I just got a JK and new to the Jeep Lifestyle. Can anyone give some advice on what to invest in first? Tuner? Lift? Bumpers?

 

Save up for tires,lift & regear

 

If you plan to hit the trails/mud I'd invest in a bumper with a winch. An 8000lb or more winch will get you out of anything. Bigger tires, lift kit, and all the other upgrades will not.

 

Get yourself a lift kit, then wheels & tires! And welcome to the forum!

 

I spent alot of time researching, there are alot of trade offs going between 33's to 35's and up etc. You should look at and ride in some jeeps with the tire sizes you are thinking about. Suspension/lift upgrades get pretty involved over 2-3 inches. 3+ inch lifts can get into steering/stability setup issues. MPG and wear and tear gets much worse +regear cost when you go to 35's. I met a guy that had 35's and didn't consider all this stuff just did all the "pretty" upgrades to look tough but got 12MPG cuz all he did was around town short distance driving and didn't even offroad one bit. Also bumpers/winches are real heavy so you will have to calculate on bringing the front end up a bit to offset the weight. Thats my newbie level knowledge. Am just a bit ahead of you on my learning curve. Stock, your JK is pretty good, take it off road a bit just for fun now.

 

The replies above are all valid and good starting points. Being new to the Jeep, as the other poster noted, take your Jeep out and enjoy it for a while (with a buddy) and find out what you need and where you want to wheel.

In stock trim the Jeep is a very capable machine and does more than I anticipated right from the dealership. Winch, lift, tires and gears are all very good starting points.

 

Thanks for the info. I'm ready to get off road but I heard there's not to many places in Dallas.
Beer is Good!

 

LOok for national parks/forest service roads etc, if you start with google maps you may be able to spy some stuff, thats how I got hooked up at first with some great drives. Also, although questionable, you may find some subdivisions that are cleared but never built, and people will be running around in those. My subdivision connects to a set of sewer right of ways deep in the woods following some creeks. I am already finding people nearby online with more knowledge of places to go.

 

hit up disney,OK
or come over here to Ar to Superlift.


I say lift or winch first.

 

Invest in some good recovery gear and get out and enjoy your new rig!

You will soon learn what you really need vs. things that just look "cool".