Very curious about the typical forum member - why all the modifications?

[ShadowsPapa]

Dude...wanna insult a Gen-Xer call us Heather, not Karen.

I haven't seen anyone named Heather since, well - older people. That would be an insult to ya! Have either name even been used in the last 30 years?

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[DocMike]

Ever watch Heathers from 1989?
Movie with Christian Slater and Winona Ryder.... It will make sense after.

I haven't seen anyone named Heather since, well - older people. That would be an insult to ya! Have either name even been used in the last 30 years?

 

[calipoontappa]

Personally I think most stock vehicles are boring...Gladiators/Wranlgers are especially fugly in their stock form.

 

[DocMike]

I shoot for functional. My rims were a mixed bag. But, GMRS, Rock sliders, better tires. Rubicon take offs. All for wheeling. Got JKS sway bar disconnects going on now that the steering box issue is resolved. Did not want to give Jeep any reason to deny that repair.

 

[Murgatroid]

I'm just curious, not judging at all. Here, one in five vehicles on the road except pickups is a Jeep product, half of them are Wranglers. Of those, maybe one of 20 is not pure stock, maybe one of 100 has any modification except mild tire/wheel upgrades. I have not seen a Gladiator "in the wild" except purely stock Sports and Sport S. Jeeps are just another vehicle here. Granted the state's roads are 95% unpaved, and we have 24 towns over 20,000 population, but a stock Jeep is just a common source of transportation.

I stumbled on this site trying to figure out a solution for mudflaps, since I can't get to my shop without slinging mud all over the sides, but I've hung out for over a month trying to understand the love and infatuation expressed by the posters here.

By the way, here a truck is over 32,000# gvw. So, tell me about your environment so I can grasp this fan base.

Mine will stay stock. Wanted a convertible I could tow my boat with. The Gladiator doesn't need any modes to do that. Most of our club rides, the worst it gets is a dirt road with some rough spots. I got the factory running boards (manual says to remove if off roading) and mud flaps and get no spray on my Jeep. The two match up and make it well sealed (not quite the word).

 

[TheSolarWizard]

the Jeep truck is a quasi practical toy to me and I want my toy to be unique

 

[SwampNut]

Dude...wanna insult a Gen-Xer call us Heather, not Karen.

My ex-wife's two crazy sisters were named Heather and Karen.

Malls will be fine, what with all the child abduction opportunities. According to the guy with the racoon hat arrested at the capitol, my nearest mall is a satanic temple where they do "spirit cooking" of children before eating them or selling them as slaves.

 

[NavyAustin]

I seem to be all or nothing - a vehicle is a tool or a passion, no in between.

If I'm going to drive an economy car (I have a Honda Fit which has been awesome) or get my wife a compact SUV (Mazda CX-5, she loves) - I'm going to choose based on reliability ratings, resale, crash ratings, etc. and also factor in style - there's nothing wrong with a Honda CR-V, but wife says they are a mom car. So, CX-5. But frankly, all the compact SUVs blur together. Adding WeatherTech floor mats is going to be the beginning and end of any customization for those cars.

But, I knew I was entering the passion zone when I got my Gladiator. I could have got any truck, but I wanted something different.

I loved the Gladiator when I first saw it - said so to my colleague who said, "It looks like a 10-year old boy drew it" and I said "EXACTLY! And then he proudly shouted "JEEPTRUCK!"

So I liked and wanted a Gladiator. But when I was shopping and my dealer was sourcing my vehicle and I saw the 2" lift, MOPAR performance wheels and 35s, I was smitten. It was the Altitude trim, with leather seats, and I thought perfect, but...

For tax reasons*, I needed a GVWR >6000 lbs - which is pretty much the Max Tow Sport S, Rubicon and Mojave. There just aren't that many Max Tow Sport S in the wild, and I ended up in a Rubicon that I had them put the lift, wheels and tires on. And I have just about every option, which is nice.

Here come the Ace Engineering steps, the stubby antenna, and the Rugged Ridge 3-piece folding bed cover - all sound recommendations from this forum - thanks!

And while my mods (lift/wheels/tires, steps, toneau, stubby antenna) may be the Pumpkin Spice Lattes of Jeep mods, I had choices for each of them.

Each of those choices make this Jeep MINE in a way that making similar choices on a regular truck didn't feel. Because even though my previous truck was a cool truck, a red Z-71, it still felt part of a broader category of full-size trucks. The Jeep Gladiator is a truly unique truck - JEEPTRUCK! - and each mod feels more personal than practical.

And no knock on anyone who keeps theirs stock - maybe that suits them just the way it is - that was certainly true for my friend with her Wrangler Unlimited - she was just so thrilled with it and having so much fun with removing the doors and tops that she was in the "what more could I want?" phase. In time, maybe she'll get the bug. For others, maybe their budget is limited and they are planning their mods. Or getting used to it to determine what they REALLY want.

I've found the Jeep community incredibly welcoming - a guy I know who has been a longtime Jeep owner assured me that the Jeep wave was a real thing, and it was more likely to happen because of the lift - it transforms it from "Jeep" to "Hey man, love your Jeep!"

To your original question - the Gladiator is still a fairly new style - I am betting you will see more mods over time. It's also a look closely thing - the more I look, the more I spot subtle mods. Also, given that it is a truck - perhaps the more extreme mods (VERY tall lift, HUGE tires) are going to appeal less to the Home Depot crowd (mall crawlers of the world, unite!)

I want to take a picture every time I look at it - here was the first beach night.

*Some vehicles are eligible for 100% first year business depreciation. https://www.jeep.com/tax-benefits-for-businesses.html

 

[ttn333]

If you're a car guy, you modify your car, doesn't matter what it is. So do it for looks, some for function and a whole lot for both. That's what enthusiasts do. I would wager that most of the members here are car guys.

 

[SPED1]

Because modifying my vehicles is cheaper than meth! Is it though?

 

[Darkspeed]

The stock jeep is the glue I use to bind all of my upgrades together.

 

[Tommyd]

I didn't mean to make everyone defensive. I thought the question was clear: why all the modifications? We use them in their stock form, use them every day, feel no need to express ourselves through them. They are simply an every day, common tool here. I assumed there was something different about our surroundings that caused that.

I asked all the off road shops within 100 miles, then I came here. It was just a question; I am sincerely sorry I asked.

You still don’t make much sense. We do what we like. Period. If someone wants to build there stock truck they can do whatever they want it’s there money. Plus they look kinda ugly in stock form. They need bigger tires and lift in my own opinion.

 

[Rusty PW]

My mom said that I could never leave anything alone. Always had to put my fingers in it. And she was right. Depending on the vehicle and what I use it for. Is what I do to it. My GC was a DD. I didn't do anything to it. The PW was my off road beast and I modded that to suit the need. The JTRD is a combo of DD and off roader. So I will do mods for that requirement.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Plus they look kinda ugly in stock form. They need bigger tires and lift in my own opinion.

I'm glad you added "in my own opinion" because frankly, the appearance of the JT is what drew me to it - aside from the fact it was a Jeep truck and we've not seen those since the Comanche (which I also owned and loved)
I think the firecracker red was appealing, too, but we got blue instead.
IMO, when tires get TOO big, they look fat and out of place on these.
Come through Iowa and 95% of all Wranglers, Gladiators and so on are mostly stock. Some have larger tires but 35 seems to be the limit and for me, appearance-wise, that's about right. Larger looks too fat like a bloated donut. But again, that's my own opinion.
I noticed almost every Gladiator we saw in Florida - the area around St. Augstine, Sarasota and so on were mostly stock as far as appearance. Some had small lifts, maybe 35" tires, that was it.
Larger tires make sense for VERY rough roads and rocks, but when you get over 35 the aesthetics just go downhill fast. Proportions are off. So those that go 40 for looks and don't really "need" them, sorry, not appealing - but hey, it's your truck.
So I guess you are saying my own JT is ugly. Fine, I like it - a lot, and so do all the people who have stopped me in stores and parking lots to ask about it and tell me how nice it is

So we'll agree to disagree on the appearance - I don't visit art galleries because too many paintings

My mom said that I could never leave anything alone. Always had to put my fingers in it. And she was right. Depending on the vehicle and what I use it for. Is what I do to it. My GC was a DD. I didn't do anything to it. The PW was my off road beast and I modded that to suit the need. The JTRD is a combo of DD and off roader. So I will do mods for that requirement.

Yup - all of our Grand Cherokees, even my last WJ, I added practical things, things good for where we drive and live.
The JT - it's a truck, so I do truck things to it. I use it like a truck so what I add is mostly utility making it a better truck for my use.

look like my grandson did them when he was 5. Picasso is a great example.

My wife makes a game of counting Jeeps we see - we broke all records in Florida, and contrary to those who think stock is ugly or bigger and higher is necessary, of the many dozens, maybe over 100, we saw there, mostly stock and I mean modified was rare. Same for where I live., We love our stock Jeeps.
Oddly, we only saw a couple of Wranglers stripped of their roofs and doors, and I think one JT was "naked" if I recall correctly.

 

[Tommyd]

I'm glad you added "in my own opinion" because frankly, the appearance of the JT is what drew me to it - aside from the fact it was a Jeep truck and we've not seen those since the Comanche (which I also owned and loved)
I think the firecracker red was appealing, too, but we got blue instead.
IMO, when tires get TOO big, they look fat and out of place on these.
Come through Iowa and 95% of all Wranglers, Gladiators and so on are mostly stock. Some have larger tires but 35 seems to be the limit and for me, appearance-wise, that's about right. Larger looks too fat like a bloated donut. But again, that's my own opinion.
I noticed almost every Gladiator we saw in Florida - the area around St. Augstine, Sarasota and so on were mostly stock as far as appearance. Some had small lifts, maybe 35" tires, that was it.
Larger tires make sense for VERY rough roads and rocks, but when you get over 35 the aesthetics just go downhill fast. Proportions are off. So those that go 40 for looks and don't really "need" them, sorry, not appealing - but hey, it's your truck.
So I guess you are saying my own JT is ugly. Fine, I like it - a lot, and so do all the people who have stopped me in stores and parking lots to ask about it and tell me how nice it is

So we'll agree to disagree on the appearance - I don't visit art galleries because too many paintings



Yup - all of our Grand Cherokees, even my last WJ, I added practical things, things good for where we drive and live.
The JT - it's a truck, so I do truck things to it. I use it like a truck so what I add is mostly utility making it a better truck for my use.

look like my grandson did them when he was 5. Picasso is a great example.

My wife makes a game of counting Jeeps we see - we broke all records in Florida, and contrary to those who think stock is ugly or bigger and higher is necessary, of the many dozens, maybe over 100, we saw there, mostly stock and I mean modified was rare. Same for where I live., We love our stock Jeeps.
Oddly, we only saw a couple of Wranglers stripped of their roofs and doors, and I think one JT was "naked" if I recall correctly.

Oh man I love the look of 40s on a jt. And I lied I like the way the rubicons and Mojave’s look in stock form, just not sports or definitely not the overland. Just my opinion though.

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