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Renegade’s Sting gray Rubicon Build

Trauma PA

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Well, the day is finally arriving. I am picking up my Sting Gray Rubicon at Tri-City tomorrow. I hope to add the bumper, winch and lift the day after I return, then tires and wheels the following day. Here’s what’s going on the first phase: Hansen bumper and Smittybilt winch from my JK, Daystar 2” lift, Quadratec Recon wheels, and 37” Nitto Ridge Grapplers. Rock sliders and rear bumper will come next, then a more advanced suspension as more options are available.

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What color are these wheels? Satin black or Gun Metal Gray?
 
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Renegade

Renegade

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Thanks @Renegade . They look really sharp. How are they holding up so far?
Well, they do have a couple of rock scuffs, but those are to be expected considering what I do with them. I will eventually respray them with a coat of Krylon satin black. I am really pleased with the offset and general performance for the price. Given the opportunity (and same financial constraints) to do it again, I would make the same choice.

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Renegade

Renegade

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any updates on this kit? Ride quality, handling, any issues?
It handles very closely to stock, with a higher center of gravity. There is no rubbing and no strange noises from the suspension. My only real complaint is that the shocks (particularly the rear) are too soft. This causes the back end to “wallow” when going over dips and bumps. This isn’t a problem unless you are driving at highway speeds, when it is a bit unsettling. I will say though that I just drove it from Tennessee to Florida, and it handled great on most of the highways. I was able to set the cruise control at 75 mph and drive comfortably the whole way. Normally I get tired driving that distance, but the Gladiator was easy and fun at that speed. BTW- I LOVE Apple CarPlay on the 8.4 screen!
 

Desert Outlaw

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This is a very good write-up on the Daystar lift. Based on your impressions, I bought this lift and plan to install it next month. Great pictures of the trails in your area!
 

DylanR

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Great write up!... from a fellow Tennessean... great views! I am considering the 2” daystar lift as well.
 

Reasons

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Can you clarify for us how much lift you get at the rear with the Daystar 2" lift?

Awesome build man. You have convinced me to get the Daystars too.
 

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Renegade

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Can you clarify for us how much lift you get at the rear with the Daystar 2" lift?

Awesome build man. You have convinced me to get the Daystars too.
The kit arrived with .75” spacers, but a package with 1.5” spacers arrived a couple of days after the first. I believe they changed the kit to include the 1.5” spacers instead, but had shipped me an early kit. The kit also includes rear shock extensions which weren’t in the kit description, and they emailed me updated instructions which included the shock extensions.
 
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Renegade

Renegade

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Having completed a 900 mile road trip this week, I can say that the Gladiator exceeded my driving comfort expectations. It will cruise at 80 mph easily on smooth highways. The 8-speed automatic transmission allows the engine to keep the 37s up to speed without straining too much, although my fuel mileage was only around 15 mpg. I did expect that though, driving a lifted Jeep with the aerodynamics of a billboard.
 
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Renegade

Renegade

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Here’s a really minor mod I did a few weeks ago. I probably wouldn’t have thought much about it had I not seen some post by others, but I replaced the really long silver factory radio antenna. I went with a 27” antenna from Antenna Source. It’s 27” long and black, so it matches the other accessories better. The 27” length still allows it to receive well, but is lower than the windshield frame, so it doesn’t hit my garage door opening. It was $30 on eBay.

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LewisTake5

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The kit arrived with .75” spacers, but a package with 1.5” spacers arrived a couple of days after the first. I believe they changed the kit to include the 1.5” spacers instead, but had shipped me an early kit. The kit also includes rear shock extensions which weren’t in the kit description, and they emailed me updated instructions which included the shock extensions.
I'm looking to buy this kit, do you have a good link you used? I have 37"s but 13.5 wide tires. Hoping it will work for me as well. Concerned about all the ones I find not listing the rear shock brackets, I also see a 3 star review on amazon with no context...

Also if it originally came with .75, and then 1.5's which did you use? just the 1.5's? Does it include spacers for the back?

As a quick follow up, would you find this as a permanent solution? Curious if I'd be happy with it for a few years, or if id be better suited saving the $300 and putting it towards a good lift.
 
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Renegade

Renegade

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I'm looking to buy this kit, do you have a good link you used? I have 37"s but 13.5 wide tires. Hoping it will work for me as well. Concerned about all the ones I find not listing the rear shock brackets, I also see a 3 star review on amazon with no context...

Also if it originally came with .75, and then 1.5's which did you use? just the 1.5's? Does it include spacers for the back?

As a quick follow up, would you find this as a permanent solution? Curious if I'd be happy with it for a few years, or if id be better suited saving the $300 and putting it towards a good lift.
https://www.suspensionconnection.com/kj09188bk-gladiator.html

It has 2” spacers for the front. I used the 1.5” rear spacers, leaving the .75” for a later purpose if needed.

I think this could definitely be a permanent solution if it meets all of your needs/desires. Forum member @smoverland and I were talking yesterday about how good of a deal it was considering what you are able to do with a JT and only a 2” spacer lift. I still plan to upgrade as funds allow, but this allows me to do pretty much everything I want to do with a daily driven Jeep.
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