Need advice from veteran Gladiator owners - thanks for your help

[Marlinvx]

Ok... show pics of the sway bar and lower control arm on both sides too. But more to the point, I could undoubtedly fit 40's if I removed the flares altogether... and what did your flat fenders cost...

Flat fenders were like 500 bucks and were installed on a Saturday morning. Could do it cheaper if you split Rubicon flare takeoffs. (Probably free). My suspension geometry stayed in stock configuration, no adjustable control arms needed, no alignment, etc. I never disconnected my front sway bar, never felt the need to. I rarely did it on my Rubicon either.
Either way, my point is you don't need a Rubicon or any type of lift to run 35s.

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[onewhippedpuppy]

The point being that he doesn't need to. Reading what he has stated is the intended use, absolutely not necessary.

Totally get it, and I would agree. I’m just going off of what the OP says he is planning. In reality most Jeeps are more capable than what the owners actually need.

The best thing about this debate is that there’s not a wrong choice!

 

[Artsifrtsi]

A Max Tow Gladiator will, in all likelihood, take you anywhere you want to go.

While I get it's a little different animal, I wheeled a 2016 2 door JK (Sport) on 33's on 14 badge trails in TN, NC, VA, TX, AZ, and most of the ones in Moab. All it had was the rear LSD. You don't NEED lockers and a 4:1 case to do it.

Anyway, I ordered a Max Tow instead of springing for a Rubi specifically due to that experience. In my mind, the Sport would be fine for whatever I decide to do with it, including the particular off-roading I prefer to do.

Anyway, good luck on your choice!

Correct... you don't NEED it... OP is already planning to add lockers, so it'd make sense.

 

[Barnaby’sdad]

My two cents…as you don’t care about lockers, get a Sport. Get Rubicon take-off suspension and wheels and tires off Facebook Marketplace. I’ve seen that sold as a package deal for ~$1,500.

Yes, you might want BFG A/T, but you can get a full set of wheels and tires with VERY low miles in like new condition for half the price of just the new BFG’s (something to think about).

 

[Artsifrtsi]

Flat fenders were like 500 bucks and were installed on a Saturday morning. Could do it cheaper if you split Rubicon flare takeoffs. (Probably free). My suspension geometry stayed in stock configuration, no adjustable control arms needed, no alignment, etc. I never disconnected my front sway bar, never felt the need to. I rarely did it on my Rubicon either.
Either way, my point is you don't need a Rubicon or any type of lift to run 35s.

My lift and sway disconnects cost $270 total ($100 rubi take offs, $100 1.5" level, $70 sway discos) it is the factory geometry for a rubicon, and I didn't need to change the look of the truck.

 

[Marlinvx]

My lift and sway disconnects cost $270 total ($100 rubi take offs, $100 1.5" level, $70 sway discos) it is the factory geometry for a rubicon, and I didn't need to change the look of the truck.

Damn, you got a smoking deal for springs, shocks, control arms and all! I see them pop up cheap occasionally, but not that cheap. Having said that, I believe the max tow suspension is already taller than non-max tow. Taller springs in rear at least. Not 100% sure. But, since the Rubicon and max tow have same tow capacity when accessories figured in, that makes sense.

 

[HorneyBadger]

PJZ or anybody else,

Can you recommend some out of state dealers that are known for good prices. Here in CA and especially in the SF Bay AREA PRICES ARE REDICULOUS.

Geoff

Hi Geoff, Not sure if you are aware but you really cant purchase a new vehicle out of state if you are a Ca resident. Many laws. You can buy used if the vehicle has more than 7500 miles on it. Or if you totaled a vehicle out of state and purchased new replacement. Then you always have to give Ca its share. Pay Ca taxes on it.

 

[Gvsukids]

The best thing about this debate is that there’s not a wrong choice!

Unless debating Rubicon vs Mojave...

 

[JT1]

I’ll say in this thread what I usually say in threads about Jeep capabilities: even a stock Sport on street tires is more capable than 95% of drivers out there. They’re amazingly capable machines that will go places that would scare the pants off of most people. And that’s bone stock!

There’s a lot to be said for a 4:1 transfer case, and lockers, and quick disconnects, but if your question is, “will this Jeep go where I want it to go?” the answer is probably yes. (I will admit that Gladiators have issues at times with breakover angle with no lift.)

My last 2 Jeeps have been Rubicons because I wanted the off road extras for crawling, but any of them will do what you want to most of the time. Good luck!

This 100%
Lockers and a 4:1 tcase are totally useless when you are highcentered on a rock. If there is no plan to truly rock crawl, a lift and a set of 35's is going to allow you to go further off road safely. Lockers will help you get stuck somewhere you shouldn't have been in the first place.

If budget is a consideration, I would skip LEDs, add some beamtechs to the halogen housings and put that $1200 into a lift/tires/bumper/winch

 

[shokker70]

Unless debating Rubicon vs Mojave...

Meh. Two different animals with pretty big differences in intended use. Either can still do 90% of what the other can. Although I'd give the edge to Mojave. Mojave can rock crawl. Rubi can NOT cruise in 4 hi at 50 MPH or even close.

 

[onewhippedpuppy]

Unless debating Rubicon vs Mojave...

Lol, you just have to look at my signature to see how obvious that answer is!

 

[montechie]

What options do you think I should select on a Ruby if I go that route? Should I look at any options? What do you think are must haves. I will be on fairly rougher trails sometimes, but, I will not actively seek out rock crawling or putting the Jeep to the test on purpose.

Geoff

Not Rubi specific but from my personal experience of a few jeeps, get an OEM hard top out of the box. A soft top is cheap(er) but a financed factory hardtop is cheaper and easier to find than one in a couple years when Jeep does a new generation. Soft tops are way, way easier to find after market for comparable or better pricing.

I would also get the spray-in bed liner, having a scratched up rusty bed has to hurt resale. If you are going to do something like a bedrug and topper than probably skip this. Although it doesn't look too hard to do your own Line-X if you're good at details.

I don't tow, but I ALWAYS get the tow package when it's an option on a vehicle. Often it includes a more powerful alternator (good for overlanding gadgets) and extra cooling. Some of that is easy(ish) to install later like an alternator, not sure about the cooling. Those mods may put you into dodgy warranty territory too.

For me the Rock-trac full-time 4x4 transfer case was a must have. I love mountain sports in the winter and live in a wintery area, lots of half-icy highways that are dry pavement in one track and bullet-proof water ice in the other. A normal part-time system is okay (done that for 30+ years), but just doesn't come close to the full-time option. Not sure how much you go into the Sierras in the winter... Full-time mode has also been awesome for flood level torrential downpours (no hydroplaning) and on dirt roads where tourons in the middle of the road on blind corners force me onto a soft shoulder.

 

[BourbonRunner]

OP: There's a lot of good info here. I'm in a similar boat to you. It is a really tough decision. I think if you're planning on overloading AND crawling, Rubi makes sense because it comes with so much already.

In my case, I'm leaning towards the Mojave over the Sport S Max Tow or Freedom. I will however be adding airbags to make up the difference in payload.

 

[onewhippedpuppy]

One other note about getting a hard top from the factory is that you’ll have warranty coverage if it leaks or has other issues. I have a friend with a JKU, his hard top leaked and it ruined the factory navigation head unit. All covered under warranty because it was the factory hard top.

 

[HooliganActual]

@Geoff Massa These last few posts bring up an interesting discussion; if your true goal is overlanding, then I would posit that a hard top is essential.

If you are making the long haul to the Mojave Road or some other cool destination from the Bay Area, you probably aren't going to want the road noise of the soft top over the hard top. It's also likely you won't be taking your doors off along the way. I've been overlanding for years and not wished that I could take the top and/or doors off while I was off grid.

Another thought is that, if overlanding, you might find the need to have the extra storage space provided from a roof rack. While not impossible to find, there are more options for roof racks with a hard top than soft.

My rig for example, I have a canopy with a roof top tent installed and as my need evolved to add a solar panel, my RTT's contoured top did not really allow for it to be mounted there. However, a simple gutter-mounted Rhino Rack (because the solar panel weighs next to nothing) made it easy. Had I been running a soft top, it would have been more challenging...

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