I have a 2006 LJ Rubi that I have used off road for many years. We also have a 2017 JKU Rubi the wife uses as a grocery getter. We are thinking of getting a more economical car for the wife, handing down/selling the LJ to my son to replace his '74 K5 Blazer, and doing a mild build on the JKU so we can hit some trails.
FYI, we are getting older and doing those "bang the snot out of it" trails is not what we do. We do a lot of moderate trails and intend to finally do Moab and the Rubicon sometime in the near future. So I don't need a real hard core rock machine, just a very trusty trail rig.
This Jeep gets towed behind our motorhome quite a bit. So weight needs to stay down.
I am thinking the following:
1. Winch, already have an aluminum bumper.
2. 2"-2.5" lift. Not sure which lift yet. I'd go with the Metalcloak 2.5 kit if money was no issue.
3. High clearance plastic or aluminum fenders. I prefer the aluminum. Poison Spyder, Metalcloak has some nice ones.
4. 35" or 37" tires, I like the KM3 tires but pledge allegiance to no company.
5. Depending on tire size I intend to re-gear to 4.88 or 5.13.
6. Better axle shafts, not sure which.
7. Aluminum belly armor. The RockHard stuff looks nice.
8. Probably get rid of the huge muffler and go with a high clearance system like Pypes, Flowmaster, Magna flow sells.
9. Possibly a better sport cage like the RockHard stuff.
Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated.
I want it to be lightweight, quality, serviceable, and remain towable 4 down.
I know some people who really like the TeraFlex 2.5" lift. It seems like good quality for cheaper than the MC stuff. I would upgrade the steering components before I did skid plates or a cage, especially if you're going to 37s. If you go plastic on the fenders, just trim the stock ones and you can gain the same clearance for free. Personally I would go aluminum, I have the MC Overland aluminum fenders and they can take some abuse. You might want to look at upgrading the brakes as well.
I know some people who really like the TeraFlex 2.5" lift. It seems like good quality for cheaper than the MC stuff. I would upgrade the steering components before I did skid plates or a cage, especially if you're going to 37s. If you go plastic on the fenders, just trim the stock ones and you can gain the same clearance for free. Personally I would go aluminum, I have the MC Overland aluminum fenders and they can take some abuse. You might want to look at upgrading the brakes as well.
I think my brother has the Tera Flex on his 2 door.
I've yet to see a good looking fender trim job. In aluminum the MC stuff seems great. I like the hardline aluminum. I end up driving through a lot of cattle country and have lots of cow poo slinging going on at times. Being a ex-cattleman myself I don't really mind, but if the doors and top are off I can smell funny or like money depending on where you are from!
Looks like a great list, 37 inch tires.. I would hate to change one of those on the trail LOL. Having flashbacks of the last time I changed out a tractor tire, that's a lot of weight on the old spine
I don't think I would want to toss a 37 incher on a tire carrier at this stage of the game. Maybe 10 years ago hahaha Especially if you are doing all your own 5 tire rotations like I do.
High clearance flares should be the first step. It doesn't make sense to add a bunch of bump stop and limit up travel. If you don't have fender laws the cheapest is to cut your stock fenders. I had BushWackers then upgraded to Poison Spyder aluminum standard width. I went with them because of the look I wanted. The rears have a curve to the to unlike others that have a flat top. I spent a lot of money just for aesthetics.
Looks like a great list, 37 inch tires.. I would hate to change one of those on the trail LOL. Having flashbacks of the last time I changed out a tractor tire, that's a lot of weight on the old spine
I don't think I would want to toss a 37 incher on a tire carrier at this stage of the game. Maybe 10 years ago hahaha Especially if you are doing all your own 5 tire rotations like I do.
High clearance flares should be the first step. It doesn't make sense to add a bunch of bump stop and limit up travel. If you don't have fender laws the cheapest is to cut your stock fenders. I had BushWackers then upgraded to Poison Spyder aluminum standard width. I went with them because of the look I wanted. The rears have a curve to the to unlike others that have a flat top. I spent a lot of money just for aesthetics.
I have 2.5 lift and put some air bumps in the front. But with a small lift I think a set of Sumo bumps would have been better. Metal Cloak sells these and they really help with the hard bottom out bang.
You have 4.10 gears, do you think you will need to regear? If so 4.88's wouldn't get you much.
I haven't done my exhaust yet. If I could actually find one that doesn't sound like a Honda. Let us know how that works out.
I have a hodgepodge of steering, MC draglink, Teraflex trackbar, Fusion 4x4 tie rod. I did them piece by piece while tracking down the source of my deathwobble. It might be easier/cheaper to get a package deal. Currie and Rock Krawler have solid stuff. Lately I've been seeing a lot about Steer Smarts Yeti products but I have no personal experience. Some of the tie rods require specific backspacing on your wheels. My AEV wheels wouldn't work with a lot of them.
One thought that just occurred to me, if you're going to replace the drive shafts you'll need some adjustable control arms to change the pinion angle. The stock rzeppa joint requires a much different angle than a double cardan which most aftermarket shafts are.
One thought that just occurred to me, if you're going to replace the drive shafts you'll need some adjustable control arms to change the pinion angle. The stock rzeppa joint requires a much different angle than a double cardan which most aftermarket shafts are.
Any decent lift kit comes with cam washers that you fit into your axle housing for caster correction. If it doesn't you can add them later. If you want control arms then you need to decide on your lift first then you can get a package deal.
2 or 2.5 lifts don't need drive shafts in a 4 door. I have installed 3.5 lifts without and the drive shafts seem to have a long life cycle.
I am hesitant to change steering on a JK. the flex the factory linkage gives adsorbs some of the shock load. If the shock is too great into the box they are known for breaking steering box sector shafts.
I am hesitant to change steering on a JK. the flex the factory linkage gives adsorbs some of the shock load. If the shock is too great into the box they are known for breaking steering box sector shafts.
At the TDS Desert Safari last winter BFG had cutaway samples of their K02, KM2 and KM3 tires. The KM3's were much thicker and heavier. If you end up with 35 or 37 inch tires consider how hard it is to change them when they are that heavy. One of our group lost a sidewall on a 35 inch Cooper STT Pro and it was all three of us old guys could do to lift the flat back on his bumper spare carrier.
At the TDS Desert Safari last winter BFG had cutaway samples of their K02, KM2 and KM3 tires. The KM3's were much thicker and heavier. If you end up with 35 or 37 inch tires consider how hard it is to change them when they are that heavy. One of our group lost a sidewall on a 35 inch Cooper STT Pro and it was all three of us old guys could do to lift the flat back on his bumper spare carrier.
We recently built a 2018 JK on 37s for my wife, here's a partial list of components and why.
Teraflex Alpine CT3 lift- IMO 3" is perfect for 37s. I wanted a control arm that was maintenance free
Cooper STT Pro- wanted a lighter 37 and something that wasn't E rated. Would have preferred C but hers are D
Steersmarts draglink, tie rod & trackbar. Figured we'd replace them right away rather than wait for the stockers to fail.
Teraflex big rotor kit front/rear. 37s need more brake
Poison spyder fenders- went with steel only because we got a great deal on them
Adam's drive shafts front/rear- You will need at least a front, plus you can skip the spacer if you add one.
Since hers was a Sport we also swapped axles
Teraflex Tera44 front with 4.88 and ARB lockers
Teraflex CRD 60 rear, also with ARB and 4.88.
4 door I would have done 5.13, but we're happy with 4.88 on the 2 door.
My '14 Rubi we built as we went and as things broke. This one we did it all up front. The price tag was hard to swallow but it's been nice not worrying about things breaking
This is a fun video, shows a 37 inch tire. At the 6 minute mark he weighs it and its 142 pounds. It DOES NOT show him getting it back on the tailgate LOL. I am thinking it was not an easy feat
Its not a BFG, but it's good just to watch.
If you always run with people it would not be a problem, for me I always wheel alone. I am sure I could do it, however it would suck to be injured a long long long ways from anything. I suppose you could flip the winch line over and winch it up hahaha.
I welded on a piece of tube to the spare tire mount. I lift the tire and wheel onto the tube, then align the lugs. Makes for an easier initial placement.
On how to build a Rubi for 37s. I did that on my 11 by just ripping the guts out of the stock flares.
On the 17, I just run 1” synergy springs and front control arm relocation brackets. Yes I added different control arms, but they are not needed.
I did eventually run different fenders on the 11, and do on the 17. Nemisys flares for reference, but more for looks vs functionality.
My take on belly armor, beat up what you have to determine what you need.
Sport cage, I have the EVO chrome molly bolt in stuff. We all neglect to do cage work imho.
Steering and trackbars. I like the adjustability of the synergy stuff. I have the fusion4x4 steering and synergy trackbars. Don’t forget hydro assist.
Axle shafts, I’d wait to see what you are getting into. Or do them as part of the regear while you are at it.
My overall take is build a sport with 60s, after doing all the stuff to a Rubi to be almost as good axle and brake wise.
I welded on a piece of tube to the spare tire mount. I lift the tire and wheel onto the tube, then align the lugs. Makes for an easier initial placement.
Ditto here. I put a Smittybilt tire carrier on. 4WD parts had it on sale. The fit and finish of the tire carrier is really good. I welded a length of heavy wall 1.25 square tubing to it and fused a piece of urethane on the top. Sure makes getting the spare on a lot easier. I believe the new JL's are like this.
Side note: I put a back up camera in the mount. I find it silly that the JK comes with a radio with a camera plug in but not available with a camera. ???
For a lift I would run the AEV 2.5". My friends JK was the best handling Jeep that I had ever been in. Arguably better than the stock JLUR. He ran the AEV 2.5" with 1" spacers on top of them because he wanted a little extra height after he had everything installed. For him the 3.5" might have been better, but a 35" tire fits with the 2.5" lift.
He also used the AEV geometry correction brackets. Using the correction brackets not only set your geometry at the correct angle to correct anti-squat and other geometry changes, but it also corrects pinion angles. My friend did have to replace the front driveshaft with a Tom Wood shaft because at full droop the factory shaft would rub the oil pan. The Tom Wood is a narrower shaft and had more clearance room. I expect that issue was unique to his Jeep.
In short, I would just do my shopping over at AEV. I know a lot of guys think they are over priced, but as a whole package, they really got it right with the JK. So much so in fact, that if you look at a new JL next to a JK with AEV lift. You will see that Jeep copied every engineering design from AEV for the new JL.
I also have an LJ on 255/85R16 and I have a friend who used to have a JKUR (traded it for JLUR) that I go wheeling with. We've covered most of the easy to moderate trails in CO (Yankee Boy, Imogene, Engineer, etc) and drove the Jeeps 1000+/- miles from ND to get there. So our Jeeps are built for both Overlanding and trail riding duties. I've done lots of comparisons between the 2 Jeeps during our trips and his JK was setup exactly the way I would set one up again if I was to get a JK. I love my LJ, but I think his JK outperformed my LJ in everything except rock crawling and tight maneuvers.
The build;
He had 35" tires. I would recommend the same. In part because, as mentioned above, that is already a big and heavy tire to change out. Secondly, as I understand it, the JK axles are not that strong. Anything over 35" tires runs the risk of bending axle tubes. Look into this more if you really want 37s. I don't think its worth the risk. If you like your 255/85s, check out the 285/75R17. That is nice looking tall and skinny tire. I've seen them on a few JKs and they look really nice. But they are smaller than a 35"
For a lift I would run the AEV 2.5". My friends JK was the best handling Jeep that I had ever been in. Arguably better than the stock JLUR. He ran the AEV 2.5" with 1" spacers on top of them because he wanted a little extra height after he had everything installed. For him the 3.5" might have been better, but a 35" tire fits with the 2.5" lift.
He also used the AEV geometry correction brackets. Using the correction brackets not only set your geometry at the correct angle to correct anti-squat and other geometry changes, but it also corrects pinion angles. My friend did have to replace the front driveshaft with a Tom Wood shaft because at full droop the factory shaft would rub the oil pan. The Tom Wood is a narrower shaft and had more clearance room. I expect that issue was unique to his Jeep.
In short, I would just do my shopping over at AEV. I know a lot of guys think they are over priced, but as a whole package, they really got it right with the JK. So much so in fact, that if you look at a new JL next to a JK with AEV lift. You will see that Jeep copied every engineering design from AEV for the new JL.
We just got back from our annual Lone Pine trip. We ran the Big Pine to Bishop via Coyote Flats trail that includes a section of USFS triple diamond rated. With the 2.5 Metal Cloak lift and some CAREFUL spotting we made it through unscathed. Might have drug something once. I still have the KO2 34X10.50--17's, but I will go a little bigger next time. A true 35 inch tire should be all I will need for the type of trails we run. We drove up and back, about 1400 miles with no highway problems. (That is after chasing a death wobble problem for 6 months--finally cured) We also did Goler Wash, Mengel Pass and a few other more moderate trails. Going to 37's would entail upgrading brakes, axles, gears etc.
John, I take mostly videos now, and I haven"t had time to do any of them from the trip yet. When I get them up on FaceBook I will post the links. Probably better post them in the trip report section.
Still have made no major decisions except for not going with 37" tires. Heck, the 33" MTR's on my '06 LJ take me everywhere I go. And there is a huge price and weight jump from 35-37! Yikes!
One thing I am flummoxed with is winches. We have a Warn 9.5 on our '06 which has been very faithful. Love the winch. Back when I got it Warn was the only way to go. Now there are many other offerings out there that are a lot less money. I will do the synthetic line of course. My question is the Warn worth the 30%-40% more money? A Warn Zeon 10K with synthetic line runs about 1500 bucks, the Smittybuilt runs about 575. Then there is Westin, Superwinch, Warn VR, which all run under a grand.
How often do you think you will use your winch?
I wouldn't be without one but really it rarely gets used. Especially when I am overlanding. Are you ever alone or always with a group?
The 575 to 1500 is a big jump.
Winches can be tricky. I know lots of people go crazy for the Harbor Freight brand because with sales and coupons you can get a 12k lbs winch for like $200, but I've hear lots of stories of them not working when needed. Warn is more expensive but they have some of the best warranty and customer service out there. That's what you're paying for. I went with the M8000, it's cheaper than the Zeon series, but a tried and true design. You can save a couple hundred if you get the steel cable. Also watch the advertising, I think twice a year Warn offers some rebates. I shopped around and got my winch off Amazon for less than $600 then $100 back from the rebate.
Rarely do I ever buy anything at Harbor Fright (sic) that uses electricity or air. I have a hydraulic MileMarker winch but if I went the 12V route it would be a Warn.
Probably won't pull the trigger on anything till after new years. Taking into consideration weight here is a short list of what I am looking at.
35" MTR's or KM3 on new wheels. ( I know many don't like MTR's, I have had nothing but good with them on my LJ) I like those US Steel smoothies, but that adds about 50 lbs to the Jeep.
JKS jspec 2.5" lift with added LCA correction brackets, rear trackbar brace and JKS Track Bar. Possibly go with the High Steer as well. if the 35" tires rub I'll swap out my fenders.
The whole Rock Hard under aluminum armor stuff.
I'll remove the 500 gallon capacity muffler and see how loud it is with just the resonator. If it's too loud I'll add a muffler close to the resonator. Pipe will dump out at the driver side bumper.
VR Evo 10 S winch for my RockHard aluminum front bumper.
I really like the EVO sport cage but they are not in stock.
I'd really like to mount a Puma compressor like I have in my LJ but there is no room under the hood of a JK.
Still not sure of my rear bumper? I want to retain the factory hitch and go aluminum. Rock Hard has a beautiful unit, but it is $$$$$!
Tell me your thoughts etc please. I am in the research phase of this.
We do a lot of trail riding. Occasionally places you need to lock up. Can't call us old folk hard core rock crawlers, but we do go over lots of rocks.
This rig will see some street driving and some long drives to trails etc. It's life as a grocery getter is coming to a close.
Possibly go with the High Steer as well. if the 35" tires rub I'll swap out my fenders. To do high steer you'll have to add 3" of bumpstop to keep the drag link from hitting the frame. At 2.5" inches of lift it's more of a negative than a positive IMO
I'll remove the 500 gallon capacity muffler and see how loud it is with just the resonator. If it's too loud I'll add a muffler close to the resonator. Pipe will dump out at the driver side bumper. It's not loud, but it creates a terrible drone from outside the cabin and is louder in the passenger seats for some reason. I won't wheel behind my buddy because the drone is so loud.
Still not sure of my rear bumper? I want to retain the factory hitch and go aluminum. Rock Hard has a beautiful unit, but it is $$$$$! Check out the bumper deletes from EVO and ACE. I run the EVO on our 2014 (pic below) LINK to EVOLink to ACE
Tell me your thoughts etc please. I am in the research phase of this.
The MTR/Kevlar is a really good all around street and trail tire and I also like the All Terrain T/A KO2, I run those on my truck. My MTRs needed a lot of weight to balance but my Nitto Trail Grapplers were very true, very little weight was needed.
We have both the front and rear RockHard aluminum bumpers and they are really nice. The front is the mid-width model. We got it along with a Warn VR winch at the Tierra del Sol event last winter. They had some attractive deals going on there. Have you looked at the Falken Wildpeak line of tires? The guide we use in Moab swears by them, of course I think they are one of his sponsors, but they are another alternative and are seeming to become more popular.
We have both the front and rear RockHard aluminum bumpers and they are really nice. The front is the mid-width model. We got it along with a Warn VR winch at the Tierra del Sol event last winter. They had some attractive deals going on there. Have you looked at the Falken Wildpeak line of tires? The guide we use in Moab swears by them, of course I think they are one of his sponsors, but they are another alternative and are seeming to become more popular.
Another option on compressors is the Smittybilt 5.26 cfm compressor. We don't need to pump pressure as much as we need volume on the larger offroad tires we all run. It has worked well for us on the JK, much faster than the Viair 460 I have hardmounted on my LJ. I have a 1/2 gallon pressure tank I may mount where the factory muffler went on the JK, that way the Smittybilt can continue to pump while I am moving to another tire.
That is a nice unit. I have a Viair 450 RV unit which I keep in the motorhome. It'll pump up those 100 psi tires. I'd like to mount a Puma 12 volt to the jeep with external tank like I have on the LJ, just not sure where to mount it. That Puma is a great pump. Had one in the LJ since 2006. Runs like a top.
I don't think you'll be able to run a high steer. With a 2.5 lift I don't think it will fit unless you add a large amount of bump stop. Then that defeats the purpose of keeping it low.
What front bumper? You won't be able to run a full width unless it really angles up.
I ran the LCA brackets before I bought control arms. They do hang down but will give you the best highway ride your going to get.
I had a set of MTRK's on my last work truck. I feel they are the best off road tire out there. But they were noisy. I don't think I could live with them on my Jeep.
I currently have KO 2's.
I like the EVO. Looks like I can retain my factory hitch as well. I wager that is in my future.
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