[Gina]

Suppose it was only a matter of time until someone stuffed a different engine into the Wrangler JL. Motor1 claims someone put a Chevrolet LS3 V8 engine under the hood the new Wrangler JL and that engine can pump out 450 horsepower and an equal amount of torque. That's paired with the stock eight-speed automatic gearbox. Not sure how the body will handle all that extra power, but as a Wrangler, it'd be a shame to leave it as is.

https://www.motor1.com/news/230052/corvette-v8-into-jeep-wrangler/

 

[Mudrunner]

I have no idea what you're going to do with 450hp in a Jeep, and I'm not sure how the stock frame/components will handle such a steep increase in performance. Certainly a quick way to convert your brand new Jeep into a thirsty beast, as I'm sure that v8 will require constant fuel ups. It'll be interesting to see how the additional torque improves off road capability however.

 

[Jeepernator]

It's a Wrangler, if it can be done someone out there would want to do it. The car is Jeep's equivalent of a Lego set, they give you a base to work on or not depending on what you fancy. The extra horsepower seems wasted to me unless you plan on tearing it down a straight, but the extra Torque could be appealing so long as the stock eight-speed automatic transmission can effectively handle it.

 

[Mudrunner]

Yeah I definitely think this engine swap was more to see if they could, rather than finding any fault with the stock set up. Certainly doesn't seem to play to the Wrangler's strengths and I don't think you'd find any use for the extra horsepower. Those guys over at Bruiser Conversions only seem to deal in the extremes and I'm not sure how a DIY LS3 swap kit would work..

 

[JeepFan]

I bet we will see some aftermarket tuners come out with these but instead of using regular retail Wranglers, end up getting a special bare bones version from Jeep.

 

[Mudrunner]

The base platform of the Jeep sure does seem to entice aftermarket shops. I'd love to see some crazy conversions that look similar to some of those Apocalypse mods that have been done on previous generations. I have a feeling that this new model of Jeep is going to see some real off road transformations, as it seems Jeep has provided owners with a much improved starting point.