Suggestion
06-10-2017, 04:22 AM
#1
JK Newbie
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Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Des Moines, IA
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Suggestion
First and foremost, new Wrangler owner here so be gentle. 
Just got a '12 Wrangler Sport with only 20k miles. Rare barn find. I want to give this thing some upgrades but don't know where to start. What would you ladies and gents suggest to start with first?
Thanks!
Just got a '12 Wrangler Sport with only 20k miles. Rare barn find. I want to give this thing some upgrades but don't know where to start. What would you ladies and gents suggest to start with first? Thanks!
06-10-2017, 06:28 AM
#2
JK Jedi
Get out and drive it. Join a club if you can find one there. I am not sure of what wheeling is available in your area. Get to know your jeep and what direction you want to go with it. Check to see all the recalls are done on it. It does not matter if you are building a rock crawler on 42's or just a weekend driver to see some back country or even just a mall crawler, its your jeep and you will have things that you personally want and like. Typically the biggest upgrades you can do is tires, lockers, and gears for better off road performance. Everything else is secondary and kinda follows the tires. If you are going to be taking it off road a good place to start is with recovery gear. Winch, straps, some clevis, gloves. If you are not going to take it off road there are a million things you can buy and bolt on the jeep. Keep in mind if you go bigger on tires that it often requires more then just slapping them on. Depending onside you typically need new wheels or wheel adapters to push bigger tires out to keep from rubbing and gearing should be matched to the tires since the jeep has a rather weak motor. Check your tire/gear charts. Adapters run around $200 per set, new wheels can be all over the place in terms of price, and gears seem to average around $1500 depending on the shop. Many people will also do lockers at the same time as gears which can add another $2000.
Don't get in a hurry to dump a lot of money or bolt a bunch of junk on the jeep for the sake of doing it. Don't get caught up in the hype of brands and some of the marketing that will be thrown at you. Look at some of the build threads to get ideas and ask questions BEFORE you buy something. Too many new jeep owners think they need 37's and a 4" lift and don't realize what else is needed to do it right so you are safe and happy both on road and off. A properly done 4" suspension lift with 37's will typically run you $10k+. IF you are looking at 4" $500 lifts, don't it will cost you way more in the end vs buying a complete quality 4" lift which will typically start at $3000. The worst thing you can do is buy big rubber first without mapping out the build. Tires are also one of the things people regret the most. Many people don't know how to choose the right tire, and because of the big sizes, buy a heavy duty truck tire made for 1 ton trucks that typically ride rough because of the very stiff sidewalls. People also tend to buy undersized tires and want to go bigger right after buying them. Buying a set of 33" tires if you still have good factory tires on your jeep is a mistake, wear your tires out first then make the change. The performance is minimal and you are simply wasting your money. Keep and eye on the weight you are adding to the jeep as well, like I said before the jeep has a rather weak motor and the more you load up the jeep with heavy stuff is going to effect the performance and fuel economy. Many things like bumpers and fenders are offered in aluminum and if you are looking at a winch go with a synthetic line for the weight savings and the safety. Weight of tires and wheels is often ignored when people buy them and should be a consideration when you are doing your research. The lighter weight stuff costs more but you will be better off in the end.
Start a build thread and post up some photos and good luck with the build.
Don't get in a hurry to dump a lot of money or bolt a bunch of junk on the jeep for the sake of doing it. Don't get caught up in the hype of brands and some of the marketing that will be thrown at you. Look at some of the build threads to get ideas and ask questions BEFORE you buy something. Too many new jeep owners think they need 37's and a 4" lift and don't realize what else is needed to do it right so you are safe and happy both on road and off. A properly done 4" suspension lift with 37's will typically run you $10k+. IF you are looking at 4" $500 lifts, don't it will cost you way more in the end vs buying a complete quality 4" lift which will typically start at $3000. The worst thing you can do is buy big rubber first without mapping out the build. Tires are also one of the things people regret the most. Many people don't know how to choose the right tire, and because of the big sizes, buy a heavy duty truck tire made for 1 ton trucks that typically ride rough because of the very stiff sidewalls. People also tend to buy undersized tires and want to go bigger right after buying them. Buying a set of 33" tires if you still have good factory tires on your jeep is a mistake, wear your tires out first then make the change. The performance is minimal and you are simply wasting your money. Keep and eye on the weight you are adding to the jeep as well, like I said before the jeep has a rather weak motor and the more you load up the jeep with heavy stuff is going to effect the performance and fuel economy. Many things like bumpers and fenders are offered in aluminum and if you are looking at a winch go with a synthetic line for the weight savings and the safety. Weight of tires and wheels is often ignored when people buy them and should be a consideration when you are doing your research. The lighter weight stuff costs more but you will be better off in the end.
Start a build thread and post up some photos and good luck with the build.
06-10-2017, 06:30 AM
#3
Super Moderator
First off Welcome to the JK-F and enjoy the Jeep. You will have a blast.
Now to answer your question with a question. What is your intended purpose of the JK? I ask because that will go a long way in making suggestions as to what to do. One of my first recommendations to new Jeep owners is to just drive the Jeep as is to see how you want to personalize it. For me I chose to go the rock crawling route with my build and have tailored the build to my budget. First I started with upgraded bumpers and recovery gear because I wanted to make sure my recovery points were hard mounted and that I had a good recovery strap, 20 ft 20,000 lbs with sewn loops and no metal hooks. There are several out on the market you can choose from. Sometimes going cheap is not the way to go because your Jeep may depend on that strap to keep from flopping.
Once you have determined what you want to do with your Jeep then you will need to set up a budget and build specification sheet and just go from there. Before dropping the money on any lift take the time to search out those in your local area that have Jeeps in different stages of builds and lifts and ask for a ride. You then can determine what lift fits your needs. Another great addition to any Jeep, if you are planning to add accessories like lights, CB etc is a switch and relay system like the sPOD. I was talking with a Jeep builder in Southern California this past week and this was his first recommendation to any new Jeep owner. What the sPOD does, eliminates the rats rest of wires going your battery and gives you a clean install and one wire bundle run to the cab.
There a ton more things to talk about, sport cages, tires wheels etc but those will come with time.
R/
Will
Now to answer your question with a question. What is your intended purpose of the JK? I ask because that will go a long way in making suggestions as to what to do. One of my first recommendations to new Jeep owners is to just drive the Jeep as is to see how you want to personalize it. For me I chose to go the rock crawling route with my build and have tailored the build to my budget. First I started with upgraded bumpers and recovery gear because I wanted to make sure my recovery points were hard mounted and that I had a good recovery strap, 20 ft 20,000 lbs with sewn loops and no metal hooks. There are several out on the market you can choose from. Sometimes going cheap is not the way to go because your Jeep may depend on that strap to keep from flopping.
Once you have determined what you want to do with your Jeep then you will need to set up a budget and build specification sheet and just go from there. Before dropping the money on any lift take the time to search out those in your local area that have Jeeps in different stages of builds and lifts and ask for a ride. You then can determine what lift fits your needs. Another great addition to any Jeep, if you are planning to add accessories like lights, CB etc is a switch and relay system like the sPOD. I was talking with a Jeep builder in Southern California this past week and this was his first recommendation to any new Jeep owner. What the sPOD does, eliminates the rats rest of wires going your battery and gives you a clean install and one wire bundle run to the cab.
There a ton more things to talk about, sport cages, tires wheels etc but those will come with time.
R/
Will
06-10-2017, 07:55 AM
#4
Super Moderator
Get out and drive it. Join a club if you can find one there. I am not sure of what wheeling is available in your area. Get to know your jeep and what direction you want to go with it. Check to see all the recalls are done on it. It does not matter if you are building a rock crawler on 42's or just a weekend driver to see some back country or even just a mall crawler, its your jeep and you will have things that you personally want and like. Typically the biggest upgrades you can do is tires, lockers, and gears for better off road performance. Everything else is secondary and kinda follows the tires. If you are going to be taking it off road a good place to start is with recovery gear. Winch, straps, some clevis, gloves. If you are not going to take it off road there are a million things you can buy and bolt on the jeep. Keep in mind if you go bigger on tires that it often requires more then just slapping them on. Depending onside you typically need new wheels or wheel adapters to push bigger tires out to keep from rubbing and gearing should be matched to the tires since the jeep has a rather weak motor. Check your tire/gear charts. Adapters run around $200 per set, new wheels can be all over the place in terms of price, and gears seem to average around $1500 depending on the shop. Many people will also do lockers at the same time as gears which can add another $2000.
Don't get in a hurry to dump a lot of money or bolt a bunch of junk on the jeep for the sake of doing it. Don't get caught up in the hype of brands and some of the marketing that will be thrown at you. Look at some of the build threads to get ideas and ask questions BEFORE you buy something. Too many new jeep owners think they need 37's and a 4" lift and don't realize what else is needed to do it right so you are safe and happy both on road and off. A properly done 4" suspension lift with 37's will typically run you $10k+. IF you are looking at 4" $500 lifts, don't it will cost you way more in the end vs buying a complete quality 4" lift which will typically start at $3000. The worst thing you can do is buy big rubber first without mapping out the build. Tires are also one of the things people regret the most. Many people don't know how to choose the right tire, and because of the big sizes, buy a heavy duty truck tire made for 1 ton trucks that typically ride rough because of the very stiff sidewalls. People also tend to buy undersized tires and want to go bigger right after buying them. Buying a set of 33" tires if you still have good factory tires on your jeep is a mistake, wear your tires out first then make the change. The performance is minimal and you are simply wasting your money. Keep and eye on the weight you are adding to the jeep as well, like I said before the jeep has a rather weak motor and the more you load up the jeep with heavy stuff is going to effect the performance and fuel economy. Many things like bumpers and fenders are offered in aluminum and if you are looking at a winch go with a synthetic line for the weight savings and the safety. Weight of tires and wheels is often ignored when people buy them and should be a consideration when you are doing your research. The lighter weight stuff costs more but you will be better off in the end.
Start a build thread and post up some photos and good luck with the build.
Don't get in a hurry to dump a lot of money or bolt a bunch of junk on the jeep for the sake of doing it. Don't get caught up in the hype of brands and some of the marketing that will be thrown at you. Look at some of the build threads to get ideas and ask questions BEFORE you buy something. Too many new jeep owners think they need 37's and a 4" lift and don't realize what else is needed to do it right so you are safe and happy both on road and off. A properly done 4" suspension lift with 37's will typically run you $10k+. IF you are looking at 4" $500 lifts, don't it will cost you way more in the end vs buying a complete quality 4" lift which will typically start at $3000. The worst thing you can do is buy big rubber first without mapping out the build. Tires are also one of the things people regret the most. Many people don't know how to choose the right tire, and because of the big sizes, buy a heavy duty truck tire made for 1 ton trucks that typically ride rough because of the very stiff sidewalls. People also tend to buy undersized tires and want to go bigger right after buying them. Buying a set of 33" tires if you still have good factory tires on your jeep is a mistake, wear your tires out first then make the change. The performance is minimal and you are simply wasting your money. Keep and eye on the weight you are adding to the jeep as well, like I said before the jeep has a rather weak motor and the more you load up the jeep with heavy stuff is going to effect the performance and fuel economy. Many things like bumpers and fenders are offered in aluminum and if you are looking at a winch go with a synthetic line for the weight savings and the safety. Weight of tires and wheels is often ignored when people buy them and should be a consideration when you are doing your research. The lighter weight stuff costs more but you will be better off in the end.
Start a build thread and post up some photos and good luck with the build.
Many are not as patient as myself. I spent a lot of time learning from others in this forum, no need to rush into things since the JK stock is very capable for many off road adventures. I then came up with a step by step mod plan which fit a budget so I wasn't needing a lot of mod changes all at once and felt was best for my uses and upgraded as parts needed replacing or broke while actually using them. No need to throw perfectly good tires, axles and suspentions away all at once but many do just that. I needed shocks replaced, that's when I decided it was time to lift. I needed brakes replaced, time for a BBK upgrade thinking ahead I would be moving to larger tires when needed. Needed new tires, time to move to larger tires. The key in all this was 1st understanding what the end goal was that I wanted to achieve for my personal uses and not someone elses.
So like everyone else, I could provide suggestions on what to do but those would be suggestions based on my personal budget and use cases in mind which may or may not fit yours.
Last edited by Rednroll; 06-10-2017 at 08:08 AM.