Mod Opinions Please!

Help! I need some opinions on mods. I am currently running a stock Rubi with Teraflex Leveling Kit. Here’s a list of what I want and hope to do to the JK:

Phase I

1. Warn M8000 Winch
2. LoD Mid-Width Front Bumper
3. LoD Mid-Width Front Bumper Skidplate

Phase II
4. Teraflex 2.5" Coil Lift w/Shocks
5. AEV Black Savarge Wheels (17x8.5)
6. Nitto Trail Grappler MT (295/70/17)

Phase III
7. LoD Rear Bumper & Tire Carrier

Phase IV
8. Superchips Flashpaq
9. Sport Cage (Rock Hard, OR-Fab?)

It’s getting harder and hard to hold off on the mods, I’m trying to be practical as I have a wife and two kids (2 year old and 6 month old) to worry about too! I’m not going to do all of the mods at once and will split up into phases with probably one phase a year. I really like the AEV Black Savarge Wheels and they are somewhat unique as not many are running them, but I am thinking about just getting wheel spacers instead due to cost. Here are the wheels: link.

I have a few questions for you all:
1. Do the phases make sense in this order? Should the lift and tires take more precedence over a front bumper and winch? I’m interested in moderate trails as this is my DD, I’m probably a little too cautious/chicken, and I don’t have much free time right now with the young ones (which is why I haven’t even gotten to go on a run with you guys!).
2. I would like to do Phase II first, but I can’t quite justify getting rid of my stock Rubi wheels and tires as they only have about 12K miles. I know I could sell them and recoup some money though.
3. I know most will say to go with 35” tires, but I don’t want to regear and also don’t want to worry about the stock tire carrier in the interim. Also, my wife already says she has a hard enough time getting the kids in the car seats (even though I do it 99% of the time when we all ride in the JK somewhere).
4. I was thinking about doing just the front bumper and lift first as “Phase I” and then doing the winch and tires as “Phase II”. How silly would the lift look with the stock tires? I found several pics on everyone’s other favorite forum but am on the fence about it – I know it would be an interim thing, but still!
5. Should I really be concerned about using wheel spacers? I know the subject has been beat to death and many of you all run them, but to me it does seem like they will put more stress on the bearings, etc. as the wheels are getting pushed out as if there was less backspacing but are not getting any wider to help make up the difference.
6. The tires are about 33.5x12, they will fit ok on the stock Rubi wheels (with spacers) if I decide to not get new ones right? Conversely, if I decide to get new wheels before tires, will the stock Rubi tires fit ok on a 8.5” wide rim?

I will stop now as this is getting long. Really, I guess the point of all this is what do you all think? Is there a better way to mix and match between Phase I and II that makes more sense? Am I being stupid?

I will probably have more questions based on the responses I get.

Thanks,
Art

I bet your Rubi tires will still have plenty of tread in one year and it will still be the same question of replace or keep.

I like the idea of a build phase but I just always bought what I wanted/needed the most and had permission from the boss to buy. If you think you will be wheeling with stock tires and potentially get stuck then get the winch first. I have a friend with a stock jeep (tires, lift, bumper) and a winch on the stock bumper.

Get what you want and don't worry about how it will look. It's a jeep it will look great.

Phase I

1. Lose the POS e-disco, sell and let some one else cry over it.
2. Order front Currie anti-rock from Rock Rash 4x4.
3. Take money left over from all that and put towards the Warn M8000 Winch
2. LoD Mid-Width Front Bumper
3. Don't need that crappy skid plate anymore.

terrahawk wrote:

Phase I

1. Lose the POS e-disco, sell and let some one else cry over it.
2. Order front Currie anti-rock from Rock Rash 4x4.

X2

Art,

This is probably the route I would go. I like my POS Electronic Disco, but what the others are saying makes sense, espeially on a tight budget.
With the amount of wheeling and type of wheeling you are planning to do, I would just get some teraflex quick disconnects for your swaybars.
Selling your E-Disco will help fund some of mods. Might as well sell it, as it will break at some point anyway.

Phase I

1.Tera Flex lift + 1" body lift
2. LoD Mid-Width Front Bumper
3. 35" KM2's (they measure about 34.5, which are only an inch over what you originally wanted) (Use stock rims)

Phase II
4. LOD rear tire carrier
5. Superchips FlashPaq

Phase III

6. Warn M8000
7. Your fancy rims

terrahawk wrote:

Phase I

1. Lose the POS e-disco, sell and let some one else cry over it.
2. currie
3. Take money left over from all that and put towards the Warn M8000 Winch
2. LoD Mid-Width Front Bumper
4. Don't need that crappy skid plate anymore.

This is what I would do. should be able to sell the e-disco for about $1k.

Dutchboy101 wrote:

Art,

This is probably the route I would go. I like my POS Electronic Disco, but what the others are saying makes sense, espeially on a tight budget.
With the amount of wheeling and type of wheeling you are planning to do, I would just get some teraflex quick disconnects for your swaybars.
Selling your E-Disco will help fund some of mods. Might as well sell it, as it will break at some point anyway.

Now with an extra $$ to spend, this is the route I'd take:

1. 1.25" Rough Country body lift (for the wheeling you want to do this is perfect and still clears 35s) $330.00 savings
2. 35" tires (you can clear 33s without a lift and 35s w/out a lift and fender trimming) only $165.00 more than 295s for 5
3. spacers + stock wheels (uses the $$ you saved on the lift for the spacers)
4. buy someones stock swaybar and get teraflex quick disconnects
5. TOW strap

Phase II
5. Front bumper
6. Winch
7. Rear bumper

You should always wheel with someone else so you can get away without a winch for a while. buy a good tow strap.
This way you get the most bang for the buck. If you plan to really wheel your rig, you may not want those NICE looking rims in the end. If I could, I'd go back and buy Soft 8s instead.

*** with a rubicon (lockers front & rear) you should be ok w/out a winch, but for God sake, wheel with someone. Even better wheel with someone with a winch

I'd try to put the Flashpaq as close to the tire upgrade as possible just so you can calibrate your speedo. Keep an eye on eBay and Craigslist. Every so often there's a good deal that pops up. I posted on here where a guy was selling one for $160. Just make sure it's unlocked otherwise it'll cost $100 to unlock it.

Thanks for the replies everyone, please keep the suggestions coming!

A few things to note though, I'm not interested in a body lift and am pretty much set on the mods - this includes tire size as I don't want to regear. I'm really just trying to figure out the appropriate order. I am still on the fence about wheel spacers, in fact I just finished reading something on JKF about a guy's (Tehiv, I think) wheel falling off doing 70 mph.

I will have to think about unloading the e-disco. I'm not really familiar with the Currie Anti-Rock system - will need to do some research.

I guess I don't really "need" (but really want) the front and rear bumpers as I mainly just want a winch and I've seen some folks modify the stock bumper to fit a winch. I would lose jack points though by keeping the stock bumpers.

I appreciate the feedback...interested to read more of it.

JK4AER wrote:

I am still on the fence about wheel spacers, in fact I just finished reading something on JKF about a guy's (Tehiv, I think) wheel falling off doing 70 mph.

You have to check them periodically to make sure they're tight. It's all a part of vehicle maintenance like changing your oil etc..., some people are just to lazy to do it. Besides, there would be some warning signs before that would happen.

A little locktite on it helps too.

If your pretty set then at least put the tires on before dropping the cash on the lift. maybe some longer bumpstops. I ran 285/70r17s for about 6 months and did some pretty good wheeling without rubbing at full stuff. I had enough clearance to run my hand between the top of the tire and fender with stock bumpstops.

now i'm running a 3" lift (getting a true 3" since the springs have settled) and 35s and really think the 35s look too small on my 4 door.

JK4AER wrote:

1. Do the phases make sense in this order? Should the lift and tires take more precedence over a front bumper and winch? I’m interested in moderate trails as this is my DD, I’m probably a little too cautious/chicken, and I don’t have much free time right now with the young ones (which is why I haven’t even gotten to go on a run with you guys!).

I say leave it like it is and wheel it. I have heard too many times "moderate trails" or its my "DD".

It is very capable like it is. Take it out and wheel it a few times and see if your priorities change.

In the mean time you can save your money for the mods.

Goldenboy wheeled the shit out of his bone stock....


The build looks nice, go for it but don't be surprised if your priorities change...


and I agree with what Jody suggested.

jdldx3 wrote:

I say leave it like it is and wheel it. I have heard too many times "moderate trails" or its my "DD".

It is very capable like it is. Take it out and wheel it a few times and see if your priorities change.

In the mean time you can save your money for the mods.

This is probably what I should do, but part of me wants to do the mods because I like this stuff and not just to make it more capable.

If I were to go with 35" tires and not 33", what other mods would I need? Here's what I can think of, but you all know much more: need to regear, need to add C gussets, probably need a rear tire carrier ASAP. I could probably make do without those items for a bit, but I don't want to half-a$$ it (not trying to be a hypocrite though, as budget is a concern). Pretty sure I could run 35" with the same TF 2.5" coil lift. How many of you all with 35" have regeared and added gussets? Honestly, I'm spinning my wheels here due to sticker shock - I added up all of the mods in my OP and it was about $7,000. I know most of you have probably put that, or more, into your Jeeps as well, but damn that's a lot!

P.S. - I'm pretty indecisive about some things in case you can't tell! Thanks for everyone's feedback.

hahaa..... indecisive? Jeepers? no way...

Better to research and spend vs spend and respend....

You have it right about the 35s.... regear - not a must but sure as hell makes a difference. Like night and day IMO

C gussets? If you are crawling the mall? not so much - anything else and consider it an investment.... same goes for chromie axle shafts (which I would do first) and sleeves (inner or outer or both)

I was in the exact same boat.... seriously - I just added that stuff as money became available - stayed off the skinny pedal and wheeled with everyone else.

Keep doing your homework.

Sticker shock is only the beginning....

I've heard so many JK's talk about needing C gussets. What specifically are y'all gusseting?

The inner knuckle... it's a well known weak point.

Cheap fix, just weld the gussets over the stock knuckles.



(rumor has it that a deer will fawk one up pretty good)

You won't need a tire carrier, there are cheaper ways to reinforce the gate if that's what you're worried about, especially if you are going to stay with 35's.

If I were you, see my first post.

Gusset the C's, run 35's on the stock wheels with some 1.25 to 1.5" spacers, and put some 5'13's in it. This is a good base to start from and will give you insight to what direction you are ultimately going to go with.

Ah, thanks for the clarification, RG!

You wouldn't "NEED" to regear. I ran my 4dr Rubi on 35's for two years and I wondered what all the fuss was about. There was a noticable difference in the stock tires and 35's, but it was something I could live with. BUT I recently regeared and now I know why everyone says to regear. As long as you are not heavy on the skinny pedal you could suck up the 4.10's until the funds come in. If you are big on daily driving performance then you won't like running on the highway with 4.10s especially driving into a headwind.

If you want the bumpers first then get the bumpers. I personally would go for lift first. I still am running my stock bumpers because I really haven't fell in love with any of the bumpers. As for the winch, I will rarely go out wheeling alone so a winch is lower on my list, but it is still an item I really need.

I love my E-disco, I will run mine until it craps out and then switch to anti-rocks. As for the wheel spacers, I had the opposite effect. When having my gears swapped I had hard time getting them off. They froze around the hub. I will eventually will loose the stock wheels, but that is lower on the list due to I want beadlocks=funds.

Good luck with you choices.

You know, it's nothing personal against anyone here, but the whole "oh I don't wheel alone so I don't need a winch" thing just seems short-sighted and selfish to me, or maybe just irresponsible, shrugging the burden of your recovery off on others who'll hopefully have a winch themselves. It's something I see a lot among offroaders of nearly every stripe.

I don't know what kind of wheeling you'll be doing, but if you're crawling rocks, I can tell you I've had a winch hooked to me more than once just for safety to avoid an endo or ugly roll. And when it comes to forests and mud and swampy stuff, I've had guys trying to get ahold of me in the middle of the night because they're stuck back in the middle of nowhere with two other Jeeps who couldn't yank him out and only made it worse and bent up a tow hook. And because none of them had a winch (note: they weren't wheeling alone) they worked at it for hours until eventually giving up and leaving the stuck Jeep there overnight until I could make the trip out (not exactly next door) to come pull him out the next evening after work. With my winch. And then because they'd made the situation so much worse by trying to tug and yank unsuccessfully, it made the recovery job that much longer, more difficult, and more trying, including eventually shearing off both grade 8 bolts mounting the tow hook to the frame.

Every time I see someone who wants to go wheeling (as compared to something simple like a beach run) who doesn't have a winch, I wonder what their priorities and assumptions are. Winches aren't necessarily that expensive, and if you ever plan to actually go wheeling, I'd suggest you at least consider bolting a Shittybilt XRC8 to your junk. It's $300 before even any sales (free shipping and cover right now), and it should suffice for now. Eventually when you realize it's not just an unnecessary burden, you may want to step up to something more reputable and long-lasting and hopefully something with quality synthetic cable and a safety spindle, but there's really no good excuse to go without a winch. It's inexpensive insurance.

instead of e-wheeling and mind fucking yourself i have a grand idea


meet me and a few hundred of my hardcore friends down at k2 this weekend and find out what you really need.......





my bet would be your factory rubi will do things you dont have the balls to do...........that is, you are niether an experienced enough driver or do you have the resolve to beat you daily driver up......not shortcommings of the vehicle

Couldn't agree more Deacon.

My golden rule is if I have to borrow it I have to buy it. That is the reason I now have onboard air, a winch and a highlift jack.
And the list would go on and on.

Deacon wrote:

You know, it's nothing personal against anyone here, but the whole "oh I don't wheel alone so I don't need a winch" thing just seems short-sighted and selfish to me, or maybe just irresponsible, shrugging the burden of your recovery off on others who'll hopefully have a winch themselves. It's something I see a lot among offroaders of nearly every stripe.

Not selfish or irresposible at all if they have tow points and recovery straps.

Im with Redneck Huston man. I dont know how hard you plan on wheeling your jeep, but build it off of what you need to get over the trails you want to go through. Keep the stock bumpers for now, Get the lift first and keep the stock tires for a bit untill the funds arive to regear and go with 35" tires. Do the cosmetic stuff last, its all gonna get fudged up eventually anyway so why spend all of your money there first. And hell yes get a damn winch, probably one of the best investments you can actually put on your jeep.