gladiator off road capability

[chadinsc]

Hello my name is chad and im a brand new member. I currently have a 2011 wrangler unlimited rubicon with a 2.5in terra flex lift with 35x12.5r17s and a silverado 2500hd. I am considering buying a gladiator to replace both. I use the wrangler hunting and travel 40-50 miles off road round trip to hunt. these are very rugged trails in the mountains that the the rubicon will bump its bottom in rutts and regularly spin all 4 bfg mud terrains on steep climbs. i have a good stash of 35s for spares so would prefer to run 35s on the gladiator but im conserned with the length of the truck 37s may be needed. im looking at the mojave and rubicon models. the mojave sounds perfect for my needs because it should be able to save me time on the trail in the morning with its softer desert suspension and reinforced frame because i do small jumps every day when they sneak up on me. But my rubicon wrangler has been rugged and reliable just lands hard. i also will need the rig to tow my 7k capacity trailer but would be fine making two trips on bigger loads because i know the mojave is only rated to 6k vs 7k for rubicon. so what size lift and tires would i need to match the performance of my jku? thank you

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[chadinsc]

I would like to add also the reason in concerned about groung clearance with the longer wheel base is not simply to go over ruts. the trails are old logging roads in the mountains and there are several places the drainages cross them and when you drive through there will be small vertical banks on each side you have to drop off into and climb out the other side. they are normally level with my current bumper but im worried the longer rig may high center on these obstacles. the trails are rarely used by jeeps it’s normally utv and atvs. thought i needed to better explain that part of the puzzle. thanks again

 

[Commodus]

I would like to add also the reason in concerned about groung clearance with the longer wheel base is not simply to go over ruts. the trails are old logging roads in the mountains and there are several places the drainages cross them and when you drive through there will be small vertical banks on each side you have to drop off into and climb out the other side. they are normally level with my current bumper but im worried the longer rig may high center on these obstacles. the trails are rarely used by jeeps it’s normally utv and atvs. thought i needed to better explain that part of the puzzle. thanks again

The Gladiator is very capable but length is a problem. To match a JT against your wrangler the lift would have to be considerably taller but then that will take its toll on your towing handling. Take a look at The Story Till Now on youtube to watch the Gladiator handle wooded and logging trails. But you will notice he never travels alone.

 

[Bbannongmu]

The Rubicon is pretty capable out of the box. I came from a JKU Wrangler so it does feel long and the JKU felt real long compared to YJ and M38A1. Here is some video of stock performance. I’m running 37s with a 1.5” leveling kit now. Good luck!

 

[PyrPatriot]

I take my Sport Max Tow on 35s on logging/mining roads (old county roads) of Eastern KY and do fine. Some scraping but not much, rarely has ground clearance been an issue unless I get to boulders. Mine has no lift, I'm sure with a lift it'd be even faster going. Send me a PM and I can send you links to the kind of conditions I drive in and you can compare them to your terrain.

 

[aldo98229]

My two cents:

If your lifted JK Rubicon is dragging its butt through the rocks on that trail, you can be sure a JT will, too. Just look at that long wheelbase and huge rear overhang.

If you are set on a Gladiator, I’d go with the Rubicon, get a 2” lift and mount at least 35s on it.

FWIW: I just got a Mopar 2” lift on my JLU; the new Mopar lift is significantly softer, smoother and more compliant than similar lifts I had on my JKs. I ended getting 4 inches of lift in the front and 3 inches in the rear.

 

[Gvsukids]

I would like to add also the reason in concerned about groung clearance with the longer wheel base is not simply to go over ruts. the trails are old logging roads in the mountains and there are several places the drainages cross them and when you drive through there will be small vertical banks on each side you have to drop off into and climb out the other side. they are normally level with my current bumper but im worried the longer rig may high center on these obstacles. the trails are rarely used by jeeps it’s normally utv and atvs. thought i needed to better explain that part of the puzzle. thanks again

Did you know there is a button that you can use to find answers to questions and lifts and ground clearance?

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/gladiators-off-road-capabilities-vs-jl.8721/

 

[PyrPatriot]

Did you know there is a button that you can use to find answers to questions and lifts and ground clearance?

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/gladiators-off-road-capabilities-vs-jl.8721/

When starting a thread it provides suggestions on similar threads. I LOVE that feature and wish other forums followed it.

 

[Oilburner]

If it were me, I would be finding someone with a built JT and doing a trail ride with them to see first-hand how it handles stuff you are talking about. You're likely looking at 37's + lift and that is really going to impact tow quality.

 

[Gvsukids]

When starting a thread it provides suggestions on similar threads. I LOVE that feature and wish other forums followed it.

Tacomaworld does., but people still post similar threads.

 

[chadinsc]

thanks for the reply’s guys. sorry if this was a repetitive post. im not really a online guy. bbannongmu thank you for those videos that was impressive for what i think was a stock gladiator. i will check out the road to now also. and there was some great information in the link on a previous post. in that post it said that 37s would reduce turning radius is that because they rub or some other reason? thanks again for all the great info. so it looks like 37s should match the performance of my jku on 35s right? i dont need to improve that just match it. i have to drive under alot of trees that have fallen over the trail so i cant go to high.

 

[CerOf]

Here is a great video of a JLU vs JT. Stock vs stock. It will give you an idea as to how your own unlimited would compare to a JT with the same lift and tire size.


cliff notes: JT will scrape its skid plates more, but doesn’t appear to be a crazy amount.

PS if you go diesel, no need to regear. With my 35” tires I feel zero difference in power.

 

[KHam]

thanks for the reply’s guys. sorry if this was a repetitive post. im not really a online guy. bbannongmu thank you for those videos that was impressive for what i think was a stock gladiator. i will check out the road to now also. and there was some great information in the link on a previous post. in that post it said that 37s would reduce turning radius is that because they rub or some other reason? thanks again for all the great info. so it looks like 37s should match the performance of my jku on 35s right? i dont need to improve that just match it. i have to drive under alot of trees that have fallen over the trail so i cant go to high.

I'm not aware of any turning radius reduction with the larger tires. I think 37's and a mild lift are perfect for the Gladiator. I have a Rubicon JT with 37's and the Rock Krawler 3" Pro-X Stage 1 lift on it. I also have hydraulic bump stops. Between the two it will go over some very rough terrain at speed easily. Large bumps and off camber twists are really smoothed out by the 4-link rear and bumps.

I went out this last weekend to shake down the new suspension setup and I've been very impressed. I have some unrefined video I grabbed off my dashcam. I haven't spent any time with it and it's not fancy like others have posted here. Just some basic footage of a couple obstacles. The amount of flex with this suspension is nothing short of incredible.

Couple side notes... the video is in 4K. The rattle you hear once an awhile is my side step that's a little loose. Haven't fixed that. The dull thump-thump you hear in the audio are the hydraulic bump stops working, absorbing the impacts.

 

[Dan_Ballard_Offroad]

Seriously, seriously don't even consider it with 35s imo for your use. I wheeled it with the stock 33, 37s and now 39s. Bigger is needed along with a decent amount of lift. If someone says they are not struggling on 35s, they aren't doing anything very hard (I'm far from a hardcore rock crawler).

As you probably know, the bigger the tire the smoother it is when you really air down. 37s are awesome starting at about 12psi. On rough chatter (not big bumps) I bet smoother than a Mojave on 35s...

Imo go with the Rubicon for sure. You can always add better suspension and shocks to a Rubicon that will be as good as or better than the Mojave. Plus, you need to go higher, so you will want to upgrade suspension even with the Mojave and those awesome shocks will be too short.

Also, as you know with your jeep, lockers are amazing. Just for fun I am always trying stuff first in 4wd only. Than rear locker if needed, followed by both. It still surprises me how often I use both. Sure, could probably make it with more of a run and go pedal, but it is so much better to be able to easily walk up something. Plus just the piece of mind having them.

These trucks are awesome! Extremely capable. They just need a decent amount of lift and big tires. A Rubicon on at least 37s and 3-4 inches of lift would be a killer setup for what you mentioned.

 

[LordEnzo]

@KHam And @Dan_Ballard_Offroad pretty much summed it up. I was gonna suggest 3.5 rc spacer lift and upgrade the shocks. This will retain majority, if not all, of ur towing. Then add the 37s. Lesser lift and u will rub. Gladiator just looks RIGHT with 3-4" lift and 37s.

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