AEV JL Wrangler Products & Builds [SEMA 2018 - JLWF Coverage]

[colojeepr]

@AEVRogue - Those are exactly the bumpers we've been waiting to see! How soon can we order??? My mojito dream needs jewelry for Christmas!

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[Vawildjeep]

This is a little like going to a movie and seeing a preview for a great movie....one that you can't see for 3-4 months. :/

 

[Schmeegz]

Any info on their JL suspension lift kits?

 

[Kevin Mojito]

First off Thanks so much getting the inside SEMA Show Pic's and Video's

Second get back to AEV and rip open the hood....... Yell were is the HEMI !!!!

 

[timkim]

BTW thanks for all these pic from Sema. really appreciate it.

 

[DanW]

I've been in northern and southern Africa, and they will tell you that the snorkels are 95% for dust, and 5% for a water crossing that leaves little or no choice, and that is rare. With that, if you ventured into water that was deeper than expected, the snorkel would make hydrolocking your engine less likely. If you did not tie your axle, T-case, and transmission vent lines into the air box, then you'd need to change those fluids very soon after going through the water, or risk ruining your gears. That's how my YJ wound up with new rings and pinions. It only took a tablespoon of water to do the damage. Btw, the little YJ pushed a nice bow wave and avoided hydrolocking. A Hummer H1 went through the same water, but hit a hole and let the bow wave come over the hood....Pop! The engine turned into a big paper weight. A snorkel would have prevented that. The poor guy (rich, actually) had a snorkel at home in a box and just hadn't gotten around to installing it yet.

Some think that water fording with a snorkel is for turning a Jeep into a submarine. It is not. The snorkel is an insurance policy. Nobody in their right mind goes deep enough intentionally to require the snorkel. It is more for an unintentional foray into water deeper than expected, or an unintentional throttle blip that disrupts a bow wave and lets water come over the hood and into the engine compartment.

The thing that shocks people is that a Jeep will float in water less deep than you would think. Once that baby starts floating, you are in trouble, especially in moving water. They will float well before the water is anywhere near the top of that snorkel. They'll also quickly roll over when floating. Not good.

The stock air intake is actually in a pretty darned good place, probably the best it can be, if you don't have a snorkel. It is well protected from both dust and water, within reason.

If I were going to frequently be in dusty conditions, I'd get the snorkel. I just can't justify it living where I do in the humid midwest, and I don't want more wind noise. I've been to Moab with my JK, running 3 days, mostly in the back of the pack, with dust everywhere, inside and outside the Jeep, and under the hood, too. I did a used oil analysis at the next oil change that showed no more insolubles in the oil than previous ones under normal conditions. I used a good Fram paper air filter. If I were out there more often and for more days, where the air filter might get saturated, I'm sure the snorkel would make a significant difference. It certainly wouldn't hurt.

Btw, I love the AEV stuff. My JK has a 2" AEV lift and it has worked very well on and off road, with no issues, whatsoever.

 

[Beowulf]

I’m wondering how the AEV hood differs from a sport hood with a snorkel cutout.

 

[Outlier]

Does anyone know if the rear tire carrier will have the High Lift Jack mount like the JK did?

 

[bilash31]

I’m wondering how the AEV hood differs from a sport hood with a snorkel cutout.

If I am understanding your question correctly, post #82 in this closed thread https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/aev-jl-products-on-the-way-sema-2018.17395/page-6, @AEVRogue (who appears to be employed at AEV) says the hood on the JKU is a sport hood (not an AEV designed one like on the JK).

 

[Krondor]

I'll have to get the rear bumper and Rhino Rack, but I'm not sure about the tire carrier or front bumper yet.

 

[knick33]

I'm loving that front bumper, they should have a shorter version of the bull bar. Really digging the integrated light bar in the bumper. Went to their site and saw a JK variation for 1200ish so i'm assuming this will be in that range.

 

[JAY]

Here's our build and product walkaround with AEV.

 

[cjaama]

It was on a JL. Maybe they put a JK AEV rear bumper on it and made it work.. It was a totally stock JL Sahara otherwise. I thought maybe the dealer had done it.

AEV didn't even release photos prior to SEMA, much less hand one over to a pool girl.
I don't know enough about JK vs JL to know how hard it would be to make a JK bumper fit a JL, but I just can't imagine someone with an otherwise stock JL going through it.
What I'm getting at is, pics or it didn't happen (of the pool girl, I don't care that much about bumpers).

 

[TnBlueJLU]

I am at SEMA and walked the show yesterday looking at JL products. I focused on rear bumpers (since that is what I want for my JLU) and this new AEV product caught my attention. Both front and rear JL bumpers look fantastic in person.

I have to say the execution of these AEV products is truly on a different level compared to most of the aftermarket. As a mech engineer and product designer with a couple decades working with OEM and Tier 1 manufacturers, I have an appreciation for quality design, materials and tooled (formed or molded) components. The stamped steel parts on these bumpers (both front and rear) require an investment of time and money that is almost exclusively limited to companies with an OEM sized budget. Yet these folks are stamping these parts right here in the USA in relatively low numbers. That takes a dedication of funds and a tolerance for return on investment that is extremely rare. I am impressed. I talked with some of their staff at the show yesterday and they are legit, competent and friendly.

Thick bent & welded steel is heavy, tough and can be cool looking. But for the best strength from a reasonable weight you really have to stamp (form) steel out of plane. That gives you much more design freedom but also adds tremendous stiffness. Look at virtually any OEM steel parts and you see this. The consistency of dimensions (repeatable quality) is no comparison between formed vs bent sheet metal parts.

The same goes for heavy plastic molded parts. Very consistent and generally much more design freedom compared to roto-molded (like most stock JL bumpers) or thermoformed parts. But tooling is much more expensive by volume. And don't even get me started on forged parts vs billet garbage.

The end caps (above the tubing) on the AEV rear bumper are molded parts that match the shapes around them perfectly. Again, impressive execution of this design.

The step/license plate holder is solid and moves up/down with a reassuring clunk. I didn't step on it but it appears to be functional. I personally hope they offer the rear bumper without the step as well. I saw a couple holes behind the step that almost looked like they could be positioned for mounting a license plate directly to the bumper, so maybe they will offer that.

I find it frustrating that so many other aftermarket companies are leaving the license plate off of their JL bumpers. The side mount (above bumper) location is a compromise since it really does not fit next to the wider JL rear door. A spare tire license plate mount is OK but it seems to fight for space with the backup camera. FCA did a nice job mounting that camera and I don't want to move it.

So there is a reason that it has taken AEV a year to show you these products, and they still won't be available for a few more months. This is the cost of a legitimate design and engineering cycle, but the result is a standout product. In my experience working in the aftermarket industry, most companies simply will not make this investment.

BTW I have no affiliation with AEV and have never bought any of their products.

 

[GRAK]

I'll have to get the rear bumper and Rhino Rack, but I'm not sure about the tire carrier or front bumper yet.

If they’d let us attach jerry cans or rotopax to the tire carrier/ bumper I’d buy it. Not sold on the fuel caddy

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