All the Jeep JL Wrangler changes we see will be focused on weight savings

wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Whether it be the body being made out of aluminum or not, the motor being smaller or not or the roof being removable or not, it seems like much of the changes we will see in the all new 2018 Jeep JL Wrangler will all be focused on weight savings". In yet another article published in AllPar, there is a growing amount of evidence or, should I say, reasonable speculation and all of it pointing to a Wrangler that will not have a removable top as we know it.

...changing the basic design of the top of the Wrangler could save even more weight. Cars without tops, such as convertibles and roadsters, need a great deal of body bolstering to maintain torsional rigidity and to avoid falling apart — a special concern for Wrangler, which is built to withstand abuse.

This, combined with the possibility of new safety rules, reportedly resulted in a redesign which eliminates the “safety bar” in favor of a stronger set of permanent tubes over the top of the vehicle, which would weight by cutting the need for lower-body reinforcement. Weight remains the biggest factor in city mileage.

If this is true, and sales flagged, Jeep could do a fixed-roof version with relatively little re-engineering and retooling.

This does not mean there will be no soft top at all, no removable doors, or even no fold-down windshield, though the latter may be difficult to justify.

2017-jeep-wrangler.jpg

http://www.allpar.com/SUVs/jeep/wrangler/2017.html
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The sad truth is that I get it. I understand why Jeep would need to make these changes or more to the case, is being forced to make these changes by our government and I can only imagine how frustrating it is for the designers. That being said, I know they are a creative bunch and I for one am eager to see what kind of solutions they come up with.
 
jnabird333

jnabird333

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I totally understand the need to shed weight too. This is why I can't understand why the IFS/IRS and aluminium body didn't happen. Don't get me wrong, I didn't and don't really want IFS/IRS, but I did like the idea of the aluminum tub. These two things would've been HUGE for weight savings. It just seems like Jeep is stepping over dollars to pick up dims and I'm worried the end result is a drastically changed direction from what we all have come to love in our Jeeps.
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

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Staff member
jnabird333 said:
I totally understand the need to shed weight too. This is why I can't understand why the IFS/IRS and aluminium body didn't happen. Don't get me wrong, I didn't and don't really want IFS/IRS, but I did like the idea of the aluminum tub. These two things would've been HUGE for weight savings. It just seems like Jeep is stepping over dollars to pick up dims and I'm worried the end result is a drastically changed direction from what we all have come to love in our Jeeps.
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I'm with you on this only, I would have been more than happy to have IFS/IRS. I know, I know, heresy but, the same was said about coils instead of leaf springs or even a 4-door Wrangler. The thing I do keep hearing from Jeep is that Sergio Marchionne has stated time and time again that they "cannot reduce its off-road capability" of the JL Wrangler. And, as much as I would hate to see a removable top go, not having one won't have much effect on the off-road capability of the JL Wrangler - it would just be a bummer.
 
jnabird333

jnabird333

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wayoflife said:
I'm with you on this only, I would have been more than happy to have IFS/IRS. I know, I know, heresy but, the same was said about coils instead of leaf springs or even a 4-door Wrangler. The thing I do keep hearing from Jeep is that Sergio Marchionne has stated time and time again that they "cannot reduce its off-road capability" of the JL Wrangler. And, as much as I would hate to see a removable top go, not having one won't have much effect on the off-road capability of the JL Wrangler - it would just be a bummer.
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I actually agree with you on the IFS/IRS and it's capability. My lack of desire for it comes from the more complicated modification of it. Making an IFS/IRS with equal or greater capability of a stock JK is definitely doable. Making it as capable as many of our modified rigs is another ball game. But honestly, I know this isn't really their concern. I do disagree with you a bit on the top though. Around me the trails are very tight and tree rubs are pretty common. Not being able to remove the top means I would be less likely to take on trails that I currently do. So while the Jeep my be as functionally capable, the fear of body damage may make it less so (at least for us).
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

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Staff member
jnabird333 said:
I do disagree with you a bit on the top though. Around me the trails are very tight and tree rubs are pretty common. Not being able to remove the top means I would be less likely to take on trails that I currently do. So while the Jeep my be as functionally capable, the fear of body damage may make it less so (at least for us).
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Like I said, not having a removable top won't have "much" effect in the JL Wrangler's capabilities but of course, that is not the same thing as "your fears" of doing body damage. Of course, I don't think we really disagree here as I'm a guy who pretty much runs topless for the better part of the year and for a reason. Hell, I even picked up a set of light weight Rugged Ridge half doors for a reason too :crazyeyes:
 
JAGS

JAGS

Hooked
It's really hard to have true a opinion on this, one way or another, until you actually start to see some of these come to the real world and not just renderings or words. One's interpretation of how extreme a "fixed top" would look and function could be on a sliding scale. Are we talking bestop pro, trans-am t-top, my sky removable panels, sky slider??? I do see why it was pushed back to 2018 though. I think part of that was to see what happens with pending regulations. The other is to give them time to meet them and get all these things ironed out.

In any case, I'm excited to see how it all develops and what the JL will finally end up being and looking like. I'll be in the market for another vehicle/Jeep when the JL is available, so I'm keeping my eyes open for the JL for sure.
 
AllAmericanInfidel

AllAmericanInfidel

Caught the Bug
JAGS said:
It's really hard to have true a opinion on this, one way or another, until you actually start to see some of these come to the real world and not just renderings or words. One's interpretation of how extreme a "fixed top" would look and function could be on a sliding scale. Are we talking bestop pro, trans-am t-top, my sky removable panels, sky slider??? I do see why it was pushed back to 2018 though. I think part of that was to see what happens with pending regulations. The other is to give them time to meet them and get all these things ironed out.

In any case, I'm excited to see how it all develops and what the JL will finally end up being and looking like. I'll be in the market for another vehicle/Jeep when the JL is available, so I'm keeping my eyes open for the JL for sure.
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I agree that it is difficult to have a true opinion on this. I'm good with keeping solid axles or independent suspension. I love my soft top and half doors, but I'm open to a fixed roof with removable panels or some sort of hybrid top. I'm good with aluminum or not. I truly do believe whatever it is, it will be more capable than the current JK. The possibility of smog heavy smaller engines scare me a bit, but what I'm really curious about is the truck they are supposed to introduce 1 year after the JL. If they make a 4 door, 5 passenger truck like the brute or similar than I will definitely buy one. If not, I'll need to decide if a JL is going to be worth the upgrade of my current rig. I can't wait to start seeing and hearing things from Jeep themselves so I can stop guessing! Give us some nuggets already Jeep!
 
JK_Dave

JK_Dave

Caught the Bug
Not sure if this is still the latest, but here's an internal memo regarding the use of aluminum on the new JL:

A team in the Farmington Hills (Michigan, USA) Aerospace and Automotive Products group is leading a new profitable growth opportunity with the 2018 Jeep Wrangler program. The next generation Jeep becomes the first to utilize our C6A1 high form alloy; we are currently the only supplier of this high form product.

Alcoa will also supply 6022 and A951, including front and rear door inners, hood outer and inner.

"There will be a large portion of that vehicle that will be aluminum. It will not be all aluminum... We've run the numbers and we've simulated mileage and the impact... Because of the difference in cost--not just of the material but the actual assembly process-- I think we can do almost as well without doing it all-aluminum. I think we can get very close," explained Marchionne.
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wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
robx251 said:
I would like to see aluminum used in the removable doors strictly for weight purposes. what does everyone elsethink about that?
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It'd be the most likely thing to make in aluminum and I'd have a hard time believing that they wouldn't be. Sure would help out a lot.
 
deezus

deezus

New member
I think we are jumping to conclusions here. IMO, they will probably have two versions, one with less off road features, the Sahara, and one with, the Rubicon. It makes perfect sense for this to happen as I dont thing Jeep is stupid enough to drastically change rhe Rubicon version, there will be riots in the streets. It's not about the goverment, it always comes down to sales and money and increasing the bottom line.

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