New to the gladiator family !!! Question about mods

[Dvmexplorer]

Got myself today in florida a black 2023 sport model. The discount was amazing and I couldn’t say no. It got the towing package and the 3 pieces hard top. It’s always been a dream to customize my own jeep gladiator.

Ill like to add the following:

Lift kit

Front center and rear locker differential

35” tires

Hopefullly having the sport model will make it more reliable considering it barely has any electronics. Do you guys know what lift kit and lockers are reliable to get aftermarket?

Thanks for the help !

Sponsored

 

[DailyMoparGuy]

A lot of guys run Clayton or MetalCloak for full kits. I see some folks with RockKrawler kits too.

For spacer lifts, AEV seems to be the go-to.

They all seem like great options from my last 3 years of reading. My only tip to you is skip 35s and get 37s. Especially since you’re adding lockers - might as well regear to 4.88 or 5.13 while you’re at it.

 

[TheSolarWizard]

you can split your fenders and get by running 35s (using a kit like this https://quakeled.com/jeep-jl-jt-sport-slim-drl-fender-chop-kit-w-sequential-turns-side-markers.html ) a while while you figure out what you wanna do. ive spent lots money several times on the same components and also worked on tons of gladiators at this point and ive also destroyed lots of factory parts along the way. what ive learned in that process is its most cost effective to get a good handle on your goals first then buy once and cry once.

as far as your questions, all gladiators have a center locking diff from the factory so you are good there. front and rear lockers have a few options but id strongly suggest you spend a little time wheeling the gladiator to figure out if 35s are the size you ultimately want to run.
if it ends up being bigger than 35s I would strongly advise you change your differential gearing as well and nearly all the labor $ you spent add lockers would be wasted. lift parts would change a lot potentially too and beyond certain heights you are talking about changing driveshafts and other parts that aren't typically obvious for most people. the dominos are expensive enough in one shot if that makes sense

as far as lift brands after working on, seeing and riding in nearly every imaginable mixed kits and full on kits from all the brands people even halfway trust, id do rockkrawler 100/100 times. which kit specifically should be determined by your goals once you get a better handle on them

 

[ColoradoCantu]

Take your time is my best advise, you dont want to spend a lot on something you regret. Figure out how you are going to use the jeep. Are you going to just hit the trails without a ton of gear in your bed, like a rack or topper, rooftop tent, steel bumpers, add a winch? If you plan to add a lot of weight like that, your common lift kits mentioned here "may" not be able to handle that kind of weight. So that's something keep in mind. I built an Overlander with a lot of weight, as you can see in my avatar, the rear has quite a bit of sag with the stock Mojave Fox suspension. I just got my 3in Dobinson lift with 3way adjustable shocks and HD springs and it lifted me about five inches because of that sag. Clayton and AEV also have HD lift kits. The rabbit hole for 35/37s and a 3in lift I crawled into, also got Metalcloak F/R Control arms, F/R Track bars, Steering stabilizer and plan to get Apex sway bar disconnects. I also plan to go 37s from my current 35 Toyo MTs. So I got Method 703 wheels with -12 offset to avoid wheel rub on full turn, although most probably go with 0 offset which are 2 of the 3 options for the Method 703, +25 is the other. I like the Method 700 series because they are designed run at low psi as are other brands, so keep that in mind when shopping for wheels. Although 35s will fit on your stock OEM wheels and a lot of guys do it, they will perform much better on 8.5 or 9 in wide wheels. Previous owner had the 35s on stock Mojave 7.5 wide wheels and when I switched to the Method 9in wide wheels, the performance was very noticeable specially turning with some speed and the tires looked bigger, wider. Although expensive, I like the Toyo Open Country series of tires and specifically the R/T Trail tires, Toyos are one of the best on the market. Before you buy, dont get too excited and forget to see if its offered cheaper somewhere else and if you can wait, I saved a ton on Black Friday deals, like 30% on my front runner roof rack. Good Luck and Welcome to the club!

 

[outdoor.adventures]

I'm glad you're able to live out your dream and customize your own Gladiator!

Some good comments and advice above. Like others said, center diff lock is already there for you. I recommend ARB Air Lockers if you want to add them front and rear.

If you're moving to 35" tires and don't ever plan on getting 37"+, I honestly wouldn't worry about throwing money into a regear, especially in flat Florida. However, installing lockers at the same time as doing a regear will save you on labor - so just be aware of that. I regeared at the same time that I added a front ARB locker to my Mojave (rear locker from factory). I did it myself so it didn't necessarily save me $, but definitely time.

Sponsored