80 mile per day commute question

[995speed]

so im going to college come fall and i am high considering commuting my question is will my jeep survive a 80 mile per day commute for a college semester? it has 182K on the clock. my friends say if i try it my truck will be dead within two years i however disagree cause i take really good care of the jeep with regular oil changes and etc, and these 4.0s are known to go past 300K correct? so what do you guys think? Will my truck be able to with stand a 80 per day daily commute that's mostly highway?

 

[kastein]

it'll withstand it no problem, hell I drove my clapped out 240k mile MJ to NYC and back (300+ miles) every week from around September till end of February.

It might have other issues, and you will end up doing routine maintenance and parts replacements, and I'd suggest bringing your tools with you, but it'll survive somehow.

How's your oil pressure and how does the engine sound? Any transmission slippage/lurching? Axle bearings sounding OK? Any funky brake/steering/cooling issues or suspension noises?

Best thing I can say is to routinely give the whole thing a once-over, just looking for worn out parts and things getting ready to break, and fix the most important stuff first, as it comes up.

 

[995speed]

it'll withstand it no problem, hell I drove my clapped out 240k mile MJ to NYC and back (300+ miles) every week from around September till end of February.

It might have other issues, and you will end up doing routine maintenance and parts replacements, and I'd suggest bringing your tools with you, but it'll survive somehow.

How's your oil pressure and how does the engine sound? Any transmission slippage/lurching? Axle bearings sounding OK? Any funky brake/steering/cooling issues or suspension noises?

Best thing I can say is to routinely give the whole thing a once-over, just looking for worn out parts and things getting ready to break, and fix the most important stuff first, as it comes up.

well i always carry tools shes pretty much a toolbox on wheels. my oil pressure is perfect and the engine sounds like it's brand new infact it starts up on the first shot my transmission is in great condition too in fact it just had a rebuild done not to long ago not sure about the axle bearings. As far as brakes go its got new pads and rotors up front and new shoes in the back. the power steering does creak in the morning but stops once the engine warms up. i have no cooling issues or suspension problems aside from a missing front sway bar. given what you have told me i do have faith in the truck its just a matter of putting gas in it with 31's and 3.55's i certainly wont be getting great mpgs

 

[ktm racer 419]

With any vehicle, stuff wears out. If you stay on top of maintenance and know how to turn a wrench there is no reason it shouldnt survive.

 

[XJEEPER]

No guarantees, but many of us have had XJs with well over 200k on the clock and still run strong. You may want to consider a 2nd set of used wheels and tires in the 29" range for your commute, then throw the 31s on to wheel.

 

[old_man]

I was commuting 150 miles a day for a long time. Much of it was done on my stroked XJ. Other than a blown water pump, no problems.

 

[Outlander560]

your jeep will hold up just fine..as stated above take good care of everything and you will be just fine.

It's not my business why you are choosing not to live on campus but here is my 2 cents:
Living on campus is something that is just different, it's an experience, you learn really what its like living by yourself and not having mom or dad around to help you with everything. If you can take the opportunity to live on campus I would. The people you meet and the friendships are great...being able to roll out of bed 10 minutes before your 8 o'clock class is heavenly (im not a morning person). It's all how you make of it. A lot of my buddies used to commute to school, now they're living on campus (various reasons) and they absolutely love it. The list is really endless, and it's a lot easier bringing campus girls back to your dorm for some extracurricular activities

Think about it and if you can get the chance to live on campus do it. Best thing is your not far from home just in case something does happen, me on the other hand im several hundred miles away haha

 

[995speed]

thanks for the input guys really appreciate it i still havent made my decision yet i am starting to lean towards living on campus even though i am closer to home then my old school. living on campus at my old school was terrible but ive actually made alot of friends from this school so this time around might be different. only thing I'm worried about is getting more into debit. Now thinking about it though most of my time would be spent driving and studying and most of my money that i make at work would be going towards filling up the tank. but honestly I kinda agree with what Outlander560 class its nice being able to roll out of bed and just run to class. I deff will be keeping my XJ with me though on campus i cant live without her

 

[Rob Mayercik]

I have 246K on mine, and I've no qualms about its "operational range"

I bought it stock as a DD, at the time was doing 60 miles 1-way each day (approx 30K/year). Did that for about 3 years before buying something more efficient for DD work so I could keep the Jeep around for "play" (read: snow and wheeling). With 225K on the clock I drove it to Moab, wheeled it moderately hard, and drove it home with only minor issues.

As already stated, keep up on maintenance and wear items (now that you're approaching 200K, things like brake drums, balljoints, suspension components, etc., start to fall into that category if they're original to the vehicle or haven't been changed in a long time).

Living on campus is a good experience - I did it even though I was only a hour's drive from home (you're right - a sprint across campus is a lot easier "commute" than the highways).

One thing I'd recommend, though, is to consider paring down what you keep in the truck as much as possible, and keeping what remains out of sight. Parking for on-campus residents is seldom as visible or close as what is provided for commuters, so unless you're an A-1 OCD neurotic you probably won't be swinging by your Jeep as often as you think during the day/week. Anything that minimizes that strange voice that calls out to thieves/vandals/general morons to pick your truck over some other vehicle is a good thing.

 

[Lurch]

thanks for the input guys really appreciate it i still havent made my decision yet i am starting to lean towards living on campus even though i am closer to home then my old school. living on campus at my old school was terrible but ive actually made alot of friends from this school so this time around might be different. only thing I'm worried about is getting more into debit. Now thinking about it though most of my time would be spent driving and studying and most of my money that i make at work would be going towards filling up the tank. but honestly I kinda agree with what Outlander560 class its nice being able to roll out of bed and just run to class. I deff will be keeping my XJ with me though on campus i cant live without her

Do some math. 80 miles a day, 5 days a week, average 15 mpg, gas is what $4 a gallon? So you're spending around a bill every week on gas. Now take into account time lost commuting, parking costs (it's never free on college campus'), etc. Plus as mentioned before, the freedom of living away from home is great, especially in college. You don't want to miss out on that.

Just more stuff to consider.

 

[bigalpha]

No guarantees, but many of us have had XJs with well over 200k on the clock and still run strong. You may want to consider a 2nd set of used wheels and tires in the 29" range for your commute, then throw the 31s on to wheel.

Wouldn't it be better to DD with a slightly taller tire?

 

[Johnnie Walker]

If you have already had the on your own experience, then its not needed again if you choose not to. I guess it really depends on cost. I would compare and consider that. If it costs considerably more to live on campus, I would commute.

Wouldn't it be better to DD with a slightly taller tire?

If stock gearing, no. even with different gears, a smaller more street friendly tire will be better/save your better tires for the fun stuff.

 

[bigalpha]

I figured that since the tire would be taller, you'd roll further with each revolution of the tire. This is why I'm not an engineer.

 

[Shorty]

I figured that since the tire would be taller, you'd roll further with each revolution of the tire.

which is true-- but the energy required to keep them turning at their current speed will typically negate any benefit of their size due to the additional mass of the tire/wheel combination

 

[bigalpha]

So, you'd need a wagon wheel?

 

[machinisttx]

For the last four and a half years, I had a 120 mile round trip to work and back. I wouldn't own a vehicle I didn't trust to make that kind of trip. My wife's round trip to work and back is almost 130 miles.

The above said, I would advise living as close as possible to work/school/whatever. Fuel isn't getting any cheaper, and neither are standard maintenance/wear items. Most here would have probably crapped their pants if they saw our fuel bills when gas prices peaked. :bawl:

 

[rockclimber]

I commute greater distances than that in my XJ. minimum 30miles each way, maximum, 200 each way. after that I get on a plane.

fuel sucks, other than that its fine. 195k on the odo, probably less than that because I never corrected for the 4.56s.

if you can work your schedule out, try to avoid peak traffic times, cruising on the freeway is a lot less stress on a motor and trans than bumper to bumper traffic.

 

[SanDiegoOverland]

Mines got 199,500 miles, and gets DD 45 miles per day, every day. It's done so for the last 4 years. I get around 17-19 mpgs. 1992 4.0L, 2" lift, 4x4, 4door

Only thing I do is oil changes, chassis lube, and tires. Every two years or so, I do a tune-up with new plugs, wires, cap and rotor, etc.

I'm due for tires after 2 years on these ones, but honestly I was expecting to get longer tread-life out of them. Just soft durometer-wise tires, I think, as my rig isn't very heavy at all, at the moment. Thinking about going to some tires that I can use on the rubicon in 2013, but the DD/Wheeler tire thing definitely has some merit if you can store them.

 

[Lowrange2]

I commute my 93 XJ about 70 miles every day. That's just to work. I put another 40 miles on it everyday just doing what I do.

Wouldn't it be better to DD with a slightly taller tire?

Isn't this the thread where you talk about that time when you drove your MJ across the country with a flat tire and an oil leak?