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Just picked up my Wrangler JLU!

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Hey Armaan. Congratulations on your purchase. I remember the excitement of driving mine home and I hope that you're feeling some of the same good things.

The following is advise I suggest more than followed. I think it belongs in the fortune cookies of Chinese restaurants in proximity to Moab.

"The first mod a new Wrangler owner makes should be to their spreadsheet."

Sit down, list your priorities for modding. The list is bound to be longer than your budget can service.

Now look at that budget. Consider that there may be mods you haven't even considered yet that you will, and once you do, "life as we know it "will be compromised until bolted on your rig.

Consider there are mods you want but don't realize, because they've yet to come to market.

Consider that "stuff happens" in life that may compromise that budget.

Now, slowly start adding to your rig. It's a process that like scenic train ride is best enjoyed for both its trip and arrival at the distal train station.
Thanks, Andy! Most excited I've been in a long time and feeling all the good things. Had a chance to take it on some mild dirt roads today and can't wait for some real trails.

This is great advice, I'll share a spreadsheet with all of you once I have it and figure out the best way to prioritize.
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first mod i did was front and rear steel bumpers. cant handle the plastic bumpers. other then that i'd wait for your move before modding. currently this setup for best mileage.. and if your going to drive 2800 miles or so might as well be on the original equipment that your going to get rid of. but that's my thoughts. but if your looking for a little height that wont affect anything and are decent with your hands you should be able to grab rubicon take off suspension springs and shocks which will give you about 1.25"-1.75" lift from the stock sport height. and it doesnt look toooooo funny with stock wheels and tires
Definitely agree with you on the plastic bumpers. I understand waiting until modding, but I'll be driving through New Mexico, Southern Colorado (Rio Grande National Forest and Grand Canyon), Utah (Arches, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Monument) and definitely want to get on to some good trails while I'm at it. So for sure wanna get some "necessary" stuff before doing that.
 

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Definitely agree with you on the plastic bumpers. I understand waiting until modding, but I'll be driving through New Mexico, Southern Colorado (Rio Grande National Forest and Grand Canyon), Utah (Arches, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Monument) and definitely want to get on to some good trails while I'm at it. So for sure wanna get some "necessary" stuff before doing that.
gotcha. that makes more sense. well good then a decent lift and some 33's will get your most places. ive yet to be stopped in my wrangler with just rubi susp. and rubi wheels and tires. but today i should be receiving my lift kit finalllly so will see if that vastly inproves the off-road handling or not
 

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good set of oil pan/transmission skids would be a good idea for your sport. i recommend the EVO kit. its a little pricey but the quality is great.
 
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gotcha. that makes more sense. well good then a decent lift and some 33's will get your most places. ive yet to be stopped in my wrangler with just rubi susp. and rubi wheels and tires. but today i should be receiving my lift kit finalllly so will see if that vastly inproves the off-road handling or not
Thanks! Any links you can share? Putting together a list of mods and want to keep myself organized.
 

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good set of oil pan/transmission skids would be a good idea for your sport. i recommend the EVO kit. its a little pricey but the quality is great.
Just tried to find this, but couldn't for the 2.0 Turbo. Do you have a link? Thanks!
 

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first mod i did was front and rear steel bumpers. cant handle the plastic bumpers. other then that i'd wait for your move before modding. currently this setup for best mileage.. and if your going to drive 2800 miles or so might as well be on the original equipment that your going to get rid of. but that's my thoughts. but if your looking for a little height that wont affect anything and are decent with your hands you should be able to grab rubicon take off suspension springs and shocks which will give you about 1.25"-1.75" lift from the stock sport height. and it doesnt look toooooo funny with stock wheels and tires
You think a budget lift kit at ~2.5 inches + some KO2s will be enough to handle most moderate trails? I want to do a full suspension kit at some point but don’t wanna sacrifice ride quality too much on a cross country trip.
 

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Skids, anyplace you can put them...diffs, full belly, etc. You can wheel the crap out of it at stock height if adequately protected. I didn't read the sticker, what tires? If they are decent AT's you are good. If craptastic all season or road treads, your first purchase to get off road is tires. Whatever, just enjoy it!
 
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Skids, anyplace you can put them...diffs, full belly, etc. You can wheel the crap out of it at stock height if adequately protected. I didn't read the sticker, what tires? If they are decent AT's you are good. If craptastic all season or road treads, your first purchase to get off road is tires. Whatever, just enjoy it!
Thanks - I’ve got 245/75R17 AT’s. You don’t think I need to worry about ground clearance even with skids? Don’t wanna scrape and drag too much regardless of skids.
 

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You think a budget lift kit at ~2.5 inches + some KO2s will be enough to handle most moderate trails? I want to do a full suspension kit at some point but don’t wanna sacrifice ride quality too much on a cross country trip.
So far in the year and a half I have gone on moderate trails with out any body damage. But I have used my stock skids quite a bit. More so after I added the roof top tent.. I then added rubi suspension which helps that that’s cheap and easy to install yourself you can usually pick up shocks and coils off the forum for 150 bucks and the rubi “rock rails” for free or for 50 bucks. That would get you buy. I do recommend the skid plate combo for moderate trails. Currently I just installed the JKS 2.5” lift. Haven’t gotten to drive it yet though but I heard the on road is better than stock. I’m hoping to get my alignment done today so I can take it for a good drive and see how it does on road. currently the 2.5” lift with heavy duty coils ( I have the roof top tent and bumpers and will have a winch in a couple months) it put me at 3.25” taller than the rubicon suspension I had on my sport. And by the numbers I had written down that puts it at 4-4.5” taller than a stock sport

AB631C93-B467-442C-976F-DD777D99F6A0.jpeg
 

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You think a budget lift kit at ~2.5 inches + some KO2s will be enough to handle most moderate trails? I want to do a full suspension kit at some point but don’t wanna sacrifice ride quality too much on a cross country trip.
A good quality lift will improve ride quality, but the fuel efficiency will be affected no matter what.
 

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So any recommendations for lift kits or other essential off road accessories/gear?
I would add a pair of Rockrails ..... find a set that you like and add them. I got a pair of the Roams (frame mount Rockrails) because I liked the look and I like that they are also a step And a short wife likes that even more.... LOD makes step sliders too. I like that this kind of design also provides a bit of protection from flying rocks kicked up by your tires.

other than that, search the forum for interior and exterior mods. The list is endless. Buy what you want and make your Jeep yours.

then, there is only ONE rule and you MUST follow it - NO EXCEPTIONS: “drive the hell out of it and have fun....”
 

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Thanks - I’ve got 245/75R17 AT’s. You don’t think I need to worry about ground clearance even with skids? Don’t wanna scrape and drag too much regardless of skids.
Ok, here's the thing, to gain ground clearance (measured at the lowest hanging part under your Jeep (axle housing, control arm and shock mounts)) you need bigger tires. In order to give the bigger tires room to articulate, you need to add a lift. After that, you need to pick lines that don't compromise the bits that are under there. Skid plates reduce the vulnerable bits available. So yes, wheel it with skids or wait until you have all the other stuff, up to you. Ultimately it's up to you to mitigate how hard you come down on something. If you're watching rock bouncer videos and expecting that kind of action in one of these Jeeps (I have seen this with my own eyes), you're out of luck.

I will second what @Dkretden says, and get some good rock sliders as well, your rocker panels will thank you. I also second his thought on frame mounted sliders although some don't play well with some skid plates as they share frame mounting points.
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