Baby friendly Gladiator build!?

[HjStrater]

I have an Overland suspension I need out of my garage, definitely softer than the rubicon one I put in. Free.99 if your close to MN.

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[Terry]

Hi folks,

My wife and I are expecting a future crawler! We have a Sport S with Max Tow, and stock ride is a little rough. We feel every bump and pothole.

She's worried about the ride comfort during her pregnancy, and more importantly when we have a baby in the backseat. We'd like to make the ride more comfortable for her and the baby, but would still like to keep the towing capacity. I've searched around I've not seen a thread like this.

This a rare chance to do some upgrades, and make my wife happy!

Any suggestions on how to improve the ride quality and preserve payload/towing capacity? Feel free to suggest any product or change we could do.

First off, congratulations.... Now then, if she's far enough along take her for night rides in the JT and speed up the process. Personally, my brother borrowed my Harley and got great results. You both are blessed, and be careful, precious things are about to happen.

 

[john#21]

Hi folks,

My wife and I are expecting a future crawler! We have a Sport S with Max Tow, and stock ride is a little rough. We feel every bump and pothole.

She's worried about the ride comfort during her pregnancy, and more importantly when we have a baby in the backseat. We'd like to make the ride more comfortable for her and the baby, but would still like to keep the towing capacity. I've searched around I've not seen a thread like this.

This a rare chance to do some upgrades, and make my wife happy!

Any suggestions on how to improve the ride quality and preserve payload/towing capacity? Feel free to suggest any product or change we could do.

What are you running your tire pressure at? I noticed a decent reduction in small bumps and bounce going down to 32 psi. You could air up for the payload when you need to haul?

 

[smlobx]

What are you running your tire pressure at? I noticed a decent reduction in small bumps and bounce going down to 32 psi. You could air up for the payload when you need to haul?

I was just going to suggest this. It’s free and you can adjust it when you’re carrying or towing a heavier load.

Congrats BTW. I’ve been up since 4 am babysitting our first grand daughter while her parents are both on business trips haha!

 

[PyrPatriot]

You also need mud tires. The roar on the tires on the road puts mine right to sleep.

I put 10k miles in 3mo driving because it put mine to sleep.

 

[Tiny]

Obviously you need to do an AEV 4" lift, King coilovers, 40s, regear, and upgrade driveshaft/axles. Tell your wife that will definitely make the kid happy

Seriously though, I find the ride pretty decent. 2" mopar lift feels same as stock basically, maybe a little more floaty. My 4yo daughter falls asleep nearly EVERY time she's in the jeep. Done that since she was 2 when I bought it. Wind in her hair and soft undulations just conk her out faster than the jack and nyquil cocktail I give her before bed! (Don't call CPS, I kid)

 

[villageregular]

Thank you all for the kind words! We're pretty excited.

Sounds like a little bumpiness isn't such a bad thing to put a baby to sleep!

Having said that, I'm hearing 3 solutions:

• Add softer springs in the front and better shocks through-out
• Deflate the pressure a little bit in the tires
• Do nothing

If I do go for the the first solution, what shocks & springs set would you recommend? I read that most people like to do Rubi take-offs, but they say it makes the ride stiffer, which I don't think is what I'm looking for. I also read that the Mojave glides like butter, so would installing some shocks like that and springs in the front get the job done?

Have her ride in a leaf sprung suspension for a while and then back to the gladiator.
first kid?

I like how you think! Yes, first kid.

What are you running your tire pressure at? I noticed a decent reduction in small bumps and bounce going down to 32 psi. You could air up for the payload when you need to haul?

We're somewhere in the 38 - 40 range depending on how warm they are. Now that you mention it, the ride got tougher after we visited the dealership and they made sure all the tires are aired up. Might try this.

First off, congratulations.... Now then, if she's far enough along take her for night rides in the JT and speed up the process. Personally, my brother borrowed my Harley and got great results. You both are blessed, and be careful, precious things are about to happen.

The Gladiator is our primary car and she loves going around in it. "... precious things are about to happen." Love it! We'll be careful

Obviously you need to do an AEV 4" lift, King coilovers, 40s, regear, and upgrade driveshaft/axles. Tell your wife that will definitely make the kid happy

Seriously though, I find the ride pretty decent. 2" mopar lift feels same as stock basically, maybe a little more floaty. My 4yo daughter falls asleep nearly EVERY time she's in the jeep. Done that since she was 2 when I bought it. Wind in her hair and soft undulations just conk her out faster than the jack and nyquil cocktail I give her before bed! (Don't call CPS, I kid)

Sounds like a solid plan!

 

[MPMB]

Hi folks,

My wife and I are expecting a future crawler! We have a Sport S with Max Tow, and stock ride is a little rough. We feel every bump and pothole.

She's worried about the ride comfort during her pregnancy, and more importantly when we have a baby in the backseat. We'd like to make the ride more comfortable for her and the baby, but would still like to keep the towing capacity. I've searched around I've not seen a thread like this.

This a rare chance to do some upgrades, and make my wife happy!

Any suggestions on how to improve the ride quality and preserve payload/towing capacity? Feel free to suggest any product or change we could do.

Your baby will be used to whatever it's going through right now. I had a friend tell me when they brought home their first born, they couldn't make her stop crying and fussing, and it was difficult to get her to sleep. Talked with the doctor and after a while the doc goes, "have you made any changes at home in routine?" They go "yeah, we keep it quiet so the kid will sleep, stuff like that."

Doc goes, "stop doing that. Go back to being regular, make noise, etc." So they cranked the music like they used to, and the baby slept and behaved just fine.

Your wife's comfort, on the other hand...

My wife hasn't found the seats all that comfortable, so we tried a few seat cushions and found a couple that she likes. You might want to try that in addition to lowering the air pressure and throwing 100# in the bed.

 

[villageregular]

Your baby will be used to whatever it's going through right now. I had a friend tell me when they brought home their first born, they couldn't make her stop crying and fussing, and it was difficult to get her to sleep. Talked with the doctor and after a while the doc goes, "have you made any changes at home in routine?" They go "yeah, we keep it quiet so the kid will sleep, stuff like that."

Doc goes, "stop doing that. Go back to being regular, make noise, etc." So they cranked the music like they used to, and the baby slept and behaved just fine.

Your wife's comfort, on the other hand...

My wife hasn't found the seats all that comfortable, so we tried a few seat cushions and found a couple that she likes. You might want to try that in addition to lowering the air pressure and throwing 100# in the bed.

Sound advice!

Any suggestions on the cushions?

 

[MPMB]

Sound advice!

Any suggestions on the cushions?

This was the winner:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08224VT8F?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

This was really comfortable, but way too thick:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EBDV9BU?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I was on this bumpy forest road in the Valles Caldera a few weeks back in my MaxTow and marveled how smooth the ride was. I was cruising at 30mph with ease...little word of advice with kids, I have 4...don't cater to their comfort. They should be there to make your life easier, not the other way around. Kids are resilient and will get used to a bumpy ride no problem.

I think my kids enjoyed it - especially my youngest - the tree climber and jump off anything kid. He loved riding in the back of trucks - even my oldest did when young. A bouncy truck ride was nothing. When they were young/small enough, they' both sit up in the tractor cab with me while I was spraying or cultivating - up in the back window behind the seat. I'm sure that was real comfy - but they seemed to enjoy it (Jason loved it when we ran other things or hit big ruts - he enjoyed action)

 

[kevman65]

What you need are shocks, not springs, not a lift.

If you want something to make a softer ride for her, and then stiffer when loaded, you need quality adjustable shocks. Not going to be cheap.

King, Falcon, Fox, etc

 

[TheHime]

Thank you all for the kind words! We're pretty excited.

Sounds like a little bumpiness isn't such a bad thing to put a baby to sleep!

Having said that, I'm hearing 3 solutions:

• Add softer springs in the front and better shocks through-out
• Deflate the pressure a little bit in the tires
• Do nothing

If I do go for the the first solution, what shocks & springs set would you recommend? I read that most people like to do Rubi take-offs, but they say it makes the ride stiffer, which I don't think is what I'm looking for. I also read that the Mojave glides like butter, so would installing some shocks like that and springs in the front get the job done?


I like how you think! Yes, first kid.


We're somewhere in the 38 - 40 range depending on how warm they are. Now that you mention it, the ride got tougher after we visited the dealership and they made sure all the tires are aired up. Might try this.


The Gladiator is our primary car and she loves going around in it. "... precious things are about to happen." Love it! We'll be careful



Sounds like a solid plan!

Congrats on the new addition! I installed the rubicon shocks and front springs on my max tow. Gives a softer ride and the bumps are not as stiff. It’s a cheap solution. You can also add a spacer lift while it’s under the knife.

 

[RavensEyeOffroad]

Your wife has new baby jitters, my wife did the same. They just want everything to be good with the baby and that's great. That said if we look back throughout history babies and moms had times way worse than they do nowadays. I'll assure you nothing about your new trucks suspension will hurt your baby.

 

[Free2roam]

Hi folks,

My wife and I are expecting a future crawler! We have a Sport S with Max Tow, and stock ride is a little rough. We feel every bump and pothole.

She's worried about the ride comfort during her pregnancy, and more importantly when we have a baby in the backseat. We'd like to make the ride more comfortable for her and the baby, but would still like to keep the towing capacity. I've searched around I've not seen a thread like this.

This a rare chance to do some upgrades, and make my wife happy!

Any suggestions on how to improve the ride quality and preserve payload/towing capacity? Feel free to suggest any product or change we could do.

Diesel or gasser? I was think rare opportunity to upgrade. Ummm 2.5 lift 35s lower the air pressure a bit. Softer more forgiving ride. Add RSE steps for her to get in and out of said Jeep.

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