First Time Jeep Owner Questions - 2025 Gladiator

[weThePeople]

Hi there! New to the forum. Just recently purchased my first Jeep and my first Gladiator. So far I love it, it's been a blast to own. I was originally just looking for a mid-sized truck but the drop top has just been a bonus and I was impressed with the amount of features it comes with on the ground floor for the price. I had some general questions for guys on this board with the 24 and 25 models.

Wanted to know a few things, first off what's your favorite mods to do on the base JT sport? Second, what's your experience with audio/amp upgrades on the newer 12" display (more on that below)? So far I've done the following...

• Tazer JL-mini
• LineX bed liner
• Additional cubbies on the interior

I daily this, I might do some light offroading for camping and such but probably won't ever do any rock crawling with it so the stock tires are actually fine. If I swap it'll be after the stock ones run down and I'll probably just get regular all-terrains. I did make the mistake of getting the Quadratec Alpine upgrade but it's not for the 25 JT even though the page listed it as such. The issue is the harness is different for the 12" display. Quadratec was good on that and will be refunding me the full amount. With all that being said, has anyone attempted an amp/subwoofer install on the 12" setup? If so what was your experience/level of effort? I want it to be as reversible as possible for warranty reasons.

Lastly I was interested in a tanneau cover for the bed. I could just get the tri-fold which I was most interested in but are there any particular styles, brands, aftermarkets you guys recommend? Let me know.

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[Gvsukids]

Lastly I was interested in a tanneau cover for the bed. I could just get the tri-fold which I was most interested in but are there any particular styles, brands, aftermarkets you guys recommend? Let me know.

That can be researched and applies to any Gladiator as the beds are the same.

 

[Janster]

Tinting the front windows is a good idea…… although, check with your local & state laws. I had the front side windows tinted to match the rear tint. It’s mild and hasn’t ‘attracted’ the eyes of the police around here in Pennsylvania.

I would highly recommend going with a hard tri-fold Tonneau cover. They cost more up front but will last much much longer than the soft trifold.

I’ve had soft tri-folds before….no matter what you use to protect the vinyl, it will eventually crack & rip over a period of time (faster if its outside). The last soft tri-fold I had only lasted about 7 years…(small hole in middle).. You can buy new skins, but it’s impossible to install (I tried, but gave up….and gave the thing away).
There are lots of different brands available…. I have a Bakflip.

 

[weThePeople]

Tinting the front windows is a good idea…… although, check with your local & state laws. I had the front side windows tinted to match the rear tint. It’s mild and hasn’t ‘attracted’ the eyes of the police around here in Pennsylvania.

I would highly recommend going with a hard tri-fold Tonneau cover. They cost more up front but will last much much longer than the soft trifold. It’ll

I’ve had soft tri-folds before….no matter what you use to protect the vinyl, it will eventually crack & rip over a period of time (faster if its outside). The last soft tri-fold I had only lasted about 7 years…(small hole in middle).. You can buy new skins, but it’s impossible to install (I tried, but gave up….and gave the thing away).
There are lots of different brands available…. I have a Bakflip.

The backflip looks great thanks! I bookmarked it. The fronts actually already have a mild tint, came with the truck.

 

[Dave D]

I added a dead pedal.
I found I couldnt find a comfortable place for my left foot.

 

[Rickw1209]

I also just bought a 2024 Gladiator Rubincon X. I am in the same situation, Not going to do any rock crawling but want to do alot of trail riding and camping here in colorado.
I just installed a Warn winch and purchased alot of recovery gear( Kinetic ropes and such) since I will be trail riding probably at times by myself and dont want to depend on somebody else.
I also went with the Bak Revolver 2X ( roll up ). Ive had both the revolver and bakflip (3 piece) types on other trucks and like the rollup better, Just my opinion. Now Im looking at purchasing a bed rack to haul a jerry can, traction boards and anything i might want instead of having them take up bed space. I also would like any other suggestions. Thanks

 

[SaiintNick]

The backflip looks great thanks! I bookmarked it. The fronts actually already have a mild tint, came with the truck.

I have the Bestop soft rollup tonneau cover. I got it because it has the twill soft top material. Yes it flaps, but you can't hear it. With top down I bet you can, but since I never run with hard top off it works for me. Where I live in Utah there is not much crime so I'm not worried about it. Hard covers offer more security.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Dead pedal for sure.
Inside cubbies.

I love the soft roll-up tonneau cover and have had that on THREE Gladiators now and won't use anything else. It rolls up clear out of the way for hauling large stuff, and 2 bolts remove it if you want to use the bed for a truck tent for camping.

I made latches to lock down the tonneau cover.

No added window tint for me - just don't need or want it. Causes trouble for older eyes.
I need all the view I can get to avoid the assholes who drive around without headlights at dusk around here, and to avoid the deer who like to pounce on Jeeps from out of nowhere.

I will be having a shop do diamond/ceramic paint protection next week (takes a wile to get in to that shop, and it takes a while to do that full process). Water here is hard and the water spots are brutal, as is the bird crap and our bugs are like out of a Hitchcock movie. Birds coordinate target practice. Their aim is quite good.

As I have a Mojave which has the steel/heavy hood, the Redline Tuning hood struts went on right away. I have had them on my prior two Gladiators, but the heavy Mojave hood and - my back - begged me to install the struts before anything else went on the truck.

So far, I have no use for a tazer.
Personal choice - for me it's a "why would I need it" thing. I use a SGW bypass cable, gateway extension cables to make installing the bypass cable easier when needed, and a BlueTooth OBDII adapter along with JSCAN and AlfaOBD to make any changes to settings I may want to make.

I add the Oracle bumper mounted backup lights and rig in a diode and special wiring harness adapter so I can have those lights come on when the truck is in reverse, or use an aux switch to turn them on if the truck is off and in park. Helps me load up the trailer or see things behind the truck out here.

The RSE power steps will go on in a week or two.

 

[Janster]

The backflip looks great thanks! I bookmarked it. The fronts actually already have a mild tint, came with the truck.

Mine did also (’24 Mojave) …I went darker - matches the rear windows.

 

[Gvsukids]

I added a dead pedal.
I found I couldnt find a comfortable place for my left foot.

I find I'll plant my left foot flat on the floor, but then that's how my foot rests when I'm driving my semi at work.

 

[weThePeople]

I appreciate all the suggestions. I did end up getting that dead pedal (so far) seems like an ez upgrade.

 

[Dave D]

I find I'll plant my left foot flat on the floor, but then that's how my foot rests when I'm driving my semi at work.

When off road going down hill is when it helps the most to keep me more in control.

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