Sport S Capability

[ZeeJay]

Off road is more about using your head than what’s bolted onto or under it. Good tires and an air compressor. Be amazed how far open diffs can go on good shoes with low air pressure.

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[NOTJeepBeerSleep]

Yeah but you have the Apex disconnects on it. I'm sure that makes a huge difference.

You can disconnect the sway bar on the trail. Same effect. Socket wrench and large zip ties.

 

[bd100]

Mine had the same 32" highway tires, but I put on 32" all-terrain LT-E tires before going to CO and UT. 10% loss in MPG, increase in durability. Came back with the sidewalls all scuffed by rocks but no punctures. I would have been more nervous if I had the highway tires. By the way it looks like the guy in that video above also had the highway tires.

And I also blew out the stock shocks on that trip, so getting better shocks is a great idea. Mine has Bilstein 5100s which were awesome on the VA and WVA mountain switchbacks, along with those stiff tires.

Also strongly consider some control arm and shock mount skid plates, especially in back where they stick down so much. Don't trust the powder coat, add paint before install. Doesn't cost much nor add much weight but they get hit all the time.

Next a slide-in hitch skid plate. Helps save the back bumper when coming off a shelf. Also maybe the bed side skids, although I have yet to hit the ones on my truck. Again paint before install.

Some form of front sway bar disconnect. Much comfier ride for the family, and more traction in gnarly twisty sections. I have the Apex but there is another brand somewhere which is easy to disconnect with a twist knob. Otherwise, there are cheaper ones but then you may have to crawl underneath. Notice in that video the front corners get into the air sometimes, until disconnected.

I have a More Power Puller monster hand winch, and a Pull-Pal land anchor. Used them once years ago and they saved me from a long wait and a multi-hundred dollar recovery bill. Also carry a shovel and axe, extra food and water, water filter, blankets, etc.

Satellite communicator such as Garmin Inreach or such. There are places in VA mountains with sketchy cell signal. If not an emergency, you can still use the satellite messenger to text a message to a volunteer organization for recovery assistance:
https://offroadportal.org/

I added some aluminum skid plates. Some protection while keeping the weight down. No lift, 32" tires, aluminum skids, so I just skip the harder trails. Still plenty of great places to go. And can get reasonable MPG and have fun on the switchbacks on the way.

Looks like you also have the halogen lights. I kept them for snow melt and added LED fog lights, and LED driving lights tied to the high beams. Amber goes well with the halogens. In VA snow may not be such an issue, though, so you may want to upgrade to LED headlights as well.

 

[gabrielVA]

I think I will def put some 33" on it, I off-road mainly 10% or less of the time, the rest is daily driving through Roanoke, my hometown. I miss my 2door JL, but I'm growing to love the JT.

Had to trade in the JL Sport b/c the wife traded her Tacoma for a Bronco and we have a camper, the Bronco was at the limit of pulling the Aliner, so I traded into the JT to pull it. My only real issue is the length of the wheelbase, otherwise I love it!

 

[Redleg37]

Be prepared to re-gear if you go 35's. 33's are borderline with the stock Sport S 3.73 gears (which is what I'm running on my Sport S).

You CAN run 35's with 3.73 gears, but you won't be seeing much of 8th gear anymore and your fuel mileage will be awful (or should I say more awful). It will still be awful with 4.10's or 4.56's - but not as awful. LOL

My 13' JK sport with auto trans has 33s and 3.21 gears. It's doable. We have a 75mph speed limit. It gets 16-17 mpg.

My JT with 32's and 3.73's feels like a sports car by comparison.

 

[Mad Mac]

Try off-roading before spending the money.
It may not take long to scratch the itch
but money will be gone forever.

A Sport is handy and friendly.
Easy in and out.
Convenient height bed sides and floor.
Nimble and... well, "sporty".

Off-road mods look good parked at Starbucks
but may prove hard to live with
day in and day out.

The cheap way
is to only make mods as parts wear out
or need replacing from damage.
In 25 years, it will be a rock crawler.

All I wanted was a Sport.
But ooooh noooo.
I had to get a Rubicon.

 

[ralbrecht1]

I have a '22 Sport S with the max tow package, 35" tires, 2" lift kit, and sway bar quick disconnect kit. As someone else mentioned it, I too have a Garmin inReach2 for the deserts of Arizona, Cali, and Nevada. There's a lot of areas without cell service.

I can go most places a 2 or 4 door Jeep can go. The limiting factors for me are the dry cascading waterfalls, tight turns, and narrow passages through boulders. So, I avoid the club runs when I know we'll have those conditions with no bypasses. Knock on wood, I have yet to get body damage or stuck out in the desert and mountains over the past 2 years . Just Arizona pinstripes.

 

[Ryker]

I have some 23 Mojave takeoff wheels just sitting in my garage if your interested. They would look good with some new 33's.......

Edit: Forgot to mention they would be free, just need someone to come pick them up. I also have a pair of Rubicon OEM rock rails off of a 22 JLUR that are also free. all it'll cost you is gas money.

 

[RoamingGladiator]

It will most likely be able to do more than you are willing to attempt...

THIS is #1 comment for anyone who asks this question. Gladiators, Wranglers, etc are insanely capable out of the factory. More capable than most who own them are willing to attempt.

That is all that matters. Your Gladiator will take you to so many places with no issues.

 

[Alan SOBX]

I would say that it is plenty capable. I have a Mojave and likely didn’t need the stuff that came with it versus the Sport. I lock the rear diff in sand but…..do I really NEED it? I dunno.

I got a Mojave because it had a lot of the things stock that I would have paid for aftermarket already (lift, bigger tires, upgraded suspension). That said, having a Sport allows you to change the things you want to do whereas I am locked in to what mine came with. If I start changing suspension, lifts, etc, I defeat the purpose of paying more upfront.

Long story short—you can make yours into whatever you want it to be. Have fun!! All Jeeps likely do a lot more than we dare ask.

 

[FloridaMan655321]

Tires make so much of a difference. You will be surprised how capable with just changing this first.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Tires make so much of a difference. You will be surprised how capable with just changing this first.

For sure. Good tires or the right tires make a huge difference.

 

[TheRealStreetcommander]

Many squishy mealy mouthed social media type responses so far.

First legitimate question would be:

Do you have an LSD? For 99% of off-roading and 100% of on-roading, LSD is superior to a user applied locker. Even with an open diff though, you would be able to traverse 95% of all off-road obstacles. The Jeep brake-actuated LSD is slow and clunky, but fine for all but the most extreme situations. The lockers are trash for all but 1% of actual severe rock climbing activities.

The locker folks suffer through having trash driving dynamics the majority of time to brag that they used their lockers once to get through a pothole right after a Camry got stuck.

Your instincts to stick with 33’s speaks to your maturity. Bigger tires are a fools errand and the playground of prepubescent man-babies.

Many will be butt-hurt about the truth being told. These people should pay the bills and stop relying on their wives to be the major breadwinners.

Have fun. Get out and learn how to drive what you have, and you’ll figure out incrementally what upgrades to make for your style of driving. It may be that the trim you have is perfect. That pothole be damned.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Many squishy mealy mouthed social media type responses so far.

First legitimate question would be:

Do you have an LSD? For 99% of off-roading and 100% of on-roading, LSD is superior to a user applied locker. Even with an open diff though, you would be able to traverse 95% of all off-road obstacles. The Jeep brake-actuated LSD is slow and clunky, but fine for all but the most extreme situations. The lockers are trash for all but 1% of actual severe rock climbing activities…

Post/handle

 

[djthumper]

That Sport S is very capable. On 33s stock height was good but I would get hung up a little. I did a 2.5" lift and it did better and had a better ride. I went with the 35s and it does great! It also has a much better ride.

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