Hey everyone,

While I'm saving up for the down payment for my first jeep, I had some questions for the community to help narrow down my choices.

1.) how is the infinity sound system in the new jk's? Is it worth the add on or something I'd end up wanting to upgrade down the road? How's the included subwoofer as well?

2.) Which would give me a more desired lift for 35" tires on 18" wheels, at 2.5 budget boost or a full 3" lift kit? I've been looking at teraflex products. Also what needs reprogrammed after the lift and new tires?

3.) how hard is either kit to install yourself vs having a body shop do it for you? I know they ask an arm and 2 legs to do it in price.

4.) Has anyone haggled on the price of a new jeep that the dealer had to have shipped in because of the options you wanted? Any tips?

 

A 3" lift will give you more than a BB. You will actually end up with close to 4" before it settles a little and/or you add bumpers, winch, etc. Deciding between a BB and completely new coils will depend on how you see yourself using your Jeep. Teraflex has a great video on Youtube explaining the different lift options, I'd suggest watching that. Either option can be installed using only hand tools in your garage/driveway over the weekend. There are plenty of step by step write-ups to guide you. IMO it's not worth paying a shop to do the install.

 

Check out the link below if you have not already:

TeraFlex Tech: Choosing a Lift for your Jeep - YouTube

 

1. I like my infinity system and subwoofer. Don't know what the upgrade cost is but if is more than $1000 you could do better going aftermarket.
2. If you wheel it at all, you'll do better to do a suspension system that lifts with springs. I would also recommend a 17" wheel rather than 18" wheel. You'll have more of a tire selection and they won't cost as much.
3. You can do replacement suspension yourself. It is not hard and you will learn a lot about your jeep.
4. join tread lightly.org and get 1% below invoice

Cheers

 

1) There are people that put in aftermarket sound and there are people that don't. I'd generally say that if you're even asking that question than the aftermarket is the way to go. Me personally, it's loud enough to hear with the top down and thats all I need.

2) It's all about how you use it, I went with the 4" Rancho sport so I could spread out the cost of my lift. But if you wheel it you'll eventually be paying for the full kit anyway (I've now bought the drag link flip, adj. track bar, and adj. control arms that were missing from the budget lift).

3) My jeep is the first car I've ever even popped the hood on, with that said that's one of the biggest reasons I bought it. With that said, I've had to buy rachet sets, jacks, jack stands, torque wrenchs and about a dowen other odds and ends. Then I got to play the guess and check game as I fought through death wobble for about 6 months (finally solved for now ). When you factor that in, the DIY route probably cost me a few extra bucks, but the upside is that I've got the tools now and *some* of the know how to fix just about anything under my jeep. The satisfaction of doing it yourself is worth every penny to me.

4) Buy used, let some other idiot take the depreciation hit. A lot of these JK's have pretty easy mallcrawler lives, I got my '07 for 19K with only 13000 miles on it and it was so covered in chrome I doubt it even saw daylight very often much less a dirt trail. Sold the chrome and the money I saved went straight into the mods.

 

Deff watch the terraflex video to help you choose lift and tire size. Also when I bought my 11' JKU the sticker said 30,500 roughly and I walked out the door for 25,500. They knocked 2 grand right off the top when I said I would put money down (didn't say how much). Then after saying I'd put 8,000 down and having them turn me down I walked out and kept looking. Long sorry short they called me back in 3 weeks asking if I'd come back and negotiate more. The lift I would 100% recommend DIY. You will have fun doing it and you are on this forum which mean ppl are always here to help. Good luck!

 

The infinity system sounds great to me. It has plenty of bass. I just bought my 2012 Sahara JKU. I'm ready for a lift but don't have the time or money right now. Good luck to ya.

 

I found this at my local dealership, What do you all think?

Winder, GA 2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport New SUV Buford, GA Lawrenceville, GA Akins Ford Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram

I emailed them about an inquirery on the same package, except in black with a 3 peice hard top and 35" Nitto tires instead of the 33" that come with it. I' not a fan of the soft tops, while they are nice it's just the ease of security into which someone could break in that scares me about them.

In case the link didn't work, here's some pictures. They are asking $32,221 for this. it includes a 3 1/2" rubicon express lift kit
Listed for $37,000 with a dealer discount of around $5000.

 

You definitely have the money, a tf leveling kit is 120 bucks. Time is about 4 hers in your driveway. It makes a huge difference to the look of the jeep.

 

Don't get ahead of yourself with upgrading a rig you don't have as yet. The very first thing you should get is recovery gear. Tow straps, gloves & air compressor.
Then have fun with your jeep. Hit trails in your stock rig. See what it can do, you will be surprised.

First mods should be items that protect your investment: rock rails / sliders to protect the rocker panels & diff covers to protect your gear housings. After you go wheeling a few times, you will have a better feeling of where you want to build your rig for where you go.

Any mods after the diff covers & sliders will affect your mpg. So don't rush into it, take your time and build it right for you the first time. And don't forget to wave.