Major shakdown at Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep: up to six models to be axed

[Spectre]

US military won't buy Jeep Wranglers any more because they're too easy for soldiers (who are racing around the base) to tip over and kill themselves in. That's why the HMMWV or "Humvee" was introduced and why its so wide.

 

[WellsieTRD]

Ahh you beat me too it.

What a stupid comment.

Yeah, thanks for that. Perhaps its my lack of understanding of america's love of big 4wds, but Spectre's explaination was enough.

 

[Mopar Man]

I think Jeep should come out with something to compete with the Hummer H2, that would be awesome!

 

[Labcoatguy]

Shunt the Durango into the Chrysler marque.

http://www.chrysler.com/en/2008/aspen/

Been there, done that, better luck next time to them. The first-gen Durango was so much better looking than that hippo of a second generation. What they really need, on top of the obvious, is Tom Gale back in the design studio. Original Viper, Neon, LH sedans, Ram and Dakota, were all from his pen; way to piss on that legacy, noobs currently drawing Chryslers.

 

[British_Rover]

The Defender was solid axles front and rear.

IRS isn't too bad, but it has limitations on axle articulation and offroading is very harsh on your suspension and drive components. Independent suspension uses quite a bit more parts, so the chances of breaking something increase dramatically.

Fine I should have said US Spec Land Rovers. The Defender isn't sold in the US anymore and won't ever be sold in the US again in its current form.



A properly designed IFS/IRS setup can actually give you greater articulation. The LR3/Discovery 3 has 13 inches of rear wheel travel. Name another factory 4x4 that has more. The 2003-2006 Range Rovers also had 13 inches of rear wheel travel. You can get even more wheel travel then that if you play with the air suspension settings. The Range Rover also has over a foot of ground clearance in full extended mode as does the LR3. All of this with average sized tires.

A LR3 or Range Rover uses a tire that is about 30 inches tall. You can get a fairly skinny 32 inch tire to fit under a LR3 or a Range Rover.

 

[tigger]

A properly designed IFS/IRS setup can actually give you greater articulation.

Land Rover is probably the exception to the rule. Regardless of how good their stock system is, a solid axle driveline is easier and cheaper to modify, easier to work on and generally more robust. At least that has been my impression of 4WD vehicles here in the US.

 

[TC]

Fine I should have said US Spec Land Rovers. The Defender isn't sold in the US anymore and won't ever be sold in the US again in its current form.



A properly designed IFS/IRS setup can actually give you greater articulation. The LR3/Discovery 3 has 13 inches of rear wheel travel. Name another factory 4x4 that has more. The 2003-2006 Range Rovers also had 13 inches of rear wheel travel. You can get even more wheel travel then that if you play with the air suspension settings. The Range Rover also has over a foot of ground clearance in full extended mode as does the LR3. All of this with average sized tires.

A LR3 or Range Rover uses a tire that is about 30 inches tall. You can get a fairly skinny 32 inch tire to fit under a LR3 or a Range Rover.

Oh no doubt. Land Rover build probably many of the most capable SUV's being produced today. They are great offroaders. But even Land Rovers can break.

If you look at so-called "tough trucks" or extreme rock crawlers, you'll find that they pretty much always run solid axles. It's because strength is paramount in rock crawling. In Baja trucks or "trophy trucks", they tend to use IFS as it makes the trucks handle better and drive smoother over rough surfaces at high speed.

It all depends on the application and a good execution in engineering.

 

[British_Rover]

Oh yeah if you are talking about custom built rock crawlers then of course solid axles are going to be the key. An independent set up to do that would be way to expensive to build to that durability level if it was even possible.

 

[Blind_Io]

I think Jeep should come out with something to compete with the Hummer H2, that would be awesome!

Yeah, because it's awesome to aspire to suckiness. The H2 is a joke, a caricature at best. It's miserable off road, the visibility sucks, and if you knock the front end just wrong you crack the steering knuckle and your entire wheel assembly falls off. Seriously, it happened here in Richmond to a woman at a drive-thru! The suspension components are not up to off-road spec - I've heard of and seen more snapped tie-rods on H2s than any other vehicle.

Go to Moab, no one takes these monstrosities off road. The only one I have ever seen off the pavement was one with "blinged" chrome rims and custom paint on a dirt parking lot. It was parked among the real off road vehicles that were covered in dust, mud and "Utah Pin Stripes" (brush scratches). The owner was a moron, he was just so proud of his shiny H2! He was out posing next to it for photographs and polishing the few dust particles off the paint. He had no idea that everyone was laughing their asses off at him.

So, long story short: H2 = teh suk!

 

[British_Rover]

^^^^^^
As I have said before we got a H2 stuck on our demonstration course in the first three feet. It didn't even get past the first obstacle.

 

[No Boss]

Yeah, because it's awesome to aspire to suckiness. The H2 is a joke, a caricature at best. It's miserable off road, the visibility sucks, and if you knock the front end just wrong you crack the steering knuckle and your entire wheel assembly falls off. Seriously, it happened here in Richmond to a woman at a drive-thru! The suspension components are not up to off-road spec - I've heard of and seen more snapped tie-rods on H2s than any other vehicle.

Go to Moab, no one takes these monstrosities off road. The only one I have ever seen off the pavement was one with "blinged" chrome rims and custom paint on a dirt parking lot. It was parked among the real off road vehicles that were covered in dust, mud and "Utah Pin Stripes" (brush scratches). The owner was a moron, he was just so proud of his shiny H2! He was out posing next to it for photographs and polishing the few dust particles off the paint. He had no idea that everyone was laughing their asses off at him.

So, long story short: H2 = teh suk!

Since I can't +1 you, this is all I got:

http://img525.imageshack.**/img525/2710/deadh2aox0.jpg

 

[NecroJoe]

Off-road capabilities aside, they are a shit vehicle just to live with every day. I load merchandise from store into people's cars a dozen times a day in a pretty affluent area. (Stanford University is down the street, Atherton {a top 10 expensive zip-code} is the next city up another street) so I get to load all kinds of vehicles. H2's are ridiculous. You open the back door expecting a cavern, and you get a mail slot. The entire back end is mostly taken up by chassis. People expect to pick up their floor lamp in its box, and have to go home to get their 7-series sedan, which can fit the lamp in sideways across the back seat.

I have two unless who have owned them?note the past tense?and got rid of them within a year. The interior plastics scratched like they were made of cardboard, and the seat fabric was already starting to fade. The carpets started to shed badly, and the seatbelts in the back refused to recoil. One of them wouldn?t even use it to drive to work in the winter (Wisconsin) because it was so heavy it couldn?t stop on ice. He instead drove his rusted shit-box 1983 Ford Escort hatchback.

?OH, but I have kids! I need a safe vehicle!? How many more studies and crash tests do you need to see where they explicitly tell you that they perform worse in crash tests, are more likely to roll over, and have the same, or less storage capacity than most any minivan out there.

On the other hand, if I was rich, I?d have an Aston which is no more practical?

Nevermind.