2 Dr JK upgrades

[beanmachine314]

Hey guys long time reader first time poster here. I just picked up a 2014 JK Sport for DD/camping trip duties. Figured I would share my progress here with you.

First of all I wouldn't consider this a "build" really as my philosophy isn't to change things at the get go. All I really plan to do use the truck until I get to a point where something needs changing then change it. So it will be a slow process for sure. Anyway after 3 trips camping and one to Bonnaroo I've come up with a short list of items i've decided I will need.

New tires - the stock little 225/75-16 passenger car tires will certainly be the first thing I do. I've settled on either 265/75 or 235/85 or something in a similar size. I'm tempted the throw on the biggest I can get (pretty sure 255/85 will fit at stock height) but I'm really trying to keep the price ~$200 per tire.

Organization - any 2 Dr Jeep definitely needs a good organization system otherwise it just won't fit.

Winch - seeing as most of my travel is just me and the gf self recovery is vital. Although I usually would much rather turn around than get stuck this is one of those "have it and not need it" things.

Roof tent? - Not sure how decided I am on this but anything to free up some room in the back is vital.

Fridge? - another "do I really need it" thing but again freeing up cargo space is always great.

Here she is the day I brought her home

Also have they fixed the track bar bolt issue that was prevalent in the earlier JK or do I still need to swap them out for some 9/16 bolts?

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[heehawhardy]

Perfect platform (I have a '10 2 door)!

I fit 285/70R17 on stock Moabs with stock suspension, with very very minute rubbing on edge of front bumper. The 255/85 route is a great look as well. The reason I did the 285/70 was due to being a true to size 33" tire, so if I am out in small town and need an extra spare I can pick up something close to size.

Also I would highly suggest lighting upgrades. Either the IPF H4 headlights or the extra money for the Trucklites is necessary.

 

[beanmachine314]

I agree 255s are quite difficult to find. My reservations about going that big is the mpg/power hit that I'll take. I do a lot of freeway driving and getting 21-22 mpg in a Jeep is nice. Also the bigger the tire the more expensive.

Lights - not something I had felt the need for yet. The stock headlights seem to do a fine job for right now. Granted I usually try to be in camp and stay away from running a trail at night but it might be one of this nice things to have if I was stuck on one when night comes. Something I'll have to look into.

My main desire is to get set up to the point where I can leave on a Thursday afternoon and be back by Sunday. Being able to set camp and be sitting in my chair fishing or drinking a cold one in 30 minutes, ideally less.

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[heehawhardy]

Well with tire size you can just slap on the AEV ProCal.

With the rear seat out I can have tent setup and a cold one in my hand in about 40 minutes

 

[MR.Ty]

For the winch I would get the rock hard winch plate with the warn VR8000. With shipping you are probably looking at $500 total. As for tires, flaken makes some good tires that will probably fit your budget. Good luck with the build!

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[beanmachine314]

Well I've been doing some searching and these tires look great at a great price and everything I've read says that they're good tires with nothing really wrong with then

Kenda Klever MT

They come in a 285 and less than 200 per tire.

Anyone know anything else about them?

Winch - I like the price if that Warn, but I see that Quadratec has they're own winch. Anyone know who makes it/rebrands it? Also I see Smittybilt is even cheaper but I've heard not so great things about them. Has that changed or is that still a brand to steer away from?

On the subject of lighting. I've decided that's probably a good investment but what I'll probably do is a shorty bumper with which Mount and throw a couple lights on that. Once I can afford a roof rack and tent I don't want to be putting stuff up there as I want to be able to pull it all off during the winter.

I do believe that should have me sorted (minus some smaller items) for a while at least.

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[NMRubicon]

Depending on which gear ratio you have, I wouldn't go too big on the tire size. Great looking Jeep, a little over a week ago, I put a 2" Rancho Sport Lift on mine because I blew a rear shock, and the kit came with 4 new shocks. I will keep an eye on your progress. I will say, if you drive in packed snow or icy roads, avoid the BFG M/Ts, they are great in the mud and rocks, but scary on packed snow, deep snow they do OK. Good luck, and enjoy the summer with your Jeep.

Dave

 

[heehawhardy]

Just say no to Smittybilt!

ARB has a very nice stubby, also so does JCR.

For a winch, Warn is always a good choice. Another one is Superwinch

I love my A/T's, but I don't do serious crawling.

 

[beanmachine314]

I'd like to go with an mt or aggressive at as we get some pretty sticky mud here and just because the trail is dry going in doesn't mean it will be going out. Snow and ice is pretty much a non issue this far south. We hardly ever get enough accumulation to even cover the road here. I made sure to get the max tow package so I have 3.73s which I feel should be okay for anything up to 285 but I may stick with 265s just so I don't take as much of a power/mpg loss and I've never been in a situation around here where I've needed that big of a tire. I was actually looking at either the ARB or JCR bumper.

Also I don't plan on doing any lifting. Once I'm finished if I have to swap to a heavier spring to gain back what I had stock I'm ok with that but I really don't have any need for a lift and I know the stock geometry works and I don't want to go messing around with that (I know how prone these things are to the DW). Plus with it being under warranty and hearing horror stories about the local Jeep dealer I'd rather just forego that unless I feel that I actually definitely NEED a lift.

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[heehawhardy]

At work we sell the 265/75R16 Yoko Geolander A/T-S for $161.00 a tire.

I have 3.73 gears as well with the 285's and EvoMFG level kit. Being you have the Pentastar you should minimum drops with the 285/70 setup and stock feel with 265/75.

With the Rubicon springs you will see approximately 1" height difference. About the whole dealer/customer relationship, you should place a call to the service department. Tell them "I have a 2014 Jeep Wrangler, and was curious if I place a 2" lift kit on it if will VOID my warranty". I knew it wouldn't but I called my local dealer just to double/triple check, and build a connection with one of the service advisors. This won't (shouldn't) be more than a 4-5 phone call.

 

[JKIslander]

I have a '10 2 door. I agree with the others that 285s are a good size. I picked up the 2.5 inch RC BB to get the stance up a lil bit. The hit on gas mileage between the 2 was negligible, I can still pull down 20-21mpg on the highway. Bumpers are a dime a dozen, I needed deer and tree protection on the east coast so I went with the ARB bull bar, im not a fan of stubby bumpers but thats all personal opinion.

Roof tent? Cool but spendy and kill mileage and require a roofrack($) With the back seat out and some creative packing I think a 2 door has room for a basic trip.

Fridge to me is a luxury item,if your going to be out away from civilization for weeks, perhaps. Most good coolers will do the job for long weekend trips, longer if you have access to Ice.

As for a winch im curious about the quatratec winch too, Looks good on paper but havent hear much about them. Smittybuilt is not something i'd want to rely on when its a long walk out.

 

[beanmachine314]

Never looked at yokohama I'll have to give them a look. I think I have settled on 285/75-16 as tire size as I don't want to be wishing I'd gone bigger later in the year.

I think I'm pretty set on the tent just for the fact of ease of put up and take down. The rack and tent will only be on during the camping months.

Fridge is still up in the air. It sure would be nice to not deal with ice and whatnot but I'm not sure if it's really needed at this time maybe if I get time to do longer trips it would be nice.
I think the 2 door has enough room for at least a week long trip for two people. I don't see very many week trips in my future

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[StayDirtyMyFriends]

Not a thing wrong with Smittybilt either... Unless someone has personal experience with the brand(any brand) don't just take their opinion. More often than not they're just parroting what they've heard elsewhere.

Also, you can fit up to a 295 / 75 R16 on it stock with minimal rubbing, you may have to trim or remove the plastic air dam under the front bumper. Not sure what gearing you have, that will make a big difference on your tire size selection too. With the 2014 you have the better engine/transmission combo to run a larger tire than stock too compared to the 07-11's. These pictures are of mine stock with 295/75 R16 BFG All terrains. Just showing you that there is plenty of room for them.

 

[Morticon]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with Smitty Bilt Especially for front and rear bumpers. I gave their front xrc stubby and I wheel my jeep hard and have bashed it quite a few times. Not a single dent.

I ran with 285/75R16s on my 2dr when it was stock no issues it was a great ride still lots of power. I definitely think you should go this route.

Just an FYI about stiffer springs / heavier load capacity. It's hard to find them without a little lift. Usually 2" like the OME had springd. Look into buying some Rubi take off coils. They add about an inch or more of lift.

 

[kojackJKU]

Most people don't like smitty because their paint is not that thick and rust comes through, but guess what, so does everyone else's brands paint/coating. In order to prevent this you need a multicoating. I am a powder coater, and I will be offering a base coat clear coat setup for off road bumpers. much stronger than the factory coatings.