Currently have a bone stock 2013 JKUR. We are taking our first (of hopefully many) Moab trip May 18th-26th 2013. My question is....what would you guys recommend for must have mods before taking this trip? I will be on a somewhat limited budget (few grand). What do you guys think?

 

I'd say a winch lift tires and some under carriage protection like skid plates and what not .

 

Small coil lift some33s or 35s and a good winch And bumper

 

CB, Lift, winch/bumpers and skids

 

My plan is to do a 3" short arm, 35's and cb for sure. I want to make sure I do things right the first time around and not go to cheap on things. Thanks for the quick replies!

 

Forgot to ask. I know a winch is important, I've done the rubicon and fordyce and other misc trails with other jeeps. But do you think that would be a must have for this trip? I will be with several other jeeps with winches.

 

If you dont want to pay for a winch or add that weight to the front of your new ride think about buying a come-along hand winch. You can buy a good one with the recovery gear you need(straps, sheer pins, extra handle, etc) for around 200 bucks or so. Sure it is not as easy to use as a winch on your front bumper but it also can be used to pull you from the back of your jeep and also side strap you so you dont lay your door into a tree or boulder if you slide off a rock the wrong way. Also is super nice for dragging big trees out of the way as well. Not many people mention one of these but if budget is a concern it is one of the first things that would go on my new JK.

 

If you are going with others you do not need a wench just a good tow strap and good mt tires and as Armor goes you already have a canister skid plate I think they come standard on the new ones now . Pick your trail and have a spotter and you should be fine and have a Jeep in front and back of you in case you get in to trouble.It wood be even better if you have a 2.5 lift though if you had the $$.have fun.

 

If its an auto you should get a skid to protect that trans cooler line, it's just begging to be ripped off

I have a 12 and used the evo protek that covers all I need

 

I would strongly suggest adding rock rails and skids, don't want to cause any easily prevented engine or body damage...a cheap come along and a hi-lift can easy take the place of a more expensive winch if you're on a budget.
You can hold off on new bumpers, they're not essential. Do more with less.

Lift, tires, protection, recovery gear are what I did and would suggest focusing on first.

Oh yeah, definitely a CB too.