I need some opinions. After reading this site for a bit, I don't think it will be to hard to find.
I'm going to buy a new JK and install 2.5" lift w/35s. Out of the box I like the look of the Sahara, but I see the rubicon has a lower gear ratio with a couple other options. What are the pros and cons and which would be a better fit for a daily driver/weekend warrior after the modifications.
This will be my main vehicle. I live in iowa, we don't have mountains to climb, so nothing to crazy. I was just asking for opinions and other peoples preferences. This is part of my research.
Welcome to the forum... I can only speak for the Rubicon my other Jeep was a TJ...
Rubicon
Reason:
Dana 44 axles
Gear 4.10 Hill descent control Tru-lok electronic locking frnt/rear differentials Electronic front sway bar disconnect
From what I'm tracking the Sahara doesn't have this.
If you are really going to push it crawling rocks and very technical terrain or you are going to run 37"+ tires. The Rubi makes sense. Otherwise you will probably very satisfied with the Sahara or even a Sport.
Most owners that *really* need a Rubi for the off road adventures don't need to ask the question.
The Sahara and Sport are very capable off road vehicles in the hands of a skilled driver and can any where a Rubi can go with an average driver. It's like buying a sports car with a 450 HP instead of the stock 350 HP model.
If you want Rubi by all means get, but if not save the money for mods. If you hang out on this forum you will Jeep parts you never knew existed.
I chose a Sport model, because Sahara has all comfort options and painted fenders and painted hard top. For me, i didn't need any of that. My goal was to use as a DD and some minor light trails.
After my first basic off roading and rock crawling experience, i told to myself that im building this to take it to Moab and Rubicon. Do i regret not getting Rubicon model? No. Although, for most people its the most convenient option. You just pay for all options that Rubicon offers which are nice. But, i know i can build my own "Rubicon" with less money but a better one. You just need to ask yourself if you want to spend all the time doing the build by yourself and learning all that for Sport/Sahara model or pay ready to go "Rubicon".
I have owned both. My Sahara was very capable off road, once I completed several mods and spent plenty of money on it. My Rubi is more capable stock than the Sahara except for clearance. Yes the Rubi cost more upfront, but take into consideration everything is under warranty on the Rubi. Some dealers might try to say you voided your warranty due to mods also. Take some time and compare cost. By the time you build a Sport/Sahara to the same specs of a Rubi, the cost will be pretty close.
Getting the Sport/Sahara and adding the ARB Air Lockers and a compressor w/on board air...also front & rear bumpers w/winch & Rock sliders you are well below the cost for the Rubi. THe Transfer case would be another $3k if you really needed the 4:1 crawling ability.
As for quick disconnect sway-bar endlinks....your gonna get out to air down your tires anyhow, its not much harder to manually quick-disconnect the links while you wait on the tires to finish up!
I decided to get the SportS w/3.73s, then add the offroad capable parts a little at a time.
You said that you "like the look" of the Sahara. The only difference in the look is the painted flares. You can order them as an option on the Rubicon.
My JK is my DD. For me, I like the fact that the bone stock Rubi more than capable enough off road for the things I do. So I can mod for looks, creature comfort, etc and not have to consider more difficult trade offs like: how will this lift effect on road handling; what's going on with my drive shaft angle, etc. For folks who never go off road at all or who are building off road monsters the trade odds are very different.
I was in yours shoes and stuck deciding between the Rubicon and Sahara and ultimately went with the Sahara because it is going to be my DD. I did opt for the 3.73 gear ratio for towing though, which I believe is a good compromise between standard and the 4.10 GR. It comes down to this, what will you use it for? The Rubicon comes ready to accept most abuse a hardcore Jeeper will throw at it, where a Sahara is a little more comfortable but still quite capable for any situation that the average Jeep owner will encounter.
....for some reason this OP generated a phrase in my imagination that "Safari is 'lipstick on a pig'" while "Rubicon is 'going whole hog'"....since he's in the midwest.
Rock crawling country alone is not in itself reason to chose Rubi while DD via Safari isn't what makes that the best choice either.
In the 50,000+ miles I've put on my Safari, not once would I have needed any of the additional hardware the Rubi offers.....yet I live in country that often merits using 4x4 for reasons other than 'airing down' and etc.
As much a mobile-entertainment-center as a DD, my 08JK continues to provide more Jeeping capacity than I use on a daily basis, yet would be hard pressed to replace at the moment when needing some application it serves so well in stock form.
Discovery of what stock Wrangler will do in itself is a Grand Pleasure. My buddy has added $20k to his 2011 Rubi and has to specifically strive to find ways to use the upgrades in his DD suburban commute life style.....although when he does it certainly outperforms in many ways what I can expect from my stock Safari.
I choose the Sahara over the Rubicon because I wanted the limited slip rear differential option for winter driving. Although many folks do fine without it. I also custom ordered my Jeep so it has exactly the options I wanted.
I love the look of my painted flares, but they do attract rock chips.
Sahara wheels/tires and silver bumper are the only things, looks wise, that can't come on a rubi. Chances are the wheels are gone when you do 35's anyway. So the question you should be pursuing is how much capability do you need/want.
Rubi:
lockers
sway discos
4.10 gears
4:1 transfer
Dana 44 front
Heavy duty shocks
Sahara:
Optional Trac-Lok
Performance shocks
Like others have mentioned, if you plan on doing a significant amount of wheeling you likely don't want the painted flares or top.
While the Sahara would be less expensive than the Rubi, and could include limited slip (for day to day driving in winter), the Rubi is available with 4.10's, which would be better for 35's.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Ask a question
Ask a question
Jeep Wrangler Forum
9M posts
468K members
Since 2005
A forum community dedicated to Jeep Wrangler owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about reviews, performance, trail riding, gear, suspension, tires, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, for all JL, JT, JK, TJ, YJ, and CJ models!