Help the Noob, please.

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[BMorgan]

Save your $10k. Wheel your Jeep in Its stock form to gauge its and your capabilities. Then look into mods that will help you get the most out of your rig, i.e. lift, larger tires, wheels etc. Probably one of the best ways to keep you from buying a bunch of non essential mods. But hey, that’s just my take. In the end it’s your money, rig and your preference.

This is the approach I’m taking. I’m new to Jeeps but not new to modifying my vehicles. I expect to lean toward overland mods, the rock crawling videos do nothing for me. To each his own.

 

[Headbarcode]

Couldn’t have said it better.

Let me help you out, buddy. You must've taken a wrong turn. This is the JL Forum, where we talk about modifying our Jeeps and where to buy bulk cases of cup o noodle soup. The fiscally responsible forum is about 100 miles in the opposite direction.

 

[Zandcwhite]

The stock Rubicon 285/70R17 KO2s weigh 50 lbs each. A similar tire in 37x12.5 weighs 71 lbs each. That’s 21 x 5 = 105 lbs more weight just in tires. If you go with MTs you are looking at even more weight.

That’s before you add a lift, beef up the steering, get longer arms and driveshafts, steel bumpers, swing spare carrier and a winch.

You will end up with a 6,000-lb beast running on 37” tires... powered by a 2-liter Fiat engine.

Should totally go 1978 f350 with a 460 if you’re going to haul around 6,000+ lbs, all 197 hp worth. We have 28k+ miles on our 2019 jlur so far without an issue. 37’s went on at 15k as well as the 2.5” lift. Stock drivetrain, factory gears, stock ball joints, even stock wheels. Will the driveshafts wear out eventuall? Sure. They’ve held up to Moab, big bear, southern Nevada, Arizon, etc so far with at least 2k off road miles, as has the engine but I’m sure it’s as impossible and/or impractical as the internet says it is. Of the 20+ vehicles we’ve owned over the last 25 years, only 1 had engine trouble before 200k miles. That was the F250 diesel, the one that was supposed to “run forever”, was “just getting broken in at 200k”, and all the other nonsense you hear online. Meanwhile everything from Toyota, to Mazda commuter cars, lifted Jeep’s with 4.0 straight sixes, amc 360’s, and 4.7L v8’s all went past 200k trouble free. Just get out and do it, you’ll be fine. When components fail, upgrade them. You don’t have to drop $30k up front but to each his own.

 

[av8or]

I hope all the negative nellies didn’t run off the OP. If you’re still here, you probably know by now that actual advice here is rare.
Here is my attempt.

I think the plan you spelled out is easily doable on 10k. I’ve got 2” mopar lift $1600 installed, non-bead lock wheels $800, and at the moment 35 inch Goodyear MTRs which I think I paid about $1600 for. So I’m in about 4K to get almost to where you’re thinking. If I would have bought 37s the first time, I’d be there for just a few hundred more.

The money and the weight start to go up rapidly with bolt ons and armor.

Have fun and make what you have in your head come to fruition and don’t listen to the naysayers.

 

[aldo98229]

Jeepers share a unique mindset: we never admit that the $20,000 we just spent in mods were one big mistake.

When something goes wrong, as things usually do, it was FCA’s fault, the dealer’s fault, the fabricator’s fault, the installer’s fault, Amazon’s fault, the government’s fault, the wife’s fault, the Chinese fault...

We genuinely believe that nothing is unsolvable. The more determined of us live under the ongoing illusion that if we only spent another $20,000 we can do everything right.

When we finally realize that the Jeep didn’t turn out as planned, we decide it’s time to trade it in.

The OP will fit right in! Welcome to the family!

 

[Notorious]

Let me help you out, buddy.

What you did to your rig should be a textbook example of how to go about properly building your Jeep. Specifically, after 10k miles being bone stock and many months of research, thinking and planning, you used your existing mental database of mechanical knowledge, applied it and have been true to the mantra of, Just Empty Every Pocket.

To date, I haven’t read a single post from you complaining about steering issues, bump steer, death wobble or any of all the other things that some of the forum members experience and gripe about after modifying their rigs.

I know some folks won’t listen. They can do as they wish: it’s their money, their time and their problem.

 

[limeade]

Jeepers share a unique mindset: we never admit that the $20,000 we just spent in mods were one big mistake.

When something goes wrong, as things usually do, it was FCA’s fault, the dealer’s fault, the fabricator’s fault, the installer’s fault, Amazon’s fault, the government’s fault, the wife’s fault, the Chinese fault...

We genuinely believe that nothing is unsolvable. The more determined of us live under the ongoing illusion that if we only spent another $20,000 we can do everything right.

When we finally realize that the Jeep didn’t turn out as planned, we decide it’s time to trade it in.

The OP will fit right in! Welcome to the family!

PLEASE stop speaking for the majority of us JL owners who are happy with our purchases and modifications. I get it, somewhere along the line the bad Jeep man touched you in an inappropriate place and you can't let it go.

But for the love of God, not all of us are SO disgruntled with our Jeeps that we have to let everyone know they are the biggest POS to ever be on the road. If you want to let others know how bad Jeeps are, speak for yourself and not the rest of us.

Yes, some owners install mismatched components, poor quality parts, or don't address known issues after modifying a component and end up having to sink more money into their rig to fix it. Others want to do it the cheapest way possible and not liking the result. But there are many on this forum who ask for advice (like the OP) and do the research so they do it right the first time.

 

[Silverblkrilla]

Y’all spending more than 10k on the parts the OP posted as wanting please give me your money and let me build your jeep. Let me keep the change.

10k in mods will get you a very nice ride.

My suggestion is to spend some time researching prior to purchasing and find a good shop. My shop beats most online stores, even with things like a forum discount. Also watch the member market place, save your money until Black Friday, and pick up the phone and call parts manufacturers. I’ve gotten parts way cheaper then advertised by just calling.

 

[aldo98229]

PLEASE stop speaking for the majority of us JL owners who are happy with our purchases and modifications. I get it, somewhere along the line the bad Jeep man touched you in an inappropriate place and you can't let it go.

But for the love of God, not all of us are SO disgruntled with our Jeeps that we have to let everyone know they are the biggest POS to ever be on the road. If you want to let others know how bad Jeeps are, speak for yourself and not the rest of us.

Yes, some owners install mismatched components, poor quality parts, or don't address known issues after modifying a component and end up having to sink more money into their rig to fix it. Others want to do it the cheapest way possible and not liking the result. But there are many on this forum who ask for advice (like the OP) and do the research so they do it right the first time.

I was being tongue and cheek, yet you insist in making this about you.

I have been in many Jeeps whose owner claimed “it drives/rides/looks/is better than stock”. Sorry, no it ain’t. Perhaps in his mind, but not by a long shot.

If one were to believe what we see on the online forums, a Jeep with less than 37” tires is worthless. That’s just not true.

The OP strikes me like an impressionable 18 year old. Chances are I am wrong, but that’s how he comes across. The reality is that NO ONE ever admits on a public forum to screwing up. Yet we all know screw ups are a dime a dozen.

The best advice I’ve seen so far is “keep it it stock for awhile, take your time and enjoy it.”

 

[Headbarcode]

What you did to your rig should be a textbook example of how to go about properly building your Jeep. Specifically, after 10k miles being bone stock and many months of research, thinking and planning, you used your existing mental database of mechanical knowledge, applied it and have been true to the mantra of, Just Empty Every Pocket.

To date, I haven’t read a single post from you complaining about steering issues, bump steer, death wobble or any of all the other things that some of the forum members experience and gripe about after modifying their rigs.

I know some folks won’t listen. They can do as they wish: it’s their money, their time and their problem.

You give me more credit than I do myself, but thank you kindly!

There's definitely no clinging to the side of the rabbits hole. If you decide to climb in with big lift and tires, don't stop until you find the bottom. Short cuts will only lead to long walks back to civilization.

And yeah, I fully agree on the abundance of deaf ears, especially in the motor related threads. I try to stay quiet nowadays and just...

Or sometimes...

Cheers, good buddy!

 

[Zandcwhite]

I was being tongue and cheek, yet you insist in making this about you.

I have been in many Jeeps whose owner claimed “it drives/rides/looks/is better than stock”. Sorry, no it ain’t. Perhaps in his mind, but not by a long shot.

If one were to believe what we see on the online forums, a Jeep with less than 37” tires is worthless. That’s just not true.

The OP strikes me like an impressionable 18 year old. Chances are I am wrong, but that’s how he comes across. The reality is that NO ONE ever admits on a public forum to screwing up. Yet we all know screw ups are a dime a dozen.

The best advice I’ve seen so far is “keep it it stock for awhile, take your time and enjoy it.”

If the OP is an impressionable 18 year old with the means to sink $80k into building a camaro, he could afford to burn the $10k in the woods and wheel his stock rig. The Rubicon is more capable than what most will use it for in stock form. It's Achilles heel from the factory is breakover angle/ ground clearance (specifically the unlimiteds). We wheeled ours stock for the first year we owned it, on some pretty serious trails. Coming from multiple built rigs, the belly dragging was just annoying. It was never enough to get hung up, but the sound of metal scraping on rocks under a $54k rig just isn't relaxing. More clearance and larger tires are the only solution to that issue. I guarantee I could have gotten our stock jlur through the Rubicon trail as we've done it in other rigs on 33's and 35's, but the odds of belly dragging are 100% no matter how you pick your lines. The odds of body damage aren't far behind. If he wants to get into tough trails out the gate, I would 100% recommend improving clearance. Obviously steering upgrades, especially getting the stabilizer out of harms way, are a great idea. I'd go witha synergy sector shaft/track bar brace, upgraded tie rod and drag link, and a full suspension system that replaces the control arms and front and rear track bars if I was looking to go full build. You should be able to do all that for about $5-6k if you do the work yourself. Full belly skid for another grand and you're left with plenty of the $10k budget for wheels and tires. Assuming he ordered the jeep with the tailgate reinforcement, it'll hold up to a heavy 37 no problem. The other things like axle shafts, fenders, winch, etc can easily be upgraded/added over time as the need arises. As far as drives/rides/looks/is better than stock, I've never seen a jl on 37's that didn't look better than stock. Drive/ride are subjective and obviously lower center of gravity and smaller all terrain tires are better on the road, but who puts 37's on their rig to go to the mall? I'm 100% certain our budget build drives/rides/is better on John Bull or the Rubicon trail than a stock rig.

 

[entropy]

Excellent feedback! Thank you!

Alright, you've talked me into a winch also. I know it's probably silly but I just can't make myself like the Rubicons on 35's. Personal preference is all but It looks much meaner on 37's. On TrailHero, I paid pretty close attention and the people on 35's had a significantly harder time on some of the 8-9 trails than the people on 37's and 40's it seemed. I'll never be going over the crazy scary stuff like "you gotta be nuts" but I don't plan on taking many if any bypasses if I can help it.

Because people jump into a lift and 35s before even going on a fireroad in their life. Cause it looks "mean". Never learn to offroad properly. Everyone wants to jump into black trails immediately nowadays so they get a Rubicon which is already loaded and put huge tires on it. Then accidents happen oh well...

Sure you can get 37s on your first Jeep, turn on the lockers and push through a black trail then brag about it. But theres not much to brag about tbh other than the Jeep did it.

I run stock 32s on a 2-D sport with open diffs, a rear LSD and a rubicon suspension. Ive had to pick my lines very carefully and feel very accomplished of the things Ive done. I have the money and budget for 33s and ARB lockers but I just dont feel ready for those mods yet. My Jeep might not look mean but I know Ive done more than many "mean" overbuilt jeeps.

My 2 cents. take it to a few trails stock, even if it is only a few months itll show you how to drive carefully. Drive it with open diffs as much as you can. Then go get your 35s or 37s. A little patience will payback trust me.

 

[DWaX]

I my experience most jeepers fall into a couple general categories:

• Those that buy a jeep, change the antenna to a stubby, slap a wave sticker on the side mirror and go to the grocery store with the windows down, Jeep Life! Until they sell in a year or two.

• Those that buy a jeep have the dealer do a lift and tires. Then want a winch and some lights and go find a local shop to do the work, hit a few trails, drive on the beach occasionally. They have a few troubles, hit up the shop for a repair/fix, many will just band-aid the issue. Then they look for another shop to figure out what is wrong that in their mind the other shop caused. Jeep Life! Until they hate the shops, hate the dealership, and Jeeps are the worst piles of garbage ever made.

• Those that buy a Jeep, put on their own lift, and bead locks, wire up their own lights and winch, hit the trails, have the expected normal troubles and chase it down the best they can to figure out the issue and fix it. Some might even visit a shop or a forum to discuss the issue, but only for some insight into how they can again figure out and fix themselves. Jeep life!!

This forum is full of all categories, all will have an opinion on this or that. My unsolicited opinion is that a jeep owner SHOULD do as much modifications to his or her jeep as humanly possible. When you hear that squeak, feel that shimmy, you will know how it all went together and you will be happier for it. Sweat and grease are healthier and are a more rewarding investment than just writing a check..

A Jeep is more than just the sum of the parts added. Jeep Life!



WaX

 

[Headbarcode]

I was being tongue and cheek, yet you insist in making this about you.

I have been in many Jeeps whose owner claimed “it drives/rides/looks/is better than stock”. Sorry, no it ain’t. Perhaps in his mind, but not by a long shot.

If one were to believe what we see on the online forums, a Jeep with less than 37” tires is worthless. That’s just not true.

The OP strikes me like an impressionable 18 year old. Chances are I am wrong, but that’s how he comes across. The reality is that NO ONE ever admits on a public forum to screwing up. Yet we all know screw ups are a dime a dozen.

The best advice I’ve seen so far is “keep it it stock for awhile, take your time and enjoy it.”

Tongue and cheek is par for the course around here. But it turns into something else, when you're always making broad statements in every lift and motor thread.

I'm chiming in now, because I felt it was worth mentioning that listening to threads like yours is what led me to wasting 5-6k on 35's and a 2" lift, when I was really wanting more.

Limeade made it very clear that he was not just speaking for himself, which is the other reason for this post. Your posts do come across as the result of a bad personal experience with your specific Jeep of the past.

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