bastage
Well-Known Member
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Looking to change from a 05 F150 FX4 SuperCrew to a Gladiator this weekend. Already have the numbers all worked out with the dealer and all thats left is for me test drive one & pick a color. Then start modding it because stock they all look pretty lame. This is what this thread is all about.
First off I am a complete Newb in Jeep Land. The new Ranger probably suits what I drive better, but I never leave anything stock so the availability of aftermarket everything for Jeep's as well as taking the top off has me sold on the JT.
I have the color narrowed down to 3 (Sting Gray, Silver or Orange, all with the heritage tan interior because black is not an option in my area with the features I want).
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Edit: So the Punkn Orange has been discontinued. If thats really the case then I will almost certainly buy that one.
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They are all Sport S with Max Tow & Cold Weather Group for the big stuff. 5" uconnect & the upgraded alpine speakers with them all as well. Monroney with the important stuff is exactly the same (attached). Cost for any of them is just a little south of 38k with the hard top.
Now for the fun stuff...
Interior:
Seats will be recovered right off the bat. Talked to a local upholstery shop & will have some katzkin seat covers put in because I absolutely hate the tan.
The little 5" uconnect was my preference as I am going to ditch it right off the bat as well in favor of either an Alpine X409 or if I can get confirmation that nothing is lost other then screen size the Alpine w650 kit from quadratec. I dont really want the super large display of the x409, but I have spent a little time in a Grand Cherokee with uconenct & I absolutely hate it (and pretty much every other OEM infotainment system for that matter, so its not just uconenct).
Will be snagging a headliner as well for both the sound & temperature insulation as I know these aren't particularly quiet.
Suspension/Tires:
I plan to pickup some Gladiator Rubicon shocks & coils swapping just the front coils & all 4 shocks. There are at least 3 complete sets for sale local to me for 150 or less. From my reading it should improve the ride a bit with the shocks & give me a bit of front end left removing some of the ugly factory rake. I have the budget to add a lift, but I dont know if I want/need to go that way. I dont really do any "wheelin" but I do hunt, fish & haul the family out into the woods camping.
I am up in the air for tire size. Stock on the Sport S is way too small, just looks goofy so I am going bigger, but not sure how big. From what I have read even with no suspension changes I can fit 33's or 35's. Even with the 4.10's in the max tow how is the get up & go with 35's. Also how badly does that kill the mpg's. Not sure on wheels yet, but I dont really wan't anything sticking out too awful far so thinking 17's with between 0 & +18 offset. Also going to get one of the more aggressive AT's as most of the driving will still be on street & even though I will get offroad regularly the extra noise from MT's is steering me away from them.
Overall with the suspension & tires I am really not sure what I should be doing to improve on road driving. I know I am going to take a hit on the on road performance, but this is still going to be a daily driver so I dont want it to be too much worse off then my f150.
Exterior:
A front bumper is in order just to give it a little spice. Thw Rugged Ridge Venator is kinda what I am leaning towards with a inexpensive(ish) winch that I will honestly probably never end up using. I like the modified stock look of it & how it ties into the front fenders that are on their own quite bulky (they will proably get trimmed instead of replaced). One of the narrow stubby ones like the Arcus or DV8 modular are also appealing as they both look more like a modified stock bumper but not plain jane. With any of them I may even forgo a winch for a while & just fab a steel plate into the openings (plus I have to mount a license plate up front so that could just go over the fairlead opening).
Also going to have to add steps of some sort as one of the kids wont be able to get into it with the bigger tires otherwise.
Line-X in the bed will also happen right away.
So with what I have is there anything I can do better thats within reasonable cost or any issues with what my plans are.
Also if you have made it all the way to the bottom of this you have my thanks & condolences. I have barely left my house in the last 3 weeks so I have had way too much time to plan and budget this out so I probably overthought & over-explained everything.
First off I am a complete Newb in Jeep Land. The new Ranger probably suits what I drive better, but I never leave anything stock so the availability of aftermarket everything for Jeep's as well as taking the top off has me sold on the JT.
I have the color narrowed down to 3 (Sting Gray, Silver or Orange, all with the heritage tan interior because black is not an option in my area with the features I want).
----------
Edit: So the Punkn Orange has been discontinued. If thats really the case then I will almost certainly buy that one.
----------
They are all Sport S with Max Tow & Cold Weather Group for the big stuff. 5" uconnect & the upgraded alpine speakers with them all as well. Monroney with the important stuff is exactly the same (attached). Cost for any of them is just a little south of 38k with the hard top.
Now for the fun stuff...
Interior:
Seats will be recovered right off the bat. Talked to a local upholstery shop & will have some katzkin seat covers put in because I absolutely hate the tan.
The little 5" uconnect was my preference as I am going to ditch it right off the bat as well in favor of either an Alpine X409 or if I can get confirmation that nothing is lost other then screen size the Alpine w650 kit from quadratec. I dont really want the super large display of the x409, but I have spent a little time in a Grand Cherokee with uconenct & I absolutely hate it (and pretty much every other OEM infotainment system for that matter, so its not just uconenct).
Will be snagging a headliner as well for both the sound & temperature insulation as I know these aren't particularly quiet.
Suspension/Tires:
I plan to pickup some Gladiator Rubicon shocks & coils swapping just the front coils & all 4 shocks. There are at least 3 complete sets for sale local to me for 150 or less. From my reading it should improve the ride a bit with the shocks & give me a bit of front end left removing some of the ugly factory rake. I have the budget to add a lift, but I dont know if I want/need to go that way. I dont really do any "wheelin" but I do hunt, fish & haul the family out into the woods camping.
I am up in the air for tire size. Stock on the Sport S is way too small, just looks goofy so I am going bigger, but not sure how big. From what I have read even with no suspension changes I can fit 33's or 35's. Even with the 4.10's in the max tow how is the get up & go with 35's. Also how badly does that kill the mpg's. Not sure on wheels yet, but I dont really wan't anything sticking out too awful far so thinking 17's with between 0 & +18 offset. Also going to get one of the more aggressive AT's as most of the driving will still be on street & even though I will get offroad regularly the extra noise from MT's is steering me away from them.
Overall with the suspension & tires I am really not sure what I should be doing to improve on road driving. I know I am going to take a hit on the on road performance, but this is still going to be a daily driver so I dont want it to be too much worse off then my f150.
Exterior:
A front bumper is in order just to give it a little spice. Thw Rugged Ridge Venator is kinda what I am leaning towards with a inexpensive(ish) winch that I will honestly probably never end up using. I like the modified stock look of it & how it ties into the front fenders that are on their own quite bulky (they will proably get trimmed instead of replaced). One of the narrow stubby ones like the Arcus or DV8 modular are also appealing as they both look more like a modified stock bumper but not plain jane. With any of them I may even forgo a winch for a while & just fab a steel plate into the openings (plus I have to mount a license plate up front so that could just go over the fairlead opening).
Also going to have to add steps of some sort as one of the kids wont be able to get into it with the bigger tires otherwise.
Line-X in the bed will also happen right away.
So with what I have is there anything I can do better thats within reasonable cost or any issues with what my plans are.
Also if you have made it all the way to the bottom of this you have my thanks & condolences. I have barely left my house in the last 3 weeks so I have had way too much time to plan and budget this out so I probably overthought & over-explained everything.
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