Brand new owner!

[GoBraves95]

Hey guys. Brand new Gladiator owner and forum member here. I have wanted a jeep since I was old enough to know what they were, and I have wanted a Gladiator since the day they came out. I could never justify a jeep because I am a one-car guy mostly and I need a truck bed. With trade in values way up, I did some looking and was able to get a few thousand more out of my ram than I owed, and get into a blacked out Gladiator Sport S while still lowering my monthly cost. I am excited!

there are just a couple things I want to get for it right away, and the rest of my plans (bigger tires, rock bars, front skid plate, winch, etc) can wait a year or two until I save up for them. I was hoping someone here could point me to a good place to get the following items for a good value (not breaking the bank but not garbage either). There are so many accessories out there it is hard to know what is a good value and what is junk.

Seat covers to protect from moisture

Cloth door replacements in case it happens to rain when riding around without doors.

Mirrors for when the doors are off

tonneau cover that keeps the rain out.

long run, I want to put a carport or garage in but for now, the truck is staying outside. Any tips on care for it while that is happening? Thank you so much for your help!

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[Carder]

Congrats and welcome to the club/forum.

Your best bet is to check out Quadratec, as they have everything you need and didn’t know you need.

 

[Green_Gladiator]

Welcome aboard & Congrats! ...
I too started off with a small list of modifications, however that didn't last long and the list grows quickly! ..
Ceramic coating is awesome and helps with maintaining a clean truck easily..

 

[Gren71]

Welcome!!

Some advice / lessons learned

Drive it a bit before you start modding. You will be surprised how capable and enjoyable it is without giant tires and unnecessary stuff added.

You will see a LOT of posts on this forum about people who rush to mod, then need to backtrack to make corrections for things caused by those mods. (My self included...got sucked into the larger tire game) Really take the time to research your upgrades and be sure they're what you want, and what they will do once you add them. There is just a crap ton of information on this forum so most of your questions and curiosities can be answered by asking or searching.

 

[Gren71]

Ceramic coating is awesome and helps with maintaining a clean truck easily..

THIS is %100 something I wish I did right out of the gate.

 

[Green_Gladiator]

Welcome!!

Some advice / lessons learned
You will be need to backtrack to make corrections for things caused by those mods. (My self included...got sucked into the larger tire game)

The wheel/tire game is hard to stay away from ... I want to upgrade to 35,s mainly for the looks. It is my daily driver. The truck is more than capable stock for Florida trails and beaches with 33,s - 4:10s and the 8spd auto .. But like you said getting sucked in can backfire on the wallet if not researched correctly, is some really good honest advice! What was your experience with 35,s ... ?

 

[GrubbyBaja]

Seat covers: I haven't purchased yet and just use towels when I'm grungy from a mountain bike ride. I've been looking at the Diver Down neoprene covers ($200).

Mirrors: They aren't required in my neck of the woods, but I missed them when doors were off. My son had an older set of Quadratec mirrors for his JK ($30-$40) that attached to the upper door hinge. They shook/vibrated so much above 30mph that they were useless. I purchased the Jpeggz mirror w/footpeg - great product, rock solid on the highway, quick to install ($179 black, $199 color).

Tonneau cover: I do not have a tonneau cover for the bed, but I did purchase the Rain Gear cab cover ($170). I routinely run with freedom tops out, front doors off, and back top on. The Rain Gear cover fits perfectly with the top on and keeps the sun off the interior and sheds water in the event of a typical SE Alabama summer thunderstorm. The OEM cab cover is a lighter weight material and takes up less storage space, but it won't fit correctly if the top is still on.

 

[jorbasaurus]

Welcome! Enjoy the truck, and as mentioned, research unintended side effects of modifications before purchasing. You can save yourself a lot of headaches/wasted money.

And go Braves!

 

[Sarge502]

I’ve got a lot of my first simple mods from either Quadratec or ExtremeTerrain. Haven’t bought anything major from either yet. CJPonyParts is another one of my go to’s.


Good luck.!

 

[FloridaJT6MT]

Congrats and welcome! Great looking rig!

Friendly advice, if you want to save money don’t look at this thread:
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...you-do-to-your-gladiator-today.23705/page-900

And this one:
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/what-do-u-have-coming-in-the-mail.33280/

Be sure to check in here:
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/took-delivery-of-your-jt-sign-in-here.15953/

Looking for fun things to do in your JT, check out this thread!
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/what-did-you-do-with-your-gladiator-today.39884/

Congrats and enjoy your new expensively fun hobby!

 

[Willpower1]

Congrats! You’re gonna love it!

 

[Gren71]

The wheel/tire game is hard to stay away from ... I want to upgrade to 35,s mainly for the looks. It is my daily driver. The truck is more than capable stock for Florida trails and beaches with 33,s - 4:10s and the 8spd auto .. But like you said getting sucked in can backfire on the wallet if not researched correctly, is some really good honest advice! What was your experience with 35,s ... ?

Readers Digest Version
I upgraded to larger heavier tires, then swapped back to a stock size after realizing I lost a good bit of towing power and MPG. Currently running 255/75/17 Dueler ATs (off a new bronco someone got and took them off)

Now I have all my power and MPG back. Got 21mpg on my way to work this morning.

Here is a link to the saga of trying to decide.
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/worth-it-to-go-back.47891/

 

[Maximus Gladius]

Congrats on the new ride! Take care of it and it’ll be around for a long time!
I picked mine up last February and because I live where it snows and road salt/chemicals are used, I had the dealership undercoat it. I hate rust! When things melted up and dried out, I power washed underneath and spray waxed with CRC Marine on all the metal and threaded bits they couldn’t undercoat. I also ordered from 3M - Cavity Wax Plus with spray wands to get in the bottoms of the door panels and other drainage access holes so rust doesn’t form on the inside. Today, there is no sign of any rust. Coming up soon here I’ll wash the underneath again and spray the wax on weld points and metal parts and threads again.

The other thing I did as soon as I drove mine home was to sell the factory Falcon tires and had KAL install the 285/75/17 KO2’s. I went one size bigger than stock. Have always done this.
Just an FYI on any warrantable items attached to steering…(maybe stresses caused by bigger tires)

I had a electric steering pump problem where, when outside temps got hot, the electric steering pump got REALLY hot and would quit, NO CODES. This happened about 7 times this summer and I finally went to a dealership, had the truck parked outside and running for an hour and a half before it quit again and I could bring a tech outside to see it. His comment…”I’ve never seen this issue with a JT, what tire size are you running, are you stressing the pump??”

He saw I only went up one size then confirmed with the Forman, warranty would cover. I was almost SOL because I went bigger size. Had I gone with 35’s or bigger, I’d have to pay for the repair.

 

[Midnight Rider]

Welcome!!

Some advice / lessons learned

Drive it a bit before you start modding. You will be surprised how capable and enjoyable it is without giant tires and unnecessary stuff added.

You will see a LOT of posts on this forum about people who rush to mod, then need to backtrack to make corrections for things caused by those mods. (My self included...got sucked into the larger tire game) Really take the time to research your upgrades and be sure they're what you want, and what they will do once you add them. There is just a crap ton of information on this forum so most of your questions and curiosities can be answered by asking or searching.

Great advice. One of my first mods was a set of floor liners. I went with Smartliners, Amazon had the best price I found.
Lots of great people & advice on here, you can learn plenty by reading & using the search function.
Congrats & welcome from a another black JT owner!

 

[Trickster]

My 2cents on a tonneau. Test drove a few with the roll up Mopar, it was ok but that fabric collects dust easy and not confident about the snow/ice load I would get on it. The one the wife bought on Thursday had a Mopar 3 piece soft top on it and though a bit more rigid, not overly impressed so far with latch or how only 2 pieces fold up. Having had and installed about four 3 piece rigid tonneau tops on Ram 1500’s,
those are my choice. They are more money but more durable especially if outside 24/7.
You are on the right forum here, this site has it all.

Edit…I should have mentioned the brand that I had experience with
BAKindustries.com. Bakflip models.

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