Ideas to build up my Jeep

M

MerbethElliott427

New member
Hey ya'll. My name is Mary-Beth and I am trying to figure out exactly what I want to put on our 2015 Rubicon. We are wanting to keep it as American as possible. We are thinking about JCR offroad Crusader Bumpers, Warn Zeon 8 winch, and perhaps a 2.5 Rock Krawler w/ fox shocks (on Northridge 4x4). Struggling with the tires though. What are your opinions about keeping stock tires (31.2s) and wheels (17) for a bit for now? Will the jeep look ridiculous with the smaller tires? The tires are nice and I do not want to get ride of them for nothing and I personally really like the wheels although I know that a beadlock is in our future. Thoughts? Anyone have any experience with any of these brands?

Also I think that the stock springs already add about 1.5 inch to the rubicon, so by replacing with the 2.5 lift it should only be about an inch different than it is now right? I know the weight of the new bumpers and winch bring it down a smidge more, so hopefully when we do get new tires it should be exactly where we want it.
 
What is your budget? That is the most important question.

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$3000 is tight, especially since $1000 of it will be eaten by the winch. If you want to roll on the stock tires, you can hold off on the lift. Go out, wheel it some, and you will know what you want and what you need. I would get a front bumper, a winch, and a set of evo skids, as well as new headlights. Those mods will let you wheel safetly, and when you wheeled a bunch, you will know exactly what your shortfalls are, and the direction you need to head into. Throwing parts on willy nilly seldom produces a rig the owner actually enjoys. My .02 of course.
 
x2 on wheel it stock and get to know your jeep and what you want from it. get a tow strap in case you get stuck and a tire patch kit, I'm assuming you will be wheeling with others so you they can help you get unstuck if needed. IMO everything else is nice to have but not needed unless you plan to go wheeling on your own - then a winch, cb radio, fire extinguisher, tools.

the stock skips are plenty strong, I believe the 2015 now have oil pan skids, if not I would recommend getting one. Check underneath and see what skids you have.

If you want to do a lift right away, what is your goal? just an fyi, a lift provides room for a taller tire not more ground clearance. the taller tire is what gives you more ground clearance.
 
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Before investing in lift, tires, or anything else on my build, I started with a good skid system. You can wheel the heck out of a rubicon, but for starters, thats what I was recommended to do back when I built my first TJ, and I carried that over to my current 2door JK.

EVO makes a very good skid system.

From there, I did (1) front and rear bumpers (rear bumper had to incorporate a tire carrier, as I knew I was going to 35s, so wanted to get the weight off the tailgate), (2) winch, then (3) lift and tires. Once you get past the skids, the money starts adding up very fast, and there are a lot of gotchas and combinations of parts that you will need to make sure work together for what your doing. Example: You can go with a low budget lift. However, what is or is not part of the lift kit you buy, is a compromise. If you decide to go with a 3 inch lift or above, your looking at doing steering correction, adjustable control arms, driveshafts, etc. Been there all the way.....and enjoyed the journey, and I have a very well build and reliable rig done the right way, but it was at a cost that well exceeded 3k.

Good luck with your build. Congrats on your rig. It is a fun journey building these up!

My first TJ build on Full Traction 4" Long Arms and 33s



My current 2012 JK on 35s



 
Welcome to the WAYALIFE :standing wave:

I agree with driving in the stock condition until you know your capabilities in the Jeep. As mentioned in earlier posts I would focus on recover gear first then build around what you have. If you go with the Warn Zeon winch be sure to state that to bumper manufacturer as the Warn Zeon does not mount like other winches. As for your bumpers look down the road to what size tires you ultimately want to run. Some bumpers do not play well with 37 inch tires. I have the LoD front and rear bumpers and love them. They are a small company out of the midwest and a forum sponsor.

As for lifts may I suggest riding in a couple of Jeeps with various lifts to see what you like. Ride is 100% subjective and ultimately will depend on what you want. I have had two lifts on my JKU a 2.5 in Pro-Comp with ES9000 shocks and that was a rough ride. I now have the EVO 3 inch Plush Ride coils paired with Rancho RS9000 XL adjustable shocks, Highly recommend adjustable shocks. Wife likes the on road ride as well as the off road ride not as rough.

R/
Will
 
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jgrove12 said:
What front bumper is on your jk??

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LoD Armorlite Shorty. http://www.lodoffroad.com/xcart/product.php?productid=16237&cat=23&page=1

"The LoD Armor Lite Shorty Bumper is constructed from high strength 1/8" steel. The base bumper weighs less than 35lbs! The Armor Lite bumper is a modular design meaning you can add options to it. The base bumper includes two bolt-on shackle mounts. You have the option of adding a bolt-on bull bar or bolt-on stinger guard. If you plan to run a winch you will need the optional fairlead mount. We also have an axillary light mounting bracket the allows you to run two extra lights. This bumper will accept any winch including the warn Powerplant and Zeon."
 
I agree with the sentiment here. Build it up, which means keep it simple at first. Do things like get a winch (and a bumper that can hold it), some skids, a CB, recovery gear - the essentials. Then you can work on lifting and tires and all the joys that come with it...shafts, gears, axles, etc.

My first JK I did this and wheeled a ton stock..had a blast. It just gets better once you lift and add tires, but there's no need to rush into it. You'll appreciate the capabilities even more once you've done some wheeling stock and it also gives you a better feel for how things perform off pavement once you are lifted - things like CoG and weight distribution for when things get tippy. All that changes once you start really building up.
 
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