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New owner, with a little buyers remorse.

Tackett1980

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Greetings community! My name is Ben, and I am the owner of a new gladiator overland. I got out of my 18 power wagon for it, for multiple reasons which I will explain shortly.
This may be a rather lengthy initial post, with the underlying intent being that I’m having some buyers remorse. Not remorse for buying a gladiator, but specifically for buying an overland. For me to explain why, I have to explain why I ditched my wagon, and why I bought it in the first place.

First of all, I have an hour commute to work. The mileage was pretty terrible and I’d get from 10-12mpg. I can’t fault the truck for that, I knew that getting into it, but regardless it was still a factor. I don’t do any, what I call, “on purpose” off-roading. I’m outdoors a significant amount camping, fishing and hunting. Because of my location, the majority of this requires miles of traveling in, let’s say, less than ideal circumstances. There is no way I could get an open differential 2wd vehicle in to and out of the places I typically go. Not to mention my job requires that I be there, and on the days we get some snow in the winter I can’t stay home. These things all made me very happy to have the PW. In fact, I was looking to trade for a new PW when I saw this gladiator being pulled off the truck.

The vehicle I had that I traded for the PW a few years ago was a JK. It was the only time I had had anything except a pickup truck and while I loved that thing, I could never get past needing a pickup bed. Once the gladiator became available I really wanted one, but went for the full size pickup instead given the price of a similarly equipped rubicon.

Make no mistakes, I do love the smooth ride and the gas mileage. But I do fear that when push comes to shove and I call on this thing to do what I need it to, I’m going to end up in trouble.

So, I’m calling on the expertise of the community to assist me in modding this thing to meet my needs. Obviously I need some real tires and I understand that it’s going to be less capable overall than the wagon was and I’m prepared to deal with that. I would just like some guidance on what direction to go before I start sinking a bunch of money into crap I don’t really need.

Apologies for the long winded post, and I do appreciate anyone taking the time to read and respond.
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LostWoods

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Tires, tires, tires. You've already recognized you need them but tires are going to be the biggest upgrade you can make to the truck. If you're used to the power then 35s might be too much for the stock gearing but 33s would probably be fine. I spent a lot of time around the VA/WV border and ATs handle the mud well enough... definitely not as bad with the clay as I've experienced elsewhere.

Do that then drive it and figure out what you need. The Jeep community is quick to mod and it's easy to get sucked into the money pit before you realize just how capable these trucks are.
 

bleda2002

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Tires, tires, tires. 90% of "soft-roading" is tires. The overland is still 4 wheel drive and I believe comes with the lsd so it will pretty much get you anywhere you need to go as long as your tires can bite. I'd recommend a good 33 or 35" AT that's 3 peak mountain rated. If you want to save some money look for Rubicon take offs

Edit: I see the first post also said this while I was reading yours haha.
 

Gman_92

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Yep agree tires 100%. mine has the mopar 2" lift and I run 35" toyo open country rt's on a sport with the 3.73 ratio and love them. wouldn't want to go any bigger for sure, but it's my daily driver and possibly some very light off-roading. coming from an f150 with mud tires, the ride is great!
 

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869 KPH

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Not sure how good the brake-lock diff or LSD is, but I would want full lockers for the places you describe going alone. People like to talk about how good driving makes up for it, but if you're going to remote places for work and just need to get the job done, I'd say bring the right tools.
 

staying_tuned

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A set of Mojave take-offs with the falken wild peaks along with a modest 2” spacer lift would be transformative and could be had for under $1,500 and that’s with a quality AEV lift with procal for speedo recalibration, end links, shock extension brackets etc. The Mojave wheels offer a slightly more aggressive offset (over takeoff rubis). Very slight but sets up nicely.
 

Jfondren3

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I agree with the above posts. Tires will be the best help. After that you will figure out if more ground clearance is actually needed for your situations.

I've taken a stock TJ with decent 31s to a lot of places with no issues. Mostly dumb luck and tires is what got me through everything.
 

WXman

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I have a $5 bill that says an Overland will go 99.92% of places a Rubicon will go with a simple tire swap.

If I could do it over again I'd get the Willys trim. I love the black grille and wheels and badging. Absolutely no need for a 4:1 t-case ratio or a front locker.
 
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Tackett1980

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Not sure how good the brake-lock diff or LSD is, but I would want full lockers for the places you describe going alone. People like to talk about how good driving makes up for it, but if you're going to remote places for work and just need to get the job done, I'd say bring the right tools.
This is part of the crux of why I made my post. I also don’t know how capable the LSD would be and I’m not sure if installing some ARB lockers would be worth the price. I guess I’ll find out, but finding out the hard way and having to walk out of the woods a few miles does not sound likebdub

So what exactly is your buyers remorse, what makes you think the Overland trim is any less capable of other trims?
Lack of lockers, lack of sway bar disconnect, no winch (which I have a solution for sitting in a box at home already.), highway tires, less ground clearance, a multitude of things which I’m not sure I really need, but have been happy to have when I felt like I needed them.

Tires, tires, tires. You've already recognized you need them but tires are going to be the biggest upgrade you can make to the truck. If you're used to the power then 35s might be too much for the stock gearing but 33s would probably be fine. I spent a lot of time around the VA/WV border and ATs handle the mud well enough... definitely not as bad with the clay as I've experienced elsewhere.

Do that then drive it and figure out what you need. The Jeep community is quick to mod and it's easy to get sucked into the money pit before you realize just how capable these trucks are.
This is great advise.

thank you all for all your input so far.
 

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shrinkhead

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If you never rock crawl all you need is tires as other said and would prob top out with
the only bigger mod you may end up “needing” is the Mopar lift and 35 trail grapplers. That’s an incredible setup for mud and everything else while still giving decent mileage. if you rock craw you need sliders, armor and 37s at least …
 

XJADDICTION

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Just for starters, the overland trim makes for a comfortable commuter. They do come with an 18” rim and I think street oriented tires in a 255x75x18? Someone will chime in.

The gladiator in overland trim I think will be a huge improvement off road because of its size vs the PW (don’t get me wrong, the power, lift, bigger tires, lockers, winch are all awesome in full size, but IMOP the truck is huge!)

I have a Sport S with Max Tow option. On street tires it did well everywhere I took it off road. Since I’ve switched to some Rubicon Wrangler take offs (I paid $600 for 4, I’ve seen them at $800 for 5 with almost no miles on them) with 285x70x17 vs 245x75x17 (basically 33” tire vs 31” tire) I’ve noticed a huge difference in traction over the smaller street tires.

You will be surprised how well these do without lockers. Your use is perfect for what the gladiator is designed to do.

Keep us updated on your opinion with your adventures.

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bleda2002

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This is part of the crux of why I made my post. I also don’t know how capable the LSD would be and I’m not sure if installing some ARB lockers would be worth the price. I guess I’ll find out, but finding out the hard way and having to walk out of the woods a few miles does not sound likebdub
My ram had an LSD, if the overland one is anything like the ram, you'll actually love it in the snow/soft stuff because it just takes care of it for you and fully locks when needed. The LSD's at this point are so good there isnt a lot of benefit to a true locking rear diff for the mild to moderate stuff, and in the winter on the road it makes for no-thinking traction.
 

Gren71

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Be careful with the tires. Remember that heavier tires WILL cause you to loose MPG, in addition to torque response. I recently swapped back to the stock bridgestone dueler ATs and have enjoyed 20-21mpg and the moderate off road capability they provide.

I have a set of 255/75/17 Continental Terrain contact AT tires sitting in my garage ready to be installed next week. They weight 39lbs each, so only a moderate increase in weight, and offer a nice tread that is supposed to be great for on and off road application according to all the reviews on youtube and such.

as for a lift...A simple spacer lift like the AEV kit or Iron Rock off road kit will suffice for making it feel more like a truck with out making you go broke.

If you decide to tow...airlift 1000 bags are a MUST for the softer overland rear springs. They will change your life.

welcome to it! Enjoy the JT :fist bump::jk:
 

sharpsicle

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You will be surprised how well these do without lockers. Your use is perfect for what the gladiator is designed to do.
I can 100% attest to this. The Overland is plenty capable. 4hi and 4lo will get you through whatever you need with the right tires. If you aren't rock crawling, you're going to be perfectly fine.
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