We just got a 2013 Unlimited MAOB a couple weeks ago. My wife and I have had this in our sites for a several years and finally got her. Our ultimate goal is to be equipped for sand dunes and moderate trail riding. We are complete noobs to the Jeep world and don't know where to even start. What would be the most important priority modifications? Lift, air intake, exhaust? What brands?
Any help would be awesome. I have read through many of the threads and have already learned a great deal, I just wanted to ask some direct questions.
I will add that I'm not a stranger to sand dunes, I've just never owned my own machine. Thanks in advance!

 

Biggest thing is what tires you should run. I see mostly beach driving and I went with nitto terra grapplers, 285/75/17's (34"). Great overall sand/off-road/street tire. I would say 2.5" or 3.5" lift would be a good size. I just installed an AEV 2.5" lift. I went with that because Ive seen a lot of people need adjustable arms and track bars with most lifts to get everyhting the way they want it. I will be adding their geometry brackets to help with the handling. Its a little flirty for my liking. You can run up to a 35" tire with a 2.5" lift. I will be adding some Ace rock sliders at some point so I can get in and out easier. I do run a cold air intake and will remove it when I get a snorkel do to some water crossing issues in the past. If you dont see water then your good. Adding a Dynomax VT exhaust soon. The thind when starting is to know what you can really sepnd on parts and go from there. I would call Dave at Northridge4x4 when your ready. He won't sell you anything you don't need and has all quality brands.

 

Thanks for the reply, I was thinking no more than a 2.5" lift great advice. Just curious what kind of cold air intake you are running?

 

First off congrats on the new Jeep! The Moab is definitely a cool edition of wrangler. It seems like you definitely done some homework on the mods you want, which is good. There's no sense in throwing money at parts just for the fun of it.

I agree with Blue, a 34" or 35" tire will be plenty big enough to give you the performance and aggressive look you're after. Not only that, it'll barley effect your on road performance. Simply air them down to around 12-15 PSI and you should be just fine in the sand. You'll want to get around a 2.5" - 3" lift to clear that size tire. I'm running a 2" now and I'm upgrading to a 3" for a little more clearance, but I don't do any high speed off road driving. I'm guessing you do some decent speeds in the sand, so a 2.5" will be great for you.

Also, make sure you have a good recovery kit with you. Mine has: 2 tow straps, D-Rings, tire plug kit, gloves, popular socket sizes and ratchets, combination wrenches, flashlight, and jumper cables. This is in my Jeep all the time, not just when I'm wheelin', and I can't tell you how many times it's came in handy.

I hope this helps!

-Zach

 

Thanks Zach! Blue also suggested the nitto terra grapplers. I would say that 90% of what I have been reading regarding sand has been that tire. Would you agree?
Yes, we want to spend where necessary without cutting corners that are important. Thanks for the input!

 

Another important thing to consider is an on board air (OBA) system. My experience has only been in beaches but not all entry locations have close refill places. There are many different set ups (dual compressors, tank sizes, portable or mounted, etc) you can research. But I would recommend that based on your plans even before tire and lift mods.

 

I am running the Volant, but i have a 2010 so the intake is different. I just sawe new one form AFE (I think) in the new
4wd.com catolog that is a new design for cold air. Worth looking into. As stated above I would air down the tires. I am required to when I drive on the local beach but only down to 18psi. They have an air station when leaving but on board air is always a nice to have. I love my Nitto tires on the sand, they have a lot more traction than I would have thought . I run up and down the highway everyday to work driving like I stole it and they handle great in all weather including deep snow!

 

Thanks Blue, we usually air down the tires to around 10-12psi, the dune sand is really soft on the west side of the state, there is always new sand blowing in. I was looking at a VIAIR ADA System for OBA, I like what I have read about the system so far but like I said, my wife and I are so new to the scene that and there seems to be so many options HAHA! I love it! We have waited a long time to start this adventure, so we won't rush in to it to have the right out come. Thanks for all of the feed back, this forum rocks!

 

Do the newer Jeeps still have the overdrive button in the console? If so make sure you put a piece of tape over it when wheeling in the sand. Its a bitch to get it unstuck if you get sand in there.

 

I don't think mine does, I need to check it out - I'll let you know.