"Don't even TRY to wheel without..."

Chairokey

Chairokey

New member
Hey guys, I just got my first Jeep, a 2012 Sport S, and found myself getting completely immersed in the Wayalife video's on youtube which lead me here to you fine folks :D

Being that the Jeep is brand new and i'll be paying for it for the better part of the next decade :mad: I don't think i'll be taking on the Rubicon any time soon but i would love to do some nice trails and a little bit of crawling.

Since I'll be saving my money to build it piece by piece I'd like to get some educated opinions on the essentials to making my jeep trail ready. Where would your Jeep need to be before you would hit the rocks?
 
Assuming you have found a wheeling buddy in another rig to accompany you;
-rock sliders would be my first aftermarket addition
 
Rock sliders are a great first investment. You can find Rubi take offs pretty cheap on craigslist sometimes. I would also make your you have good recovery points front and rear. Another handy tool is a highlift jack. Never actually use mine to change a tire, but used it plenty of time to move trees rocks out of logging roads, unwedge myself off rocks, even as a winch. And like was said before try to never go alone. If you do find yourself heading out alone file a flight plan with friends and family. at least a couple people. My wife and i do go out exploring on our own but we try to limit the rough stuff and we always always tell a couple people where we are headed and when to expect us home.
 
Great tips guys. I'm a little surprised that a lift wasn't mentioned at all. I'm really nervous about my clearance. While its obvious that rockers protect the sides of the Jeep, does it provide any protection to the undercarriage? I see lots of heavy scraping and high centering in videos and it blows my mind that this doesn't rip the vehicle apart even with the stock skid plates. is this not the case? I would expect at the very least some crushed pipes..

I know that the Rubicon comes with a better suspension package, does the stock Sport S have much of an off road suspension package to speak of? I'd hate to think that it does and then break something >.<
 
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as mentioned, the best thing you can do is to always wheel with at least one other vehicle. aside from that, tow points front and rear and rocker guards are the bare minimum requirements that i make sure everyone has if they want to wheel with us.
 
Well first off don't underestimate the stock skids they're, for the most part, stronger then a lot of aftermarket skids. Second, I used to take my stocker (09 X, just like your sport) out wheeling all the time no lift or anything and had a blast. I mean it's not gonna take on Moab or anything but you can still have a great time with it. I agree with the other guys, sliders are a great first addition just for protection.
 
Wow thanks guys, this makes me feel much more confident. the first weekend I had my Jeep I went to the lake and played around on what little bit of terrain was there. the Jeep being bone stock, I decided to drive down this ~ 1 foot rock step. As my back tires came down i heard the sound of metal on rock and cringed! after watching your video's I realized this isn't rare lol!! the sound was my transfer case hitting the rock.. while I know this isn't good for the transfer case, is it necessarily horrible? or does that happen quite frequently?
 
Chairokey said:
Wow thanks guys, this makes me feel much more confident. the first weekend I had my Jeep I went to the lake and played around on what little bit of terrain was there. the Jeep being bone stock, I decided to drive down this ~ 1 foot rock step. As my back tires came down i heard the sound of metal on rock and cringed! after watching your video's I realized this isn't rare lol!! the sound was my transfer case hitting the rock.. while I know this isn't good for the transfer case, is it necessarily horrible? or does that happen quite frequently?
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the noises you'll hear under your jeep is totally normal and really, the sound of your skids doing their job. you'll get used to it in no time at all.
 
Woops, totally meant to say my rear differential lol, not transfer case :p

But anyway, thanks everyone. Time to go to sleep. Heading to work in a few hours to try and scrape together some money for new toys lol, cheers
 
Yup I agree, skids and protection are what you need. :yup: That is what I am doing the first thing that I bought on my jeep was a skid plate next is rocker guards and a winch. :brows:
 
JKRay said:
Yup I agree, skids and protection are what you need. :yup: That is what I am doing the first thing that I bought on my jeep was a skid plate next is rocker guards and a winch. :brows:
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Like everyone else, I'll say sliders are your first priority. Also, since you probably only have the street tires, I would look into at least getting some decent all-terrain tires if your not ready for "mud tires" yet. Heard good things about the Goodyear Duratracs for both road manners and Offroad ability. If you keep your wheeling light, tires will help keep you from getting stuck.
 
Prime8 said:
Like everyone else, I'll say sliders are your first priority. Also, since you probably only have the street tires, I would look into at least getting some decent all-terrain tires if your not ready for "mud tires" yet. Heard good things about the Goodyear Duratracs for both road manners and Offroad ability. If you keep your wheeling light, tires will help keep you from getting stuck.
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I should have mentioned that I have upgraded to an all terrain tire already. It was the first thing I did because I was sliding around on dirt roads lol
 
Chairokey said:
I should have mentioned that I have upgraded to an all terrain tire already. It was the first thing I did because I was sliding around on dirt roads lol
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Haha, see! You're not totally new to the jeep life!
 
When people mention always having a friend along with you, preferably in another vehicle, keep in mind that this gives you potential for using them as a spotter. If you trust them with the keys, let them drive and spot for them. This will give you the chance to see what the Jeep is doing and how much clearance you have at different times.

Getting ready for our third JK and one thing I've learned is that I'd rather upgrade my bumpers BEFORE I've bashed them up. Brand new take-offs might sell for $100-300, depending on the local demand and desperation/ignorance of your buyer. Once crushed, they only have value if you can stubby them.
 
ichthus said:
When people mention always having a friend along with you, preferably in another vehicle, keep in mind that this gives you potential for using them as a spotter. If you trust them with the keys, let them drive and spot for them. This will give you the chance to see what the Jeep is doing and how much clearance you have at different times.

Getting ready for our third JK and one thing I've learned is that I'd rather upgrade my bumpers BEFORE I've bashed them up. Brand new take-offs might sell for $100-300, depending on the local demand and desperation/ignorance of your buyer. Once crushed, they only have value if you can stubby them.
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Plus, something I learned real quick, is that a 3.5" lift with 35" tires will rub the front bumper when articulating. And when I say "rub", I actually mean "chew up". I have chunks of shoulder tread missing on my tires. Look behind your front bumper. At the inside bottom of the plastic part, you'll see a sharp, pointy piece of steel sticking out. It is literally sharp enough to cut your finger on and it is hardened steel, so it will eat into rubber quickly and easily. If you can't replace your bumper, just trim these back. For every great engineering design Jeep has developed over the years, you still seem to get oversights like this and the rear pinch seam that make you wonder if anyone at Jeep really wheels a wrangler...
 
Prime8 said:
Plus, something I learned real quick, is that a 3.5" lift with 35" tires will rub the front bumper when articulating. And when I say "rub", I actually mean "chew up". I have chunks of shoulder tread missing on my tires. Look behind your front bumper. At the inside bottom of the plastic part, you'll see a sharp, pointy piece of steel sticking out. It is literally sharp enough to cut your finger on and it is hardened steel, so it will eat into rubber quickly and easily. If you can't replace your bumper, just trim these back. For every great engineering design Jeep has developed over the years, you still seem to get oversights like this and the rear pinch seam that make you wonder if anyone at Jeep really wheels a wrangler...
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I'm glad you said that because that is exactly what I have planned. 3.5" lift with 35's! i would have been pretty disappointed if my bumper took tread off my tires!
 
wayoflife said:
the noises you'll hear under your jeep is totally normal and really, the sound of your skids doing their job. you'll get used to it in no time at all.
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Every time my wife hears the skids doing their job I get "be careful, don't hurt my Jeep." But she loves putting her RUbi through it's paces.
 
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