SUSPENSION vs SPEED - Which Would You Prefer?

[wayoflife]

With a 6.2L LT and DTD with EVO Lever, Moby is close to being the best of both worlds but I would still have to say that our Gladiator with trailing arms is still way faster off road. Also, we got a chance to bomb across the desert with Mel in his 392 running DTD up front and standard coilovers in the rear and we were still hot on his ass. Flipped it around where our Gladiator was up front and the 392 couldn't hope to keep up.

That said, on the highway, our Gladiator is a total dog and I really hate making the drive from Carson City to Vegas as passing on the 2 lane just sucks

 

[cozdude]

I would prob pick the 392 and decent suspension. I haven’t wheeled in a long time so just having the power for the highway and for when I could get out to explore it seems like a better time.

I never fully utilized the coilovers in knuckles and i know I would never fully utilize a dtd or trailing arm set up

 

[wayoflife]

But, as of right now in life, I would probably take the 392 with a good set of shocks. Less maintenance than the full built Jeep, more power, and just getting out and exploring is more fun to me than the extreme rock trails or going super fast. Also, a V8 in a fully built Jeep still isn’t perfect. You out drive the suspension then and then want more suspension. It’s never ending.

This is legit ^^^

Maintenance is a pain in the ass aspect of coilovers that most people never take into account and there's nothing cheap or easy about it. It is a big part of why we made sure to keep our 2nd Gladiator running a standard coil and shock suspension setup.

 

[JT@623]

I would think a 392 would need axles and transfer case if you went bigger than 37’s and pushed it off road.
Your JT is on the extreme side suspension wise pushing 42’s with a 3.6 other than crawling I would expect it suck on the highway . Moby is kind of the best of both worlds in my opinion. Trying to find the perfect balance of both is the age old dilemma.

 

[benatc1]

With a 6.2L LT and DTD with EVO Lever, Moby is close to being the best of both worlds but I would still have to say that our Gladiator with trailing arms is still way faster off road. Also, we got a chance to bomb across the desert with Mel in his 392 running DTD up front and standard coilovers in the rear and we were still hot on his ass. Flipped it around where our Gladiator was up front and the 392 couldn't hope to keep up.

That said, on the highway, our Gladiator is a total dog and I really hate making the drive from Carson City to Vegas as passing on the 2 lane just sucks

I’m looking fwd to seeing what Mel has coming for the rear to help that keep up with the front on the JLs, ive seen some teaser stuff. I’ve never driven the DTD set up but I will say in my opinion, the bolt on coil over kit is a pretty big set up from any 2.5 shock/coil set up I’ve driven, in regards to speed off road at least, so assuming it’s another big step the the DTD, someday maybe I’ll know. Power is a a big factor but it just get you to speed faster, which is fun but obv not necessary to go fast off road, example your gladiator

 

[wayoflife]

I’m looking fwd to seeing what Mel has coming for the rear to help that keep up with the front on the JLs, ive seen some teaser stuff. I’ve never driven the DTD set up but I will say in my opinion, the bolt on coil over kit is a pretty big set up from any 2.5 shock/coil set up I’ve driven, in regards to speed off road at least, so assuming it’s another big step the the DTD, someday maybe I’ll know. Power is a a big factor but it just get you to speed faster, which is fun but obv not necessary to go fast off road, example your gladiator

What I can tell you is that I've seen it and if you're willing to cut into your tub (we're talking BIG holes), the rear DTD setup that EVO is working on is seriously badass and will provide significant performance gains.

 

[Jsouder53]

What I can tell you is that I've seen it and if you're willing to cut into your tub (we're talking BIG holes), the rear DTD setup that EVO is working on is seriously badass and will provide significant performance gains.

By the sound of it, is it safe to assume it’s going to be similar to Jeremy’s JKU setup in the rear?

 

[benatc1]

What I can tell you is that I've seen it and if you're willing to cut into your tub (we're talking BIG holes), the rear DTD setup that EVO is working on is seriously badass and will provide significant performance gains.

Yea that’s what it looked like, Maybe someday lol, I’ll obviously let you go first though

 

[benatc1]

By the sound of it, is it safe to assume it’s going to be similar to Jeremy’s JKU setup in the rear?

That’s kinda what it looked like to me, only seen small tidbits tho.

 

[wayoflife]

By the sound of it, is it safe to assume it’s going to be similar to Jeremy’s JKU setup in the rear?

Yes

 

[benatc1]

By the sound of it, is it safe to assume it’s going to be similar to Jeremy’s JKU setup in the rear?

Speaking of which, need to see more of that..

 

[Disciple Off Road]

What I can tell you is that I've seen it and if you're willing to cut into your tub (we're talking BIG holes), the rear DTD setup that EVO is working on is seriously badass and will provide significant performance gains.

really excited to see the finished product and awesome there will finally be a better rear suspension option for the JL to pair up with the front DTD.

 

[Bullwinckle]

Honestly I would want the 392 with decent suspension like you have. I could always upgrade the suspension later if needed.

 

[OverlanderJK]

I have to say, I've really been enjoying reading the responses, thank you everyone!!

I know most of you answered correctly but just to clarify, the question was in regards to if you could only have ONE. Also, I personally don't consider a standard coilover kit to be anywhere close to being in the same league as trailing arms and a DTD.

Wait a second, just thought of this. Why do we only get to have one but you can have both?

 

[GP NOIR]

Having been born with little to no common sense, I’ve bombed over the desert and mountain fire roads in many different vehicles, most not appropriate for the job, such as a two door 1968 Dodge Dart.

As Eddie pointed out, a good suspension will trump a decent suspension. When we hit the high speed sections during the Wayalife New Year’s Run, it wasn’t the 3.6 that held me back, it was the suspension. A 392 wouldn’t have let me go any faster.

Suspension becomes even more important (and expensive) with the added weight and power of a V8 powertrain.

Another thing to keep in mind is a good rock crawling suspension may not do well on high speed runs, whereas a decent high speed suspension will perform well enough in the rocks.

 

[TrailHunter]

Wait a second, just thought of this. Why do we only get to have one but you can have both?

He only has a 392 for one reason.. and her name is Cindy.

 

[GP NOIR]

PS- @wayoflife The suspension in your Gladiator just isn’t good. It’s high performance. To be clear, I’d choose a four banger with a badass suspension over a 392 with a decent suspension and would consider the 3.6 a bonus. Without a good suspension, the V8 just can’t deliver.