Jeep Garage  - Jeep Forum banner

Is Sport mode "worth it"?

8K views 34 replies 24 participants last post by  Snipe315 
#1 ·
Contemplating spending the extra few grand on a WK2 with Select-Terrain. The only reason I'd be doing it is for Sport mode. How much better is Sport mode than Auto mode with regard to shift points, throttle response, etc?
 
#2 ·
I hardly use the sport mode. I bought the Select Terrain 'coz i wanted a 4-lo option and hated the hole without it.
 
#3 ·
It does make a slight difference - lets the engine rev slightly higher in each gear but by no means is it night and day difference performance wise - very subtle. If thats the ONLY reason you want it I would say skip... like Aiyer said the biggest advantage is the 4lo option esp if you do any type of off roading
 
#5 ·
I am for it. I think it is a night and day difference myself in that it holds the shift higer in the rpm before dropping into the next, makes "spirited" driving much much more fun. And since there is no tune available for the cars shift point yet I would get it again. I have the Quadra lift which also drops the nose of the car down some and the back just a little less for aerodynamics,,

I really do like the combination but that being said, my 3.6 is running great! Nice and strong! Sport mode really does liven it up!

2c
 
#6 ·
I like Sport mode for a very different reason. I got the All Weather Package as I wanted the 4-Lo for resale value as around where I live you need that or the Hemi to get a boat out of the water. The rest of the time the V6 is all you need (I'm sure the Hemi is fun but I wanted cloth seats).

I found that it also significant changes the 4X4 to more of a rear wheel drive. The standard 40/60 split is terrible in small, tight city driving as the front fights the pavement when you have the wheel turned all the way to the stop. Flip to Sport mode and you no long have all the pulling/bucking feelings on the steering wheel. The city where I live allows commercial property to have no parking or only what they think they need for customers. So all the owners put in only compact car parking which makes every turn a full crank to the steering wheel stop (full size F-150's, etc can't park next to each other or even across from each other).

Of course if you live in a regular suburban area you won't notice a difference. When I took it to visit family, never switched it out of Auto mode as the parking lots were sized per normal zoning, but I also don't ever remember cranking the steering wheel to the stops.
 
#7 · (Edited)
IMO, while it does make a difference, it is not like other euro brand sport/dynamic programs. Things aren't that much noticeably sporty.
Let me reiterate by saying that I have the Hemi, which has good pickup even without Sport on. From what I have heard, the Pentastar
in the WK2 is sluggish without the Sport.
 
#8 ·
I like the Sport mode. The car drives more "normal" as far as throttle response and shift points. Otherwise the Jeep doesn't respond much with throttle tip in and ultimately you push the pedal further until it kicks down a gear and takes off more than you would like. I wish there was a setting for the Sport mode shift points and throttle response along with the regular suspension height/ESC, which the Sport mode changes. Supposedly it also splits the power 20/80? Overall the Jeep feels lower, tighter and more responsive with Sport mode. I doubt there is any 0-60 time difference.
 
#11 ·
I like sport mode because it lowers the Jeep more and I like the lowered look. Not sure if the vehicle you are talking about has air suspension though. Heck, I would drive around in park mode if I could :)
 
#12 ·
I used to use the Sport mode quite a bit when I first got the JGC, especially up windy mountain road where I live. Here lately though I have sort of forgot about it and keep it in auto mode. On the V6 it keeps the rpms quite a bit higher and shifts much sooner but that equates to more fuel being used. If I wanted more power and less mpg's I would have bought the Hemi.
 
#13 ·
Sport mode is a lot of fun to drive with and to it is a very noticeable difference for spirited driving. Since the MPG is crappy anyway in the Hemi I don't really notice that much difference in gas usage. Actually to be honest I really don't try to notice I just ignore and put gas in when needed. :D
 
#14 ·
Gotta get the airbag system and sport mode!
 
#16 ·
I use sport mode on the dry winding roads around my place in Oregon. As I can't try the various things it does individually (lower, shift pt differences, and 80/20 torque) it's hard to pin point happens exactly. overall, its noticably crisper in handling and shifting and i like that. Could be my imagination, but .... As its raining now, auto is the setting of choice and mud for the fire and farm roads i get on now and then.
 
#18 ·
I use sport the majority of the time unless road conditions won't allow it. Quicker off the line, it just makes the jeep more fun to drive, IMO.

Also, I've been impressed with sand and snow modes.

I'd highly recommend spending the extra money on selec terrain, it's been very useful for me throughout the seasons, vacations and such.


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk
 
#19 ·
I use it all the time. I like the 20/80 split. I gotten rear loose a couple times ...fun
 
#24 ·
With my 2012 Overland with Hemi sport mode really pulls hard through the gears, much as I would do using paddles. I use it once in a while as there is a fuel penalty.

My friend has the V6 and he uses the sport model ALL of the time because he finds the power lacking otherwise. Oddly, in sport mode around town his MPG is worse than mine.

Robert
 
#32 ·
I was gunna say you should ask your wife. I always ask my wife when issues of RPM and engine performance come up... :lol:

Just tap once to the right into manual mode and read the gear your car is in at that speed, then do it in Auto and see if it's a different gear. Assuming grade, speed, wind speed, throttle, and bugs on windshield are all the same.

I drive in sport mode a lot, but find it is so little different than auto wrt shift rpm, I go to manual a lot to limit upshifts when city driving. Rear bias is noticeable and I think that is what makes it a bit faster... Less drivetrain drag??
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top