Very curious about the typical forum member - why all the modifications?

[DirkG]

Prior to my JT, this is what I've been used to...

I love my Gladiator. It's just such a "cool" vehicle. Over the years, I've modded with mostly the basics (intake, exhaust, wheels/tires, springs, interior cosmetics, etc.), but I've never experienced a modding "culture" like Jeep ownership. It's just...different.

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[JoseQ_80]

Coming from the Harley Davison world the parallels are clear in terms of the community and customization.

I see a lot of Jeeps with HD window stickers.

But to the question why modify? Because you can and it's easier than every other vehicle not made of Legos.

 

[berb]

Because nothing beats taking a truck load of junk to the dump with the doors and the roof off. I got a lot of looks that day.

 

[rafaelsmith]

Is any other reason needed beyond..."Its a Jeep Thing"?

 

[SteveInOrlando]

I will be honest.

To get all the options I wanted, or needed, made the jeep too expensive. By adding the features after I bought it I saved a fortune.

I modified it to provide functionality it didn't have out of the box.


The making it unique is just a side benefit!

 

[iowabrian]

As far as percentage of roads that are paved - there are exceptions, but almost every road in Polk County is paved or blacktop. In general, every other mile is considered a "farm to market" road and is paved. In some counties you can tell how far you've driven by counting the roads, every other road will be paved, each cross road almost exactly 1 mile from the last one.

Man, you live in a different Iowa than I do. My county has 800 miles of gravel roads and 200 miles of paved.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Man, you live in a different Iowa than I do. My county has 800 miles of gravel roads and 200 miles of paved.

You must be in southern Iowa where no roads go straight. Hills in SW Iowa and south-central parts because the glaciers didn't make it that far. Dallas county, Cerro Gordo, Franklin, even most of Polk county, paved and roads are on the mile every mile with exceptions only around rivers and such. In Cerro Gordo, Franklin and certain other counties if you don't like gravel, go another mile over and that road is paved. The stated goal was literally "every-other road be a farm to market road and paved......."
Go down to where my wife's cousin lives, (Lucas county and that area) that's a different matter - nothing is straight due to the hills and the roads are crap due to lack of gravel - the glaciers didn't make it that far so the hills didn't get leveled off and there's almost no gravel down there for the same reason.
Hilly as heck where I live but that didn't stop Polk County from paving everything in sight.

 

[bokonon]

My reasoning may be a little different: after driving Jeeps for over 20 years every other vehicle I've driven, no matter how well laid out, feels claustrophobic to me. The boxiness of the area around the driver's seat is, to me, as freeing as having the top off. (And that is why I prefer the older Jeeps even over the Gladiator since the windshield is slightly less slanted, making the interior feel even roomier.)

*EDIT* This reply is directed at the love/infatuation part of the question. Although the mod of taking the top off does make it roomier!

 

[ShadowsPapa]

My reasoning may be a little different: after driving Jeeps for over 20 years every other vehicle I've driven, no matter how well laid out, feels claustrophobic to me. The boxiness of the area around the driver's seat is, to me, as freeing as having the top off. (And that is why I prefer the older Jeeps even over the Gladiator since the windshield is slightly less slanted, making the interior feel even roomier.)

*EDIT* This reply is directed at the love/infatuation part of the question. Although the mod of taking the top off does make it roomier!

A few years back when my son moved back to the States from Korea the first time, he wanted a vehicle. He asked me to help him go look and evaluate (being techy and in the business so long) We sat in all sorts of vehicles - some of the Toyotas I felt penned in and in fact in a couple I could not wear a hat - and I'm only 5'8"! The windshield came so close to me that I had to lean back to get the visor down and not knock a hat off. My son is over 6' (he doesn't get that from me or his 5'2" mother!) so I knew if I was cramped for me.....
We went to dealer after dealer, being honest that we'd look at everything, and be fair. Not leave out a brand because of past experiences, whatever.
He ended up with a very roomy Fusion back then.
He moved back to Korea with his wife and stayed a few years - he came back and we went through the process again. This time we stopped at a Jeep dealer first - and he went no further.... Not sure what he has now, but it was a Jeep vehicle.

 

[MoparToYou]

I added the modifications I did, so that my Jeep would work like its supposed to. Having enjoyed back country exploring for the last 45 years, from way before they started calling it overlanding, I knew what it would take to get my Gladiator to work the way it is supposed to. I made those changes, and nothing more. They included: 1. 37" tires. 2. miminum lift needed for 37" tires. 3. Winch. 4 Offroad lights. 5. On board air.

Just today I learned of a friend I have had for the last thirty years that died over the weekend from a brain aneurysm. So, the mods are worth it. While there is still time, lets go out and do everything that we can still do.

 

[DocMike]

This smells like market research or some form of research. Syntax is a bit off too.

 

[iowabrian]

You must be in southern Iowa where no roads go straight. Hills in SW Iowa and south-central parts because the glaciers didn't make it that far. Dallas county, Cerro Gordo, Franklin, even most of Polk county, paved and roads are on the mile every mile with exceptions only around rivers and such. In Cerro Gordo, Franklin and certain other counties if you don't like gravel, go another mile over and that road is paved. The stated goal was literally "every-other road be a farm to market road and paved......."
Go down to where my wife's cousin lives, (Lucas county and that area) that's a different matter - nothing is straight due to the hills and the roads are crap due to lack of gravel - the glaciers didn't make it that far so the hills didn't get leveled off and there's almost no gravel down there for the same reason.
Hilly as heck where I live but that didn't stop Polk County from paving everything in sight.

Eastern Iowa. Clinton county. Apparently ran out of money for paved country roads after they got done with the central part of the state.

 

[5JeepsAz]

Gotta be a bot trying to figure out the Jeep pathos.

Hey Bot, your software can't understand the concept cause it's called good old american ingenuity.

Jeepers are unique.

Jeepers are creative.

You either got it or you dont.

Answer me this. If you are a person, what is the true meaning of okie from miskogeee?!?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Gotta be a bot trying to figure out the Jeep pathos.

Hey Bot, your software can't understand the concept cause it's called good old american ingenuity.

Jeepers are unique.

Jeepers are creative.

You either got it or you dont.

Answer me this. If you are a person, what is the true meaning of okie from miskogeee?!?

 

[Moe_Fugga]

I'm just curious, not judging at all. Here, one in five vehicles on the road except pickups is a Jeep product, half of them are Wranglers. Of those, maybe one of 20 is not pure stock, maybe one of 100 has any modification except mild tire/wheel upgrades. I have not seen a Gladiator "in the wild" except purely stock Sports and Sport S. Jeeps are just another vehicle here. Granted the state's roads are 95% unpaved, and we have 24 towns over 20,000 population, but a stock Jeep is just a common source of transportation.

I stumbled on this site trying to figure out a solution for mudflaps, since I can't get to my shop without slinging mud all over the sides, but I've hung out for over a month trying to understand the love and infatuation expressed by the posters here.

By the way, here a truck is over 32,000# gvw. So, tell me about your environment so I can grasp this fan base.

You partially answered your own question without knowing. You had a problem with mud. Your solution was to modify your Jeep with mud flaps to stop mud from getting all over your Jeep. Plenty of folks here have different problems so they come up with mods as solutions to their problems. Others just like their Jeeps personalized. More power to them to come up with mods to personalize their Jeep. There is nothing wrong with loving how a personalized Jeep looks. Not everyone is content with stock for one reason or another. Some people like cucumbers better pickled.

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