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Looking for some build advise from more experienced Jeepers

Saddle Tramp

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This is my first Jeep and my first Diesel. I actually purchased it for practical reasons. I am moving to a home I have been restoring that is located atop a mountain in North Carolina. Most roads are gravel and some are pretty steep so they do not hold up well in bad weather. I wanted something that would handle the worst the mountain could toss at us. So I purchased a pretty well loaded Rubicon Diesel and am extremely happy with it. I wanted to drive it for a while before I planned how to move forward. Fortunately for my savings account I have not yet been bitten by the serious off road bug. (I am sure this will change once I retire and have more time on my hands)
So my plan is to leave her relatively stock since it is well equipped. I am passing on any sort of lift at this moment because I am not a fan of side steps and it is a bit of a challenge getting my short legs into the jeep as is. What I thought I would invest in is replacing some of the stock suspension components that my jeep brothers and sisters feel need to be beefed up again maintaining the stock stance but eliminating any possible failures in the future. This may not be necessary and this is why I am reaching out to those with experience I do not have. Of course I will be dressing her in some new wheels and tires as well as many of the cool little convenience items I see people recommending.

I appreciate any advice, I did some searching but could not find anything on this specific topic, but my searching skills are pure beginners level.
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guarnibl

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This is my first Jeep and my first Diesel. I actually purchased it for practical reasons. I am moving to a home I have been restoring that is located atop a mountain in North Carolina. Most roads are gravel and some are pretty steep so they do not hold up well in bad weather. I wanted something that would handle the worst the mountain could toss at us. So I purchased a pretty well loaded Rubicon Diesel and am extremely happy with it. I wanted to drive it for a while before I planned how to move forward. Fortunately for my savings account I have not yet been bitten by the serious off road bug. (I am sure this will change once I retire and have more time on my hands)
So my plan is to leave her relatively stock since it is well equipped. I am passing on any sort of lift at this moment because I am not a fan of side steps and it is a bit of a challenge getting my short legs into the jeep as is. What I thought I would invest in is replacing some of the stock suspension components that my jeep brothers and sisters feel need to be beefed up again maintaining the stock stance but eliminating any possible failures in the future. This may not be necessary and this is why I am reaching out to those with experience I do not have. Of course I will be dressing her in some new wheels and tires as well as many of the cool little convenience items I see people recommending.

I appreciate any advice, I did some searching but could not find anything on this specific topic, but my searching skills are pure beginners level.
My $0.02 is learn the capability of the vehicle off road before changing parts. If you're not doing any kind of rock crawling -- stock is perfectly adequate. Wranglers have come a long way since the days of the YJ, TJ, even the JK.

Be very cautious on wheels/tires. Less backspacing and more weight will cause additional wear and tear on components. AEV makes a good quality wheel that's hub centric and has ideal backspacing. So ensure what you're getting fits your use case. I've had good luck with the stock brand tires (KO2's) in snow and rain. Mud terrains are good in deep snow deep mud but you will make sacrifices elsewhere for the most part, and typically they add a lot of weight (even if it's a hybrid).

One good suggestion is to find out the weight of the stock wheel and tire setup so you understand the weight change you're making per corner.
 

Jamrock

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A stock diesel should be good for the activities you have listed. It comes an inch or so higher than the gas Rubicon so you already have a height advantage. If you are not into serious off roading, you may never need to add a lift or bigger tires.

I suspect your Jeep brothers and sisters are talking about things like ball joints which will get worn after a while. I don't think there is a need to do that now. These things start to show signs of wear after you have covered a significant amount of miles. When they start to go bad, you may want to replace them with some aftermarket ones, which tend to be more robust.

If you like how your Jeep is driving, leave it as it is until there is a need to fix something.
 
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aldo98229

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Modding is such a personal thing, it is difficult to offer any advise without knowing more specifics about the individual.

Knowing what I know now, the only thing I’d do to a Rubicon diesel might be swapping the factory 285/70R17 KO2s for a set of 285/75R17 KO2s and be done. That will net you an extra 1/2-inch of clearance with little impact on ease of entry/exit, on vehicle handling or MPG. And will make your Jeep look mean.

Good luck!
 

jaymz

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There’s really no need to fuss with the majority of the suspension components if you don’t plan to lift your Jeep. Especially if the extent of your off-roading will be steep hills with mud and/or snow.

You might consider upgrading shocks to something better tuned for your driving situations. It really just depends on what you’ve got from the factory. Tires with a more aggressive tread pattern is also a consideration depending on how often your roads are in bad shape and how well the stock tires do or don’t perform.
 

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Reinen

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My $0.02 is learn the capability of the vehicle off road before changing parts.
2nd this. The stock JL Rubicon is an extremely capable vehicle as-is. It seems to already be more than capable enough for the uses you mentioned. The only thing you might want is some better mud tires (but not necessarily bigger).

Also know that nearly every modification is a compromise, something gets better and something gets worse. So get to know the vehicle to insure that you will reap the benefits of a modification far more than you will deal with the drawbacks.
 

mnjeeper

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Get the longer Mopar LCAs. Cheap, easy way to make it drive better.

I'm not positive, but a lot of steering and some skid options require some lift.
 

Thane

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It doesn't take much rough road for the stock shocks to overheat and fade.
Lift or not a better set of shocks goes a long ways, literally.
 

John VonJeep

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Get the longer Mopar LCAs. Cheap, easy way to make it drive better.

I'm not positive, but a lot of steering and some skid options require some lift.
Seconded. Also consider the Northridge Grade 8 bolt kit and install when you switch out the front LCAs. Especially change out the bolts on the front track bar with the Northridge bolts, as that’s where most death wobble starts.
 

brewski

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Stock the vehicle is very capable. I advocate to run as close to stock height as you can for the tire size you're wanting to run. I have a diesel rubicon and want to run 35s. I'm running a 1.5in to keep it as low center of gravity as possible. I find 35s are very capable (so are the stock 33s). I find most people get caught up in what they think they want to do and don't end up actually doing the trails that you'd need 40s or 37s to accomplish. As soon as you do a lift and do big tires you start a domino effect of other components that will be stressed and wear out sooner.

- One thing I find is really needed, and this is if you're doing harder trails with rocks and trees, are rock sliders.
- To me a winch is necessary, but again this is down to what you do. If you ever go in mud, snow wheeling, or test what you can do with your vehicle a winch (and associated bits to use it) is the best recovery tool you can have
- I like having an onboard air compressor to let air out of the tires and be able to fill up again when I need to drive on pavement. Reducing tire pressure increases your traction and comfort. It makes your tire footprint a little wider, but mostly increases the length your tire footprint creates exponentially increasing traction. There are toolbox air compressors which hook up to your battery with "jumper cables" for power or PowerTanks where you occasionally have to refill tank as other options to air up.
 

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vegasblue

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I'm going to take a different route on suggestions.

1) Invest in some recovery gear. (straps, trax boards maybe, shovel, jumper cables or jump pack, if you have a steel front bumper, maybe even a winch)
2) First aid kit.
3) System to air up/down your tires.
4) Communications
5) Toilet paper / wet wipes

After these, I think some decent tires would be warranted.

I'm a big fan of skid plates. They give me the most peace of mind!
 
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Saddle Tramp

Saddle Tramp

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First off I can not thank everyone enough for all the fantastic input!
I have managed to do some of what was suggested just because I have owned trucks all my life and follow similar rules so I transferred them from the truck I just sold.

  • Winch
  • Recovery Gear
  • First Aid kit
  • Assorted tools and stuff
  • Portable Air compressor
  • CB / GMRS (hand held)
  • Fire extinguisher
  • A few implements of destruction

Will be looking into:
  • Shocks
  • Mopar LCA (if I go wider in tires)
  • Wheels and tires (as close as possible to stock specs on the rims with 285's)
  • Someone also recommended upgrading the stabilizer

Thanks again to all
Hope to meet some of you at some point

Mitch
 

guarnibl

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First off I can not thank everyone enough for all the fantastic input!
I have managed to do some of what was suggested just because I have owned trucks all my life and follow similar rules so I transferred them from the truck I just sold.

  • Winch
  • Recovery Gear
  • First Aid kit
  • Assorted tools and stuff
  • Portable Air compressor
  • CB / GMRS (hand held)
  • Fire extinguisher
  • A few implements of destruction

Will be looking into:
  • Shocks
  • Mopar LCA (if I go wider in tires)
  • Wheels and tires (as close as possible to stock specs on the rims with 285's)
  • Someone also recommended upgrading the stabilizer

Thanks again to all
Hope to meet some of you at some point

Mitch
If you like the OEM look, you can probably buy a set of take off XR wheels (OEM), as well. By default, they have less backspacing and thus would support larger tires without any rubbing or additional aftermarket modifications.

The LCA's are a good option -- can't hurt, and are an OEM part.

I personally think the stabilizer is fine. I'd skip that until deemed necessary.

Shocks are truly person specific. If you're on gravel roads a lot where the dampening is increased, it might be warranted to upgrade to a shock with a set of reservoirs to keep heat down.

Good luck!
 
 



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