Advice wanted: Preparing for harder rock crawling

dgriz

Member
Up to this point, I've only done moderate trails with my Jeep, the most difficult probably being the trails up around Big Bear Lake, CA and some of the moderate trails in the Sierras around Shaver Lake. In 2014 I will be tackling the Rubicon as part of the Jeep Jamboree and, since this is also my DD, I want to make sure I can drive this thing home without any serious damage. I've slowly been adding mods as I could afford them but my list is so long I know I'll never get everything before my trip. So, I could use some help in prioritizing my list.

Here's what I have or will have for sure:
Rubicon front/rear lockers
Off-road stubby bumpers (front & back)
2" JKS Jspec lift:
-front LCAs (fixed length)
-front & rear adjust. trackbar
-Bilstein 5100 shocks
Nitto 35" tires
5.13 gears
Rubicon Rock Rails
ACE Rock Sliders
Or-Fab Tire Carrier
Aftermarket Skids:
-oil pan
-transfer case
-control arms
-evap can
PS Bombshell Diff covers
Muffler relocated under the cab
C-Gussetts
Stabilizer shock relocation kit

Here are the top items I'm considering adding in addition to these (but can't afford all right now):
1" spring spacers
rear LCAs (fixed length)
rocker body armor
rear track bar skid
gas tank skid (aftermarket)
transmission crossmember

How would you prioritize this list and is there anything you would add that is more important (and not too expensive)?
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Up to this point, I've only done moderate trails with my Jeep, the most difficult probably being the trails up around Big Bear Lake, CA and some of the moderate trails in the Sierras around Shaver Lake. In 2014 I will be tackling the Rubicon as part of the Jeep Jamboree and, since this is also my DD, I want to make sure I can drive this thing home without any serious damage. I've slowly been adding mods as I could afford them but my list is so long I know I'll never get everything before my trip. So, I could use some help in prioritizing my list.

Here's what I have or will have for sure:
Rubicon front/rear lockers
Off-road stubby bumpers (front & back)
2" JKS Jspec lift:
-front LCAs (fixed length)
-front & rear adjust. trackbar
-Bilstein 5100 shocks
Nitto 35" tires
5.13 gears
Rubicon Rock Rails
ACE Rock Sliders
Or-Fab Tire Carrier
Aftermarket Skids:
-oil pan
-transfer case
-control arms
-evap can
PS Bombshell Diff covers
Muffler relocated under the cab
C-Gussetts
Stabilizer shock relocation kit

Here are the top items I'm considering adding in addition to these (but can't afford all right now):
1" spring spacers
rear LCAs (fixed length)
rocker body armor
rear track bar skid
gas tank skid (aftermarket)
transmission crossmember

How would you prioritize this list and is there anything you would add that is more important (and not too expensive)?

Honestly, looking at your profile, I would say that you could go as is and without all the extra dodads you have in your list. Certainly, there is no need to waste your money on replacement skids as the ones that come on your Jeep are plenty strong enough. To this day, I still run all factory skids on my Jeeps. If you're going with the Jamboree, they will take care of you and make sure you don't do anything stupid. Just focus on getting out there and having some fun. :yup:
 

CaliCrusher

New member
I now regret not getting Evo sliders. They're welded to the frame. My poison spyder's are bolted on to the body.

I watched Eddie on a project-jk video practically pivot his jeep around a rock using his evo sliders. I'm pretty sure if I did something like that on my sliders I would have some damage.

Just something to consider if you haven't purchased the ACE sliders yet. They're bolted to the body if I'm not mistaken.
 
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Maertz

Banned
Up to this point, I've only done moderate trails with my Jeep, the most difficult probably being the trails up around Big Bear Lake, CA and some of the moderate trails in the Sierras around Shaver Lake. In 2014 I will be tackling the Rubicon as part of the Jeep Jamboree and, since this is also my DD, I want to make sure I can drive this thing home without any serious damage. I've slowly been adding mods as I could afford them but my list is so long I know I'll never get everything before my trip. So, I could use some help in prioritizing my list.

Here's what I have or will have for sure:
Rubicon front/rear lockers
Off-road stubby bumpers (front & back)
2" JKS Jspec lift:
-front LCAs (fixed length)
-front & rear adjust. trackbar
-Bilstein 5100 shocks
Nitto 35" tires
5.13 gears
Rubicon Rock Rails
ACE Rock Sliders
Or-Fab Tire Carrier
Aftermarket Skids:
-oil pan
-transfer case
-control arms
-evap can
PS Bombshell Diff covers
Muffler relocated under the cab
C-Gussetts
Stabilizer shock relocation kit

Here are the top items I'm considering adding in addition to these (but can't afford all right now):
1" spring spacers
rear LCAs (fixed length)
rocker body armor
rear track bar skid
gas tank skid (aftermarket)
transmission crossmember

How would you prioritize this list and is there anything you would add that is more important (and not too expensive)?

i still say the same, rear axle shafts and front axle shafts, also a tie rod. As i said ive bent BOTH rear flanges on 35s and had a stock front shaft fail almost taking out the bjs. As wol said i wouldnt both with any skids at all.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
I now regret not getting Evo sliders. They're welded to the frame. My poison spyder's are bolted on to the body.

I watched Eddie on a project-jk video practically pivot his jeep around a rock using his evo sliders. I'm pretty sure if I did something like that on my sliders I would have some damage.

Just something to consider if you haven't purchased the ACE sliders yet. They're bolted to the body if I'm not mistaken.

It's funny you should say as much as I personally prefer factory Rubicon sliders to bolt on ones like what ACE makes. The factory sliders sit tightly against the body and don't offer much in the way of stand off protection but, ones that to stick out and are not mounted to the frame seem to act as a lever and I have seen them get cranked into the rocker panels. Of course, I know that there are some that run both but to me, that kind of seems like a waste of money.

i still say the same, rear axle shafts and front axle shafts, also a tie rod. As i said ive bent BOTH rear flanges on 35s and had a stock front shaft fail almost taking out the bjs. As wol said i wouldnt both with any skids at all.

Unless the Jeep in question has already seen a lot of miles and abuse, I personally would say to save your money and wait until you actually "need" to replace these things. Sure, you can bend rear axle flanges but, you can bend aftermarket chromoly ones just as easily too - trust me, I have done it. Front chromoly shafts with full circle clips are nice to have if your factory shafts are already showing signs of yoke stretching but, even if they are, you can always tack weld the caps to prevent the kind of failure you had. As far as tie-rods go, having a bent one won't keep you from running the Rubicon and getting all the way back home. Of course, I am only saying all this because the OP made it sound like he has a limited budget. If money were no object, I'd say spend away. :yup:
 

suicideking

New member
I now regret not getting Evo sliders. They're welded to the frame. My poison spyder's are bolted on to the body.

I watched Eddie on a project-jk video practically pivot his jeep around a rock using his evo sliders. I'm pretty sure if I did something like that on my sliders I would have some damage.

Just something to consider if you haven't purchased the ACE sliders yet. They're bolted to the body if I'm not mistaken.

Agree with this. If you want to do more rock crawling, skip the Ace rails. I dumped mine and got the evo. Hated the ace. Ace will get hung up on the rocks too much. You'd be better off with just the rubi rails on rocks. Ace lose a lot of ground clearance.
 

TheDuff

New member
Agree with this. If you want to do more rock crawling, skip the Ace rails. I dumped mine and got the evo. Hated the ace. Ace will get hung up on the rocks too much. You'd be better off with just the rubi rails on rocks. Ace lose a lot of ground clearance.

This! Sold my ace sliders for the same reason.
Also, no reason to buy track bars, control arms, etc, for 2 inches of lift. Personally I would get a used budget boost and chop your fenders to fit 35's. Track down some Rubicon sliders and dump half the things on your list. Just fyi, if you didn't already know, rubi lockers don't work in non rubi axles, but if you where looking to buy a set of axles, more power to you. A lot of people run the Rubicon on open diffs, so maybe a winch would be a better place to allocate some funds.

Sent from my LG-D800 using WAYALIFE mobile app
 

dgriz

Member
Agree with this. If you want to do more rock crawling, skip the Ace rails. I dumped mine and got the evo. Hated the ace. Ace will get hung up on the rocks too much. You'd be better off with just the rubi rails on rocks. Ace lose a lot of ground clearance.

I guess I should have identified what I already have and what I don't. I've had the ACE sliders for a couple of years already, so replacing them at this point isn't in the plans. Eventually, when this becomes a weekend toy instead of my DD, I'll consider switching to something like what EVO makes.

On the original list, the things I DO NOT have, but was planing to get are:
Nitto 35" tires
5.13 gears
Or-Fab Tire Carrier
PS Bombshell Diff covers
C-Gussetts
Stabilizer shock relocation kit

These are already budgeted for.

The other items were just things I thought would be nice to have, or maybe would provide needed protection since I have such a short lift.
 

suicideking

New member
Long term, I'd say go to 3" evo springs or 3.5 RK or MC. 2" will be ok for 35s with flat fenders. 3" would be better.
 

Maertz

Banned
Long term, I'd say go to 3" evo springs or 3.5 RK or MC. 2" will be ok for 35s with flat fenders. 3" would be better.

if coils are a thing your going to get go mc and never look back, no other coil can handle 12" of travel (about 29 ext) Theres are a decent amount longer than all others.
 

Beyrgut

New member
Are you planning on 37s or larger down the road, if not the 5.13s seem a little much for 35s. 4.10 or 4.88 gears would be a better match for the 35s.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
if coils are a thing your going to get go mc and never look back, no other coil can handle 12" of travel (about 29 ext) Theres are a decent amount longer than all others.

Really? Just like that, "never look back"? I had no idea that the amount of travel a coil is marketed as being able to "handle" was the only thing that made it good. But hey, what do I know.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Are you planning on 37s or larger down the road, if not the 5.13s seem a little much for 35s. 4.10 or 4.88 gears would be a better match for the 35s.

He has a 2009 and 5.13's are actually a nice setup with the wimpy 3.8L motor especially if you have an auto. I have run it and always liked the extra power and better crawl ratio. Sure, your RPM's will run a bit higher at highway speeds but, it's not as bad as you'd think. The only reason why I would recommend against 5.13's on a 2009 is if the front axle were only a Dana 30 as the pinion would be really really small.
 

dgriz

Member
Are you planning on 37s or larger down the road, if not the 5.13s seem a little much for 35s. 4.10 or 4.88 gears would be a better match for the 35s.

Gear ratios is a whole other topic, but since you asked... I also pull a travel trailer with this rig (for at least another year) and yes, someday I might run 37s. Most of my driving (other than when I'm towing) is around town. Very little highway use on a daily basis. For the hills I drive, both towing and not, the lower gears should work well. I just know 4.10 and 32s were at least OK for towing and I'm hoping 5.13 and 35s will actually work out a little better.
 

munstie

New member
Gear ratios is a whole other topic, but since you asked... I also pull a travel trailer with this rig (for at least another year) and yes, someday I might run 37s. Most of my driving (other than when I'm towing) is around town. Very little highway use on a daily basis. For the hills I drive, both towing and not, the lower gears should work well. I just know 4.10 and 32s were at least OK for towing and I'm hoping 5.13 and 35s will actually work out a little better.

I'm running 5.13's with 35" Toyo's and love the combo, pulled our pop-up just fine this past summer:thumbup:

Sent from the"Zone of Influence"
 

Steele2j

New member
I run the Ace rock rails and have used them extensively. They are bolt on's, and they allow you to still run the rubicon rails. Double protection. As for the skid plates, I added the AEV plate for the rear differential, other than that, just the factory plates.
 

Sharkey

Word Ninja
I run the Ace rock rails and have used them extensively. They are bolt on's, and they allow you to still run the rubicon rails. Double protection.

So you know, the ACE sliders will bend into the rubi rails, pushing them into your pinch seam/tub. I've seen this first hand on a buddy's Jeep. You probably won't even notice when it happens, but you will notice if you go to put on skins.
 
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