build an I6 or V8, already have both

[renojeepster]

The 4.0 is a great wheeling motor.

The V-8 is a great wheeling motor, hill pulling motor, car passing motor, and I can't imagine my driving experience being the same chugging up a hill in second gear eating as much gas as I would be hauling ass with my V-8.

[Hurricane 4x4]

I would say it depends on what you wheel. I currently have a wj 4.7 on 32's, but my previous jeep was a 96 4.0 with 31's, 3.73 gearing on both. 242 on the I-6 and 247 on the WJ

Its definitely a trade off, there are pros/cons to both. Both of my jeeps are great DD's. The extra power of the v8 is nice when passing but honestly the 4.0 with 3.73's and 31's was just fine. The 4.7 is one sweet motor and gets literally the same mpg. But the 5.2 is a bit of a pig and will probably be noticeably worse.

Offroad and in low range (where i do most of my wheeling.. tight trails with rocks) the 4.0 holds its own easily. Its a torquey motor. If you mostly wheel in mud go with the v8 for sure. But I avoid mud like the plague so It never mattered to me. Also you will probably break less parts with the 4.0. I gave my open 35 hell and it never broke. But if you are going any bigger I would definitely factor in an axle swap. Also add a locker at the same time if you are going to that trouble anyway.

V8Pros- v8 has better power with big tires. The motor itself is fairly reliable. You will like the extra power if you plan to hit big mudholes.

V8 Cons- The font DS is a CV, you will want one with double cardan, Front axle also has cv's, you will want to swap in axles with 297x joints. The TC sucks and you're going to need a 231 or 242 swap. Figure a couple hundred bucks plus a day under the jeep, plus several hours scavenging parts/ swapping the input/ making it all work.

I6 Pros: 4.0 and 42RE is reliable. Mine made it to 200K with no internal work and when i sold the jeep it was running fine. 4.0 will probably get better mpg than the 5.2. Enough power for wheeling in anything but mud pits. Has a more desirable t-case, d-shafts and front axle.

I-6 Cons: rear axle will need upgrading if you go bigger than 31s, driving with 33's on stock gears may suck. (Although mine was just fine with 31's)


sorry if this is discombobulated but my mind is a little... cloudy

[zj-monster]

Well now that I wasted a post for post count numbers......let me toss in my 2 cents.
The mighty Yota and the Admins (all hail to thee...) are correct.

Had I been given a choice in the same matter I would definitely go with the V8. The I6 is gonna just about suck up the same amount of gas as the V8 will after your build, so you might as well enjoy the 2 extra cylinders.

[Hurricane 4x4]

I would never go back to the 4.0 from the 4.7. The main reason being the 4.7 makes a shitload more HP and actually gets slightly better MPG in my experience. Because of this I think there are no questions.

However the 5.2 and the 4.7 are completely different animals. The 5.2 is built old school. It is not nearly as efficient as the 4.7. If I was driving a 5.2 I think I would have a different opinion. I certainly love the extra power of the V8 but I am a college student, money is scarce and I would probably not trade the extra power for the extra money I know I will spend in gas.

[OverkillZJ]

This argument has been going on for years, and nobody wins it. So I say Opinion's only count. Great Debate Guys.

Right. So opinions count, and both suck on mlieage, but reliabitly is the same?

I'm glad we agree. Then given the choice, GET MORE POWER!

[zj95]

when is cody goin to chime in on this......

[OverkillZJ]

Frankly I've been waiting...

[CLASH]

that richard simmons pic on the last page summed this thread up perfectly.I own a I6 with 32's and 3.73 and it sucks as a dd but offroad I don't mind it one bit. I'd say go with whatever you feel is the best platform.

[piku303]

can somebody tell me why you wouldnt want a V8 over the I6 one more time? are we seriously having to debate this? like i said before, my V8 zj on 32s on stock gearing smokes my friends stock xj and my zj is no racecar so if it is a dd then why the fuck would you want an I6? i think that the dude with the poop as his avatar needs to shove that shit back up his ass and leave this forum.

[canadian_driver]

when is cody goin to chime in on this......

paging cody to the front of the thread please...




i love how one dipshit who biggest mod is his gps says he has gone places that clearly nodoby but him can go

[OverkillZJ]

Hmmm, I was posting at 2am, which means I was drunk! But I still stand by everything I said

[Slacker]

Again, 2 out of 3 of my current ZJ's say "Wow, I wish I had a V8!"

[zj4play]

Contrary to popular belief, there is such a thing as too much HP (unless I’m spending someone else’s money). I’ve done a little mechanic’n on bikes and have seen the effects added HP has on a stock driveline and I can’t afford ($$) to build something only to have it jacked up the first time it’s out.

Thoughts on T case and front axle swap with the I6 if the V8 turns out to be the answer. Most of my will be in the woods with a lot of mud and hills.

Thanks!

[OverkillZJ]

Just because the stupid pedal's there, doesn't mean you need to use it.

[Cody]

I'm here guys!!!!

OK, look. the v8 is the better motor. More reliable, more power, same weight, easier to work on, better MPG offroad, comparable onroad mpg, etc etc. I can't think of one thing that the 4.0 has over the 5.2 other than complete uselessness.

Sure, many people have had luck with the 4.0 (I'm not one of them) but find me someone who has built ZJ's with both motors--or even just owned ZJ's with both motors--that would still take the 4.0 over the 5.2. I've had 2 5.2's (soon to be 3) and 1 4.0 and I would say that had I bought the 4.0 originally I would have been happy with it as it was an upgrade from my old rig that had the only other motor on the planet that sucks more--the GM 2.8 v6. Ignorance is bliss I think for most people.

The v8's also have stronger steering and some other components as well (tranny I believe is stronger)

Honestly, if you have to ask which is better, then you probably should just hang em up and buy a mountain bike.

[JordanA]

V8. my 96 5.2L hasn't given me any problems other than a water pump here and there. She's never had any work other than random tune ups and is still pumping me out 15 mpg, plenty of passing power, and plenty of off-road ability with the Jeep sitting at 4.5", 33's and 301,975 miles.

i would never trade it up.

[zj95maxx]

V8 baby


I would choose a 5.2 over a 5.9 for the trail....IMO..

[Duncanstives]

BTW how much horsepower does the 5.2 produce?

[zj95maxx]

225 i believe

[BigDaveZJ]

Sounds about right, IIRC the 5.9 put out 245. I don't recall torque #'s off the top of my head, but they were over 250.

[2jeepsforus]

the 5.9 at the flywheel produces in the range of 245hp and 350ft lbs of torque all at the flywheel mind you.

You are retarded not to run the V8 better torque curve and the I6 is a piece of trailer trash like most of the ya hoos on this site. They were just too stupid to pony up for the V8, so much for being cheap!

Dave

[J B]

I think it's hilarious that the reliability of the 5.2L is being questioned.

Hell, it's only been around for 40 years.

And I agree with basically everyone else about the V8. It has no disadvantages compared to the straight six, and lots of advantages. If you had access to both, you'd be a fool to choose the 4.0L....

[rccolacc]

There's no replacement for displacement. I've had a 4.0 XJ and now I have a 5.2 ZJ. Hands down I'd choose the 5.2. Sure the 4.0 is fine for crawling, but when you need to spin the tires, the 5.2 has a lot more juice.
As far as reliability, I had both for about 150K and other than normal maintenance, they've never been hard to maintain or keep reliable.
I think the 5.2 has around 225hp and 300ft-lbs of torque if I remember correctly.
-RC

[zj4play]

Thanks for the input.

What about the T case and front axle swap with the I6, or should I hold off on that until I can get the parts from a bone yard?

[JordanA]

I'd figure out which motor I was going to run before thinking about swaps. Search for the t-case swap and you'll find what you need.