New gladiator looking for advice

[JTOverland23]

I just got a new to me 2023 gladiator and am wanting to lift it.
Long term goal is use it for moderate off-roading (would like to be able to go on some technical trails but not crazy) and overlanding, I would like to down the road upgrade to 35’s (currently on 33’s)
I bought some used rock rails from a local guy and he recommended to me just going for a 2” spacer lift, the dealership I bought it from has a customization shop and they recommend a 2.5 rough county level kit or a 3” zone lift.
I would like a lift just for more ground clearance and to better fit 35’s in the future.
I know Clayton off-road makes a good lift but I don’t want to spend that much money on a lift so my question is, am I better off going with a spacer lift or a suspension lift? Pros and cons?

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[Bandit’s Lair]

Just do a binge in the suspension section in here. Theres a lot of information to absorb and can give you the pros and cons of each. Probably glean some info pertinent to you that you didn’t know or that we’d never know just firing lift suggestions at you. Start there. Dial it a bit better. The narrower your path towards the goal the better the guidance will be.

 

[JmattNYC]

I just got a new to me 2023 gladiator and am wanting to lift it.
Long term goal is use it for moderate off-roading (would like to be able to go on some technical trails but not crazy) and overlanding, I would like to down the road upgrade to 35’s (currently on 33’s)
I bought some used rock rails from a local guy and he recommended to me just going for a 2” spacer lift, the dealership I bought it from has a customization shop and they recommend a 2.5 rough county level kit or a 3” zone lift.
I would like a lift just for more ground clearance and to better fit 35’s in the future.
I know Clayton off-road makes a good lift but I don’t want to spend that much money on a lift so my question is, am I better off going with a spacer lift or a suspension lift? Pros and cons?

congrats on the new rig. For what you describe on how you will use the truck i would say go with the 3 inch zone lift. Rough country stuff is good but zone is a fox owned brand and has similar engineering to BDS and JKS. You can mix and match a lot of the products as your needs grow. Then you have a large assortment of shocks and damping you can choose from. I can go on with the pros. The only con is that your shop seem to limit you on your chooses. What trim is your jeep ?

 

[Gvsukids]

, I would like to down the road upgrade to 35’s (currently on 33’s)

Spacer lift would suffice, and keep your current suspension setup.

 

[LoneWolfUSMC]

35s will fit on a stock Gladiator Rubicon (just had some 35x11.50R17 installed). There are LOTS of Rubicon “take-off” suspensions on Fb Marketplace around here for about $200. If you don’t intend to go larger, that may be a good option. If you don’t have a swaybar disconnect you probably won’t have problems with flexing into your fenders.

If you just want tire clearance, a spacer lift will probably work. HOWEVER, for moderate off-roading, 33s will get you a LOT of places and no modifications required.

 

[Metalhead]

Can't go wrong with the Mopar 2 inch lift. It works for me. I overland and do mild trails. Just add an adjustable front track bar and your good to run 35's. Or get a set of high clearance fender flares and run 37's.

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