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Jeep Newbie Questions for Upgrades

TXJeepRubicon

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Hello all,

First off, I'm a jeep newbie, although I did buy a 2018 JLU Sahara for my daughter to get to college and home, but it's all stock.

I apologize for the length of this post, but I will be getting my custom build JLUR at the end of this month and I'm looking to immediately upgrade the wheels, tires and lift. This is what I'll be getting...as a stock build.

Jeep Wrangler JL Jeep Newbie Questions for Upgrades 1612199769795


This jeep will be my primary vehicle, which will be used as a Flat Tow with my motorhome. Main purpose is to tow the jeep to various trails around the south, primarily in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and other surrounding areas. I would say that 80% is going to be main road travel and the other 20% will be mild to medium off road excursions. I doubt, at this time, I'll be doing any serious rock crawling, but I do want some good challenges.

I've read countless posts, comments, and complaints of the various lifts on this site as well as others. I'm planning on putting 35x12.5 tires on 17x9" rims. Once I get more experience with off-roading, I'm may want to upgrade to 37" tires, therefore I don't want to limit myself on the lift...looking to do the lift once and just upgrade the tires if I intend to go that route later on.

Keeping the following in mind, I need to have a tow bar baseplate installed, although I don't believe (I could be wrong) any of the following, including a Mopar winch, will have any affect.
Blue Ox BX1139 Blue Ox BX1139 Baseplate (blueoxtowbars.com)

What I'm thinking of in terms of lifts, although I don't know which one will give me the best overall on-road / off-road experience based on my comments above.

Rock Krawler, but I need to figure out what shocks to get.
JLU 3.5 Inch X Factor "No Limits" Mid Arm System - Rock Krawler Suspension

Metacloak, although I'm not keen on the gold, call me crazy or stupid, but I don't think the gold will go with the Hydro Blue and Black wheels I'm looking at.
Metalcloak's Jeep JL Wrangler 3.5" True Dual Rate Lift Kits

TeraFlex with Falcon Shocks
JL 4dr: 3.5” Sport ST3 Suspension System – No Shocks - TeraFlex
JLU 4-Door: Falcon SP2 3.3 Fast Adjust Piggyback Shocks - All 4 - TeraFlex

I'm looking at these wheels, again, not for heavy rock crawling, but mild to medium off-roading, but I don't want any rubbing and capable of lowering my PSI as required based on the trail I'm on. The 17x9 have a -12mm offset, which I don't know is enough to ensure no rubbing with 35"/37" tires. I had -14mm on my lifted Sequoia with 34" and I was rubbing a little, hence why I couldn't go with 35" on the Toyota. I'm trying to avoid putting on spacers on the jeep, so trying to figure out how much offset I'd need.
XD131 RG1 - XD Wheels
Although these wheels don't say "beadlock", I'm assuming their description " Satin Black With Reinforcing Ring", means the same thing?

Lastly, the tires. I'm not too concerned about "road noise" on the pavement, but it's a bigger deal to my wife, therefore I'm looking at the following wheels that are still good on road and more than capable on the trail:
BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A KO2 Tires | Truck All-Terrain Tires | Discount Tire I had these on my lifted Sequoia and they were a pretty good tire. Just not sure about off-road for mild/medium terrain.
BFGoodrich Mud Terrain T/A KM3 Tires | Truck Mud Terrain Tires | Discount Tire

I welcome your comments, positive/negative, it building out this jeep and upgrading to the look/feel I'm looking for for a comfortable on-road/off-road.

Thanks in advance.
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Kreepin1

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One of the cool thing about Jeeps is the huge aftermarket support that allows us to personalize them. It's a bit of a double edged sword due to the enormous number of combinations. In stock form with 35" tires, your JLUR will do everything you need better than after you've made the above mods. My best friend loves Jeeps that are "sky high" with tires that poke way out. I like Jeeps that are stock height with big tires stuffed inside the flares. Only you know the look you are after. Here are my thoughts...

For a Jeep that will see the trail, a bumper with tow bar attachments is a better choice than the BlueOx base, something like this GenRight bumper (don't forget the frame tie-in brace sold separately):
https://genright.com/products/jeep-...-front-bumper-w-winch-guard-bar-aluminum.html

With that much lift I would go straight to 37" tires, 35's are going to look like baby tires. Have you measured your garage door? Might want to check...

I would recommend Cooper's S/T Maxx - they are amazingly quiet for how aggressive they look if you rotate them at every oil change.

Wheel offset plays a huge role in how well a Jeep tracks. Especially for something that will be flat towed, the closer to the stock +44mm the better. I believe the sweet spot is +25 to +12mm for 37" tires. You can probably get away with those -12mm wheels you are looking at but run a greater risk of death wobble - not fun anytime, but especially when flat towing.
 
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TXJeepRubicon

TXJeepRubicon

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One of the cool thing about Jeeps is the huge aftermarket support that allows us to personalize them. It's a bit of a double edged sword due to the enormous number of combinations. In stock form with 35" tires, your JLUR will do everything you need better than after you've made the above mods. My best friend loves Jeeps that are "sky high" with tires that poke way out. I like Jeeps that are stock height with big tires stuffed inside the flares. Only you know the look you are after. Here are my thoughts...

For a Jeep that will see the trail, a bumper with tow bar attachments is a better choice than the BlueOx base, something like this GenRight bumper (don't forget the frame tie-in brace sold separately):
https://genright.com/products/jeep-...-front-bumper-w-winch-guard-bar-aluminum.html

With that much lift I would go straight to 37" tires, 35's are going to look like baby tires. Have you measured your garage door? Might want to check...

I would recommend Cooper's S/T Maxx - they are amazingly quiet for how aggressive they look if you rotate them at every oil change.

Wheel offset plays a huge role in how well a Jeep tracks. Especially for something that will be flat towed, the closer to the stock +44mm the better. I believe the sweet spot is +25 to +12mm for 37" tires. You can probably get away with those -12mm wheels you are looking at but run a greater risk of death wobble - not fun anytime, but especially when flat towing.

Thanks for the reply Kreepin1, I was thinking that too as I keep flip flopping back and forth on the 35" or 37" tires. I guess the real question would be, what is the approximate height of a lifted jeep with 37" tires on it? I wouldn't be parking in the garage, but I do have a carport that may be impacted as it's a little lower than most.

Also, the offset is what I was looking for in determining the wheels for either 35's or 37's. As mentioned, I experienced rubbing with my previous wheels on the Sequoia with a -14mm offset. I absolutely want to avoid that as well as the death wobble.

I already have the BlueOx tow bar on my motorhome with pulling the 2018 JLU Sahara, so I'm probably not going to change out the bumper, not as of yet. But I do like the look of what you provided.

Ultimately, I want the lift as where I've gone before, I was having too many challenges with stock height. But I agree with you, there is so much aftermarket out there that there isn't one size fits all. We're all trying to get to our "vision" of what we imagine/envision with our jeeps. Hence why the long email above.
 

hingedthinker

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I am in the same boat. Have a Class A RV on the way in a week and I want to flat tow our 2019 Moab. I really, really want 37"s but after much research I have decided the gain is unnecessary for my use case on mostly overland, expedition and trail style driving. I cannot imagine taking a $50k (soon to be $58k) Jeep over giant boulders and risking axle or body or undercarriage damage... which is inevitable BTW. Don't listen to people that tell you it doesn't happen. I would go all out ONLY if I really cared about hardcore crawling over rocks.

Now, it could be argued that because of my driving plans and style, I could get away with 37"s without hardcore axle work. BUT, that is a risk that I'm not willing to take. The cost of maintenance will be much higher going that big. More weight to pull... many more "necessary" mods to spend money on. YMMV, but that is where I'm going. I like the look of 35"s on a 2.5-3" lift.

I am going with the Teraflex ST3 and 3.3 shocks. Might even drop the coin for the new eAdapt version.

A few videos convinced me. First, the Teraflex lift video is very informative and they positioned it correctly with stated opinions, not absolute facts like many keyboard commandos do. Also, the TrailRecon guy did two amazing videos on lifts in modern wranglers. His assessments are excellent and how he rates and states his opinions is very fair and even objectively applied in some regards.

 
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I am in the same boat. Have a Class A RV on the way in a week and I want to flat tow our 2019 Moab. I really, really want 37"s but after much research I have decided the gain is unnecessary for my use case on mostly overland, expedition and trail style driving. I cannot imagine taking a $50k (soon to be $58k) Jeep over giant boulders and risking axle or body or undercarriage damage... which is inevitable BTW. Don't listen to people that tell you it doesn't happen. I would go all out ONLY if I really cared about hardcore crawling over rocks.

Now, it could be argued that because of my driving plans and style, I could get away with 37"s without hardcore axle work. BUT, that is a risk that I'm not willing to take. The cost of maintenance will be much higher going that big. More weight to pull... many more "necessary" mods to spend money on. YMMV, but that is where I'm going. I like the look of 35"s on a 2.5-3" lift.

I am going with the Teraflex ST3 and 3.3 shocks. Might even drop the coin for the new eAdapt version.

A few videos convinced me. First, the Teraflex lift video is very informative and they positioned it correctly with stated opinions, not absolute facts like many keyboard commandos do. Also, the TrailRecon guy did two amazing videos on lifts in modern wranglers. His assessments are excellent and how he rates and states his opinions is very fair and even objectively applied in some regards.

Did you end up going with the ST3 kit? I'm looking at the same one for my JLU sport and I'm in the same scenario. I don't want to rock crawl but I do plan on overlanding and doing light trails. I'm just curious if you needed to make any more upgrades besides just the kit. I am wanting to run 35s too. Do you have any pictures? I also ended up reaching out to teraflex about whether I need to upgrade the driveshaft, and they said no, but I'm trying to hear it from someone's perspective who has the product installed. Thank you!
 

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hingedthinker

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Did you end up going with the ST3 kit? I'm looking at the same one for my JLU sport and I'm in the same scenario. I don't want to rock crawl but I do plan on overlanding and doing light trails. I'm just curious if you needed to make any more upgrades besides just the kit. I am wanting to run 35s too. Do you have any pictures? I also ended up reaching out to teraflex about whether I need to upgrade the driveshaft, and they said no, but I'm trying to hear it from someone's perspective who has the product installed. Thank you!
I did. I am about $13k into upgrades now.

teraflex alpine CT 2.5 with ST3.3s, warn winch, black rhino armory wheels and American made Cooper discoverer stt pro 35”s. I did the synergy bracket too, otherwise all teraflex kit included the steering stab shock

look at my content here I posted about it. My next move is the rear end. Still debating about ARB rear bump and TC or other options. So much $$$$ to play this game.

Jeep Wrangler JL Jeep Newbie Questions for Upgrades CF168F59-34B0-469D-9A8A-6AF5015DC09B
 

JRRE

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I did. I am about $13k into upgrades now.

teraflex alpine CT 2.5 with ST3.3s, warn winch, black rhino armory wheels and American made Cooper discoverer stt pro 35”s. I did the synergy bracket too, otherwise all teraflex kit included the steering stab shock

look at my content here I posted about it. My next move is the rear end. Still debating about ARB rear bump and TC or other options. So much $$$$ to play this game.

Jeep Wrangler JL Jeep Newbie Questions for Upgrades 5AA09FD7-49CE-4329-9597-E5CA147865E2
Looks G R E A T ! What size are your wheels?
 

kurt rustle

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I did. I am about $13k into upgrades now.

teraflex alpine CT 2.5 with ST3.3s, warn winch, black rhino armory wheels and American made Cooper discoverer stt pro 35”s. I did the synergy bracket too, otherwise all teraflex kit included the steering stab shock

look at my content here I posted about it. My next move is the rear end. Still debating about ARB rear bump and TC or other options. So much $$$$ to play this game.

Jeep Wrangler JL Jeep Newbie Questions for Upgrades 5AA09FD7-49CE-4329-9597-E5CA147865E2
Looks great! Just to confirm, you're running the 2.5" lift kit on 35" right?
 

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Jeep Wrangler JL Jeep Newbie Questions for Upgrades bumper


Clayton 2.5" Overland Lift
35" Tires Mickey Thompson M/T
(obviously fenders, bumpers, lights, winch, skid plates blah blah blah)

I daily drive mine, pleasure to drive. Good choice on color. I can go 37" with these fenders, but in all likelyhood once this isn't my daily, it will get 3.5" springs, 37" tires, and 4:88 gears.
 

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Hello all,

First off, I'm a jeep newbie, although I did buy a 2018 JLU Sahara for my daughter to get to college and home, but it's all stock.

I apologize for the length of this post, but I will be getting my custom build JLUR at the end of this month and I'm looking to immediately upgrade the wheels, tires and lift. This is what I'll be getting...as a stock build.

Jeep Wrangler JL Jeep Newbie Questions for Upgrades bumper


This jeep will be my primary vehicle, which will be used as a Flat Tow with my motorhome. Main purpose is to tow the jeep to various trails around the south, primarily in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and other surrounding areas. I would say that 80% is going to be main road travel and the other 20% will be mild to medium off road excursions. I doubt, at this time, I'll be doing any serious rock crawling, but I do want some good challenges.

I've read countless posts, comments, and complaints of the various lifts on this site as well as others. I'm planning on putting 35x12.5 tires on 17x9" rims. Once I get more experience with off-roading, I'm may want to upgrade to 37" tires, therefore I don't want to limit myself on the lift...looking to do the lift once and just upgrade the tires if I intend to go that route later on.

Keeping the following in mind, I need to have a tow bar baseplate installed, although I don't believe (I could be wrong) any of the following, including a Mopar winch, will have any affect.
Blue Ox BX1139 Blue Ox BX1139 Baseplate (blueoxtowbars.com)

What I'm thinking of in terms of lifts, although I don't know which one will give me the best overall on-road / off-road experience based on my comments above.

Rock Krawler, but I need to figure out what shocks to get.
JLU 3.5 Inch X Factor "No Limits" Mid Arm System - Rock Krawler Suspension

Metacloak, although I'm not keen on the gold, call me crazy or stupid, but I don't think the gold will go with the Hydro Blue and Black wheels I'm looking at.
Metalcloak's Jeep JL Wrangler 3.5" True Dual Rate Lift Kits

TeraFlex with Falcon Shocks
JL 4dr: 3.5” Sport ST3 Suspension System – No Shocks - TeraFlex
JLU 4-Door: Falcon SP2 3.3 Fast Adjust Piggyback Shocks - All 4 - TeraFlex

I'm looking at these wheels, again, not for heavy rock crawling, but mild to medium off-roading, but I don't want any rubbing and capable of lowering my PSI as required based on the trail I'm on. The 17x9 have a -12mm offset, which I don't know is enough to ensure no rubbing with 35"/37" tires. I had -14mm on my lifted Sequoia with 34" and I was rubbing a little, hence why I couldn't go with 35" on the Toyota. I'm trying to avoid putting on spacers on the jeep, so trying to figure out how much offset I'd need.
XD131 RG1 - XD Wheels
Although these wheels don't say "beadlock", I'm assuming their description " Satin Black With Reinforcing Ring", means the same thing?

Lastly, the tires. I'm not too concerned about "road noise" on the pavement, but it's a bigger deal to my wife, therefore I'm looking at the following wheels that are still good on road and more than capable on the trail:
BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A KO2 Tires | Truck All-Terrain Tires | Discount Tire I had these on my lifted Sequoia and they were a pretty good tire. Just not sure about off-road for mild/medium terrain.
BFGoodrich Mud Terrain T/A KM3 Tires | Truck Mud Terrain Tires | Discount Tire

I welcome your comments, positive/negative, it building out this jeep and upgrading to the look/feel I'm looking for for a comfortable on-road/off-road.

Thanks in advance.
Here is my modded two door…mods in signature. Rides better than stock…

0BBAE175-1C13-4306-B3AA-386A4E2C25A2.jpeg


5D22CBBE-FF92-430D-B1B3-87378B641D7D.jpeg
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