum.
I am a long term defender owner having owned four previously. But lately have been thinking of switching allegiance to the wrangler. I'm also a previous TJ owner but I broke him spending countless miles on NT corrogations. Now located in Canberra and more likely in the mountains than the outback a JK Rubicon is on my mind.
Just looking for opinions I guess to help sway the pros and cons and if you can fill in some gaps?

Fuel economy,
Defender average 11l per 100km
Jeep ?

Servicing,
Defender average $800 per 10,000 service
Jeep ?

Parts to replace to make it reliable and capable from new,
Defender; axels, flanges, front prop shaft, locker
Jeep ?

What's good from stock and can be left alone,
Defender suspension, ground clearance
Jeep ?

Life in the city,
Defender hard work and slow
Jeep ?

Customise ability,
Defender awesome
Jeep better than awesome

Feel free to comment!

[qikracer]

For a JKUR Rubicon

Fuel- 12-15+ l/100 will depend on mods (bar work, lift, tyres)

Servicing- just stay away from dealers

Parts- none comes to mind, maybe front diff housing but depends on driving style

What's good- on a Rubicon pretty much everything, just put on a set of muddies

Life in the city- buy an auto, no problems

Customise ability- no end of available mods

[up2nogood]

Defender has better ground clearance on the four door version. I had to lift 4", with major mods to get there. 2" is about all you can do and you'll have less than Defender clearance......

Rubi front axle is OK. Lockers make everything better!

[snowing]

Good for you to start thinking about JK again.

Fuel economy
- second to none! thirsty wise.. without any mods, 12~13l/100. with mods, it'll sky rocket. mine is an overland with front and rear bar done and a 2.5" lift. The average is already 15~16l/100. By the time roof rack, tire carrier etc.. are added, I'm expecting 18l/100. I'm light foot on the pedal by the way. Most of the time I see the "eco" light on. lol

Servicing
Depends on what you do. If the JK not going to where it should be, then any dealer is fine. If it's going to live in its territory, get it serviced from a JK specialist. Servicing from dealer is not that expensive which average out to be around 400~700 for petrol.

Parts
Again that depends on what you want to do and if you like JK's behavior. Since you owned TJ before, you know what it is like anyway. For me, I would say most can be retained except for the suspension. It's just not my cup of tea from stock. And if you are looking to gain more clearance, suspension system and tires are the first things to go anyway.

Life in city
It won't be easier than defender for sure. If you have all the bar works done, the good thing is that those mini cars will stay away from you. If you have a lift, make sure you can fit into those car parks. Another thing is the blind spot problem, there are simply too many blind spots for a lifted JK. Sometimes you can even see there is a sport car next to you. grins.

Customize ability
Take your bet. Choose what you like. If you can't find it here, you can always get it from US or Africa. It's a most tiring task in owning a JK. Too many mods, too little time and not enough money.

[Steve A]

Thanks for your reply's, I should of mentioned it's a shorty I'm considering, so would expect 15s for fuel economy worst case cenario. Can you tell me what height lift you can have before you start modifying tail shafts? Are slip yoke eliminator' sneezed for JK

[snowing]

It's better to go with lift kits. For lift kits, it's more or less AEV lift vs Others.
The magic number is 2.5" here. Anything above that requires more serious mods.

[warnabrother]

2-2.5" lift with 35's and flat flares is about perfect for a 2dr.. will go anywhere you want