Skid Plate or lift? Opinions on need.

[hjdca]

I've got a Sport S with 3.73 gearing. Right now I have 33" KO2's and besides a front bumper & winch, that's pretty much all the mods I've done so far. I'd like to do more offroading, nothing major, more overlanding really but I'd like to be able to go on some of the more mild trails & passes in Colorado & other places. I figure right now I'm sitting maybe 1/2" lower or equal to a stock Rubicon. I'm not into rock climbing but a good lot of the trails to be on will have rocks, some larger than others. I also want to be able to drive it home after the trails/passes as it is a daily driver.
I don't really want to do a lift, 2" Mopar is what I've considered, since I like the way it looks now & I'm afraid with a lift I'd want to go to 35"s which I feel would really create a need to regear. 1k on tires already, not really wanting to do another 1k plus regear. There's also the possibility of a front leveling kit.
There's also the idea of the Rock Hard belly skid plates instead of the lift. My thoughts are without a lift a skid plate would almost be a necessity. I can probably fabricate a front skid plate if needed.
Which of these would be the better option? Or do I really need either one? If I could get by easily with what I've got, it's leave money for the more fun mods, like a sunrider top & maybe the Insane Audio Nav system. The list is endless....
I may be overthinking this or underestimating the capabilities of the Gladiator, it's the first Jeep I've owned so I figured I'd ask the people who have way more knowledge on these things than I do. Thanks!

The long wheel base and overhang of the Gladiator, not really the height, is why the belly scrapes over drop offs, or the rear end scrapes in gullies. Even if you lift it 3 inches with 37" tires, it still has a long wheel base and a long overhang. So, a lift and big tires will help, but, another thing to do is to drive sideways over those obstacles and make sure the trails you drive have enough room for you to do that. Assuming you have a "rubicon" type suspension, with a sway bar disconnect, the articulation of the wheels will keep you from scraping over those obstacles if you go sideways over them.

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[Bbannongmu]

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[Bob502000]

I've got a Sport S with 3.73 gearing. Right now I have 33" KO2's and besides a front bumper & winch, that's pretty much all the mods I've done so far. I'd like to do more offroading, nothing major, more overlanding really but I'd like to be able to go on some of the more mild trails & passes in Colorado & other places. I figure right now I'm sitting maybe 1/2" lower or equal to a stock Rubicon. I'm not into rock climbing but a good lot of the trails to be on will have rocks, some larger than others. I also want to be able to drive it home after the trails/passes as it is a daily driver.
I don't really want to do a lift, 2" Mopar is what I've considered, since I like the way it looks now & I'm afraid with a lift I'd want to go to 35"s which I feel would really create a need to regear. 1k on tires already, not really wanting to do another 1k plus regear. There's also the possibility of a front leveling kit.
There's also the idea of the Rock Hard belly skid plates instead of the lift. My thoughts are without a lift a skid plate would almost be a necessity. I can probably fabricate a front skid plate if needed.
Which of these would be the better option? Or do I really need either one? If I could get by easily with what I've got, it's leave money for the more fun mods, like a sunrider top & maybe the Insane Audio Nav system. The list is endless....
I may be overthinking this or underestimating the capabilities of the Gladiator, it's the first Jeep I've owned so I figured I'd ask the people who have way more knowledge on these things than I do. Thanks!

nice bumper hehehehehe

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