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Any Positives with 3.21?

4K views 34 replies 26 participants last post by  21edupej 
#1 ·
Just got a call from my dealer my Jeep is ready for pick up on the 16th. I made a modifcation late in the order from 3.21 to 3.73 however I don't think the modification was done in time for the build. So I am expecting the 3.21.

Can anyone let me know what positives I can expect? I don't plan to tow. Off-Roading yes but I will keep the jeep stock. No Lifts and not planning to get bigger tires in short term and long term.

Is there any good points to having the 3.21?
 
#11 ·
C.L. said:
*If you have 3.73 in writing from any point during the ordering/building process, bring it with you and push for a swap prior to delivery.
Good idea. If you put it on the build sheet it needs to have it. Based on this you could possibly refuse delivery and re order.

Personally I'd take the 3.21 especially since you want it to stay stock. You'll get the best mileage out of it with that which will leave you more gas for wheeling!
 
#12 ·
I got caught with the 3.21's as well. I had an 09 auto and ASSumed that they still came standard. Oh well, still has more power than my 09 and because it's my DD I like that it revs at ~2000 rpm @ 65 mph. I'll take the better gas mileage:whistling:
 
#13 · (Edited)
Only real positive to 3.21 IMO is for the offroad shops getting money for regearing

You don't necessarily get better gas mileage either depending on your driving habits. 3.21 can make the engine lumber under strain and down shift more often if you don't take it real easy

I actually got better gas mileage in the city, when I went to lower gears. Highway depends on how level the highway is. A lot of hills still didn't give me better mileage on old gears but flat or downhill did lol. Overall I gained .5mpg in city and lost 1mpg on highway by going from 3.73 to 4.88 gears
 
#14 ·
jeepguy8888 said:
So if I keep it like this the 3.21 will pretty much be enough for my usage?

The 3.21 is slower...however is that noticable?

I am trying to cheer myself up!
Nope. Drove my buddies with the other 3.73 gears, and there isn't much difference.
And from what I've been told you can get 33s on it and still keep on truckin nbd
 
#15 ·
I thought long and hard, about regearing, then dropped it. The jeep is still fast with 3.21s, and has the power to push through deep soft sand. Rock crawling, I would say regear.

The board hype on gears will get to you if you let it.
 
#21 ·
I thought long and hard, about regearing, then dropped it. The jeep is still fast with 3.21s, and has the power to push through deep soft sand. Rock crawling, I would say regear.

The board hype on gears will get to you if you let it.
That's all I need to hear:thumb: I have the 3.21 and want to make sure I'm good on the beach:D
 
#24 ·
kbw is absolutely right!

1958 Edsel acceleration times when equipped with the E-475 and automatic transmission (From Motor Trend):

0 - 60 MPH in 9.7 seconds

And for those of you participating in the Spring Nationals at the end of April in the Great Lone Star State, you have the quickest Wrangler yet:

2012 Jeep Wrangler Sport (Manual) (From 0 - 60 Times):

0-60 mph 6.6 (Quarter Mile in 15.0)

Can't wait for you guys to bring home some of the rightfully deserved and long-awaited hardware.:popcorn:
 
#20 ·
I think you will be fine. I regretted not getting the 3.73 rear end on my F-150, ended up with the standard 3.31 with the new 5.0L and it has been fine! I think the Pentastar V-6 goes a long way in helping with the 3.21 rear. I did get the 3.73 on my Wrangler, but test drove one with the 3.21 and was not disappointed. Decided if I was ordering, might as well get the bigger rear this go around. Don't regret, enjoy your new ride!
 
#22 ·
I got the 3.21 gears on my '10 2 door with manual 6 speed. Stock setup I had no problems. I just put 33's on her and the only thing that changed from stock is when going up step bridges or over-passes at highway speeds. I have to downshift to 5th for those now if I want to maintain speed. Any other time the difference is not noticeable! Bottom end power appears to be the same in all the other gears.

I'd keep the 3.21 set-up unless ur paying extra for the change to 3.73. Then I'd want what I'm paying for!
 
#32 ·
Thanks for all the info!!!

I don't know if it's the 3.21 or 3.73 my guess order was modified to 3.73, however it was already in d1 status when I made the request.

Either way ill take what it has based on the info here ill be ok with either.

Had a tj 2003 manuel with the4.0 and I found it moved well for a jeep never lacked power. When I soldiers last year I was ready to pick up the 2011. Then I read they were changing the engine so I decided to postpone.

Friday its ready for me, and can't wait. Just wanted to assure myself either 3.21 or the 3.73 I would still be happy
 
#33 ·
My experience with 3.21 and 3.73

Just got a call from my dealer my Jeep is ready for pick up on the 16th. I made a modifcation late in the order from 3.21 to 3.73 however I don't think the modification was done in time for the build. So I am expecting the 3.21.

Can anyone let me know what positives I can expect? I don't plan to tow. Off-Roading yes but I will keep the jeep stock. No Lifts and not planning to get bigger tires in short term and long term.

Is there any good points to having the 3.21?
I can tell you my experience with 3.21 and 3.73 in a 2012 6 speed. I purchased a new 2012 on 12/31. I ended up going with 3.21s as I thought it would get better gas mileage as I do a lot of highway driving. I didn't know about these wrangler forums until I started researching why my wrangler wouldn't maintain 75-80mph in 6th on highways in Kansas. I would either have to downshift and run up RPM or go over 85 MPH to keep the RPM in a range where there was adequate torque. I was quoted $3,500 to change the gears by the dealer (and it would void the axle warranty). My dealer let me take a 3.73 on a 140 mile round trip (my commute) and I got better gas mileage with the 3.73 as I could keep it in ECO mode the entire trip. Not much better, but not worse. Fortunately, I had a great dealer that told me it would be a lot cheaper to simply trade the first 2012 in on another one. They worked me a good deal and ordered me a 2012 with the 3.73 (I added ltd. slip while at it). They let me drive my first 2012 during the 6 weeks I waited. That saved my bacon. I get reimbursed for mileage, so my out of pocket (after mileage reimbursement) to do the trade in was negligible. I am much happier with the 6spd with 3.73. It is quite a bit quicker off the start and rolls at 75-80 in a good RPM range for highway use (up low hills or into wind). On a flat highway, the 3.21s worked fine, but once you introduce hills or wind, there isn't enough torque to maintain speed or accelerate as well as I wanted. I would have thought about going with 4.10s if it was available (I didn't want to go up to a Rubicon).

I want to be able to tow and my 2 door with 3.21s only had a towing capacity of 1,000lbs per the manual. The other positive about the 3.73s is that it is easier to drive for my wife. The 3.21s took a little more clutch/gas work.

The one positive I can say is that when I hit about 4,000 miles, the 3.21s felt a lot better than it did in the beginning. It was a lot more tolerable after I put at least 3,500 miles on that motor as it seemed to run better after that break in period.

I don't think the 3.21s are horrible, but I am definitely happy I traded mine in for the 3.73s. That is only my 2 cents, but in the last 3 months, I have owned both. I haven't put nearly as many miles on the 3.73, but I think it will only get better once the motor is broken in.

All of that being said, this is a 2nd vehicle for me, so I won't drive the 2nd new one on a daily basis. Take all of that for what it is worth, but thought I would share my experience.
 
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