Gladiator Diesel -- New 2023 What should be changed First???

N

NotInStock

Caught the Bug
So, I just picked up my shiny new gladiator diesel Rubicon less than 2 hours after they gave it the recall fuel pump. So what's first??

I am thinking I should take my 37" Nitto Trail Grapplers on Beadlocks from my 2016 Wrangler and swap them with the Rubi wheels. But wondering if the Rubicon wheels are backspaced okay since the new Rubicon actually has wider axles than the 2016 version. Another swap would probably be my LOD front bumper with the warn 8274 winch (although will render my front trailcam useless).

Now for suspension I want to grab the EVO coilovers but going to wait for someone to discount them even though I know EVO rarely get discounted.

Any suggestions for Bellypans??

How well do you think the stock axles can hold up to 37"s??
 
Oh.... Another item.... Any recommendation on programmers for the Diesel?? Something that may be able to pull more power, disable ESS, etc... ?? Also, be able to be quickly removed so the dealer can not detect it??
 
WJCO said:
I think the 8274 looks crazy funky on newer Jeeps.
Click to expand...
Yeah... And even harder yet to get a mount for it as it bolts from the front. But the line speed is unmatched to any newer model winch. It is interesting to see the crazy stuff that has derived from that design. My understanding is they have offroad races in the UK that involve massive amounts of winching to the point they have modified the 8274 design to almost be unreconizable. I typically would not link anything but I think it is interesting to see this: https://gigglepin4x4.net . That is a place I found many years ago but they are too far away (UK) to matter to me. But they have 8274 designs with quad motors and regeared to literally have you running with the winch line.

Also, though .. I have had my 8274 since 1994... The only thing I have replaced is the line and the solonoids. The production date code on mine is 1992. Those things last forever. Plus I have 150 feet of line on mine... Could probably fit another 25-50 more feet if I really wanted to.
 
Skids, protect the diesel bits.
Crawled under my buddies last weekend to finally put a lift on and they have definitely saved him from hitting the filters multiple times. If you loose fuel pressure you are dead on the trail.
 
bigcale said:
Skids, protect the diesel bits.
Crawled under my buddies last weekend to finally put a lift on and they have definitely saved him from hitting the filters multiple times. If you loose fuel pressure you are dead on the trail.
Click to expand...
Yeah.... Figure i need to get a bellypan asap. Now seems to be what would be the best they seem to range from $2k to around $3.5k?? Most of them talk about not being compatible with Long Arm kits (may want one in the future). I like the Rockhard one but it is one of those that is incompatible with Long-Arm.

Also, what is the consensus Aluminum vs. Steel??
 
NotInStock said:
Yeah.... Figure i need to get a bellypan asap. Now seems to be what would be the best they seem to range from $2k to around $3.5k?? Most of them talk about not being compatible with Long Arm kits (may want one in the future). I like the Rockhard one but it is one of those that is incompatible with Long-Arm.

Also, what is the consensus Aluminum vs. Steel??
Click to expand...


Aluminum is much lighter, but without the UHMW over it, it can cause issues with hanging up on an obstacle. It also tends to be a bit more expensive.

Steel is tried and true. Heavier and tends to slide more easily when it encounters the earth in all it's forms. It will rust and will need a coating to prevent said rust. Paint, bed liner and powder coat all work to varying degrees. I have even seen one company that zinc coats their skid plates, which is intriguing.

Both are effective when purchased from a reputable company.

For my Ecodiesel I am going with steel. I figure if I am going to lose that 1.5" of ground clearance on the sides, I want something that slides easier and the Aluminum with UHMW is just not in my budget.
 
Vengeful One said:
Aluminum is much lighter, but without the UHMW over it, it can cause issues with hanging up on an obstacle. It also tends to be a bit more expensive.

Steel is tried and true. Heavier and tends to slide more easily when it encounters the earth in all it's forms. It will rust and will need a coating to prevent said rust. Paint, bed liner and powder coat all work to varying degrees. I have even seen one company that zinc coats their skid plates, which is intriguing.

Both are effective when purchased from a reputable company.

For my Ecodiesel I am going with steel. I figure if I am going to lose that 1.5" of ground clearance on the sides, I want something that slides easier and the Aluminum with UHMW is just not in my budget.
Click to expand...
Welcome.
 
Vengeful One said:
Aluminum is much lighter, but without the UHMW over it, it can cause issues with hanging up on an obstacle. It also tends to be a bit more expensive.

Steel is tried and true. Heavier and tends to slide more easily when it encounters the earth in all it's forms. It will rust and will need a coating to prevent said rust. Paint, bed liner and powder coat all work to varying degrees. I have even seen one company that zinc coats their skid plates, which is intriguing.

Both are effective when purchased from a reputable company.

For my Ecodiesel I am going with steel. I figure if I am going to lose that 1.5" of ground clearance on the sides, I want something that slides easier and the Aluminum with UHMW is just not in my budget.
Click to expand...
So, for Black Friday I took advantage of the sale at Artec for their Aluminum Bellypan. It seems their system is pretty solid to not snag on stuff and with the sale it was down to the same price as others. I will now look to purchase a sheet of UHMV and just cut it up to bolt to the bottom. I love the company out there that has that pre-done but considering I got my full bellypan aluminum for $2650 and theirs is something like 3500+ without the UHMW and another 1000 roughly to add that. I can pick up a 4'x8' sheet of UHMW in 3/8 for something around 400-600 that would probably cover it twice. just need to cut it up and make some nutserts into the aluminum to mount the plastic.

Will also see how my ATX Chamber Pros with 37x12.5 Nitto's Trail Grapplers fit on my JT without any lifting. I really want to get the EVO Coilover kit for my JT but until I sell my 2016 JKUR I don't have the 9-10k for the EVO kit.
 
NotInStock said:
So, I just picked up my shiny new gladiator diesel Rubicon less than 2 hours after they gave it the recall fuel pump. So what's first??

I am thinking I should take my 37" Nitto Trail Grapplers on Beadlocks from my 2016 Wrangler and swap them with the Rubi wheels. But wondering if the Rubicon wheels are backspaced okay since the new Rubicon actually has wider axles than the 2016 version. Another swap would probably be my LOD front bumper with the warn 8274 winch (although will render my front trailcam useless).

Now for suspension I want to grab the EVO coilovers but going to wait for someone to discount them even though I know EVO rarely get discounted.

Any suggestions for Bellypans??

How well do you think the stock axles can hold up to 37"s??
Click to expand...
IMO, the air flow on these newer Jeeps is more susceptible to air flow blockage from anything in front of it. Seems the design is such that it maximizes a smaller area of airflow.

I think the warn 8274 winch is a cool design but would make sure none of it blocks or redirects the air flow away from the radiator.
 
jeeeep said:
IMO, the air flow on these newer Jeeps is more susceptible to air flow blockage from anything in front of it. Seems the design is such that it maximizes a smaller area of airflow.

I think the warn 8274 winch is a cool design but would make sure none of it blocks or redirects the air flow away from the radiator.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I keep reading stuff about getting too hot under load and such.. I would love to find a bumper (that I like) which would be capable of mounting my 8274 recessed. Current setup on my 2016 JKUR is a 8274 mounting on a LOD defender stubby bumper. I think on the newer there is better room in the bumper cavity. Would just need to find one I can easily fabricate the front to fit.
 
If you tune it say goodbye to your warranty.
Skids trap heat,be careful I talked to a guy with a diesel JL it melted the inner fenders after installing skids.
 
imho the only thing that really needs a skid before you go off-road is the fuel filter unless you reposition it. It can get beat up on the rocks or hung up on something and leave you stuck on the trail if you dont have spares to fix it. this is that "what should i do to it first" item, I don't like doing trail repairs and rather get off the trail before dark.

make sure you have the essentials as far as recovery gear goes also.

Personally i wouldn't close up the bottom of the jeep, heat being the largest factor, especially on the diesel. I suppose it also depends on what you will be doing with it also.

As for tunes, I'm going with Green Diesel Engineering. Theres a shop out in Canadia that does tunes also.
 
matt said:
imho the only thing that really needs a skid before you go off-road is the fuel filter unless you reposition it. It can get beat up on the rocks or hung up on something and leave you stuck on the trail if you dont have spares to fix it. this is that "what should i do to it first" item, I don't like doing trail repairs and rather get off the trail before dark.

make sure you have the essentials as far as recovery gear goes also.

Personally i wouldn't close up the bottom of the jeep, heat being the largest factor, especially on the diesel. I suppose it also depends on what you will be doing with it also.

As for tunes, I'm going with Green Diesel Engineering. Theres a shop out in Canadia that does tunes also.
Click to expand...

Yeah I am decently experienced with trail running / rock crawling... so I do carry recovery gear plus other stuff....

From a heat issue I am thinking about making those Rubicon vents functional... I am sure if they actually become vents it would probably help quite a bit with allowing heat to escape.

Considering on my JKUR I pretzel the transmission support and have banged more times than I can count against the synergy skids I replaced it with. The skids are kind of mandatory IMO, I will just need to do other things to keep down any heat issues.

GDE is probably the best bet for tune as even it is technically against the law in Kommie Kalifornia. The tunes from Canada for the most part are including DPF deletes which would lead to black smoke which would be easily spotted. The GDE tune I have heard being EPA legal may not even void the warranty plus I already have an extra ECU to clone my factory to.

I think I will register as part time resident for NV and register my diesel there to get past all the BS in Cali.
 
So I have now installed the Clayton 2.5" Overland+ lift kit... Just using the stock shocks with Metalcloaks extensions. I think it is looking pretty good. I do plan on probably going with EVO coilovers front and rear.

20240617_152852[1].jpg
 
jeeeep said:
IMO, the air flow on these newer Jeeps is more susceptible to air flow blockage from anything in front of it. Seems the design is such that it maximizes a smaller area of airflow.

I think the warn 8274 winch is a cool design but would make sure none of it blocks or redirects the air flow away from the radiator.
Click to expand...
Actually finally found 1 place that has a very nice bumper with recessed 8274. Found Next Venture Motorsports front bumper and since there is a very big lack of selection and their bumper I belive actually looks very nice.

1718762837610.png

Just need to wait for a very good sale....

By the way.... Anyone know somewhere I can get a bar bent to create a stinger option. Next Venture unfortunatly only has the bolt on bullbar type setup and I prefer a pointy stinger.
 
NotInStock said:
By the way.... Anyone know somewhere I can get a bar bent to create a stinger option. Next Venture unfortunatly only has the bolt on bullbar type setup and I prefer a pointy stinger.
Click to expand...
Find a shop that specializes in race car roll cages and frames. Probably your best bet on finding a place with a bender to handle heavy wall tube.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom