Best Jeep Aftermarket Brands?

[Chance_P]

North ridge is top notch.

K&n intake isn't worth the money IMO.

Cavfab
Motobilt
Metalcloak
Rusty's off-road
Those are good quality American made brands.

Rough country has terrible powder coating. Avoid the Amazon bumpers (EAG is one company that comes to mind)

Although people praise Teraflex, more and more of their stuff is being made overseas.

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[KidBobot]

RedRock makes some really high quality grills.
You're welcome!

 

[Outside Reality Check]

I really like everything Steer Smarts makes. Though I don't know if they make a rear adjustable track bar that will accommodate clearance for a 37" spare. I used Clayton, at the time they were the only ones that did. If Steer Smarts makes one now I would get it. Everything is well made, including there T Shirts. IMHO

 

[bakobobby]

This is great and exactly what I was looking for. When I look at price and online presentation, Rough Country looks stellar, but as we all know, websites and marketing can be a bit deceiving. I’m super familiar with BMW, Audi and VW, plus know a little when it comes to domestic muscle, but definitely know nothing when it comes to Jeep culture, brands, performance and off roading.

I live in Pacific Northwest neighborhood that sits at the base of the mountains, just east of Seattle. We get snow. I have a couple classic Bimmers for summer, but had a Durango that I traded in for this new Glad Mojave. I will be using it as my winter driver, and I don’t commute (WFH). My wife has a Range Rover, so we had the SUV covered. I got this Glad to haul some MX, explore some trails and do a little overlanding. Wanted a rig that could get my dogs in the bed (just ordered a WildTop cap), and get us into the wilderness with a little confidence. Absolutely always had a Jeep on the bucket list and thought the Gladiator was the best of both Worlds (Jeep + Truck).

Here’s a list of items I have been currently considering. If y’all think I’ve got something in the list that is straight crap or can suggest something better, I’m all ears:

&N Cold Air Intake

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/knn-63-1576/make/jeep/model/gladiator/year/2023

$299.99





Curt 13434 Trailer Receiver

https://www.amazon.com/CURT-13434-Trailer-Receiver-Gladiator/dp/B082VWCRQ9/ref=sr_1_1?crid=X37DZL9YZNK2&keywords=CURT+Receiver+Hitches+13434&qid=1680727437&sprefix=curt+receiver+hitches+13434,aps,346&sr=8-1&ufe=app_do:amzn1.fos.18630bbb-fcbb-42f8-9767-857e17e03685

$105.99





Tazer

https://www.amazon.com/Automotive-T...&pd_rd_r=849a1bd7-6902-402c-ad9a-adeccbc518f9

$326





WildTop Truck Cap

https://www.wild-top.com/collection...tor-built-2020-current?variant=41885742235845

$1123



KC HiLites FLEX ERA® 4 - 2-Light System - Ditch Light Kit - Combo Beam - for Jeep 392/Mojave

Can I still open my hood without issue with these lights? Does the hood open like normal when the lights are mounted with this kit. Also, I have a 2003 Jeep Gladiator Mojave. Seems this is the correct kit, but just want to confirm. https://www.kchilites.com/kc-flex-era-4-light-combo-pair-pack-jeep-392-mojave-97165.html

$699



AEV 2” Spacer Lift Kit for Jeep Gladiator Mojave w/ stock Fox Shocks

https://www.aev-conversions.com/product/mojave-spacer-lift/

$589





Rain/summer cover

https://www.pveoffroad.com/products...oQnaPLnpfsAJ0fZPpRivu8nRkUnpcjosaAiXUEALw_wcB

Stoked for you! Grew up under Mt Hood the PNW is a weekend warriors dream.

Honestly if I were you start with getting off road with what you got. That is a very capable rig from the factory. It will surprise you. Join the 4x4 club up there and start hitting up events. Get a gauge of what you enjoy and where you want to go in the hobby.

Airing down and back up is gonna be important. Airing down provides a massive boost to off road performance. So I would rec you get a capable portable compressor and a kit to rapidly deflate. See youtube for many great tutorials.

I do not believe the Mohave has disconnects for the front swaybar so a set of quick disconnects are a cheap easy install that will take you to another level when going off road. Buy a rubber mallet tho because it helps a lot getting them on off ? likewise ditch the rear swaybar for an option like Antirock or Teraflex provide to unlock a lot more flex in the rear. I even ran no rear swaybar for quite some timeNow you will be able to navigate some pretty rough terrain while keeping tires in contact. Like airing down this makes a massive performance difference.

Last upgrade to some better offroad tires. I run Maxxis RAZRs currently but can vouch for Nitto/Toyo doing well. Plenty off good reviews on this forum and others so research and find what fits. AT may bebetter with snow amd rainy weather up there but I myself would stray towards MT they do better in the loose stuff I deal with in CA. Again these will give a big boost in performance.

some recovery gear also is nice to have. Tree strap, recovery rope. If you do group events you’ll quickly learn what to pick up.

A lift would be the last thing I would consider in your case. Beat up those great Fox shocks a bit before you have to swap them out because you want to go with a lift.

 

[HNTR]

Stoked for you! Grew up under Mt Hood the PNW is a weekend warriors dream.

Honestly if I were you start with getting off road with what you got. That is a very capable rig from the factory. It will surprise you. Join the 4x4 club up there and start hitting up events. Get a gauge of what you enjoy and where you want to go in the hobby.

Airing down and back up is gonna be important. Airing down provides a massive boost to off road performance. So I would rec you get a capable portable compressor and a kit to rapidly deflate. See youtube for many great tutorials.

I do not believe the Mohave has disconnects for the front swaybar so a set of quick disconnects are a cheap easy install that will take you to another level when going off road. Buy a rubber mallet tho because it helps a lot getting them on off ? likewise ditch the rear swaybar for an option like Antirock or Teraflex provide to unlock a lot more flex in the rear. I even ran no rear swaybar for quite some timeNow you will be able to navigate some pretty rough terrain while keeping tires in contact. Like airing down this makes a massive performance difference.

Last upgrade to some better offroad tires. I run Maxxis RAZRs currently but can vouch for Nitto/Toyo doing well. Plenty off good reviews on this forum and others so research and find what fits. AT may bebetter with snow amd rainy weather up there but I myself would stray towards MT they do better in the loose stuff I deal with in CA. Again these will give a big boost in performance.

some recovery gear also is nice to have. Tree strap, recovery rope. If you do group events you’ll quickly learn what to pick up.

A lift would be the last thing I would consider in your case. Beat up those great Fox shocks a bit before you have to swap them out because you want to go with a lift.

Thanks for the sound and logical advice. Makes great sense to me. Definitely gives me a great jumping off point. So glad I posted this and got so much great information. Thanks all for the help.

 

[ChrisNLA]

So many variables here, but I have had good luck with:

Metal Cloak (lift kits)
Smittybilt (bumpers and winches)
Rockhard 4x4 (skid plates)
Quadratec (their brand LED headlights, fog lights, and offroad lights)
ARB (air compressors and fridges)
KB VoodDoo (bed rack)
Ironman 4x4 (awning, had great warranty service from them)

Most of that was on my 2016 JK that I took all over the country.

Vendors I like: Northridge 4x4 is my go to when they have the part I need, otherwise I have also bought from Quadratec & Extreme Terrain (though Qtec seems to be a little slow shipping).

 

[jeep1]

Anyone familiar with Mule Expeditions? I’m even closer to them.

Mule is great. They are really more of an overland shop (and they do that VERY well) but certainly know how to build a Jeep. We had our JL re-geared there; mostly because it's closer than Northridge. They have an open house on the 22nd... worth dropping in and seeing all the rigs that will be there and they usually have some good deals in the showroom too.

Northridge, beyond being a great shop, is also a massive distributor and I've often bought things elsewhere that got dropped shipped from "Silverdale". Silverdale isn't exactly "close" to you ... it's a good three hour round trip down to Tacoma, across the bridge and backup to Bremerton/Silverdale. But, if you make a day of it, you can visit the shop and then hit up Tahuya and check out the trails.

 

[jeep1]

And ... if you didn't know.

Poison Spyder, Pro Comp USA, Rubicon Express Suspension, G2 Axle & Gear, Trail Master Suspension, and Smittybilt were all owned by Transamerica Auto Parts which also owed the 4 Wheel Parts chain. They blew up last summer, went bankrupt (I believe...) and ended up being acquired by WheelPros. WheelPros is Fuel, KMC, ReadyLift and...... Teraflex !

Metalcloak is owned by Armored Works who also bought Kargo Master and renamed it Adventure Rack.

Rugged Ridge is owned by Omix-ADA which is owned by Truck Hero.

There aren't many truly independent/standalone manufacturers left: AEV, EVO, Clayton ?

 

[THE SANDALORIAN]

Lifts: Clayton, Metalcloak, Teraflex
Steering: RPM, Currie, Apex
Bumpers: Motobilt, LoD, Metalcloak, RockHard, ARB
Wheels: Hutchinson, KMC, AEV, Black Rhino, Method
Tires: Nitto, BFG
Lighting: Diode Dynamics, Oracle

There really are a lot of quality vendors and you should make sure you put in some research and compare the options. Buy once, cry once

 

[HorneyBadger]

AEV is a great spacer kit but make sure its for the Mojave! 2 different kits. and that will get you into more areas than you will ever think of going. Keeps all the stock components and runs great. I went with the 2.5" Mopar lift on my Overland but when I got the Rubi there was no need to upgrade springs and shocks so I went with the AEV spacer kit.

 

[Animal]

Mules a good shop. We also have Overland outfitters out in Belfair and khaotic 4x4 in Tacoma. Khaotic is doing a rigs and coffee this Saturday, 4/15, would be a good place to come see what people are running and prefer on our climate.

I have been really happy with my Clayton 2.5" lift out here in the pnw. Rugged ridge bumper rusted pretty quickly in our climate and my rough country led cubes have fogged up heavily this winter, while my harbor freight cubes have been fine.

Congrats on the first jeep and looking forward to seeing you out on the trails! The pnw has some awesome spots and hidden gems to explore.

 

[HNTR]

Lots of good stuff out there. But it's kind of hard to list them without also knowing what type of part we are talking about. Currie (RockJock) makes really nice stuff, but they do not make headlights, soft tops, etc.

Not much good stuff from Rough Country or Smittybuilt.

Thanks for RockJock tip. Since I paid dearly for the stock Fox suspension on my ‘23 JT Mojave, I’d like to put some miles on it, but I’m interested in a little more lift and running 37’s. Do you think this RockJock 1.5” lift is the at to go? https://www.rockjock4x4.com/RJ-151000-101. Would this essentially bring my factory 1” lift up to 2.5”. What are the downsides of doing this, if any?

 

[HNTR]

AEV is a great spacer kit but make sure its for the Mojave! 2 different kits. and that will get you into more areas than you will ever think of going. Keeps all the stock components and runs great. I went with the 2.5" Mopar lift on my Overland but when I got the Rubi there was no need to upgrade springs and shocks so I went with the AEV spacer kit.

I was looking at their lift for the Mojave. It’s in my list. But I’m getting mixed reviews on it. Have you seen this one from Rock Jock? https://www.rockjock4x4.com/RJ-151000-101. WDYT?

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Thanks for RockJock tip. Since I paid dearly for the stock Fox suspension on my ‘23 JT Mojave, I’d like to put some miles on it, but I’m interested in a little more lift and running 37’s. Do you think this RockJock 1.5” lift is the at to go? https://www.rockjock4x4.com/RJ-151000-101. Would this essentially bring my factory 1” lift up to 2.5”. What are the downsides of doing this, if any?

That lift will be 1.5" since it's a 1.5" spacer.

What is confusing though is they don't list anything for lifting the front. Just says rear coil spacers.
The Mojave has the least amount of rake from the factory, so maybe it looks ok with only lifting the rear 1.5".

I'd want to talk to them about this lift before buying. To get clarification on if it's just a rear lift, and if so, what is their reasoning behind lifting the rear only.

 

[RockJeep98]

And ... if you didn't know.

Poison Spyder, Pro Comp USA, Rubicon Express Suspension, G2 Axle & Gear, Trail Master Suspension, and Smittybilt were all owned by Transamerica Auto Parts which also owed the 4 Wheel Parts chain. They blew up last summer, went bankrupt (I believe...) and ended up being acquired by WheelPros. WheelPros is Fuel, KMC, ReadyLift and...... Teraflex !

Metalcloak is owned by Armored Works who also bought Kargo Master and renamed it Adventure Rack.

Rugged Ridge is owned by Omix-ADA which is owned by Truck Hero.

There aren't many truly independent/standalone manufacturers left: AEV, EVO, Clayton ?

Motobilt is independent and not owned by another company.

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