A Jeep Wrangler should always be a work in progress. Unlike your four-door sedan or family minivan, which pretty much has everything you need the moment it rolls off the assembly line, your Jeep is an opportunity to customize to your heart’s content. Many of the changes people make are simply cosmetic. Others prefer to punch up their rides with performance enhancements. If you’re using your Jeep to head off road for some freeform fun, you may be interested in how to optimize your Jeep’s performance. Here are a few of our suggestions.
Proper Tire Maintenance
If you wanted to shave a minute off your 5k time, how would you optimize your running? You’d probably start with a better pair of shoes. When it comes to optimizing your Jeep, you should also start with where the rubber meets the road. Having a quality set of tires and knowing how to adjust and maintain them is one of the best ways to get the most from your Jeep. Off-roading calls for lower air pressure in your tires compared to street driving. Use a tire deflator tool to measure your psi—you should aim for about 15-20 psi on the trails compared to 35 psi on pavement. Also, don’t forget to rotate your tires after six months to prevent uneven wear.
Aftermarket Air Intake System
You need oxygen and so does your engine. An improved intake system will give your Jeep a boost. A cold air intake inducts cooler and thus denser air into the engine, which leads to stronger combustion reactions and more power. Adding a cold air intake could improve your Jeep’s horsepower by as much as five hp.
High-Performance Exhaust System
Once you’ve handled the air going into your Jeep’s engine, consider improving the air that comes out. An aftermarket exhaust system can accelerate the removal of engine exhaust from your Jeep, which also improves your engine’s performance. You don’t feel like you’re at your best when you’re coughing on polluted air, after all. The same goes for your engine. Enjoying higher power and increased torque could be just what you need to get the most from your off-road excursions.
Supercharge It
For the toughest expeditions and the most dedicated drivers, adding a supercharger is the best way to optimize your Jeep’s performance. Unlike their big brothers the turbochargers, superchargers don’t rely on exhaust gases, so they work immediately—exactly when you need them to get up that mountain or through some sandy terrain. Superchargers work by delivering compressed air to the engine. With the same quantity of air taking up less space, there’s more room for more fuel, which gives your engine a big boost in challenging off-road conditions.
