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2010 Jeep Wrangler Islander

27K views 34 replies 12 participants last post by  InfamousEgo19 
#1 ·
does the 2010 Jeep Wrangler Islander has anything special over the rubicon?

or its just the colors...
 
#2 ·
From a "looks neat" perspective, yes. The Islander has cool decaling and a neat interior theme.

From a "off road trail" perspective, no. It's the other way around, in fact. Off the top of my head, the Rubicon will have lockers, a better axle gearing ratio, a better front axle, and an electronic sway bar disconnect. The Islander will have none of those things.
 
#5 ·
Looks like it, yes. That came up a while back and we ended up figuring out that Islanders apparently did come with the "performance suspension," gas shocks and all. Mountains did not. :(
 
#8 ·
Whoville Islander said:
AND a whole lot other stuff. Power window/locks, AC, cruise, Rubicon suspension, 17" alloys, BFG MT's, tow package, fog lights, dual tops with tinted windows, and special Islander badging. Don't be a hater.
Well that's not QUITE right . . .

Yours may have come with all that, but the Islander generally did not. I'm pretty sure the tow package, for example, wasn't standard. Nor were dual tops. Those were "options" that were added to your Islander.

The Islander and the Mountain were about "equal". The Mountain didn't have the suspension, but it came with something else standard that the Islander did not. It may have been the power windows etc. (i.e., you paid for those over and above the Islander package whereas I did not), though I can't be sure.
 
#11 ·
My 2010 Islander and my new 2011 definitely have different rides feel. I like the 2011 much better. Now I was partial to the interior. The suspension is much tighter on the 2011. The only thing I find unusual is that the steering is strangely harder on the new jeep. The 2010 was easy like my 95 wrangler. The steering wheel is much thicker. Weird.
 
#13 ·
Bigdog76 said:
My 2010 Islander and my new 2011 definitely have different rides feel. I like the 2011 much better. Now I was partial to the interior. The suspension is much tighter on the 2011. The only thing I find unusual is that the steering is strangely harder on the new jeep. The 2010 was easy like my 95 wrangler. The steering wheel is much thicker. Weird.
Omg, i could definately be a hater of someone with 2 brand new jeeps. Haha. Lucky you!
 
#16 ·
Bigdog76 said:
My 2010 Islander and my new 2011 definitely have different rides feel. I like the 2011 much better. Now I was partial to the interior. The suspension is much tighter on the 2011. The only thing I find unusual is that the steering is strangely harder on the new jeep. The 2010 was easy like my 95 wrangler. The steering wheel is much thicker. Weird.
The steering wheel definitely changed from 2010 to 2011, but I thought the suspensions stayed the same. Apparently not?
 
#18 ·
daggo66 said:
They changed for him. The islander had gas shocks which would give a much stiffer ride. A 2011 Sport would have Hyro shock which would give a softer ride.
That's what I thought too, but he expressly said his 2011's suspension is "tighter". Even if he has a rubi now, that makes no sense unless the suspensions have changed, his Islander somehow, came with hydros, or his butt dyno calculations are off . . . Maybe he's got a Sahara now and it's the tire change he's feeling? It's a mystery!!
 
#19 ·
"tighter" is completely subjective. It should mean less body roll, but gas shocks cause less body roll than hydros so I don't understand. His description of "tighter" could be enturely different.
 
#22 ·
I've seen a handful of folks mention that their buildsheets for 2011 non-rubicons show "gas shocks". I assumed it was hust a typo or some such thing, but perhaps not.

It could have been a largely unmentioned improvement--for example, even Jeep's Islander and Mountain websites never mentioned the performance suspension. It was only after speaking with Pat and seeing a few buildsheets that it became apparent that the Islander had them standard and the Mountain did not.
 
#23 ·
I've seen a handful of folks mention that their buildsheets for 2011 non-rubicons show "gas shocks". I assumed it was hust a typo or some such thing, but perhaps not.
I wanted to bump this issue just to mention that I was perusing Jeep's website and learned that as of 2011, both Saharas and Rubicons come stock with "Monotube Shock Absorbers." (See here.) As far as I can tell, the "monotube" shocks are gas--not hydraulic. (See here.)

Thus, both Saharas and Rubis apparently now come with gas shocks. Just figured folks would want to know.
 
#25 ·
Cuz your (and my) special edition included the power windows/locks, and the Islanders didn't. Anyone who got an Islander with power windows/locks paid extra for it as an option over and above the Islander "package," whereas we did not. I think in Jeep's view, it balanced out from a money standpoint insofar as each package was "worth" about the same.
 
#27 ·
It's a bummer I know. But I'll be drowning my sorrows in some HD coils and these, so I'll get by. :D
 
#29 ·
Front coils on the way and will order shocks in a few weeks, then will do the install in April. (Happy birthday to ME.)

I am concerned that the HD front coils will overcorrect (rather than level) my rake (which is about 1.5"), but we'll see. If I'm overcorrected, then I'll put in HD rear coils and a front 3/4" in spacer and call it close enough.

No matter what, there will be pics. ;)
 
#31 ·
MTH said:
Cuz your (and my) special edition included the power windows/locks, and the Islanders didn't. Anyone who got an Islander with power windows/locks paid extra for it as an option over and above the Islander "package," whereas we did not. I think in Jeep's view, it balanced out from a money standpoint insofar as each package was "worth" about the same.
That is correct. We got the performance suspension, you got power convenience group. I paid $585 for that upgrade
 
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