Sponsored

DewHawk

Well-Known Member
First Name
Rob
Joined
Aug 18, 2021
Threads
16
Messages
614
Reaction score
1,221
Location
Aurora, CO
Website
www.instagram.com
Vehicle(s)
'21 JLURD, '04 M3
Occupation
USAF F-16 Crew Chief
Hello all!

(EDIT 12/2023: These pages are for historical reference now as both builds are no longer mine. I’ve moved on to an EcoDiesel which will get its own new build thread in time. For now though, feel free to read through and see from my perspective how these vehicles held up under my ownership and the many quirks I encountered along the way.)

Thanks for stopping in to check out my rig. I'm not exactly a total n00b in this community as I've been decently active up till now primarily in the 4xe area. I figured it was time to keep most of the content strictly related to me and my build in one place for simplicity. So here's the recap of my story so far (it's gonna be kind of a big content drop so bear with me).

On July 27th, I happened to be scrolling through Jeep's website and playing around with the configurator on the new 4xe models. At this point, I was still in my first Jeep that I had only been driving since March, a 2021 WK2 Grand Cherokee Hemi Trailhawk. It was a pretty nice ride and very comfortable coming from my previous Hellcat Charger. I threw some Airlinks leveling links on the air suspension and 32" Falken Wildpeak A/T's on for good measure.

Anyway, I pulled up the Rubicon 4xe and started playing with the colors when I noticed one in particular that caught my attention: Limited Edition Gecko Green. As soon as I clicked on it, I knew I had to get my hands on one. I looked at the local dealer lots online and saw one that was inbound to my nearest Jeep dealer. I called them up and asked when they expected it in so I could schedule a visit. I waited for about 15 minutes on the phone while the sales advisor put me on hold to do some research when he picked back up and told me it was a customer order that was already sold. I asked if they expected anymore to come in and he told me they didn't as well as the last day to order one in that color was the next day. Unsettled by this news, I immediately phoned my sales advisor from the other dealer down the street that had sold me the Grand Cherokee and asked him what he needed from me to get an order placed. After about 20 minutes of over the phone options selections and a $500 deposit, I had my spot in line filled. The wife came home about 10 minutes later to the news and simply asked "I don't know why the hell you didn't bother just ordering one sooner". :CWL: Gotta love it when your spouse gives you that kind of approval.
Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal iris

(Jeep Configurator Photo)

Fast forward to late August and I get a ping from Cryptostickers telling me the 4xe is built and ready for transport. Shocked by this development after hearing it could be upwards of 9 weeks before I'd even seen movement, I phoned my sales advisor and asked if he had a projected shipping arrival date. He was equally as caught of guard by my question and looked up the vin to find it scheduled for delivery the 1st of September. I scheduled to come in on the 3rd to allow them time to prep. This gave me time to clean up and put the WK2 back to stock, which at this point barely had 3000 miles on the clock (silly, I know).

When I first walked up to my new 4xe, I couldn't quite believe just how incredible the color combo was. It was like a dream becoming reality.
Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 241463474_10158696998912669_5442131383855688194_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 241401836_10158696998772669_1080815795850674175_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 241228531_10158696998627669_8966424713419486562_n_LI


There's really nothing quite like that feeling you get from seeing a build sticker with your name on it. This is my first ever custom build new car I've ever owned and it was an extremely emotional experience for me.

It really didn't take long for me to get acquainted with my new Jeep. Having owned several newer Mopar's up to this point, I was very familiar with how most of the systems worked. The big experiment for me was getting to grips with the hybrid system and I'd never owned anything with an electric or partially electric powertrain before. If you had asked me a year prior to this if I would even have considered a Hybrid or EV, I would've told you to get lost. The thing that really sold me on the 4xe was the power output. The all electric range and fuel economy boost was just a bonus.
Within the first month, I had already pulled the plastic front bumper off in favor of an EAG full width complimented by some blue ambull shackles.

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 242325483_10158722272252669_6325690670144376288_n


I had seen several reviews and posts from various owners swearing up and down about the EAG rigidity and build quality so it was an easy choice (even a few photos from frontal collisions with positive eye opening results). It's funny, we're spoiled for choice when it comes to bumper designs. If I had this many options available for the cars that I came from over the years, I would have been living in dreamland constantly trying to think up new combinations of parts.

Shortly after getting the front end put together, I packed up the dog (Enzo) and my wife and we headed off for the San Juan Mountain Range. The plan was to stay in Telluride and hit the Jeep BOH trails in the area, take in the sights of the annual leaves changing color, and head home. Living in the Denver metro area makes this easy; all you realistically need is a day to travel, a couple days to wheel, and a day to drive back. We took the whole week to really give ourselves plenty of time so we weren't rushing the experience. I've never wheeled in a Jeep up to this point but had previous experience with a Nissan Xterra, my wife had been wheeling as a spotter and passenger numerous times in the past, and Enzo...well he was 10 months old and just enjoyed riding in the car. I had done my homework on these trails prior to arriving and immediately ruled out Black Bear Pass before we even left the house. The combination of my lack of experience in the Jeep and the fact that we were alone was too much to risk given the countless horror stories and wrecks I had scene.

We pulled in to our holiday hotel, The Resort in Telluride Village, stretched Enzo's legs a bit and called it a night. He really enjoyed the ride out and was excited to be seeing something new for a change.
Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 242752579_10158727592837669_1461851428862634655_n


Day 1 of hitting the trails was really just meant to bust the rust off of my skills and see what the Jeep could do; a nice easy drive through Ophir Pass. This was also a test to see how Enzo would handle riding in the Jeep off road. Surprisingly, he didn't seem to care at all and just enjoyed being along for the ride.

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 242798508_10158728647822669_8530759094988861224_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 242824577_10158728648962669_6565770797203199493_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 242874741_10158728648047669_8494082069017980832_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 242838539_10158728648262669_2631585392116403257_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 242840038_10158728649247669_7266200672434049909_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 242826744_10158728649447669_9037630199472006663_n


I pulled off at the base to air down. Could I have done it aired up? Yeah, but it would have been pretty rough and tumble the whole time so I was glad I took the extra couple of minutes to do it. It made the climb up effortless and fairly comfortable despite the stiff rubicon shocks.

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 242782882_10158728648142669_2306379686426544221_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 242836718_10158728649057669_7597821673222407139_n


The ride down towards Silverton wasn't super eventful. Ophir hadn't been any sort of a challenge for me or the Jeep so I knew we were good to go for the remaining trails as long as Enzo kept enjoying himself. We decided to stop at the famous BBQ joint in town. If you're ever out this way, I highly recommend it. The staff treated us well and treated Enzo like a king giving him his own plate of sliced beef. He really is spoiled rotten. The drive back to the hotel was nice and scenic with the trees really starting to kick into overdrive on the color change. We timed this trip perfectly to catch everything as it was happening. Even downtown Telluride was looking like it was on fire. It was a perfect first day out in the area.



Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 242838010_10158728648687669_338769830063573712_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 242942686_10158728649522669_7696334446544177616_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 242808181_10158728650042669_2839748210208084254_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 243484667_10158738439272669_8106860936637603642_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 243501942_10158738439027669_2538456608355122732_n



The next day we decided to hit up Imogene Pass from the Telluride side. This was a smart move because most of the traffic we encountered was flowing the same direction. A small group of modified rubicons stopped by us while I was airing down. They were genuinely curious about the 4xe and were looking it over from nose to tire carrier. After a brief chat we decided to tag along in their group and follow them up the pass. It gave them an opportunity to see what the 4xe was capable of and it gave us some backup in case we ran into a sticky situation.

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 241285226_10158730877262669_2020311252641342691_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 240599438_10158730874147669_6236276876163922906_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 242589894_10158730877832669_4440923860085375937_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 241498829_10158730877337669_510447817027510349_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 242432895_10158730877757669_4913188587240905907_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 241434865_10158730877147669_2592252812274264233_n


We had a great time heading up with these guys but decided to continue on without them when they stopped for lunch. They had started way earlier than us and had just finished Black Bear before hitting Imogene. The top of Imogene was pretty amazing to see. A modified TRD Tacoma flagged us down while we were stopped for photos and got out asking us about the 4xe. Up to this point, I thought the 4xe was a pretty well known entry into the Jeep lineup so I was a little caught off guard at just how much attention it was generating during our time here. Even at the hotel, guests and staff would be taking photos and asking questions as soon as they noticed it was parked in the EV space hooked up to the level 2 charger next to a couple of Teslas. Anyway, the elevation out at the peak of Imogene was starting to take its toll on Enzo as he was starting to look a little like the color of the Jeep. I wrapped up with the Tacoma owner and his buddy who left me with the impression that their whole world had just been turned upside down at the thought of a Hybrid off roader. We headed down Imogene into Ouray for lunch and to discuss our next game plan.

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 241449270_10158730877772669_6055202357711128595_n

(You can see the sand colored Taco in the background)

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 241181374_10158730877412669_3030517337140968754_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 242645129_10158730877032669_2210540898506748131_n (1)


We stopped in to the Ouray Brewery as a kind of throwback to where it all began for me and my wife. 4 years prior to this, I met her on a BMW driving event in this area and asked her on our first date at this very brewery. It was nice to come back to where it all started and just see how much had changed since then. I looked at the time and gauged my wife and Enzo on how they were doing after lunch. At this point I figured we could nail at least 1 more trail before packing it in and heading for the hotel. Fortunately, Ouray is perfectly placed to reach all of the badge of honor trails in the area so it was just a matter of picking which one. I rolled the dice and decided to head for Poughkeepsie Gulch. The easiest way to get there though wasn't exactly what I would call an easy trail. Mineral Creek is very scenic, very rocky, and very dangerous for the inexperienced wheeler. Had there been any nasty weather inbound, I probably wouldn't have even entertained going up. Weather was being super cooperative and amazing throughout the day however and only made the trip that much more enjoyable. The shelf road section was very narrow and had a fair amount of off camber areas. We didn't manage to record any of it but a short google search will give you and idea of what it's like. Apart from a small handful of jeeps coming down off of Engineer, we didn't see anyone for miles...apart from some Deer that Enzo was curious about.

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 240130436_10158730877587669_332023158270812499_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 241157654_10158730877172669_3868385253913197872_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 239617826_10158730877402669_3047116846999104175_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 242920960_10158730882772669_1909060544324333181_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 243086440_10158730882152669_3824316983662602755_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 240006917_10158730877317669_6685289187151612786_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 242912810_10158730881927669_8428358010043359462_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 242908782_10158730882022669_462228905758791792_n


The climb up was pretty uneventful but the rock obstacles were definitely more challenging than Imogene. One particular rock garden scraped the underside of my diff pretty good. Fortunately, these newer axles don't have the bottom mounted drain plug so it wasn't a big concern. The view off of California Pass overlooking Lake Como and the wall is pretty epic. You can tell from our position and the lighting we were definitely starting to burn the daylight. Seeing as we were just a few short miles from Engineer, we decided to head towards it. By the time we reached the top, we were in pure darkness. Not good. I took my time and came back down through the Animas Forks into Silverton. Enzo was a real trooper throughout and didn't complain once. In fact, I'm pretty sure he slept through half of the Animas Forks drive. I don't know how anyone could sleep through that section as it's pretty rocky. By the time we reached the hotel we were all beat and it was 10:30pm. We ordered some room service and turned in after I managed to update my BOH app. The next day was our drive back home. We left knowing we did what we set out to do and knocked 4 BOH trails off the list. I still want to go back and complete Black Bear but it's gonna have to wait until I can manage to drag one of my other jeep buddies out with me.

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 243454570_10158735289232669_3842141615485521524_n


After 1044 miles of driving there and back, the 4xe reported these statistics for the entire trip. Keep in mind several of these miles were done in 4L and most had been done in different variations of Hybrid, E-Save, and E-Charge as kind of an experiment to see how the Jeep would perform. I was blown away at the final numbers. My Grand Cherokee struggled to maintain 20mpg on a road trip through I-70 without adding any off road to the mix.

CONTINUED IN NEXT POST
Sponsored

 
Last edited:
OP
OP
DewHawk

DewHawk

Well-Known Member
First Name
Rob
Joined
Aug 18, 2021
Threads
16
Messages
614
Reaction score
1,221
Location
Aurora, CO
Website
www.instagram.com
Vehicle(s)
'21 JLURD, '04 M3
Occupation
USAF F-16 Crew Chief
After the first wheeling trip with the 4xe, things kind of settled down and I started getting busy at work. We were in the final stages of prep for a big combat deployment to the middle east with our aircraft so time to focus on the Jeep just simply wasn't available. I did manage to add a Bolt hoodlock to the front for peace of mind. Honestly I don't know why they don't just come with them from the factory. It's such a simple add on for so much better security given how relentless criminals are about stealing things off of cars these days.

One thing did catch my eye about mid november though that I simply couldn't ignore in the squadron parking lot.

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 255041991_10158808782657669_2457865044817293275_n


This was the first time I ever laid eyes on an Xtreme Recon packaged Rubicon. Sitting next to the 4xe, it was pretty clear the biggest advantage visually it had was the large 35's sitting on those factory beadlock capable wheels. This got me fired up to start diving more into the suspension and tire choices available to the 4xe. At this point, choices were still pretty limited for aftermarket suspension on the 4xe. Everyone was still trying to figure out what worked and what didn't (outside of MOPAR's silly little 1" lift kit). It wouldn't be until about a month remaining in my deployment overseas that I finally would make a decision on which direction to go. Before I left, however, I bought one last surprise for the 4xe, new sliders. I pulled the trigger on some Smittybilt Apollo's after weighing the pros and cons of going with such a controversial company. The people that were running the SRC's seemed to have zero issues with them and the people that had SB products in the past seemed to think they were the devil. I figured the Apollo's were kind of an unknown quantity and decided to be a sort of guinea pig for the 4xe crowd seeing as no one (not even SB) thought they would work. I later pulled the plates and resprayed them in Maui Blue from Rustoleum to try and match the 4xe blue. It seemed to work well enough and the color is a pretty close match (photos of that later).

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 278741766_10159081524362669_8143224451935726173_n



I had spent hours of my free time while overseas researching tires, wheels, and suspension combinations. What really kicked everything off though was the tires. I pulled the trigger on some Maxxis Razr A/T's in 37x12.5x17 load range D through simpletire. They are a fantastic company to deal with and offer a pretty nice military discount. Highly recommend them for your future purchases. My wife wasn't thrilled about having to move the massive tires into the garage by herself while I was gone, but admitted she was excited to see them on the Jeep.

The next trick was to figure out what to mount them on. I had my eye on several options but given the price tag for some and knowing full well that they would likely be damaged at some point from wheeling in the rocks, I had to make a choice that wasn't going to piss me off should one get mangled. Enter Rocktrix. They might not offer a ton of color options but it's hard to beat the price tag of a wheel that not only looks great but won't make you cry if it gets beat up from trail use. I chose the RT115's on a total whim not knowing exactly how they would look mounted on the 4xe. They had some decent reference photos but let's face it, Sarge Green just isn't a good way to judge a black wheel when the natural light is at a noticeable deficit. With 5 on order to compliment the 5 tires, only 2 pieces of the puzzle remained: Suspension and the Tire Carrier.

Suspension was a no brainer. I had been keeping tabs on AEV for a while and noticed several 4xe conversions were being pumped out on their spacer lift. Given the extra 1" of ride height the 4xe holds over the standard rubicon, this was a perfect fit for the 37's. At $400, it's hard to argue for the money either.

The Tire Carrier presented a totally different problem though. There's just so many damn conflicting posts about quality and weight tolerances that it all sort of becomes a big mess when you're sitting here endlessly reading information. I stumbled across a company on Amazon called Tyger Auto quite by accident. Their tire carrier made a ton of sense for the money but I never ran across anyone in the community that had even mentioned it. Once again, I pulled the trigger on a whim and hoped it wouldn't be a waste of time.

At first the tires and wheels went on without the spacer lift after I mounted up the tire carrier. It's incredible just how much you can stuff into a stock 4xe Rubicon's wheel wells for on road use or limited off road trails (IE fire roads). What impressed me the most with the tire carrier though was just how sturdy it was. This wheel and tire combo comes in at a whopping 104lbs and the carrier simply took it like a Honey Badger (IDGAF). The only real hiccup I ran into was with the tire bumpers. They just didn't have the reach to keep everything snug. I did a quick scan through the boards and found a simple fix using PVC and rubber chair leg ends. I cut everything down to fit and there was zero wobble. $8 fix to a pretty ugly problem is a win in my book. 👍
Then came the spacer lift. I did the entire install myself, solo, on 2 ton jackstands with a shit ton of boards. Don't be like me, invest in some good TALL jackstands. I definitely did after this as I was working cautiously the whole damn time.

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 278741766_10159081524362669_8143224451935726173_

(Stock, 37's no lift, 37's + 2" Spacer Lift)

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 278958154_10159089023872669_2956824631364185996_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 278819219_10159089023852669_4992842556093738696_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 279242769_10159089023842669_507476096647995325_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 278609360_10159081144237669_5241550879114805708_n_LI

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 278709275_10159086191977669_8507285007434564491_n

(Made this Bronco Badlands owner do a double take when I rolled in. I laugh everytime I see this photo because of just how fat the Bronco looks compared to the Wrangler)
Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal CC98C328-15E2-4B0C-B006-1C87CC8D1168

(The money shot at full droop. Plenty of clearance still on the driveshaft.)


All of this build up was in prep for my trip to Moab just a few weeks away. The original plan was to go with a handful of other Jeep owners from my unit but EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM backed out for various different reasons. I'm not a quitter though and plowed on SOLO. If you're curious how that went, you can read about it here: https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/my-return-to-moab-after-14-years-in-a-4xe.94311/

After Moab was done, I swapped in some Bilstein 5100 shocks to replace the AEV shock brackets under the advisement of @GATORB8 for some extra articulation on down travel and a little smoother ride than the factory shocks could give me. Definitely a welcome upgrade and a very noticeable improvement for ride comfort.

I encountered a pretty weird issue with Kiwi shortly after this a few days later. I went out one morning to run some errands to find that I had ZERO power. The EVSE level 1 charger wasn't connecting despite being plugged in, and there was no indication of 12v power either. I hooked up my CTEK charger to the 12v battery and ran the errands in my wifes Mercedes (yeah, I know, really slumming it 🤪).
I came back to find it had enough juice to power on but I was greeted by a Hybrid System warning and charge fault indicator displayed. I hooked up my scanner and tried to clear the codes to no success, then tried to clear with my Tazer mini without success either. Clearly this was a major issue that I wasn't gonna be able to fix on my own. Kiwi refused to start and would not shift out of park without the lanyard being pulled. I called a tow truck and had her sent via flatbed to the dealership knowing full well it could be months before I'd see her again given the horror stories I had read.

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 285640640_10159152479747669_6668069255676312783_n


5300 miles and this was the first time I had ever had an issue. It literally sat for 4 months while I was deployed waiting for my return and had tackled Moab without a single issue.

A few days went by and suddenly my uconnect app went bat shit crazy. Clearly there were signs of life, but what kind of life was unclear. I received a call early today from my service advisor telling me they had isolated the problem to a Battery Voltage Isolation Sensor Circuit. They reset the sensor, reprogrammed 5 modules that were in dire need of software updates (I've been really pushing it on staying away from the dealership as much as possible until I know for certain the engineers have good updates available), and even knocked out my odometer recall. All follow on tests and test drives came back positive with no recurring faults. So, at 5pm today, I brought her home and adorned her with some presents that had been delivered while she was away.

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 286691192_10159160705697669_1771890104026102399_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 285537717_10159160985492669_251407368552732011_n

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 285836582_10159160985467669_1751005533421821556_n


8 Badges of Honor across 2 states in less than 10 months of ownership with my 4 month hiatus in the Middle East. Not a bad start to my first Wrangler ownership.

Sitting on my garage floor currently is the replacement to the AEV Spacer Lift; a 2.5" Metalcloak True Dual suspension system. It's gonna be a little while till I can find some time to get it swapped in but I'm already looking forward to seeing the improvements this kit can make over the AEV spacers.

More to come soon! Thanks for reading!
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
DewHawk

DewHawk

Well-Known Member
First Name
Rob
Joined
Aug 18, 2021
Threads
16
Messages
614
Reaction score
1,221
Location
Aurora, CO
Website
www.instagram.com
Vehicle(s)
'21 JLURD, '04 M3
Occupation
USAF F-16 Crew Chief

DJP1812

Well-Known Member
First Name
Dominick
Joined
Jan 22, 2022
Threads
5
Messages
85
Reaction score
115
Location
FL
Vehicle(s)
'22 Jeep Wagoneer, '22 JLUR 4xE
Fantastic Post! Thank you.
 

Sponsored

OP
OP
DewHawk

DewHawk

Well-Known Member
First Name
Rob
Joined
Aug 18, 2021
Threads
16
Messages
614
Reaction score
1,221
Location
Aurora, CO
Website
www.instagram.com
Vehicle(s)
'21 JLURD, '04 M3
Occupation
USAF F-16 Crew Chief
Nice little update for everyone that’s been following along. Kiwi managed to survive her first true road test since coming home from the stealership going from Denver to Granby and back without a single issue (even managed 22mpg average somehow).

She got her first experience towing which was kind of unplanned. Weather out here has been really dry and hot this year so I went another step further in restoring my lawn with an aerator. Not much of a tow test but hey, it did the job without any fuss so it’s a win win. Putting the phrase ‘Go anywhere, Do anything’ to the test :CWL:

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal D182B93C-6E39-4CCA-97A6-37C56FC0925A


The very observant people on this board might notice a subtle change on Kiwi that happened prior to this little adventure. If you did, you win the invisible cookie for the day.

Installed in my EAG bumper is a brand new Badlands Apex 12000lb Winch w/synthetic line. It’s only hooked up to the provided battery disconnect right now but eventually I want to wire it in to a solenoid that I can use with the factory aux switches.
Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 900B81B0-E824-40D0-B777-09DA081375F0

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal FBEE5EF3-EAAB-4021-9E20-335E79A09089


I haven’t had a chance to really use it for anything but so far everything works as advertised and fits nice and snug up front. I’m probably gonna swap the hook out for a nicer flatlink at some point, but it’ll do for now.

Then yesterday, the wife gave me the green light to start tearing into the suspension again. I managed to finish the install last night and followed up this morning with torquing everything down, verifying installation, and road testing.

The Metalcloak 2.5” True Dual system is now installed and man is it smooth. I liked my suspension before with the spacers, but the new springs coupled with the bilstein shocks ride absolutely beautifully.

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal AB4E890E-C441-425F-9985-23552E0CA4C9

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal A4081A35-369D-463F-8D1F-FC6FF8C78A23

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal CCFD4377-586E-43FA-8A14-AAD259A4AA8E

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 9E45552E-4C88-472F-BE85-665118729E60

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 7557C560-41DC-4F8C-B1EF-01FC4C70257C

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal EC82DDE4-F588-4DE1-948A-D96F119BEED5


I was kinda going into this install not really knowing what to expect for height after swapping off the spacers and stock springs. After measuring and double checking everything making sure I was level front to back/side to side, I think I gained close to 3/4-1” of additional clearance. I’ll have to get it rolled out to the same spot I usually snap photos for the side by side comparison but based on the measurements I took, it’s looking like I’ve got more clearance now. I can’t imagine going to 3.5” coils from this. If I did, I’d want bigger tires than 37’s that’s for damn sure. Overall I’m extremely pleased and can’t wait to get Kiwi back on the trails for some flexing!

@GATORB8 I went a slightly different direction than you did in the rear and used the stock upper isolators on the coils rather than metalcloaks. I figure worse case scenario it isn’t a huge deal to replace them later if they wear out. Doing this got me dead level on the roof/frame/hood/fenders/etc with my shop level. Zero take anywhere in the suspension.
 
OP
OP
DewHawk

DewHawk

Well-Known Member
First Name
Rob
Joined
Aug 18, 2021
Threads
16
Messages
614
Reaction score
1,221
Location
Aurora, CO
Website
www.instagram.com
Vehicle(s)
'21 JLURD, '04 M3
Occupation
USAF F-16 Crew Chief
Looking good! Did you have any issues with the driveshaft?
Nope. I'm shock travel limited so there isn't any real concern for that right now. That being said, I am going to swap the driveshaft here soon just to completely eliminate that as a potential problem down the road. I figure once it's in I can take my time figuring out which shocks to swap in permanently to replace the bilsteins and add Metalcloaks shock brackets at the same time.
 

Sponsored

OP
OP
DewHawk

DewHawk

Well-Known Member
First Name
Rob
Joined
Aug 18, 2021
Threads
16
Messages
614
Reaction score
1,221
Location
Aurora, CO
Website
www.instagram.com
Vehicle(s)
'21 JLURD, '04 M3
Occupation
USAF F-16 Crew Chief
I know it's been a hot minute since I updated this but it's time for a MAJOR catch up post.

Kiwi was doing great and running on the metalcloak 2.5" lift with the new driveshaft without a single issue. Then I decided to get a bug up my rear and go hunting for a sports car to daily again, and boy did I find the right car.

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal unnamed (4)

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal unnamed (5)

Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 337522256_1286627448731644_967650896302312246_n (2)


Yep, a GT-R. 2009, Full bolt ons, 35K miles. It was a real treat from March up till today. About a month or so ago, I REALLY started missing my Jeep and knew I screwed up big time letting it go. I legit starting getting really emotional about the whole thing. I haven't had a vehicle in my entire life outside my high school car (99 Trans Am) and my current M3 really eat me up inside like that.

So I went to the Jeep dealer and placed an order for a '24 Rubi 4xe in Sarge with all the options I wanted (learning from my mistake of doing Leather last time, I opted for Cloth this time). Don't get me wrong, the GT-R is PHENOMENAL to drive and rip around the canyons with, but it has ZERO soul to it. My M3 might be slow by comparison, but it's an absolute treat to drive and makes me smile like a moron every time I drive it. GT-R just never did that despite being a real Supercar killer.

Fast forward to yesterday. I was at dinner with the wife when we started talking about how much we missed the Gecko color. I decided to just look and see if there were any even remotely nearby. As luck would have it, an almost IDENTICAL spec to my '24 order Gecko Rubi 4xe was listed for sale at a local Infiniti dealer with less than 6500 miles on the clock. We made a plan to go check it out this morning and see if it was even worth considering. Were we in for a shock showing up today.

Apart from the typical door hinge dings (which had been touched up with factory Gecko paint) it was in MINT condition. This beauty was PERFECT and drove like a dream. The wife gave me the thumbs up and we started crunching numbers. They gave me a little less than I figured the GT-R was worth (about $2000 less) given it wasn't bone stock, but the numbers made sense and it was as good as a completely done deal (not having to pay taxes, not taking a massive depreciation hit on a new car and deal with the whole tax credit thing for a new one is a huge win in my book).

Without dragging this out too much further, I'm pleased to introduce Kiwi 2.0 (working name for now).

(saying goodbye to the GT-R one last time)
Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 362689747_10159946793002669_2569947163045673905_n


Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 362654512_10159946793017669_5722209938741334755_n (1)


Even found a Gecko Gladiator hanging out at lunch to park with. Signs every where today reaffirming my decision as the right one.
Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 361567533_10159946793102669_6822718171484647553_n


Home sweet home. Time to start the build from scratch! :rock:
Jeep Wrangler JL Kiwi & Achilles: Historical Reference JLUR4xe Build Journal 361617006_10159946793112669_8916967662759704218_n
 
OP
OP
DewHawk

DewHawk

Well-Known Member
First Name
Rob
Joined
Aug 18, 2021
Threads
16
Messages
614
Reaction score
1,221
Location
Aurora, CO
Website
www.instagram.com
Vehicle(s)
'21 JLURD, '04 M3
Occupation
USAF F-16 Crew Chief

CarbonSteel

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2019
Threads
296
Messages
5,268
Reaction score
7,142
Location
Colorado
Vehicle(s)
2023 Ford Bronco Wildtrak
Vehicle Showcase
1
Nice ride! I have a Mojito so am partial to the green ones.
Sponsored

 
 



Top