Jeep Wrangler Essay, Research Paper

John North Willis was the founder of the most useful vehicle ever.

The Jeep hasn’t changed much over the years. There was the CJ2 which was

very small and short wheel base, CJ5’s were a little bigger than the CJ2,

now there is the CJ7 or the Jeep Wranger.

The first jeep made was the Willys Jeep made by Willys Overland

Company. The jeep was developed for the army, it did more than the armys

expectations it was apprent that the jeep had versatility and usefulness and it

still does today. The Overland company almost went bankrupt in 1907 but a

saleman helped out and turned the Willys company around by making them

have the second highest sales in the United States. The army gave a list of

requirment for a military vehicle. The army liked the jeep but they wanted it

to be lighter, they wanted 263 pounds off the already bare bones vehicle and

without sacrifcing the strength and power of the jeep. So they change all the

nuts, clamps, washers, studs, screws, the heavy carbon stell was replaced

with a much lighter alloy. Finally the jeep made it and weighted 2160

pounds with ounces to spare and proved it’s versatility and usefulness. Then

in 1945 the jeep was made available to the public.

It’s simple, you either like jeep’s or you don’t. A car designed short and

noisy, jeeps are not the best vehicle on the road but 80,000 of them were sold

in the last two years. The closest competitor is the Suzuki Sidekick and the

Geo Tracker.

In the 1997 Jeep Wrangler put in their coil spring suspension. It

makes a smoother ride for the highway and on the backroads this gives the

jeep greater off road stability too.

The new jeeps have all new interior with two airbags, the handling has

improved, the the off road ability has improved with changes like a stiffer

frame and a new leaf spring suspension, also a new soft top has been made to

not pick up so much dirt. The interior has improved with more room in the

front seat and the back seat more comfortable.

You have a choice of two transmissions, a three speed automatic that

is best for city driving with good low-end torque or a five speed manual that

gives more power but not as easy to drive. You also get to choose your tops, a

soft top made of canvas that is cool and noisy or a more expensive hard top

that is made of fiberglass. The hard top is more secure with a dome light and

rear whiper and has glass windows and the soft top has vinyl windows. A

big decision is the size of the engine you want in your jeep, you can have the

2.5 liter with 120 horsepower or a 4.0 liter with 181 horsepower. The 4.0 is

best for pulling and can go from 0 to 60mph in 10.1 secends which is really

good for a 4-wheel drive vehicle and you can engage the 4-wheel drive at any

speed.

The Jeep has improved over the years and they are just the best car for

anything you can put in front of them.