Sponsored

Three cheers for Tribe-16's custom DEF/exhaust body armor!

kogar

Well-Known Member
First Name
JD
Joined
Mar 2, 2018
Threads
36
Messages
209
Reaction score
307
Location
Cedar Park, TX
Vehicle(s)
JLUR EcoDiesel
Finally took my ecodiesel out on the trails today (Hidden Falls Adventure Park, near Austin). A bunch of us vets got together to hit the trails, and we hit them HARD. This was the first time I had my Jeep offroad. I had stock Rubi suspension but I also had 35s (Falken Wildpeak AT3W on Fuel Cleavers). I watched a couple videos warning about the exposed DEF tank and exhaust, and conveniently knew somebody who had bought two of the new body armor designs from https://tribe-16.com (he offered to sell me his spare one -- I took that offer immediately!)

Let me tell you, that body armor made ALL the difference! More than once I scraped my belly because I just didn't have the extra lift needed for these 4-5 star trails. You can see from the photo that the Texas sandstone tried to do a number on my Jeep and Tribe-16s armor fought back with a vengeance! I am truly impressed with how well their design held up. Alas, my tailpipe tip got smooshed a bit, but nothing serious!

It was fun, but I'm not going to do that again until I get a decent lift on my jeep. Scraping body armor should be the exception, not the rule :)

tribe_armor.JPG


Diesel.jpg
Sponsored

 

SolarWizard

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2019
Threads
10
Messages
560
Reaction score
634
Location
San Diego
Vehicle(s)
Nacho3lJT
Occupation
Owner @ Solar Co
I donā€™t know how many of yā€™all were part of the TJ days but I had a gas tank skid on both of mine from Brad Kilby and that DEF skid looks identical.
 
OP
OP
kogar

kogar

Well-Known Member
First Name
JD
Joined
Mar 2, 2018
Threads
36
Messages
209
Reaction score
307
Location
Cedar Park, TX
Vehicle(s)
JLUR EcoDiesel
Gas/Exhaust armor isn't all that different, just the mounting dimensions, usually. One thing I will say, the "armoring" that Jeep gives you for that section in the Rubi is pretty lame. My muffler, and probably my DEF tank, would have been utterly destroyed had I not installed that armor. Best $260 I ever spent (I was able to buy it at a ridiculously discounted price - I think the actual cost is a little over 2x that, but ask the Tribe-16 guys)
 

SolarWizard

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2019
Threads
10
Messages
560
Reaction score
634
Location
San Diego
Vehicle(s)
Nacho3lJT
Occupation
Owner @ Solar Co
Iā€™m not saying itā€™s a copy I donā€™t even know if that company is in business anymore just an observation
 

timyork1989

Active Member
First Name
Tim
Joined
Jun 7, 2019
Threads
1
Messages
31
Reaction score
85
Location
Waynesboro, GA
Vehicle(s)
2020 JLUR Diesel
Build Thread
Link
@kogar do you happen to have any more pictures of the rest of the body armor? The ones you did post look sick though!
 

Sponsored

OP
OP
kogar

kogar

Well-Known Member
First Name
JD
Joined
Mar 2, 2018
Threads
36
Messages
209
Reaction score
307
Location
Cedar Park, TX
Vehicle(s)
JLUR EcoDiesel
@kogar do you happen to have any more pictures of the rest of the body armor? The ones you did post look sick though!
no other pics, but hereā€™s a video of someone else installing theirs. I think they have a slightly earlier design, but itā€™s generally the same.
 
OP
OP
kogar

kogar

Well-Known Member
First Name
JD
Joined
Mar 2, 2018
Threads
36
Messages
209
Reaction score
307
Location
Cedar Park, TX
Vehicle(s)
JLUR EcoDiesel
Instead of protecting the muffler, I got rid of it. Zero sound difference
Iā€™m really curious about this. Would that have any effect on mileage or EGR? Iā€™m not super smart about the ED engine (yet), but my understanding is that the exhaust design played a critical role in the engine tune.
 

Mtngreen4wd

Well-Known Member
First Name
Darin
Joined
Nov 13, 2019
Threads
7
Messages
53
Reaction score
86
Location
UT
Vehicle(s)
ā€˜20 JLUR, ā€˜96 XJ
Iā€™m really curious about this. Would that have any effect on mileage or EGR? Iā€™m not super smart about the ED engine (yet), but my understanding is that the exhaust design played a critical role in the engine tune.
I was in Moab over the weekend and while I didn't drag the muffler or DEF tank, It was always on my mind. After looking at the area, I wonder the same thing... why not just get rid of the muffler? Like you though, I don't know if this has any affect on the tune, EGR, Etc.? Would love to get rid of it if it there is not a problem with doing so. Doesn't appear to affect the sound anyway.
 

Nerobergstr

Well-Known Member
First Name
Matt
Joined
Jan 17, 2020
Threads
0
Messages
115
Reaction score
209
Location
Michigan
Vehicle(s)
West Texas Barn Find 1970 Kaiser Jeepster Commando
Vehicle Showcase
1
Regarding muffler removal, I would say it should not affect the EGR or anything else. There is an exhaust throttle valve just in front of the axle that actively manages exhaust back pressure. I like the idea of getting rid of the muffler.
Sponsored

 
 



Top