Things you have learned the Hard way about owning a Jeep.

[Fusilli Jerry]

Couldn't agree more. A lifted rig with (or even without) larger tires makes your Jeep significantly better. Larger tires make any Jeep way better still. Its like growing up and no longer being a pollywog.

A lifted Jeep can really do incredible things other than swimming around within the confines of the pavement-ponds around shopping malls and nail salons.

Jeeps are WAY better lifted. Any one who claims that owners who lift them are 'full of shit', can wallow in their own BS.

I couldn't be any happier looking down from a 13,000 ft mountain pass, or down on a stock pollywog at a red light.

All Jeeps are way cool. Either stock or lifted but calling a fellow Jeeper 'full of shit' for making their vehicle ride much better than 'squishy' is just wrong. Showing such little to no respect to a higher form of Jeep shows very little intelligence.

Lets just refer to these low-life, tiny-brained invertebrates as tadpoles. Certainly much less developed still.

Jay

I may do the very same thing once I'm off warranty. Been thinking about 38's and a lift. What other mods are necessary (or advised) to go along with that end goal?

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[Spank]

I've learned that the most difficult, time consuming, and PITA things to deal with when wrenching on Jeeps and installing mods are typically the tiniest things.

For example, when I first upgraded my suspension with a new trackbar, draglink, and tie rod, I decided to also install spring spacers to eliminate some rake. I spent more time trying to knock a rusted bumpstop nut loose to get the springs out than I did putting the Jeep on jackstands, removing the wheels, unbolting hardware, replacing said hardware, and putting it all back together.

Removing this:

was more difficult than installing all of this:

 

[aldo98229]

Ha. Yeah. Last week I was installing a pair of hood struts on my Fiat 124 Spider when one of the nuts fell through this hole into the fender. I spent 15 minutes installing the struts...and 45 minutes fetching the damn bolt...! —including 2 whole minutes of swearing...

 

[Spank]

Ha. Yeah. Last week I was installing a pair of hood struts on my Fiat 124 Spider when one of the nuts fell through this hole into the fender. I spent 15 minutes installing the struts...and 45 minutes fetching the damn bolt...! —including 2 whole minutes of swearing...

And, of course, it'd be easier to simply run out and replace said bolt and be done with it, but then you know there's still a bolt just sitting around in there and it gnaws at your soul.

 

[aldo98229]

Yeah. It’s like when you watch a cooking show and anything takes 15 minutes to make.

What they don’t show is the half dozen interns that spent 2 hours chopping, measuring, sniffing and sorting everything beforehand...

 

[dieseljlu]

A few things I have learned--

1. Never let the door-stop "pop" all of the way back into the door after taking off to go door-less. It will take an aggressive amount of willpower to wrench that door-stop back out and you will lose a nail or rough a knuckle (which I tend to do every time I mess with anything).

2. Do not run over super fresh blacktop/asphalt with 37s... you will pay stupid money to get the road tar that has been FLUNG across the side of the Jeep off. Mud is totally fine, road tar, not so much.

3. No amount of modifications will ever satisfy the urge to add more things (or go on more adventures that will require more things).

 

[WagzDad]

It’s an addiction that always makes you want just one more fix...and then you think you’re done.

 

[HardSell]

I would have had hot coffee scalding my eye balls.

Rather than blaming your Jeep set up, I believe the problem was your choice of beverage

 

[Toycrusher]

A few things I have learned--

1. Never let the door-stop "pop" all of the way back into the door after taking off to go door-less. It will take an aggressive amount of willpower to wrench that door-stop back out and you will lose a nail or rough a knuckle (which I tend to do every time I mess with anything).

2. Do not run over super fresh blacktop/asphalt with 37s... you will pay stupid money to get the road tar that has been FLUNG across the side of the Jeep off. Mud is totally fine, road tar, not so much.

3. No amount of modifications will ever satisfy the urge to add more things (or go on more adventures that will require more things).

YES to number 1!

 

[Heather87]

You modify one thing expect to modify other things at the same time.

Got a new jlu Sport s, installed a steel bumper and added a winch, well the front end is sagging, well gotta lift it up, well now your front end needs adjusting time for some adjustable track bar and LCA.

However in saying that I love my jlu Glad I traded in my 17 Camaro ss

I also traded in my Camaro for my Jeep now. Huge change, but not disappointed at all.

 

[wibornz]

I also traded in my Camaro for my Jeep now. Huge change, but not disappointed at all.

I have thought about buying a Camaro SS convertible for a touring car for the times we are not wheeling or camping. I think it would be a nice ying to the yang of a JLUR.

 

[Toycrusher]

I suppose I can add that most 15 min jobs require 45 (14 minutes of wrench turning and 31 minutes of chasing down that tool your kids thought looked like a fun toy) and a 2 hour job will turn into six after the third trip to the parts store...

 

[jeepoch]

I may do the very same thing once I'm off warranty. Been thinking about 38's and a lift. What other mods are necessary (or advised) to go along with that end goal?

Pete,

First off, what kind of Jeep do you have? If you're driving a Rubicon, 38's will work but only with a lift. They have axles with enough of a differential gear ratio (4.10:1 or higher) that will do well, or at least adequate with that size tire.

With (most) any other JL trims, 35's will likely be your largest choice because the stock axles have differentials with a gear ratio of 3.45:1. Your transmission will certainly struggle unless with that tire size [38's] you also re-gear.

Clearly there are other Jeep trim variants perhaps with other axles / gear ratios but hopefully you get my point. The lift just lets you install a larger tire with clearance, but its up to the differentials on whether you'll like how it drives. Without regearing, the larger the tire, the less power it will seem you have. Your take-off speed will suffer and your transmission will require lower gears at highway speeds. So again with 38's, it's just not the lift itself you may need to consider.

Also a stock Rubicon will handle 35's almost with no lift at all. Still if your mind is set on 38's then you'll have to do your homework.

I have a Sport S, so 35's are my limit. I'm not ready to incur the expense and complexity of regearing. If I convince myself that axle changes are needed, I'll swap out the entire open diff axles with lockers, or just trade up to a Rubi altogether.

For reference, I've been able to easily go with my setup on some trails that many say that only Rubi's should go. For me, my limitation is essentially only due to my open diffs and not just the lifted size. The 35's are plenty good enough for me. But my aspirations are not to climb cliffs or be the featured Jeep at Moab tackling the most difficult rock bench press.

I've simply built the most capable Sport that will take me anywhere I care to go. Moderate to mildly difficult rock crawling for me is possible (certainly done some) but I'll watch others do the really difficult to severe crap. I know the size of my gonads, that's just not my thing. If anyone wants to show off the size of their own testicles by playing king of the largest rock, I'll be impressed. My rig is my daily driver so if I crunch something, I'm walking...

Still, I'm willing to go and visit 90 something percent of where the rigs with lockers may wander. My goal is to see my wonderful backyard called Colorado. Not necessarily climb its steepest peaks.

Here's a pic of returning home with some Clear Creek County mountain mud on the tires.

Have fun, good luck and enjoy your journey.

Jay

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