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First mods?

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Hunteruu

Hunteruu

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I wasn't going off road for a bit so I bought the 3W vinyl floor mats which turned out awesome and the Tyger tonneau. Both of these are pretty (comparatively) cheap mods to do. I thought I would be upgrading my stock halogen headlamps. What I found out is I actually like them better than my LED lights in my German cars. Got a set of KC halogen Apollo 6" Pros in spread pattern ready to go in too.

Recently I've been going off road and seems having a winch and a recovery strap are very important. I wasn't much more than 30 minutes off road the first time when I ran into someone that needed my help and my winch. Already used it 2-3 times in a couple weeks for serious stuff. The recovery strap also came in handy.

Air would be the next thing. I put the Apex Rapid Tire Deflater valve stems on and honestly just go get them don't even think about it. I did the ARB twin compressor but I think if you are staying with the stock tires (and why not you paid for them) you could go with the smittybilt compressor or like option and save money.

Anyhow check my build thread out for a (loong) list of the modifications I've done and any questions feel free to hit me up.

Awesome! Thanks for the input. That's the kind of answers I was looking for.

Recovery straps and shackles are the first buy regardless. It's a relatively small cost for big results just in case. I will probably wait for the winch since mine only has the plastic bumper, and I'll need to decide which one to go with.

Air has been my main thought for first big add, especially since I'll be at the coast. Off season beach driving requires airing down, so having on-board air seems like a no brainer. I don't want to spend the big cost of the ARB twin, but I'd rather buy once and be done I think.
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I don't want to spend the big cost of the ARB twin, but I'd rather buy once and be done I think.
Heh I'd get the twin in that case :). It airs up my 37" tires in just about 2-3 minutes each from 18 psi to 36/37 psi. Usually about 10 minutes or so total to air up. its just 3x the price of the smitty which is hard to swallow. Add in the Grim bracket (which I'd for sure get) and you are like 4x+.
 
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Heh I'd get the twin in that case :). It airs up my 37" tires in just about 2-3 minutes each from 18 psi to 36/37 psi. Usually about 10 minutes or so total to air up. its just 3x the price of the smitty which is hard to swallow. Add in the Grim bracket (which I'd for sure get) and you are like 4x+.
Yeah.. it's hard to think about, but I think I'd be happy I did it in the long run. I know I can get the whole bundle for grim, so I might go that route.
 

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Probably the best mod I made that is not on your list is the Banks Pedal Monster. I was stunned at how much difference the Pedal Monster (and I assume similar devices) made. I would never have believed in, or endorsed such a 'gimmick' product like a 'throttle booster'... Until I got one. I read multiple threads about this or these type products and I laughed...Until I got one. The throttle programming from the factory in these trucks is horrible. I never would have believed the difference. I went from thinking that I would have to get the truck re-geared to put 35's on it to thinking I could probably live with it for a while with 37's. Note that I also have the Tazer which allows me to set the correct tire size (Tazer was my first order - I hate the Auto Start), but if I were running stock tires I would get the Pedal Monster first.

A couple of notes on my usage. I only have mine set to 3-4 clicks up on the lowest setting (City) on my Pedal Monster and it makes all the difference in the world. I live in Minnesota and when it's really cold (0 F or below) I actually set mine lower because of the additional gain from the colder air made it a little twitchy IMO.

Other than the Pedal Monster and Tazer, I would agree with those that say live with the truck a bit before making major spending decisions. Trust me, you'll cherish the days you get to spend $300-$400 for a mod. Jeeps remind me of what my grandfather told me about horse racing. If you want to make a small fortune in horse racing, you must first start with a large fortune...
 

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- Sill protection because I kick them every time I get into the truck.
- Dead pedal because the 3.5 hour trip home from the dealership wasn’t pleasant for my left foot/leg.
- Ceramic coated the day it came home because mud will be easier to wash off.
Can you provide feedback and details on the ceramic coating please? You notice a difference in the shine? Expensive? Protection against rock chips, bugs and scratches? Etc?
 

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1st had to get rid of that antenna, sill guards, tonneau cover, Rokblokz...then got tazer, proximity handles and front camera and little things here and there. Oh and I added a 2nd rear recovery hook, hated that look with just 1. Didn't look balanced
 
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So I ended up ordering the Tazer Mini, and the Terraflex leveling kit, and soon to be some recovery equipment.

I think I still might pull the trigger on the ARB twin though too. Regardless of tire size, the performance with lower pressures is proven, but you'll need to inflate when you're done. Just seems like a worthwhile investment.

The only other thing that I've contemplated over that air is the winch, but I would have to get a bumper too. Wish I had the factory steel as having to buy both it my biggest drawback.

Maybe the Mopar AUX switches... Damnit. It doesn't ever end!
 
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Tstrausburg

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For protection purposes, I highly recommend the Rusty's Rear Lower Control Arm Skids if you intend to do any rocks. They ship as bare metal but a few rounds with a rattle can and you're all set. Couple those with the Rock Hard shock, control arms skids, a rear diff skid from Metal Cloak and a engine/transmission skid from ASFIR and you should be pretty well set up. The Rubicons come with pretty good protection (rock rails and front metal skid plate) from the factory for the other areas unless you're getting into some serious crawling. Links below:

https://rustysoffroad.com/collectio...me-side-skid-plates-jt-gladiator#.YiC5DnrMK70

https://www.rockhard4x4.com/product_p/rh-80515.htm

https://metalcloak.com/jt-gladiator-m220-rear-differential-skid-plate.html

https://www.asfir.com/engine-skid-plate-541155.html
 
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Syndula

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For me I went with the sunrider first followed by a tonneau cover. They are by far the most useful for the daily driver which is the case for my truck. Nothing beats being able to flip the sunrider back when the sun is out and not having to worry about a pop up thunderstorm because it flips back just as quick. I also got basic recovery gear and a ryobi 18V inflator to hold me over until I can get the arb twin.
 

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Gvsukids

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The Rubicons come with pretty good protection from the factory for the other areas unless you're getting into some serious crawling.
All Gladiator's have the same skid plates as the Rubicon.
 

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All Gladiator's have the same skid plates as the Rubicon.
I should have been clearer....the OPs post indicated he has a Rubicon, so his truck comes with the additional rock rails (including the rear lower bed) as well as the metal front skid plate that protects the sway bar disconnect. I updated my last post for better context. Thanks.
 
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Thanks for the replies everyone.

I've looked at some of the metalcloak skids and was actually looking at the rear skid and the FAD skid. Seems like those will be the first two that I will add.

The sunrider is going to be added regardless because my wife really likes that since we're on the coast, so that's pretty much sealed as everyone that has one seems to love it.

Now the ebay bumper doesn't seem terrible at the price either. I like the otherwise OEM+ look for my vehicles, so this is a good idea. It looks like many people say they are actually pretty good too, so that's good to hear as well.
 

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So I'll be picking up my new (to me) 21 JTR soon, and of course I want to do a few things to it... but where and what did the starting point be?

I'm looking at:
-Recovery gear (kinetic rope, shackles, etc.)
-Skid plates
-ARB twin compressor
-Tazer Mini
-Bestop Sunrider
-Terraflex 1.5" leveling kit
-Bumper winch combo

What would you choose first or what order for what's listed above?

I'll be in the coastal Georgia area, and it is my daily. Fun trails, beach, mud are all what I'm expecting, but nothing overly technical since this is my first jeep since my XJ about 15years ago.

Thanks in advance!
I’ve owned and built way too many Jeeps but yesterday, for the first time, installed air lift rear bags. Very inexpensive and made an immediate and noticeable difference. Offsets all the weight of the other accessories
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