New Rubicon. .. what should I do first?

C

crookone10

New member
I just got a new Rubicon and have been thinking of some mods but thought I'd give a shout on here and see if any of you guys have any recommendations for my first couple mods... not a super high budget btw. Also am a little concerned about voiding my warranty with certain mods

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using WAYALIFE mobile app
 
Ed Lapadura

Ed Lapadura

New member
3" lift. Wheels and tires Is what I did to mine with less than fifty miles on it. Really changed the look and my attitude. :rock:
 
M

MrHooah04

New member
Lift first, new shoes after your km's wear out. Just make sure you find a lift friendly dealer and you'll be good to go! Simply ask their techs how they treat lifted vehicles. :thumbsup:
 
munstie

munstie

New member
Definitely want to get recovery gear, granted you don't gain anything in appearance of the Jeep, but you will be glad you have it when not if you need it.:thumbup:

2011 JKU 3.5 R.E. Longarm lift.
 
bl17z90

bl17z90

New member
A low budget jeep build to me means keepjng stock wheels sk i would say get some spacers. Makes it look more agressive and you won't know why :idontknow:

Oh and a cb


Sent from my phone?
 
2

2007 JKU

Banned
First Jeep?
Ever went off road?


Get to know what it can do then based on its limitations and your usage read and deside what best for your JK. take your time Do it right do it once.
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Being that you have a Rubicon, you already have everything you need to get out and have some fun. As mentioned, get some recover gear (tow strap, tree saver, etc.) and an cheap air compressor so that you can air down your tires on the trail. Aside from that, I'd have to agree with the above statement of getting to know your Jeep and what it can do as is before you start throwing money at it. There will be plenty of time for that later. :yup:
 
C

crookone10

New member
Is actually my second Jeep. .. I bought my first car when I was 17 which was a 97 wrangler 4.0 sport (which makes this newer model even better). Bought that one in 2000 and drove it through college. I've taken this one off road lightly but been a little hesitant with it being brand new. I live in the mountains of WV so can't wait to get our first foot of snow.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using WAYALIFE mobile app
 
Zstairlessone

Zstairlessone

New member
Winch, straps etc. and skid plating to start with, your Rubi is a pretty capable rig out of the box. Get a CB so you can communicate on group rides (you don't plan on going out alone I hope). Find out what you like to do with this Jeep then think about future mods.
 
ScottC

ScottC

New member
What Eddie said. I was in your shoes and asked the exact same question a few months ago. I got a CB and recovery gear first, heavy duty floor mats (not a mod but worth the money), and armor. The following is not an advertisement, just an explanation. I got the Rock Hard oil/transmission skid plate, evap canister skid, and their transfer case skid. While the latter two come with skids from the factory, a side by side comparison will show the difference and why people upgrade. They also make a gas tank skid to round out the system, but I haven't gotten them yet. I'm pretty sure EVO and other companies make armor systems, too, so shop around. Knowing your underside is protected makes a lot of difference on a trail. You already have Rubi-rails, but you could go with a more aggressive rock slider, too. If you are worried about the warranty, go with a bolt on system (x2 on checking with your dealership first to see how they treat mods). Don't forget a good front bumper for your future winch. Do your lift right, and you'll only have to do it once. There are a lot of "right" answers to your question. The wrong answer is to not enjoy your new Jeep, so have fun!
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
ScottC said:
I got the Rock Hard oil/transmission skid plate, evap canister skid, and their transfer case skid. While the latter two come with skids from the factory, a side by side comparison will show the difference and why people upgrade. They also make a gas tank skid to round out the system, but I haven't gotten them yet. I'm pretty sure EVO and other companies make armor systems, too, so shop around. Knowing your underside is protected makes a lot of difference on a trail.
Click to expand...

With the exception of the oil pan which doesn't come protected and an automatic transmission on 2012-up which essentially have nothing as well, I don't know if I'd agree with this. In the 7 years that I've owned and wheeled my 2007 JK from stock to what it is now, I have never felt the need to replace my factory skids with heavy, heat trapping and difficult to remove aftermarket skid plates. As far as the EVAP goes, I have knocked mine off 5 times during that time and have had to replace it twice - cost me $75. Of course, I'm just a mall crawlers so, you can take my word for what it's worth. :crazyeyes:
 
ScottC

ScottC

New member
wayoflife said:
With the exception of the oil pan which doesn't come protected and an automatic transmission on 2012-up which essentially have nothing as well, I don't know if I'd agree with this. In the 7 years that I've owned and wheeled my 2007 JK from stock to what it is now, I have never felt the need to replace my factory skids with heavy, heat trapping and difficult to remove aftermarket skid plates. As far as the EVAP goes, I have knocked mine off 5 times during that time and have had to replace it twice - cost me $75. Of course, I'm just a mall crawlers so, you can take my word for what it's worth. :crazyeyes:
Click to expand...

I am certainly not going toe to toe with you on a Jeep opinion since as previously stated, I've only been doing this for 3 months. We wheel in different mall parking lots, though. I don't have to worry about some of the high temps of CA or AZ deserts. For me, the skid decision made sense at the time and only more time and experience will tell me if my thought process was correct. I'd rather have and not need than need and not have. Others feel differently, which multiple options and lessons learned are great reasons to follow this forum. I only venture off I the pavement occasionally, so I want to protect what I've got. I cannot rely on my experience to do that for me since I just don't have any.

If I have issues down the road, I'll be sure to post them. Thanks for the counterpoints, too. I think we are giving the OP what he is looking for.
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
ScottC said:
I am certainly not going toe to toe with you on a Jeep opinion since as previously stated, I've only been doing this for 3 months. We wheel in different mall parking lots, though. I don't have to worry about some of the high temps of CA or AZ deserts. For me, the skid decision made sense at the time and only more time and experience will tell me if my thought process was correct. I'd rather have and not need than need and not have. Others feel differently, which multiple options and lessons learned are great reasons to follow this forum. I only venture off I the pavement occasionally, so I want to protect what I've got. I cannot rely on my experience to do that for me since I just don't have any.

If I have issues down the road, I'll be sure to post them. Thanks for the counterpoints, too. I think we are giving the OP what he is looking for.
Click to expand...

Again, I'm all for protecting things that don't even come with protection. My only issue was with you suggesting that "a side by side comparison will show the difference and why people upgrade." I can assure you I have seen aftermarket skid plates perform WORSE than a factory skid.
 
ScottC

ScottC

New member
wayoflife said:
Again, I'm all for protecting things that don't even come with protection. My only issue was with you suggesting that "a side by side comparison will show the difference and why people upgrade." I can assure you I have seen aftermarket skid plates perform WORSE than a factory skid.
Click to expand...

Excellent point. So far, so good on the Rock Hard skids. More to follow after our Rausch Creek trip next weekend.

Most of my time off-road was as a passenger watching out for the bad guys (hence lack of off-road driving experience), and required protection from things that did more damage than rocks LOL. That probably shaped my thinking that "more" or "thicker" is better than less. Shutting up and coloring now.
 
Holeshot

Holeshot

Banned
IMHO, what you really want first is something to get you out of a bad situation. Which means ; recovery gear (straps, shackles, pulley,etc.) and a winch (at least 10 000lbs for a jk). After that you can step for a lift and tires.

If you choose to lift it before you get the winch, make sure to wheel with friends who have recovery gear, But as an experienced jeeper, I know that you will be tempted to go out alone and tell yourself "ho yeah, I will try it, I have a rubicon.." and then you'll get stuck. This happened to me a couple times, then I bought a winch :D
 
C

crookone10

New member
Hey another question guys. I got the 430N touchscreen in my Rubi but for some greedy reason the bastards didn't include the bluetooth module so they're telling me it's gonna cost around $350+ to install one for me to use uconnect. My state passed a law where its now illegal to use a cell phone in any way while driving so it's kinda important to me to have uconnect. Would you just buy an aftermarket unit that does a little more or pay for the blutooth module?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using WAYALIFE mobile app
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom