Is having a TJ safer than the old CJs in terms of rollover?

CJ's are a little easier to roll over since their track width is smaller than a TJ's. I wouldn't be worried about rolling over. My TJ was my first car when I lived in the mountains, I never had a problem even with it lifted.

Getting a TJ to work on depends on how busy you are. When I was in high school, I never really had time to work on my TJ due to traveling for sports, schoolwork, and just other activities I liked to do (snowboarding, hiking, etc..). When it broke I just dropped it at the shop and got it back a few days later. TJ's are pretty easy to work on though, so I wouldn't be worried about it all that much. YJ's are a little too old and JK's are too new in my opinion, so a TJ works nicely especially for a first car. You won't care that much that is gets dented up.

welcome to the great JEEP world !!! I own a CJ & a TJ as well. While the TJ is way more comfy, it can still b dangerous. They are not sports car nor regular cars for that matter. Being they sit higher with a short wheelbase, one must drive them with care. As for wrenching on them, since computers took over, the engines are somewhat more complicated to work on. Whereas the rest of the drivetrain is relatively simple...

The Wrangler series in general is very easy to work on compared to other cars of their eras. In a lot of cases, they are designed to be modified.

On the newest Jeeps (JL series) Mopar (Chrysler factory parts brand) is already selling suspension kits, big brake kits, upgraded axles, etc. The Wrangler series is one of the few vehicles that manufacturers don't purposely make it difficult to modify. (In fact, they encourage it to a degree.)

The rollover risk is reduced in a TJ compared to a CJ. Also, the modern roll bar is stronger and has more coverage. The airbags, modern seatbelts, and modern seats make the TJ much safer than older models. And there is no limit to the amount of aftermarket safety gear you could buy.

I’ll add another vote for a TJ for your son. The Jeep Wrangler progression from CJ-YJ-TJ just kept getting better and more driver friendly with each model with no real trade offs either. FWIW, even with limited wrenching experience, I think you will find the TJ a pleasure to work on compared to most modern vehicles.

There was a guy on this forum that rolled his down a mountain a year or two back. Like many revolutions down a pretty steep grade. He walked away, and rebuilt the TJ. It was banged up but nothing too major.

I would be willing to bet a CJ would not have fared that well. But in any case the TJ is pretty tough.

I had a '79 CJ-7 in high school. Leaf springs and no sway bars with a hard top and 31's. Drove it like hell , off roaded it, took across country while in the military. Never even came close to rolling it until I lifted it on Scout Dana 44 with spring over lift and 39.5 Swampers. Only then it was because I tried to pull a buddies dead Jeep up a muddy hill, lost traction and started sliding backward. Laid it on it's side. Totally my fault.

Now I have a '98 TJ, totally stock and it corners almost as good as the old BMW 325 I used to have....almost.

Not saying it's impossible, but you'd really have to try.

But, yes, A TJ will be much better than a CJ.

You are on a TJ ehthusiast forum, so you may get a vote or two for the TJ. That said, The TJ has undergone some significant design evolution and it still retains the old school charm and simplicity. The earlier inline sixes were good engines, but the 4.0 in the TJ was the apex of the design. When compared to a YJ, the TJ is better looking and more comfortable to drive IMHO. I love the looks and class of the CJ and would love to own a nice rust-free one, but I do know the TJ has superior capabilities in almost every area. One area the CJ may score higher is in cuteness.

The YJ jumped light years in handling with a wider frame and wider track. The TJ did the same light years jump with airbags, rear seat shoulder belts, and a safer seating position, they moved the front seats closer together and further back to fit the airbags. Plus the windshield got real A Pillars.

I love CJ2s but I feel naked driving one.

WallyWest said:

There was a guy on this forum that rolled his down a mountain a year or two back. Like many revolutions down a pretty steep grade. He walked away, and rebuilt the TJ. It was banged up but nothing too major.

I would be willing to bet a CJ would not have fared that well. But in any case the TJ is pretty tough.

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This guy ?



Yep, they are built like a brick.

One of the safest cars to drive according to Insurance industry statistics is a TJ. The worst car to drive if you like life is a Nissan 370ZX. And most of the Nissan fatalities are single vehicle accidents. The need for speed.

Chris said:

A TJ is safer than a CJ in terms of rollover chances. The TJ...CJ was not only narrower, but shorter as well. One of the reasons they designed the YJ to replace it was to address the rollover issue that plagued the CJ (or at least people who didn't know how to drive them).

I would personally get your son a late model YJ or a TJ. Both are going to be better in every way. IMHO, the TJ is the best of the Wranglers because it's modern enough to have the features you want such as fuel injection, but not so modern that it's impossible to work on as a DIY mechanic (like the JK and JLs).

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Fixed it for ya Chris.

Wow.... I've had a CJ5, two CJ7's, a YJ and now a TJ. The 5 I owned was lifted and the V8 had been "worked" on so it was just short of a death trap. The steering was typical for a 5 in that you didn't really steer it ....you aimed it... I had that thing up on 2 wheels more than a few times.

The CJ7s I had were both much more stable and comfortable than the 5. They were both longer and wider while the engine was a little lower. I lifted one of them over 32's and it still retained 98% of the handling and drivability it had before I lifted it.

The YJ was again a little longer and wider than the CJ and it also had a little lower center of gravity. It was a noticeable notch more nimble and handled better than the CJ7's. I've had the TJ for about a month now and its driving manners are a noticeable notch above the YJ.

As for safety.... the first question is: Will it be mostly stock or will you be lifting it and modifying the suspension? If the answer is no then the TJ is probably your best bet for safety of the bunch. A heavily modified TJ could be just as much of a rollover risk as a stock CJ in most circumstances. Rollovers are exercises in physics and the higher the center of gravity combined with short wheelbases can increase your risk. This isn't to say a lift kit or big tires make a Jeep unsafe rather than the driver needs to be aware of the differences these things can cause in the overall handling etc.

Working and/or restoring: I can't speak to working on CJ's today. My assumption is that you can find most everything you need to fully restore one. My biggest concern with a 40 year old Jeep would be rust n the frame and body. Those are things that are tough to do at home. My YJ was the only Jeep I bought new so I didn't do much to it other than add tops, stereos etc. to it. My TJ will be with me for some time. I'm not going to do any heavy mods and will not be off road other than some mid-level trails so I'll be more in the "maintain" area over restore area with it. My initial impression is that I can find just about everything you need to do that is readily available.

This might help a little... the insurance industry actuarial tables showed the TJ specifically safer than most cars, that occupants were less likely to be seriously hurt in an accident than in a typical car, plus the average cost to repair after an accident was less than the average car. Reasons include that the TJ is significantly heavier than most cars (true) due to its heavy steel frame and heavy steel body. Few modern cars have a frame, they're now unibody designs. Like a cracker box unibodies are stiff but not truly strong like a body on frame design is.

So far as resistance to rolling goes neither my red TJ rolled nor did the blue TJ. No that camera was not tilted, it was level.

Here’s another great sequence on rollover:

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/daily-driver-go-where-i-want-to-build.9410/page-125#post-600188
Obviously there are various factors at play off road, on road, and per situation.

Coil spring suspensions are much better at keeping the wheels on the ground than leaf springs. Leaf springs are better at carrying heavy loads. This is why pick up trucks have coils on the front and leaves in the rear.

I used to get my old 95 Rio grande yj up on 2 wheels quite often during evasive maneuvers, so much so I would expect it and adapt my driving style to compensate for the shitty handling.

I've never once been able to ride on 2 wheels with my tj.

Here's a TJ crash test video:
Here's the writeup:
https://www.iihs.org/ratings/vehicle/jeep/wrangler-2-door-suv/2004
Check out the JLU for fun:

Having owned all these, CJ2, CJ3, CJ5 x 2, CJ7, CJ8 and 3 TJ's the only one I ever rolled was the CJ8 and it was my fault. You need to teach him safe driving habits for the condition and it's a Jeep not a car!! I love the older CJ's but they have climbed out of my price range!! I never owned a YJ cause I didn't like the square headlights! Ease of working on goes to the CJ hands down. Comfy driving and wheeling goes to the TJ.

It will come down to personal preference, me being almost as old as Jerry(hey bud) I like comfy on road and on trail riding!!!!!