Help me choose a Rubi
We have been wheeling our 2005 diesel KJ for a while now and after wheeling this summer again in the San Juans and a trail in Moab, we're ready for something that can do those trails rated at 6+ (out of 10). The KJ (and me) does really, really well on <=5 trails, but what really bummed me out was a tight switchback on the Yankee Boy trail (just south of Ouray) past the pit toilets this August. I got a wheel in the air and we weren't going anywhere. I tried three different lines, but no joy. There had been a bunch of rain all summer and the switchback was very rutted and at a pretty good incline. (We have All Terrain TAs on the KJ)
That was the only time Dear Wife closed her eyes while wheeling and it was the only trail I ever abandoned. That moment was my epiphany - I decided right then and there that we needed to wheel a more capable vehicle. It was a pretty easy sell since DW really, really loves it (and so does the dog
)
So that's a little about me...
I have spent many, many hours on Jeep Forum and this one performing my due diligence and trying to figure out what I want to shop for. What I do know is I want a Rubi. What I don't know is the perennial question of Auto vs. stick and wheelbase. I think I want a 2003 or 2004 Rubi.
Stick vs. Auto: I have owned many standard tranny vehicles over the years and never minded shifting gears (usually enjoyed it especially on my '97 Corvette) except in stop and go traffic. If we buy a Rubi, it will not be a DD. So the question is focused about what's the easiest to wheel, and then what's the best to wheel. The thought of pushing in the clutch at a 30 degree incline is not pretty.
For you manual tranny wheelers, do you primarily stay in 1st or 2nd when climbing? Ever a need to shift while climbing? (I'm talking about a good grade here...) What I found with my KJ is when I'm in 4-Low and approaching a grade, I shift to 1st and keep it there until on flat-ish ground.
Wheelbase length: Having made some four and five point turns on narrow trails, I appreciate the relatively short length of my KJ and thought the TJ with a little shorter wheelbase would make maneuvering even easier. Apparently a shorter wheelbase is a bit of a detriment when rock crawling. So is the standard wheelbase Wrangler the best compromise for wheeling and doing some rocks?
Mileage: Looks like 2003-4 Rubis have about 50K miles and up (saw one on the Internet at 100K+ miles.) Is there any mileage benchmark when stuff usually starts breaking?
I will be giving up one of man's ultimate toys (I have a Komatsu D39P-1 dozer) for a Rubi. Every time I get in my dozer and push stuff around and hear the tracks clack I get a huge rush :spin: - oh well - time to move on.
Thanks guys
John
Texas Hill Country (for the winter)
That was the only time Dear Wife closed her eyes while wheeling and it was the only trail I ever abandoned. That moment was my epiphany - I decided right then and there that we needed to wheel a more capable vehicle. It was a pretty easy sell since DW really, really loves it (and so does the dog
)So that's a little about me...
I have spent many, many hours on Jeep Forum and this one performing my due diligence and trying to figure out what I want to shop for. What I do know is I want a Rubi. What I don't know is the perennial question of Auto vs. stick and wheelbase. I think I want a 2003 or 2004 Rubi.
Stick vs. Auto: I have owned many standard tranny vehicles over the years and never minded shifting gears (usually enjoyed it especially on my '97 Corvette) except in stop and go traffic. If we buy a Rubi, it will not be a DD. So the question is focused about what's the easiest to wheel, and then what's the best to wheel. The thought of pushing in the clutch at a 30 degree incline is not pretty.
For you manual tranny wheelers, do you primarily stay in 1st or 2nd when climbing? Ever a need to shift while climbing? (I'm talking about a good grade here...) What I found with my KJ is when I'm in 4-Low and approaching a grade, I shift to 1st and keep it there until on flat-ish ground.
Wheelbase length: Having made some four and five point turns on narrow trails, I appreciate the relatively short length of my KJ and thought the TJ with a little shorter wheelbase would make maneuvering even easier. Apparently a shorter wheelbase is a bit of a detriment when rock crawling. So is the standard wheelbase Wrangler the best compromise for wheeling and doing some rocks?
Mileage: Looks like 2003-4 Rubis have about 50K miles and up (saw one on the Internet at 100K+ miles.) Is there any mileage benchmark when stuff usually starts breaking?
I will be giving up one of man's ultimate toys (I have a Komatsu D39P-1 dozer) for a Rubi. Every time I get in my dozer and push stuff around and hear the tracks clack I get a huge rush :spin: - oh well - time to move on.
Thanks guys
John
Texas Hill Country (for the winter)
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Our 04 TJ Rubi loaded with luggage, 2 ice chests and other stuff with my wife and I and a full tank weighed 4700 lbs when we left for a 2 week trip to Silverton. If you want an unlimited TJ it will have to be a 06 or 07. They are destined to be "classics" in the same sense that CJ7's and CJ8's are today. Hope you find one and have a good time. By the way, where on Yankee Boy did you find that tight of a switchback?
Welcome to ROF John!johncanfield said:
I would not discount Tigger's rig, or let his list of mods scare you away. NOT at all. You have to really know a little something about the mods he has done I guess maybe to see what I am driving at. But, what you would have is a NICE rig, set up for everything you want right out the door which is not only saving you money, but also wrench time, buying the mods, and the $$ for anything you didn't want to install yourself. If you really study what he has going on there... there doesn't appear to be anything that I have EVER seen a dealer be scared of or anything that they would not have seen before. Also it has stock axles (except shafts which is no big deal), stock trany, transfer case, engine... all your BIG ticket items. The suspension is the last final BIG mechanical mod and that is pretty simple as far as working on that kind of stuff. I'm not totally familiar with your old rig's suspension, but I imagine the rubi's could be more simple to work on.
Anyway I can go on and on with this. But If I were in your shoes, I would really study and weigh the mods that he has done, versus what it would take for you to do that with a stocker. Besides, you would be buying a jeep from a guy we all have seen and talked to on the forum for a long time. It isn't like you'd never be able to ask him a simple question again. And most of us on here have a fair amount of knowledge about the mods he has done as well. So you will have support. And like I said, I do not see anything there that a dealer would second guess at all. If they do, then find a new dealer cause that one will give you issues anyway if they are going to be like that. Many of us on ROF have been there, done that.
Exactly what I thought. I also agree I think I want a stock or nearly stock Rubi and lift it enough for 33s and then add a few trail goodies.KaiserJeep said:
Thanks everybody for the warm welcome and extremely helpful responses. I'm beginning to feel a little more knowledgeable and less like a deer in the headlights
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