2002 Jeep Wrangler used for work need ideas.

[Ratrod]

would the lock out hubs be for the front? I have looked for lowering springs to drop it 1 1/2" but no one makes them for the WranglerI thought this would help at highway speeds.

[nemo]

They would go on the front. I believe the idea was to stop the front axles from turning. I don't know if they can be used on your Jeep or not. Just remember my brother using them on some of his trucks. You might do a site search for lockout-hubs.

[Ratrod]

I havent found any lockout hubs. The scan gauge is the biggest help with fuel economy. I also put alloy wheels on. I coast to a stop as much as I can. I recently had the transmission serviced and a moddifier was used for the hard use it gets. I am looking into springs to lower it a couple of inches and thinking about 205/75/15 tires also.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by comptiger5000

Yeah. The XJ is one of the lightest SUVs, at about 3100 lbs. A TJ (97-06 Wrangler) weighs around 3500 - 3800 lbs. Also, keep in mind, being an 02, your TJ only has a 3 speed auto, no overdrive. An 03+ would have a 4 speed auto with OD. Any 5 speed TJ, or any auto or 5 speed XJ would also have an OD tranny.

We've had three Cherokees. The pair of 2001 2WD's always weighed more than 3,400-lbs (full fuel, no driver) when on a certified scale. The 4WD's can easily get above 4,000-lbs with driver, fuel, tools and some aftermarket. They also have an OD automatic. You won't know what yours weighs until you put it on a scale with yourself, business tools and supplies plus full fuel. That's the minimum weight, IMO.

Delivery service is hard duty, no question.

FE is important but it fits into an overall picture. What is the average speed over a work day (engine hourmeter divided into total miles)? That's where the problem lays. Thus an understanding of all costs is relevant, as that Jeep has short maintenance intervals. Brake adjustment (two weeks or less with rear drums), alignment, etc all need careful attention.

Cost projection over an estimated lifetime is where to begin:

Download "Your Driving Costs" 2010

My truck may achieve .14 cpm in fuel cost, but my overall is .56 (and I need to update it, that's a bit high for calendar 2010).

FE is relative for a business vehicle. "Icing on the cake" at best, assuming the vehicle is well-chosen for it's intended purpose.

.

[Zerohour]

Originally Posted by Ratrod

I havent found any lockout hubs. The scan gauge is the biggest help with fuel economy. I also put alloy wheels on. I coast to a stop as much as I can. I recently had the transmission serviced and a moddifier was used for the hard use it gets. I am looking into springs to lower it a couple of inches and thinking about 205/75/15 tires also.

A mail route and the jeep, you are probably doing all slow moving and accelerating. Do you drive highway to your delivery location? Is it hilly? I haven't found a way to kill off fuel consumption for this. I'm in a simliar, yet slightly better spot with my Subaru. Acceleration just eats the FE.

Light weight is going to be best option if your creeping along, but honestly that 4.0 straight six is a dinosaur in terms of engines and theres not much to do for better FE. Reducing tire weight will help some. And possibly changing out to different gears, but that will effect the speedometer.

I've been curious about getting a lightweight pulley for my subaru, perhaps this would work for the jeep as well. Not sure if there are lightweight pulleys for a Jeep, or if they are harmonic balancers.

[Jim-Bob]

I have a few thoughts on this matter. One of them is maybe switching to a newer 4 cylinder Jeep instead of the one you currently have. The smaller engine would be fine for the low-speed crawl of mail delivery and with the low range would likely not sacrifice too much ability on unimproved public roads. It would also give you an overdrive transmission for highway use. Also consider switching to all season radials instead of mud and snow tires for the parts of the year where you don't need the M+S tires. They would have less rolling resistance and probably give you a little fuel economy.

Have you considered getting a smaller car to use during good weather? something like a Geo Metro would still have good cargo capacity but probably uses 50-70% less fuel at a low-speed crawl through neighborhoods. On days with bad weather you could still use the Jeep but the combination of the two vehicles could potentially save you a lot of money.

[comptiger5000]

slowmover - Those sound awfully heavy for XJs. The curb weight is 3050, IIRC, so add in a few things, and I could see 3200 - 3300 being reasonable. A 4wd should only weigh about 120 pounds more than a 2wd, due to the t-case, and the addition of a diff and axle shafts to the front beam axle.

[morpheous71]

Fellow jeeper, running a 2002 liberty, which weighs 4600lbs. best mileage so far 20.5mpg, that was today, and after I was silly enough to put on a highflow muffler which I believe dropped my mpg's. Most of this stuff is all new to me, so I'm currently learning how to use my scanguage and relearn my driving. These babies sure do like to drink there juice though. Best of luck with your mods.

[hypermiler01]

Subaru Justy, AWD, selectable 2WD or AWD, 1.2L 3-cylinder engine. Weighs 1000 pounds less than what you have now.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by comptiger5000

slowmover - Those sound awfully heavy for XJs. The curb weight is 3050, IIRC, so add in a few things, and I could see 3200 - 3300 being reasonable. A 4wd should only weigh about 120 pounds more than a 2wd, due to the t-case, and the addition of a diff and axle shafts to the front beam axle.

If your thinking is relying on published shipping weights, then you need to add in driver, full fuel and some miscellaneous. My numbers are derived from certified scales (as are the numbers for the comparable year 4WD version from owners reporting axle readings).

Generally, add 450-lbs to shipping weight numbers. Won't matter if it's a Taurus or a pickup truck.

A 4WD Cherokee weighs at least 350-lbs more than a 2WD.