OverlanderJK
Resident Smartass
If you really were old school your willys wouldn't be running 60's and coilovers. The only thing old school about your willys is the body and frame.
2017 Aluminum Jeep JL Wrangler - Pick-Up Being Shelved
- Thread starter wayoflife
- Start date
If you really were old school your willys wouldn't be running 60's and coilovers. The only thing old school about your willys is the body and frame.
piginajeep
The Original Smartass
Yup, if you think about it, Jeep has been on a downward spiral since the CJ came out...
JKDriver
New member
As someone who has a true "old school" Jeep and a JKU, I'll take new school any day! Maybe I am wrong, but it seems to me that the JK has taken the current Jeep platform as far as it is realistically going to go for the off road crowd. There isn't a big enough market for them to put out dedicated long travel rock crawlers. The current sales are not to "us", its all the unmodified Jeeps running around as SUV's that are driving sales. The battle is going to be for Jeep to keep as much of its heritage as an off road capable vehicle while making it more functional as an SUV. I hate it, but that is probably the reality.
So, if we are looking at an aluminum unibody with IFS and maybe even IRS I just hope they do it up right! It has the potential to open up whole new avenues to build great off road vehicles. I will say that I won't jump on the band wagon immediately. I'll grab a good used current generation to have fun with, and hope that the current aftermarket parts go through the usual price reductions as the model changes. This time I'll wait until the after market starts cranking out parts before I pick one up. And also wait to see if they have aluminum cracking issues like previous aluminum off road vehicles....
So, if we are looking at an aluminum unibody with IFS and maybe even IRS I just hope they do it up right! It has the potential to open up whole new avenues to build great off road vehicles. I will say that I won't jump on the band wagon immediately. I'll grab a good used current generation to have fun with, and hope that the current aftermarket parts go through the usual price reductions as the model changes. This time I'll wait until the after market starts cranking out parts before I pick one up. And also wait to see if they have aluminum cracking issues like previous aluminum off road vehicles....
dahreno
Banned
So, you guys don't consider one ton axles old enough to be considered old school ? I would say the only thing that is not old school on the Willys is the front coilover suspension.There are no Computers on it. I would also say 4 doors is not as extreme as IFS/IRS and no frame. But I guess I would be the only one here who feels that way.
I think you missed the point.
David1tontj
New member
The four door only ruined one thing- the jeep wave..
My ride- 2001 power wheel, 11" plastic tires, upgraded battery, boat sides, custom bumpers, tow hooks, new paint.
GCM 2
New member
To all the hardcore traditionalist......
You all realize that there have been jeeps with four doors prior to the JK, or does your jeep history only date back to the TJ......or YJ :thinking:
.....and of course all you jeep lovers remember when jeeps no longer came with the V8 option, no one, I repeat no one, was going to buy a jeep after this happened.....
.....and then there was the time when you super tough offroaders whined, moaned and stomped your feet when jeep introduced the model that would kill, dead in its tracks, the CJ heritage....that horrible, luxurious, better riding CJ-7 with its longer wheelbase and crazy square door openings . :icon_crazy:
With all due respect, this is what I think of when you "future of the jeep" guys cry blasphemy at any change to the best model jeep ever(which is usually the model on dealer floors at the moment)....and I did say with all due respect.....
You all realize that there have been jeeps with four doors prior to the JK, or does your jeep history only date back to the TJ......or YJ :thinking:
.....and of course all you jeep lovers remember when jeeps no longer came with the V8 option, no one, I repeat no one, was going to buy a jeep after this happened.....
.....and then there was the time when you super tough offroaders whined, moaned and stomped your feet when jeep introduced the model that would kill, dead in its tracks, the CJ heritage....that horrible, luxurious, better riding CJ-7 with its longer wheelbase and crazy square door openings . :icon_crazy:
With all due respect, this is what I think of when you "future of the jeep" guys cry blasphemy at any change to the best model jeep ever(which is usually the model on dealer floors at the moment)....and I did say with all due respect.....
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dahreno
Banned
I still think for rock crawling there is no better way to go then body on frame and solid axles. Unless you have the resources to build a King of the Hammers style IRS/IFS suspension. I also will say with all the changes that has been made through the years that unit body with IRS/IFS in a Jeep Wrangler style vehicle is the biggest. It's just my opinion, this is not an argument. It really doesn't matter to me because I'm an old fart looking at retirement and will likely never buy a new Jeep again anyway !
SmokinV10
Caught the Bug
You nailed it. Im one of these guys who TYPICALLY ditches the "old" body style as soon as the "new" body style comes hits the showroom. The obvious caveat is if the newer body style is genuinely uglier, or if the newer body style lacks performance. I completely agree that an IFS or IRS setup would open tremendous new avenues. Look at the Raptor guys, they have a ton of options. The kicker here is that long travel raptor setups cost a fortune. They seem to be on the rare side for a demographic who's truck starts at $55K MSRP before the first mod bolted up. The point here is that affordable mods to reach a certain level of performance may become a bit more elusive. Even with solid axles, performance at the highest levels isn't cheap either. There may be a year or two or three before the aftermarket truly catches up to the point that they can build true hardcore trail worthy rigs, but I have no doubt it will happen.
Aluminum cracking may not be such an issue with Today's technology. I have a 2013 Jaguar XJ that is completely made of aluminum…no issues. Granted you don't take it off road, but all all the new Range Rovers are also made completely of aluminum. I do believe when the Rovers made this move to go to an aluminum unibody, it was for the same weight-savings, tree hugging efficiency figures mandated by the EU and the EPA, but I also believe some more general performance was realized from the seat-of-the-pants acceleration standpoint. We'll see if Chrysler can build a good off-road rig using a budget 1/3 to 1/2 of what it takes to build a Land Rover…. When they pull that off, and when it's practical, the question is do the hardcore guys still like it, or have they merely created a slightly more crude version of the WK Grand Cherokee's/
StrizzyChris
New member
I can guarantee you that will never happen!
SmokinV10
Caught the Bug
Whatever is finally produced will be likely based on tremendous market research and end user segmentation. My guess is that off-road worthiness will fall on the sword for fuel efficiency and mass market luxo-barge comfort. How many people really crawl over rocks, run on 35"+ tires vs how many want a more comfortable rig to take the fam to the mall in more com fort? The formula that sells more jeeps wins? I'm sure some level of capability comes into play from a branding and marketing perspective but how many really think they are REALLY worried about the 5% of us who even venture off pavement?
Zstairlessone
New member
They do realize the energy involved in producing aluminum (more than 15kW hrs per two pounds)??
I like the idea of a IFS with a rear solid axle. Well to begin with nearly 99.9% of offroad vehicles sold now have IFS. Trucks that used to have front solid axles are now sold with IFS eg, tundra f150, fj cruiser, eventually Chrysler has to move on and make it a IFS set up. I know most of you prefer a solid axle, and this is bad news for u guys, but I think there will be more people who are going to be interested in a IFS setup. It's difficult to say that it's a bad thing. I think the best way is to just wait and see how does it perform.
OhNoTheJiggies
New member
Maybe a stupid question but when the new wrangler comes out, what will happen to the JKX? Will they continue or will Nitto/ORE move on to the new one?
GCM 2
New member
OhNoTheJiggies
New member
Awesome. Thanks for the responses! I look forward to applying for one of the future experiences and meeting some of you guys!
StrizzyChris
New member
Everything you said is true...but has nothing to do with what I was saying. I meant that having an IFS/ IRS production jeep will never have a solid axle option.