My Height

[JCTex]

I have a lifted JKUR and 37 tires. I'm thinking about putting a hard-shell Air Top on my Front Runner rack. The rack has added components that would allow me to tilt up the (closed) Air Top to access 3"H in the FR for flat things (MaxxTrax's, pop up potty house, tables, shovel, and anything NMT 3"H that can stand the elements).

The top of my FR rails currently are 84" to the ground. If I add the Air Top, my overall height will be 96".

Do any of you have any pro or con comments about doing the wilderness in an 8-foot, 4-door Jeep? FYI, while doing the Rubicon, or the like, is possible, most of the Jeep's operational miles will be overlanding and the rough roads associated with it.

Jerry Lewis
North of Dallas

 

[tarditi]

You'll likely have more trouble with parking in built-up areas than off-road situations unless there are dead-fall trees across the trail or something creating a hard clearance problem... assuming you don't mind brush scratches. There are times where you may have off-camber situations pushing your upper corners against an obstacle or something - this will just be a learning curve - not much different from any other high SUV/wagon with a rack.

Center of gravity will be a bit of something to watch out for, too.

I see you have a 4" lift running 37s - do you have flat fenders? That may allow you to run 37s without as much lift and reduce your COG.

 

[jscherb]

Like Tarditi said, there will be more problems in built-up areas than off-road... when I've got my half doors up in the rack I need 8'6" clearance and so far the only place I can't go is into parking decks. Most of my off-road activity has been in Colorado and I've had no problems with height there.

 

[Comanche Scott]

Low hanging branches are just opportunities to get out, stretch your legs and breath some fresh air.
Moving the CG up could be a bit unnerving in off camber situations though. Maybe find an rti ramp to get a feeling for the new limits, before you head off road.
Nothing like the confidence of knowing how far you can push your rig, before you need to.

Would love to see some pictures of your rig, your signature shows you've put a lot of great work and ideas into this. :beer:

 

[expedition4x4]

I would be less worried about height as I would be worried with weight up top as you said you would be right at 8' you can always use a pair of suck winches to get into parking decks if you need to. I am at 7'6" and can always find street parking
I ran a roofrack and a hardshell tent and I can tell you that much weight in the worst possible place on my jeep was unfun.

put 6 of these on top of your jeep and drive around a little bit

 

[JCTex]

Thanks, all.

I, too, am concerned about top-heaviness. What I've done to counter that is to put the 2 house batteries, inverter, and related elec stuff down low on the floor, PS, just fwd of the axle center. My water, pump, and related stuff will be down low on the floor, too, DS. My last, heaviest category is recovery gear. That, too, is on the floor behind the center console.

I forgot to mention both rear seats are being left out. I'm trying to find room to put the small one back in. We'll see.

I'm eager to get photos of Otter up, too (Over The Top Exciting Ride). But right now the bumper's removed to paint some bolts and the fairlead. Next, I'll remove the top, take the doors off and apart, and apply two coats of a ceramic insulator to all surfaces, some sound matting, and an all-weather floor ILO carpet. So, the inside right now is all gutted.

I spoke with Andrew at AutohouseUS. He said some of what you have; but he says there are lots of Air Tops out there at 8' and even higher. I'm keenly aware of the tip about the increased likelihood of upper damage if the trail puts me off camber into a cliff wall right there. My hope is the very strong 56"W o.d. Front Runner rack and rails would receive the primary contact before the narrower 51"W o.d. shell does.

Jerry L

 

[NatersXJ6]

I wouldn't worry that much about weight. I have a stock JKUR with a Gobi Rack that spend the better part of a year with 2 Tepui tents on top. That was probably 200 LBS plus the rack, at a center of gravity about 8 or 9" above the roof and the weight was barely noticeable. This included at least 15k miles on everything from freeways to reasonably difficult trails, and a lot of winding mountain roads.

the most noticible was the "wallow" or "sway" side to side as you dropped off of rocks... it was slightly worse than stock

my biggest issue was wind noise from the front tent, and having to sweet talk my way into a permit only parking lot at a baseball game when I couldn't get into the parking garage and didn't think about it ahead of time.

don't forget that your lift is stiff, your bumpers and winch add weight down low, and your tires increase your track width quite a bit. those items all help.

you're driving a jeep, not a Ferarri, you shouldn't expect that type of lane change performance...

 

[Comanche Scott]

Looking forward to checking out Otter (great name). :beer:

 

[Yarjammer]

While only having one tent up top, I will second what NatersXJ6 said. Yes, you know you have some weight up there but it isn't anything unmanageable (unless you're already in a bad situation like death wobble). Make sure your springs are up to the task (stiffer than stock); a plush ride and top heavy will handle like a novice in a sea kayak and scare the crap out of you.