Warning: I've got very limited experience with offroading and vehicles in general. This is all pretty new to me and are just notes I've been taking as I've been learning.
One of the primary reasons we traded in the Frontier for the Rubicon was the availibility of aftermarket upgrades. There are tons of options available for the Jeep (for much less money) than there were for the frontier. Now that we decided on and purchased the jeep, it's time to figure out what upgrades to get ...
Some of the resources I've been using to plan out my upgrades:
- Project JK
- WayaLife JK FAQ
- Stock to Rock
- RubiTrux 2016 Rubicon Hard Rock Build
- Rubicon 2015 Hard Rock Loaded
- Toxic Crush Build
And some of the vendor sources I've been using:
- Mopar OEM Parts
- Amazon Jeep Parts
- Teraflex
- Extreme Terrain
- Go-Recon
- Maximus-3
- Factor55
- Suprise Straps
Breaking down all the various types of upgrades, options, and rough cost estimates.
| Description | Parts | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Handles | Suprise Straps | $150.00 | |
| Recovery Equipment | |||
| Winch | MAXIMUS-3 Hard Rock Stringer | $314.99 | |
| WARN 92815 ZEON Platinum 10-S | $1,749.99 | ||
| Onboard Air Compressor | |||
| Lights | |||
| Two-Way Radio | TYT TH-9800 Two-Way 20, 50W, Quad-Band Radio | $226.89 | |
| TYT CP-06 Programming Cable | $14.86 | ||
| Antenna? | |||
| Navigation | N/A | ||
| Camera | GoPro HERO4 BLACK | $380.00 | |
| GoPro RAM Claw Mount | $46.82 | ||
| GoPro Handlebar/Seatpost Mount | $17.99 | ||
| Lift | N/A |
Note: I haven't started purchasing or pricing things yet. Prices are rough estimates.
I ordered a set of Suprise Straps - they had great reviews and were less expensive than several other options I looked at.
Basic recovery equipment.
- Hi-Lift X-TREME Jack
- SmittyBilt Element Ramps
- The MAX Multipurpose Tool
- Recovery Gear Basics
- X-Jack Recovery of my FJ
- LROTV High Lift Jack Vs Air Jack
- Popular Mechanics Essential Offroad Gear
My rubicon came with a Warn Bag that had winching gloves, a steel shackle, tow straps and a winch pully.
- Warn Winching Gloves
- PullPal Winch Anchor
- Warn Xeon winch and Factor 55 Prolink
- Snake Racing Prolink Factor 55 Shackle Mount
Need some extra lights ...
On the first two trails I've been on, we've gone in and out of cellular service, making phones not a great option for reliable communications on the trail. Instead, I've been messing around comms over two-way radios. I've currently got a set of handheld BaoFeng BF-F8HP radios, but I'd like to mount something a little more permanent and reliable - specifically the TYT TH-9800 Two-way radio.
Bookmarks:
I opted out of the Navigation upgrade on the new JKU - you have to pay pretty expensive subscription fees to keep updating the data. I had an AVH-4000NEX Apple Carplay headunit in my frontier that I removed and am going to install in the JKU - it uses navigation apps on the phone, so I really didn't need/want the uConnect nav headunit anyway.
After the first two trail rides - I realized the issue with this is that both Apple Maps & Google Maps require a live cellular connection to download the map data, which frequently isn't available. Still trying to figure out how to resolve this.
I'm waiting to do the lift, but still can't help but look at options and doing a little research ...
- "The functional reason that reservoir shocks are better is that they run cooler. The reason most people want them is that they look cooler."
- http://www.extremeterrain.com/rugged-ridge-jeep-wrangler-wheels.html
- http://www.wranglerforum.com/f274/max-tire-size-for-a-hard-rock-without-lift-891777.html
- http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoTireMath.dos
- Teraflex - Choosing a Lift
- TeraFlex - Choosing a Lift (Video)