Bought my first Jeep about 3 weeks ago. It is a 2012 Unlimited in crush orange. It has a 3" lift with a BDS Adams extreme suspension. I'm running 35" Nitto grappler tires on moto metal wheels. Since buying it I have a couple questions... 1. Do I need to reprogram for 35" tires using aev procal, dealership or some other method? Speedometer shows 5mph faster than actual speed. I assume odometer is off too then? 2. What type of oil and filter do you recommend? 5w30 was recommended by used dealership but want to see what you guys use. Climate: San Diego CA 3. Never owned a jeep or lifted 4x4 so do I rotate tires or alignment and on what routine? Does my suspension require torquing on a more regular basis? 4. Soft top require any special treatment? 5. What advice can you give me to take care and maintain my JK? Thanks for all the info on the forum and any advice you can offer.

 

1) Your second sentence answers your first sentence. Dealerships can only program up to 32" the last I heard. Procal is cheap and has a lot of other functions. Or step up to a tuner. Up to you.
2) Open to debate, plenty of threads to search on and read through. Some stick with Mfg spec, some like 30W, some go to 40W. Just depends.
3) Again, open to debate. With oversized, more aggressive tires, I like to rotate more often. Generally every 3k. (free at discount tire, so why not...). Torquing as part of regular maintenance is a good thing. You will also want to check any aftermarket suspension/steering components and driveshafts for zerks. Be sure to grease them all.
4) More debate. Some type of soft top cleaner/protectant is better than not using one (I use 303), and some type of zipper lube is better than just letting it get sticky. (just a candle for me).
5) Browse and read on a regular basis, you will quickly pick up a bunch of general tips. Be sure to hit the Stock tech and Writeups areas as well as modified. (there is an index stuck to the top of writeups to help with searching), and if you haven't found them already, the two threads stuck to the top of this modified area have some good over-view info.

 

good questions! since your speedo is off yes you might want to recal it, you can do this yourself with a flash device, they come in many flavors and price levels, they can adjust speedo/odo by telling your computer you upsized the tires, they can change shift points as well based on wheel size, this can help with fuel economy.

5w 30 is what jeep suggests for most climates, including yours, if you find it burns alot of 5w 30 then 10w isnt unheard of using instead.

most opinions ive seen is to rotate your tires every 5k miles, and rotate the spare in when you do, so that all 5 tires wear evenly, if you dont rotate the spare itll just rot on your hanger after a few years and be useless with full treads on it.
this forum or google will have a rotation pattern to include the full size spare if you search it.

alignment is only needed if it feels like its off when you drive, is there play in your steering? can you roll in a straight line on a flat surface? if you have alot of play or veer on hard flat roads when not on the wheel and gas you may need an alignment.

as long as the person that installed the suspension upgrades did a good job it shouldnt need retorqing often, as they should have torq'd it correctly with lock tight blue or red on it at the time to keep it right if they didnt then youll hear rattles and squeaks and stuff when you hit bumps, at which point find out what torq its supposed to be, and retorq with lock tight on the bolts and nuts locktight wont make it impossible to take it apart later, but it will keep it from shaking apart.

i dont have a soft top but if i did, ild make sure i was carefull putting it up and down, and ild get it some anti uv spray and make sure i follow the direction on that product to keep the soft top coated with it so the sun doesnt nuke the color out of it.

keep your seats and dash treated too, esp if you have leather seats, mother/meguilars cleaner and conditer once a month on the leather, whatever you use on cloth if you have cloth, clean the dash areas and use anti uv on them too. even if you get your interior dirty alot protecting it ensures you can clean it up and make it look show room new again later. doesnt hurt to wash and wax the paint to keep it spiffy too, you dont have to baby it like a porsche, but hell i like washing my unlimited rubicon, its a fun hobby to do once a week, and it makes it shiney!

and the best tip i can give you, enjoy your new toy, toys are meant to be enjoyed and played with, even if they are also daily drivers, its the best part of having one!

 

First off congrats on the Jeep and welcome to the forum. I understand the "want to know" so we ask questions (I have a lot in my life). Some have already replied and I'm sure others will as well, however, I don't feel that it does you any justice to give you a one or two line answer to your questions. Reason being (with the possibility of sounding like a jerk...not my intent) though your question may be answered you don't have the knowledge to back a decision or to support discussion at a later time. Much if not all of your questions have been discussed thoroughly in individual threads (topic specific) and are available through a simple search. So without answering your specific questions I'll point you to where I would recommend:

1) Both are in modified tech at the top label as stickies.
- Modified Tech FAQ (some of this thread pertains specific to the 3.8 in the 2007-2011, i.e. Gearing suggestions. There is current info on the 3.6 just may take a search to find it)
- My thoughts on a lift (Good read, by a knowledgable member. Take it FWIW, others may disagree and have the right to an opinion.)

2) What oil is much like the "what lift" question. In general stick with the recommendation by the manufacture, whether in regards to weight, certification, etc. However, armed with a good bit of knowledge and not worrying about the possibility of voiding a warranty you could run something different. When it comes to oil there are many things to consider conventional vs synthetic, use of the vehicle, time between oil changes are a few thing that just begin to narrow down the right product. With this point do your own research before you just take someone at their word, sorry Mountain Man for calling you out but you gave me the example.

Your statement isn't entirely off track but can be miss leading to those who don't know. As stated, some JK owners find their Jeep burn oil and some folks resort to a heavier weight oil in hopes that it will fix or at least slow the consumption. And you'd be correct in saying 5w is more viscous (flows easier) in cold weather than 10w, but this is only relevant at start up until your engine is at operating temperature and does NOT denote the weight of the oil. The second number 30 in this example is the viscosity at operating temperature, meaning at 100*C the oil's viscosity is as low as it gets (without outside dilution from fuel, etc. or break down from excess heat, etc. <--- comments for the those who like to bring up some outside argument; not directed to anyone specific). Changing from 5w30 to 10w30 would yield little to no solution to oil consumption. Changing the second number to say... 40 would change the the viscosity and could/would/should show results to this issue. This could also come with adverse effects as well, so point is do your research. Sorry to get off topic but it was brought up so it needed to be done so the record isn't curved.

As for 3, 4, & 5) questions that have been answered that you will find with a forum search.

 

thanks toolow, good point, i didnt know that about the oil myself, im not a mechanic nor do i play one on tv/forums. you learn something every day some days!