Top Jeep Wrangler Modifications

Scott Carline • September 12, 2019

Top Jeep Wrangler Modifications. If you’re reading this post, there’s a good chance you’re ready to mod out your Jeep Wrangler but don’t quite know where to start. Don’t worry — you’ve come to the right place! Not only do you need the best mods, you also need top-notch service to match. We can provide both. Below is just a short list of the most popular modifications we offer for your Jeep Wrangler; don’t hesitate to ask us about others.

Backup Cameras

Although laws have been passed to require backup cameras on Jeep Wranglers made in 2018 and later, older models don’t have this feature built in. The good news is that there are plenty of options available when it comes to after-market backup cameras, and at plenty of different price points and resolutions. While rear view mirrors have been around for decades, accidents due to blind spots sometimes still happen.

Backup cameras are a great feature for new drivers or those who are new to driving a Wrangler, especially if it’s modified to be larger, longer, or taller than the factory model. They allow drivers a clear view of what’s behind them and come in handy during inclement weather. Wiring can be tricky for this modification and it should be done by professionals with plenty of experience.

Custom hoods and latches

Jeep owners are as unique as their Wranglers, and their hoods should reflect those style and performance preferences. You have plenty of hood options, with choices ranging from sleek, plain steel or more intricate fiberglass designs. Make sure you settle on a hood that fits the make, model, sub-model and year of your Wrangler.

On that note, you’ll want to upgrade hood latches as well. Factory latches are generally made out of stretchy rubber, and while it’s unlikely that your hood will fly off on the highway, the movement at faster speeds may seem worrisome. Upgrading your latches will give you peace of mind and even more security to protect any expensive aftermarket upgrades under the hood.

Bumpers

Okay, so your Jeep Wrangler already has bumpers, we get it. But those factory options probably won’t stand up to a collision or the wear and tear of offroading. Heavy duty bumper modifications are arguably one of the first mods you should invest in when you get your new Jeep. Bumpers also come in various sizes and designs; these are just a few options:

  • Stubby – a shorter bumper, grill-width in length
  • Tubular – a simple two-tube design that runs across the front
  • Modular – a stubby-type bumper that has various customizable components

Work with your professional install team to decide which style fits your Jeep best and which looks most aesthetically pleasing with your current and future modifications.

Recovery winch and gear

If you only choose one modification, let it be a recovery winch — especially if you’re interested in using your Jeep Wrangler for offroading. Winches are really the only way to get your Jeep out of a ditch or other tough spot Having one can be particularly handy if you’re off-roading with friends and they get stuck. .

Along with a winch make sure you pick up extra gear like gloves, d-rings, and recovery straps that stretch and provide kinetic energy to pull cars from snow, mud, and sand. Bumper tow hooks, first-aid kits, and heavy duty jacks can also be incredibly useful.

Terrain-appropriate tires

Think beyond size and width when it comes to choosing something different than the factory tires that came with your Jeep Wrangler. Unless you plan on using your vehicle strictly for road driving, it’s a smart idea to choose a set of all-terrain (A/T) tires that adapt traction to the surface you’re driving on. These tires are made of a softer rubber than your factory set, so they can wear out faster; just beware of this fact when making your choice.

Mud-terrain (M/T) tires are even softer than A/T tires and have tread that help spit out mud and gravel for aggressive traction on off-road trails. The downside to these tires is faster-than-normal tread wear and plenty of tire noise on pavement. Bias-ply tires are a third option to talk to your installer about; while they grip extremely well, they don’t perform well at all on the pavement.

There are countless other interior and exterior mods to choose from, including new audio systems, lift kits, Jeep armor, racks, side steps… The list goes on and on! At Axleboy, we want every client to get the best customizations for their vehicle. We’re not your average shop. Instead of selling you anything and everything, we’ll make sure you only get upgrades that are truly important to you. Let’s get started modding out your new Jeep Wrangler!

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So we're back inside at Axleboy Offroad. We've got our 2020 Jeep Gladiator Sport S. This is still bone stock. I haven't made any modifications to it yet. We have ordered and been receiving a lot of the components from our supplier partner. They're going to end up on this Jeep Gladiator. One thing that's going to be probably the most dramatic cosmetically and performance and everything else from the outside, is the lift kit, and the wheels, and the suspension. Yeah. So right now behind us is bone stock. Let's talk about suspension first. Why don't you tell us what we have here from TeraFlex? Sure. So from TeraFlex, we're doing the adjustable alpine IR arms. IR stands for independent rotation. Now this is a really new product and it's amazing in the fact that it uses the bushing, so we're going to retain the same sound dampening and the same ride quality as we would when we're stock. But the inner sleeve that the bolt actually goes on... Okay. This is actually on a bearing. Okay. And it's a sealed bearing and unlike standard bushings where once the bolt clamps down, it's captive in the rubber and the rubber has to flex in order for this arm to move through its travel. The independent rotation allows free movement, no binding whatsoever, and this is huge in terms of ride quality, in terms of flex when you're off road or when you're on the RTI ramp at a Jeep show, or whatever it may be. We get the best of both worlds. We get the reliability of a good rubber bushing. We get the flexibility of a flex joint, but we don't have the parts that wear out or they get loose and make noise like the flex joints do. So it's kind of the best of both worlds. We expect that these bushings are going to last the vehicle's lifetime. This is a new product, this independent rotation bushing, been in testing and development for quite a while. We expect these to do amazing. What does installing an adjustable control arm do? What's the benefit for me as the Gladiator? Yeah, that's a great question. So we're going to lift it and we're going to raise the suspension. And the way that the geometry works, as we raise, this control arm is going to drop down further away. Now if you notice when this control arm swings down, it moves back. We actually lose some wheelbase when we lift it and it's just the nature of basic geometry. There's nothing we can do about that unless we put in an adjustable control arm. In this case, we can extend the length of this. We can recover our wheelbase, we can recover our alignment angles and our pinion angles as needed. So this gives us the ability to affectively adjust the front axle forward and backward. So we can make sure that the front axle is exactly where we want it. Exactly where we want it with the correct angle and the correct rotation. This is going to make the vehicle drive amazing. We're going to be able to keep caster where we want it, which is important because as we lift it caster drops out. Caster is the alignment angle that gives us stability going down the highway. We can roll it back in. Terrific. What else do we have here from TeraFlex? Well, we also have the new Falcon series three shocks. These are the brand new SP two shocks. Now I know in the past you and I have talked about how nice the Falcon shocks are because we have the quick adjust knobs. So we can turn this knob and we can go from soft ride to firm ride or tow, or if you're particularly picky like I know you are, you can go into setting number two, which gives you micro adjust on the small knob. You can literally dial in the ride as you drive. Now the SP two adds a new feature to it. Okay? It allows us to control the dampening, so this isn't as quick adjust or as easy, but what we can do, if you come in and say, "Dude, I am going to run down a gravel road and I'm going to run this thing hard." You can take the shock off and you can twist it, turn the bottom, and it goes into performance mode. Now this isn't going to be something you're changing in and out of every day. It's something you're probably going to do on install, but it gives you the ability to take the entire shock range and move it to more of a performance setting or to move it more to a comfort setting. Okay. So it just adds one more layer of adjustability to these shocks. These shocks are made up in Utah at the TeraFlex plant in the Falcon plant, handmade up there. Everything is amazing. We've been up on this line. It's the most spotless incredible thing you've ever seen. They've put a lot of time and development into this and these are definitely the best riding shock out there for the JK, and JL, and Gladiators. And it's going to look really cool. Oh yeah. How do you go wrong with all the big, all the billet, all the anodizing, the badging? They cut no corners on this thing at all. So I'm going to guess we've got a front and a back. Yeah. Yeah. So this will be the back. And so the importance with the back is... So it's a gladiator, right? So we're probably going to load it up with stuff, right? I mean, bicycles, kayaks, tent. So we're going to be taking weight in and out of it all the time. And that's really where the quick adjust knob is going to come in for us. So as you add that weight, all your shock dampening needs to change. It's easy now. Reach in there through the wheel-well, make a flip, and go. Going down the road or as a daily driver, what setting would I want to put it on? Well, I'll let you have it as far as a personal preference, but I know when I'm going down the road, just genuinely driving down the highway, I like a softer setting. I don't need to really feel the road. When we go to the firm settings, you're going to feel more input from the road. Now that's going to be great in certain situations. So if you're particularly driving sporty or driving heavy, you're going to want to have that road feel where you can feel the bumps and know what the vehicle is doing. With that, we're going to get a lot of roll control. So the vehicle is going to corner better and it will be able to handle the washboard gravel roads. Because I know like when you're out camping, you're driving down the- Gravel road. Yeah, yeah. You know how it is. You hit the bump and you bounce off the road, not with these, you move it to a firm setting and yeah, it's going to feel like you're zipping across the desert in a Baja race there. So really good stuff. Very adjustable, tunable to how you want it. So typically when you're off road or you're driving in let's say a spirited fashion, if you will, we're going to put them on firm. That's great. Well, thanks a lot to TeraFlex and to Axleboy Offroad. To learn more, you go to teraflex.com or visit us at axleboy.com.
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