‘Terrifyingly Quick’: Fearless Individual Launches a V8 Jeep Wrangler 392 on a Snow Rally Course

      YouTube | Team O'Neil

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      With 470 horsepower and large tires, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 Xtreme Recon is ideal for quick travel in a straight line. When there’s ample open land to unleash the Hemi, it’s truly impressive. But how does this long-wheelbase, solid-axle vehicle perform in the tighter confines of a rally stage?

      That’s what Wyatt Knox of Team O’Neil aimed to discover. He drove one of these V8 Wranglers around a challenging rally course that was also blanketed in snow. However, this particular Wrangler 392 was fitted with studded Nokian Hakkapeliittas—among the best winter tires available—making the situation manageable. In 4-Hi and Off-Road Plus mode, Knox indicated in the video that it was still possible to spin all four tires at will.

      The Jeep Rubicon 392: Is it Rally-Ready?

      On the snowy terrain, the Wrangler's primary limitation was not its size or elevated center of gravity, but rather the inability to disable its ABS. This made managing the truck’s natural understeer—resulting from the four-door Unlimited’s length and solid front axle—difficult. Using the throttle to swing the back end out provided some assistance, but braking and downshifting in a straight line, akin to track driving, remained necessary rather than employing typical rally techniques.

      The Wrangler 392 doesn't seem as out of place to me as some other vehicles Team O’Neil has taken to its rally track. Unlike a Ford F-450 Super Duty or a Kia Sedona, the V8 variant was designed for speed over long distances. It also looks fantastic drifting in the snow. Knox enjoyed driving it… but mentioned he wouldn’t want to do it again.

      YouTube | Team O'Neil

      That response may not be what promotional blurbs typically highlight, yet the Wrangler recorded a commendable time of 2:26.34 over the 1.25-mile course. While that’s slower than the Super Duty in dry conditions, it compares favorably against other winter times.

      It’s also uncommon to see the full potential of the Wrangler 392 being utilized, especially as the V8 option becomes more prevalent. In just one year, Jeep transitioned from signaling the end for the Wrangler 392 to launching new Moab and Willys models alongside the Rubicon for 2026— with the latter being $30,000 less expensive than a 2025 Wrangler 392.

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