Engine Upgrade options....

LVMohave said:
If I had the extra cash - believe me, I would already have an AMW 4x4 Gladiator!!!!!! They truely create works of art. Unfortunately my medical issues arent cheap and the VA has not been very good to us vets.
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The key words to take away were to "regear" now and "save your money" for a V8 (y)
 
wayoflife said:
The key words to take away were to "regear" now and "save your money" for a V8 (y)
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I got that!!! I have not regeared because I'm on Nitto 38's and was considering going to 40's.....this is why I havent re geared yet. The truck actually drives fine on the stock 4.10s without any issues so far. I do drive it kinda easy and maroity around town, unless offroading.....2 years old with 13K miles on it. I'm most likely going to keep my 38's, change from a AEV 2" spacer lift to an actual 4" or 4.5" lift and keep it that way. I think after all these mods....a $35K v8 is outta the question for me.

so, 4.88 or 5.13 gears if I keep the 38's? (Nitto Ridge Grapplers)
 
Not sure what you’re trying to do with the gladiator? Tire size weight of add ons you know all that bolt on stuff robs power. Not to mention you’re pushing a brick down the road.
A set of 4:88 or 5:13 would be something affordable.
 
JT@623 said:
Not sure what you’re trying to do with the gladiator? Tire size weight of add ons you know all that bolt on stuff robs power. Not to mention you’re pushing a brick down the road.
A set of 4:88 or 5:13 would be something affordable.
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Well - this is my first Jeep ever. I had NO IDEA Jeeps were the "AR15" of the truck world....meaning you can make a million changes to these things! This is a pretty big learning curve because of the endless possibilities.

I really just wanted more power because of the bigger tires for offroading in the desert. I want to drive faster over desert terrain and I shoot alot in the desert over long distance. For rock crawling, I stay on trails rated 4 or below because I dont wanna fuck up my truck on trails better suited for a Wrangler.
 
4:88 and a set of 37” tires , a good set of springs and shocks sounds more comfortable for what your doing.
They don’t look as cool as 38’s or 40’s. Rock crawling big tires are good but they come at a price . Daily driver 37”s are as big as I would do personally. Based on skill level a Rubicon on 37’s will surprise you at where it will take you.
 
JT@623 said:
4:88 and a set of 37” tires , a good set of springs and shocks sounds more comfortable for what your doing.
They don’t look as cool as 38’s or 40’s. Rock crawling big tires are good but they come at a price . Daily driver 37”s are as big as I would do personally. Based on skill level a Rubicon on 37’s will surprise you at where it will take you.
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My 38's only have 8k on them so it makes sense to keep them, instead going to 40's (at least for a while) The 38's do look good. I'm wondering if a 4.88 or 5.13 gear would be best for the 38's. The Nitto's are Ridge Grapplers (12.5" wide, not the 13.5 of the trail grapplers) and are nice on the road. I'm happy with them. The only complaint is I don't feel like they are good in rain, but living in Vegas we dont see much rain.

Wayolife- I think you had the Nitto Ridge Grappler 38's on one of your Jeeps- whats your experience on wet pavement?
 
LVMohave said:
I'm NOT a mechanic, so I'm guessing (and asking) - The most logical solution to me is to buy a clean used Pentastar 3.6L gas engine (so I can keep mine in my truck so I can use it) and rebuild it with beefier components and then add a Magneson supercharger once they crack the code to do so. The cost would be like HALF the cost of the previously mentioned replacements and offer a big power upgrade and be reliable?

THOUGHTS?
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I've never met a Jeep owner that did a supercharger, turbo, or V8 swap that didn't have a wild story to tell.

You've already learned that you can sink big-money into your Jeep and go nuts. The next lesson is figuring out what your Jeep is to you.

If your Jeep does double duty as a daily driver and weekend warrior, I'd stay away from big engine modifications. Take some time and read through the similar builds on the forums. Most take longer and cost more than expected, then the excitement fades. If that doesn't detour you from the thoughts on your initial post, I don't know what will.
 
No mention of axles. You on the stock ones? Your gearing options are dependent on that. Throwing 40's on those & pushing them offroad will be asking for trouble.

As you've probably figured out, this is a slippery slope and you sound like you're at the top of it looking down. Once you start down the path to 40's it gets pretty damn steep and long to do it right.
 
I feel your pain when it comes to cost, it has taken me 4 years to gather the money for a V8 swap. During that time I looked at a lot of other options. In the end, I am doing it because it is what I really wanted all along. I even looked at a direct swap for a 505 performance built 3.8l, but in the end I knew I would not be happy. Life is to short not to be happy. So here I am, waiting for her return from the swap.
Something else to think about... If you do a V8 swap, you don't necessarily need to regear. Just my two cents....
 
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