Last Updated on March 5, 2023 by Paul S.
Your Jeep Wrangler or your future Jeep Wrangler has varied ground clearance depending on the generation. Ground clearance is one of the many reasons why you have purchased a Jeep and that helps get us where not too many vehicles can go. Along with ground clearance, this article will discuss some other important features to understand about your jeep that go hand in hand with ground clearance.
Table of Contents
Jeep Wrangler Ground Clearance
Here is a breakdown of the Jeep Wrangler stock clearances per generation.
Jeep Wrangler JL
Unlimited sport 4d/Sport 2 dr: 9.7 inches
Unlimited Sahara 4dr/Moab 4dr: 10 inches
Unlimited Rubicon 4dr/2dr: 10.8 inches
Jeep Wrangler JK
Unlimited Sport RHD 4dr: 8.0 inches
Unlimited sport 4d/Black Bear 4dr: 8.2 inches
Sport 2 dr/Black Bear 2dr: 8.3”
Unlimited Sahara 2dr-4dr/75th Anniversary 2dr-4dr/Backcountry 2dr-4dr: 9.7 inches
Unlimited Rubicon 2dr-4dr/Hard Rock 2dr-4dr/Willys 2dr-4dr/: 10.0 inches
Jeep Wrangler TJ:
Sahara dr: 8.5 inches
Sport 2dr: 8.5 inches
SE 2dr: 8.5 inches
Jeep Wrangler JK: 8.2 – 9 inches
Again, please note that these clearances are for a stock Jeep Wrangler. If you have a new to you, Wrangler, then it could have modifications that increase these heights.
What Approach, Departure, And Breakover Angles Does The Jeep Wrangler Have?
While ground clearance is one of the more important items for navigating tough trails it’s not the only one. Another important factor of a vehicle to understand is the approach, departure, and break-over angles.
These approach and departure angles are important because they can determine what obstacles/slopes your front bump/undercarriage, your rear bumper/undercarriage can crawl over without hitting them.
The break-over angle is an angle at which your vehicle can drive over without the point of that angle touching the bottom of your vehicle at any point. Think about cresting over a hill, if you hit the bottom of your vehicle on the highest point of the hill then you would need to lift your vehicle or create a larger break-over angle to avoid it next time.
A good example of this is to think about a limousine and how difficult of a time they have going up driveways. If the driveway goes up and immediately slopes down the limousine will have a big chance of scraping or even getting stuck at the peak of the driveway because it has a long wheelbase which creates a small break-over angle.
For the Jeep Wrangler JL, the approach angle is 41.4°, 41.8°, 44°, and the departure angle is 35.9°, 36.1°, 37° these are for the Sport, Sahara, Rubicon respectively. Break over angles are 20.3°: Sport 4dr, 25°: Sport 2dr, 21°: Sahara, and 22.6°: Rubicon 4dr, 27.8°: Rubicon 2dr.
One thing to notice is that the break-over angles for the 4dr unlimited are smaller because they have a larger wheelbase to accommodate the 2nd row of seating.
Conclusion
No matter what type of Jeep Wrangler you have the ground clearance is going to be perfect for you to get out on the trail and see what it can handle. Every time I take my Wrangler out, I am very nervous to tackle new obstacles, but it is very surprising what it can handle each time. Of course, remember that if the height isn’t enough, you can always throw on a lift and larger tires and dominate even more!
To check out how much ground clearance a Bronco Sport has check out our article here: What is the Ford Bronco Sport Ground Clearance
