The Special Edition (CoD/10th Anniversery/X/Hard Rock) Thread

[H8ROADS]

I thought I'd start a thread to discuss issues, questions, whatever that are specific to special edition JKs and the accessories they include.

I'll start it off with a question about tire carrier options for the rear bumper - is AEV it? Has anyone tried fitting anything else?

Also, any feedback on using the winch plate for the front bumper?

 

[Dunefever]

Interested as well

 

[HighwayTrout]

Beware of the cross threaded or different thread pitch between the hardware and front bumper ends.
Almost as if they are coarse going into fine thread or vice/versa.

I have seen one in person with the AEV tire carrier and it looked good. Something I may do. If I end up keeping the Jeep that is. lol

 

[H8ROADS]

Beware of the cross threaded or different thread pitch between the hardware and front bumper ends.
Almost as if they are coarse going into fine thread or vice/versa.

I have seen one in person with the AEV tire carrier and it looked good. Something I may do. If I end up keeping the Jeep that is. lol

Yeah it doesn't look bad, just mostly curious if anyone has given anything else a go.


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[Wardell]

My Rubicon X is still stock, but these are things I've been looking into too.

For tire carriers that are made specifically to work with the bumper, AEV appears to be it. It seems like a solid design, but there are two things I've noticed:

- The tire is off centre. That was done deliberately so a 40" tire on it won't block the handle for the tailgate. With that large a tire it isn't very noticable, but with stock or even 35" tires it's pretty obvious. I've heard there is a way to modify the carrier to centre a smaller tire, but I'd have to read into that more to know if it's worthwhile. It's just for looks, so to most people this really wouldn't matter.

- Although the 10A / X / Hard Rock rear bumper has a plug to remove to let the AEV carrier mount without any cutting, it actually mounts to the frame of the vehicle. While that makes it very sturdy, it also means you need to remove the right rear tow hook because it uses that as its mounting point. At least you'll still have the other hook in the rear (plus the tow hitch if you have one), so again this may not make a huge difference to you.

All in all though, the AEV carrier seems like a pretty good deal. Your other options would be any of the carriers that don't mount to the bumper at all. There are a lot of them out there. I'm still not sure which one I'll go with.

As far as mounting a winch goes, I think the 10A / X / Hard Rock front bumper was designed around the Warn CTI 9.5-s, though I've heard a Zeon 10 or a few others will fit with some modifications. The bumper is only "winch capable" though, meaning you still need to get a winch mounting plate to be able to use it. IIRC there are only two companies that make these, Mopar and Maximis 3. Maximus 3 is less expensive and seems to give you more options (centring the fairlead for a Zeon winch, etc), so they could be worth considering, particularly if you're not going with a CTI 9.5-s.

Maximus also has a ton of other parts made to fit that front bumper like light mounts, stingers / hoops, etc that look very tempting too. If nothing else, I'll probably get their stinger - that thing looks pretty bad ass!

 

[H8ROADS]

My Rubicon X is still stock, but these are things I've been looking into too.

For tire carriers that are made specifically to work with the bumper, AEV appears to be it. It seems like a solid design, but there are two things I've noticed:

- The tire is off centre. That was done deliberately so a 40" tire on it won't block the handle for the tailgate. With that large a tire it isn't very noticable, but with stock or even 35" tires it's pretty obvious. I've heard there is a way to modify the carrier to centre a smaller tire, but I'd have to read into that more to know if it's worthwhile. It's just for looks, so to most people this really wouldn't matter.

- Although the 10A / X / Hard Rock rear bumper has a plug to remove to let the AEV carrier mount without any cutting, it actually mounts to the frame of the vehicle. While that makes it very sturdy, it also means you need to remove the right rear tow hook because it uses that as its mounting point. At least you'll still have the other hook in the rear (plus the tow hitch if you have one), so again this may not make a huge difference to you.

All in all though, the AEV carrier seems like a pretty good deal. Your other options would be any of the carriers that don't mount to the bumper at all. There are a lot of them out there. I'm still not sure which one I'll go with.

As far as mounting a winch goes, I think the 10A / X / Hard Rock front bumper was designed around the Warn CTI 9.5-s, though I've heard a Zeon 10 or a few others will fit with some modifications. The bumper is only "winch capable" though, meaning you still need to get a winch mounting plate to be able to use it. IIRC there are only two companies that make these, Mopar and Maximis 3. Maximus 3 is less expensive and seems to give you more options (centring the fairlead for a Zeon winch, etc), so they could be worth considering, particularly if you're not going with a CTI 9.5-s.

Maximus also has a ton of other parts made to fit that front bumper like light mounts, stingers / hoops, etc that look very tempting too. If nothing else, I'll probably get their stinger - that thing looks pretty bad ass!

Thank you!! Super informative post. I didn't know about the maximus 3 mount, or the off center of the AEV mount. Really good to know. I think ultimately I'm going to do the AEV, or at least give it a shot. I can always sell the setup later to someone. And I'd like to try the winch plate as well and give the front bumper a shot before I just ditch it..

I'll definitely look at Maximus' stuff - anyone else have any experience with it?

 

[Asinine]

Thank you!! Super informative post. I didn't know about the maximus 3 mount, or the off center of the AEV mount. Really good to know. I think ultimately I'm going to do the AEV, or at least give it a shot. I can always sell the setup later to someone. And I'd like to try the winch plate as well and give the front bumper a shot before I just ditch it..

I'll definitely look at Maximus' stuff - anyone else have any experience with it?

Wardell's comments are spot-on.

The AEV carrier is quite popular with the 10A bumper. Many folks pull both tow hooks and hang a shackle off the tow hitch for balance and clearance. I hung a 35" tire off the stock carrier and it fits perfect with the 10A bumper, just had to make some bump stops to keep the tire snug to the tailgate. I left my tow hooks on because A) I like the look, and B) helps keep me from banging the bumper, exhaust, et al.

Rusty's also makes a mount for the 10A/X/HR bumper and Maximus makes a center-mount for folks who want to run a Zeon or other center-mount winch. The center-mount requires trimming the opening in the bumper, but otherwise it's a good fit. One of the coolest setups I've seen has been mounting a low profile winch in the bumper with the controller mounted under the hood, you can barely tell there's a winch there.

+1 on the Maximus stinger. Maximus also makes a tire carrier and other addons for the 10A/X/HR.

The endcaps take a bit of elbow grease to remove. To me, my threads appeared more smashed than cross-threaded, like they're rubbing metal inside somewhere. Just go slowly when removing/replacing and you won't have any issues.

The bumpers are pretty solid. I haven't landed on them hard (yet), but I have hit/scraped rocks and they hold up well. Rustoleum makes a textured black spray paint that is a very close match, a couple touch-up sprays and they look back to normal.

My only complaint about the bumpers is fitting 37s -- you have to permanently remove the endcaps for clearance, and if/when you cut the fenders, the rear bumper sticks out like the sides like big rock hooks. Can't fault Jeep designers because I'm sure they didn't consider this at all, but these bumpers aren't ideal for 37s....

 

[olram30]

I plan on the AEV carrier and maximus winch mount on our white jeep.
I still need to make some plastic covers for the bumper ends. Just need to find sheet of black plastic it something. I don't like the way the lights are exposed to rocks and mud.

 

[CanadianJK]

Love my Maximus winch plate. Used their vacuum pump relocate as well.

I'll be ordering their stinger soon, I think it looks great and my front bumper is awesome, no issues at all. Just don't overdo the winching when you get to the fair lead, bumper flexes a bit under pressure.

AEV is my carrier plan, I don't like maximus' as much.

Everything I've ever heard about Maximus-3 is positive. Great company.

 

[H8ROADS]

Good stuff guys...

How about the sliders? Anyone put them to the test? My old rig I had purejeeps and I loved them. Beat the shit out of them and they never had an issue. These I'm not as sure of.


Sent from my iPhone - autocorrect be damned!

 

[Asinine]

Good stuff guys...

How about the sliders? Anyone put them to the test? My old rig I had purejeeps and I loved them. Beat the shit out of them and they never had an issue. These I'm not as sure of.


Sent from my iPhone - autocorrect be damned!

They're essentially Rubicon rails with an extra rail attached to it and thicker textured coating. I've hit em and they work, but I haven't put the full weight on them yet.

The texture rubs off rather easily and I haven't heard of a good filler yet. I use the Rustoleum texture spray just to prevent rust.

 

[H8ROADS]

They're essentially Rubicon rails with an extra rail attached to it and thicker textured coating. I've hit em and they work, but I haven't put the full weight on them yet.

The texture rubs off rather easily and I haven't heard of a good filler yet. I use the Rustoleum texture spray just to prevent rust.

Aev makes s texture paint too... Wonder if it's any better.


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[Remlap]

I recently installed Maximus winch plate for the Zeon 10s, plus their new Hi Lift front bumper mounts.

Very well built products in my opinion. I like the Zeon because it tucks in so tight that there is practically no direct sunlight hitting the synthetic rope.

Only down side - very tight areas where the innermost bumper bolts attach due to the width of the Zeon winch, once I got it on there I never want to have to deal with it again.

My 11 year old daughter had to start the threads for me with her tiny hands and the little shit charged me 10 bucks for her services..

 

[ShadowBlade72]

I was checking out the Maximus stinger as well. I dropped them an email and it looks like it's about $350 for the stinger. Not a bad deal. It looks bad ass. I'm probably going to be picking one up here in a couple days.

 

[H8ROADS]

My 11 year old daughter had to start the threads for me with her tiny hands and the little shit charged me 10 bucks for her services..

:clap2:That's how they always get ya!

Thanks for the picture. I'm going to totally go this route after hearing all the good feedback. I figure it's worth at least a try before trying some aftermarket gear.

 

[Wardell]

I completely forgot I snapped this pic... here's a 10A I saw up the street one night. It has the Maximus stinger and a Zeon 10 winch on it:

I recently installed Maximus winch plate for the Zeon 10s, plus their new Hi Lift front bumper mounts.

Very well built products in my opinion. I like the Zeon because it tucks in so tight that there is practically no direct sunlight hitting the synthetic rope.

Only down side - very tight areas where the innermost bumper bolts attach due to the width of the Zeon winch, once I got it on there I never want to have to deal with it again.

My 11 year old daughter had to start the threads for me with her tiny hands and the little shit charged me 10 bucks for her services..

Remlap, would that winch hook anchor fit on the stock fairlead slot for an off-centre winch? Maximus' website says it "works with" a centred winch, but it doesn't actually say that's the only way to mount it. I like the look of that (and it's a useful way to tie off the hook), but if I get a CTI-9.5s that isn't centred I'd want to be sure it would fit.

Also, other than widening the slot in front for the centred fairlead, what else did you need to trim to fit the Zeon 10 on there? If there isn't much more cutting than that it may be what I'll get - plus it would save me a few bucks over the CTI-9.5s that I could use on the stinger.

 

[samIam007]

I love my AEV Tire carrier and Maximus bar/winch plate. I was between the teraflex mount or the AEV. I was swayed by this forum and the reports of breakages. The only drawback to the AEV tire carrier is the price of accessories. The fuel take is over $300 and the hilift mount is about 5x the price of the jack. The Maximus plate is STOUT. During my research, I found that the rusty's winch plate was less than impressive and did not center the winch. Installation was a breeze too. I have an AEV 2.5 inch lift, Duratrac 34"s, Trektop NX, Dynomax catback, AEV tire carrier, and now some rigid lights on the pillars (not pictured).

 

[Wardell]

I love my AEV Tire carrier and Maximus bar/winch plate. I was between the teraflex mount or the AEV. I was swayed by this forum and the reports of breakages. The only drawback to the AEV tire carrier is the price of accessories. The fuel take is over $300 and the hilift mount is about 5x the price of the jack. The Maximus plate is STOUT. During my research, I found that the rusty's winch plate was less than impressive and did not center the winch. Installation was a breeze too. I have an AEV 2.5 inch lift, Duratrac 34"s, Trektop NX, Dynomax catback, AEV tire carrier, and now some rigid lights on the pillars (not pictured).

View attachment 105543

Wow, that is one nice looking Jeep! I see you have a couple other mods that I'm thinking about too.

I notice your Duratracs are on the stock wheels. I'm planning on getting a similar size Duratrac tire (LT315/70R17), but I noticed Goodyear's "approved" wheel width for them is 8.5-10" and was thinking about getting different wheels too. I do like the look of the 10A/X/HR wheels though, so if those tires will fit on the 7.5" wide wheel without any issues I'd rather keep using them and save a few bucks at the same time. Have you had any issues?

Also, how is that AEV lift kit?

 

[samIam007]

Wow, that is one nice looking Jeep! I see you have a couple other mods that I'm thinking about too.

I notice your Duratracs are on the stock wheels. I'm planning on getting a similar size Duratrac tire (LT315/70R17), but I noticed Goodyear's "approved" wheel width for them is 8.5-10" and was thinking about getting different wheels too. I do like the look of the 10A/X/HR wheels though, so if those tires will fit on the 7.5" wide wheel without any issues I'd rather keep using them and save a few bucks at the same time. Have you had any issues?

Also, how is that AEV lift kit?

I have the LT315/70R17 duratracs too. I added 1.5" spidertrax wheel spacers to allow for the proper clearance. I love the wheels on this thing and will only change them when I go to beadlocks. I have not had any rubbing or any other issues with this combo. I really like my AEV lift. It was a little expensive for what you get but it rides pretty good. I added the drop brackets to the kit to return the geometry back to a neutral position. I knew that I was going to use my Jeep for 85-90% daily driving so I based my lift and mods off of that. My only issue with the kit is the slight rake that I have now.

 

[Emptybrass]

On the aev bumper you can hide a quadratec winch in there if you remote mount the solenoid you can use the cover plate