Hey y'all. I'm new to the jeep/off-road world. Any advice would help!

[Rogue_One]

Do you know if the axles have been re-geared for the tires?
If not, take that into account with your budget and plans as well.

Good advice. Im defiantly going to re-gear. That is next this year on the list. It doesn't seem to have been regeared as it shows with the slightly sluggish performance and after driving a friends jeep that was regard it felt very different. I thought maybe it had been when I first bought it. I have been quoted $2000 and $3200 at the local shops in my town. I'm not sure what Everyone else is paying but it would be nice to find a $1600 re-gear that isn't a 5 hour drive away. Thanks.

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[CJ5w4wdSmokyOnMyTail]

I just got a 2022 Jeep Gladiator willy's manual and it came with 315/70's BFGs. I would like to move up to a 35 to 37 inch in the future. I need a suspension lift that will not look too high and make my wheel look like a roller skate with the intension to upgrading tires later on. I was thinking suspension, re-gear, then tires. I drive mostly on road but want the capability to flex off road. I would even consider getting a kit with front lower control arms now and adding all other arms at a later date. My budget is $2,700 dollars as of right now. Thanks for any response in advance.

Love your rig! It is WAAAY more affordable to run 35s than 37s. If you do decide to run 37s, look for the lightest weight 37 you can find to reduce the need to upgrade a lot of other parts. Maybe consider the AEV 2" spacer lift kit with the shock extensions that come with it (about $600), add some geometry correction brackets (about $300) and then run BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tires because they are lighter weight and measure about 36.2". With this set up, you minimize your need to re-gear (though that WOULD be better) and don't really need to do a much more expensive style lift.

 

[kubankevin]

Welcome to the club! O|||||||O

One mod that comes to mind is a good hood lock especially if you live in a high theft area. Since you have a stick, the Bolt hood lock is a decent one. I’ve heard many stories of stolen batteries and hoods so it is definitely worth looking into. You can also combine this with locking hood latches. It won’t stop a determined thief but it will at least deter them. Beautiful Jeep you have there. May it give you many years of smiles!

 

[Lunentucker]

If you're paying labor and parts you're already stressing the budget on a quality lift kit and installation.
The drop brackets on the AEV are optional, and they sell kits without them.
You could do the AEV and then get the Mopar control arms designed to go with their lift, and come out about the same on caster, but with no future means of adjusting it farther.

Some run the 2 inch lift with no brackets and stock control arms. They say theirs drives fine like that, but they've never driven mine, so their baseline is skewed.

You said you want to "flex off-road".
There'll be no flexing until you either manually disconnect the front swaybar links when you do go off-road ( a giant pain), or you install one of many mechanical aftermarket kits to make it easier.

 

[DailyMoparGuy]

Clayton and Metalcloak offer solid starter lifts for both 2.5” and 3.5” for around $1,600 without shocks. To my knowledge, Clayton lifts run significantly bigger than 2.5” so you could probably get away with their 2.5” lift for 37s.

https://www.claytonoffroad.com/product/jeep-gladiator-25-ride-right-lift-kit-2020-jt-1

https://metalcloak.com/jt-gladiator-3-5-true-dual-rate-lift-kit.html

Edit: One thing to note about both of those linked lifts is that they come with the regular rear track bar. That won’t work for fitting your spare 37” tire down the road, so I would call them to see if you can order it with the bent rear track bar that fits a 37” spare.

 

[Lunentucker]

Also, you already have aftermarket wheels and they look pretty good.

 

[Gvsukids]

Thanks for the reply. I need to really dial in what I need it for most. I will be using it to travel on the freeway but want I like to drive on beaches and muddy roads. Mostly just fine sand and swampy roads here in North Florida. Also need it for getting grocery's........ gotta look good at all times. I don't need a monster off-road machine, just a decent zombie apocalypse bug out vehicle.

The current configuration of your Jeep will tackle all of those things.

 

[Rogue_One]

Love your rig! It is WAAAY more affordable to run 35s than 37s. If you do decide to run 37s, look for the lightest weight 37 you can find to reduce the need to upgrade a lot of other parts. Maybe consider the AEV 2" spacer lift kit with the shock extensions that come with it (about $600), add some geometry correction brackets (about $300) and then run BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tires because they are lighter weight and measure about 36.2". With this set up, you minimize your need to re-gear (though that WOULD be better) and don't really need to do a much more expensive style lift.

Thanks! I will definitely be getting the 36.2 inch tires you mentioned. That seems like the best option to me. I appreciate your input.

 

[Rogue_One]

Clayton and Metalcloak offer solid starter lifts for both 2.5” and 3.5” for around $1,600 without shocks. To my knowledge, Clayton lifts run significantly bigger than 2.5” so you could probably get away with their 2.5” lift for 37s.

https://www.claytonoffroad.com/product/jeep-gladiator-25-ride-right-lift-kit-2020-jt-1

https://metalcloak.com/jt-gladiator-3-5-true-dual-rate-lift-kit.html

Edit: One thing to note about both of those linked lifts is that they come with the regular rear track bar. That won’t work for fitting your spare 37” tire down the road, so I would call them to see if you can order it with the bent rear track bar that fits a 37” spare.

Thanks for your input! I really like the Clayton lifts. It has a bit of rake which is kind of a bummer but upstanding because it maintains the factory setting. Do you know if you need a drive shaft with the Clayton 2.5? Thanks for the links! I like that Clayton has the low maintenance joints on there products too. I definitely would get the rear bent track bar. Any recommendations on shocks for the kits? maybe under $1000?

 

[Rogue_One]

The current configuration of your Jeep will tackle all of those things.

Thanks for your input. Yes, you are correct. However, I would like to run a larger tire in the future which would would need a little more clearance. I think you are right though, I need to run some more test to make sure it's something that I really need to reach my goals.

 

[Rogue_One]

If you're paying labor and parts you're already stressing the budget on a quality lift kit and installation.
The drop brackets on the AEV are optional, and they sell kits without them.
You could do the AEV and then get the Mopar control arms designed to go with their lift, and come out about the same on caster, but with no future means of adjusting it farther.

Some run the 2 inch lift with no brackets and stock control arms. They say theirs drives fine like that, but they've never driven mine, so their baseline is skewed.

You said you want to "flex off-road".
There'll be no flexing until you either manually disconnect the front swaybar links when you do go off-road ( a giant pain), or you install one of many mechanical aftermarket kits to make it easier.

Thanks for your input. I am not stressed, I am more excited. But yes, you are correct about trying to stay within budget. I did not know the drop brackets were optional and you could buy Mopar control arms for the lift. That sounds like a good option to look into. I will take a look at your gladiator and do some research. I might have some questions for you but I can DM you.

 

[DailyMoparGuy]

Thanks for your input! I really like the Clayton lifts. It has a bit of rake which is kind of a bummer but upstanding because it maintains the factory setting. Do you know if you need a drive shaft with the Clayton 2.5? Thanks for the links! I like that Clayton has the low maintenance joints on there products too. I definitely would get the rear bent track bar. Any recommendations on shocks for the kits? maybe under $1000?

I’m not too sure about the draft shaft. I’ve read multiple times on the forum that it’s definitely recommended for lifts bigger than 2.5inches though. However, I believe it’s mostly dependent on your shock travel since it will be the limiting factor.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/did-you-replace-the-front-drive-shaft.40738/

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/3-lift-or-higher-replace-driveshaft.18758/page-2

As for shocks, if it were me, then I would go with what’s offered on the lift kit website for under $1k - clayton offers Fox series and Falcon Series (both great from what I’ve read). Metalcloak offers Fox 2.0s or their Rocksport (I’ve heard great things about the Rocksports as well).

I say grab the shocks from the lift manufacturer because they may or may not have specific shock tuning for their lift. Not sure on that for Clayton specifically but definitely worth confirming with them before purchase.

https://www.claytonoffroad.com/product/jt-falcon-sp2-21-monotube-shocks-2-35”-lift-–-all-4

https://www.claytonoffroad.com/product/fox-jeep-gladiator-jt-2-3-package

 

[Rogue_One]

Welcome to the club! O|||||||O

One mod that comes to mind is a good hood lock especially if you live in a high theft area. Since you have a stick, the Bolt hood lock is a decent one. I’ve heard many stories of stolen batteries and hoods so it is definitely worth looking into. You can also combine this with locking hood latches. It won’t stop a determined thief but it will at least deter them. Beautiful Jeep you have there. May it give you many years of smiles!

Thank you my friend. It is good to be in the club. I appreciate the advice. I moved out of the hood bc of break ins. I had a Toyota pick up 4x4 1994 manual in great condition but it was stolen by a Gang right outside my house..... true story. It never was found.

 

[4xjeepr]

Good looking rig as she sits. Welcome to the club.

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E-very
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[Rogue_One]

Good looking rig as she sits. Welcome to the club.

J-ust
E-mpty
E-very
P-ocket

Thanks! Much appreciated. I guess this jeep thing is a deep pockets lifestyle for some.

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