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7:38 am
June 29, 2011
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Keith
| | Elgin | |
| Mall Crawler | posts 222 | |
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What would you say are the most important mods for the trails we normally do as a group (Cliff's and Badlands)? I have decent tires already (31 inch Duratracs). I've had the most trouble with scraping the bottom so I'm thinking a set of rock rails and gas tank skid first. Since I'm under warranty I'm really not sure about a lift at this point. A stock Wrangler has as much clearance as a Cherokee with a small lift and we've had mildly lifted Cherokee's do great on trails. That is why I'm thinking underbody protection first. Also my budget is between $500 and $1000.
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2002 Mitsu Montero Sport
2005 Wrangler LJ
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5:14 pm
June 29, 2011
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Ggg
| | Belvidere,IL | |
| Daily Driver | posts 186 | |
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Locker(s) are very helpful.
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98 TJ AX15/231sye, D60, Sterling 10.25 axles, Detroit lockers, 7" lift, Cummins 4bt engine, double triangulated 4 link rear, Y link radius arm front suspension, tires 37"-41".
48 CJ2A D30nt, AMC20nt w/lock right, Kaiser 231v6, T90/D18, 33x14 boggers
46 CJ2A D25, D41, L head Go Devil 4cyl, T90/D18, PTO, 6.5-16 tires.
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6:12 pm
June 29, 2011
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Weeeee
| | West Chicago, IL | |
| Admin
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If you dont have an engine/oil pan skid I would highly recommend getting one. It only takes one rock to ruin a day.
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 Doug – 2000 TJ
Work in Progress
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7:43 pm
June 29, 2011
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slander
| | Bolingbrook, Il | |
| Daily Driver | posts 164 | |
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Like doug and Ggg said, protection and lockers. Then i would say winch, then lift it. Learn how to wheel that jeep stock. You would be surprised where a jeep/truck with armor like a tank and a set of lockers will go, you will be able to do any trail at the badlands, the cliffs on the other hand, you really need a beater to truly enjoy the trails there.
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2002 Toyota Tacoma extended cab TRD, V6, 5spd. OME 882s, winch, sliders, skids, 255/85/16 BFG KMS, Marlin/inchworm Dual transfer cases with 4.7:1 gears. 12:1 Rules!! Still in all of its IFS glory!!
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7:56 pm
June 29, 2011
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oddball
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| Mud Slinger | posts 1190 | |
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Post edited 8:09 pm – June 29, 2011 by oddball
Like Doug said; "Skids". Eng/trans most important followed by gas tank. Lockers are great but they won't leave you stranded when broken, if and or when the poop hits the fan – or in this case, your oil pan, trans pan or fuel tank.
Once the most important underside is protected, then consider rock rails / sliders. Once you've added the important protection, then you should consider luxury upgrades like lockers and such.
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9:08 pm
June 29, 2011
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Moparboy
| | DDO West Chapter Reaper Crew | |
| Rock Crawler | posts 1959 |
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Keith, you might want to talk to the dealership about lift kits. I know the Mopar Performance Magazine they have at the parts department has lift kits in it, they also have Mopar direct skids, bumpers and a few other things. Also, if I remember correctly, if you purchase a Mopar direct lift kit, it wont void your warranty. But if you dont do that, I would do skids, do armor first, then do some research on lift kits, bumpers, lockers, etc.
Evans 
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Evans
DDO West chapter (Reaper Crew)
1999 Jeep Cherokee-Trail Rig
I Love Haters
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12:26 am
June 30, 2011
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97flexy
| | N.W. burbs | |
| Mall Crawler | posts 207 | |
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skids… get a nice aftermarket skid… I use mine all the time
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-My lil Jeep posing-
 -Dan-
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12:34 am
June 30, 2011
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Xjay98
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| Mall Crawler | posts 390 | |
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Armor first then locker. Look underneath and see whats the first to get hit.
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1:01 am
June 30, 2011
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SchlingBlade
| | Rockford, IL | |
| Mall Crawler | posts 321 | |
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I started with a stock Wrangler, and went the lift and lockers route. Skids would have done nothing to improve where I could go, just make it safer to smash into stuff. I figure the lift and lockers can open up more options for different lines through or around obstacles, so I might be able to avoid bashing into things.
We'll see how it goes!
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1994 Jeep Wrangler "Barbie edition", 4-cyl, 5-speed, NP231, D30 w/Spartan locker, D35 w/Spartan locker, Rough Country 4" lift, 31"x10.5" Cooper Discoverer STT tires.
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10:24 am
June 30, 2011
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slander
| | Bolingbrook, Il | |
| Daily Driver | posts 164 | |
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Skids will allow you to slide over stuff so they can improve your performance. Also your engine will not run very well when a rock dents the oil pan and takes out the oil pump.
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2002 Toyota Tacoma extended cab TRD, V6, 5spd. OME 882s, winch, sliders, skids, 255/85/16 BFG KMS, Marlin/inchworm Dual transfer cases with 4.7:1 gears. 12:1 Rules!! Still in all of its IFS glory!!
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10:56 am
June 30, 2011
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97flexy
| | N.W. burbs | |
| Mall Crawler | posts 207 | |
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SchlingBlade said:
I started with a stock Wrangler, and went the lift and lockers route. Skids would have done nothing to improve where I could go, just make it safer to smash into stuff. I figure the lift and lockers can open up more options for different lines through or around obstacles, so I might be able to avoid bashing into things.
We'll see how it goes!
what size lift and tires did you start with?
Just a front locker or both?
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-My lil Jeep posing-
-Dan-
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1:19 pm
June 30, 2011
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SchlingBlade
| | Rockford, IL | |
| Mall Crawler | posts 321 | |
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Like I said, we'll see how it goes. This is a learning process for me. Skids can be added cheaply if I find the lift doesn't keep me from bouncing off of things on the trail.
I started with a stock Wrangler that needed new springs and shocks, and put on a 4" lift kit from Rough Country. At the same time, I installed lockers front and rear.
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1994 Jeep Wrangler "Barbie edition", 4-cyl, 5-speed, NP231, D30 w/Spartan locker, D35 w/Spartan locker, Rough Country 4" lift, 31"x10.5" Cooper Discoverer STT tires.
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1:37 pm
June 30, 2011
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tirespeed
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| Grocery Getter | posts 15 | |
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Post edited 1:37 pm – June 30, 2011 by tirespeed
I vote for lockers, front and rear first. You get to wheel much more if all four tires are turning. I'm not against skid plates, however, I've wheeled my wrangler for almost 9 yrs and only once did I cave in the stock transfer-case/transmission skidplate. We strapped it back up and welded it that night. I started on 30x9.5 ATs, and welded both diffs! That worked for almost two years before I blew the Dana 35. Then I went to 14-bolt and 39.5 Iroks. Still no skidplate. Then I added a Dana 60 to the front, still locked front and rear, no skidplate, just a square tube crossmember holding the transfer-case from hitting the ground.
I did just (last month) add a skidplate to the jeep as I was going to Superlift ORV and wanted to hit every Class 5 trail they had.
As bad as I drove, I still didn't have a dent in the skidplate.
http://tirespeed.com/ <— build and pics here
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3:17 pm
June 30, 2011
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Tony M
| | Grand Rapids, MI | |
| Mud Slinger | posts 545 | |
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Post edited 3:33 pm – June 30, 2011 by Tony M
I just have one in the front for the steering box and the stock T-case skid. Not a bump in the T-case skid but I have been using a lot of the steering box skid lately. Then again I don't really care about the body. You've seen me drive. 
One more thing. You drive this thing everyday, and although lockers are cool offroad sometimes they can suck on road. (Unless you have a selectable locker) If 90 percent of your driving is on the road then you should focus on items that won't hinder that experience too much. I would start with some rocker protection (you have an LJ don't you) because those always hurt the most when you put the first dent in them. Plus, you won't have to worry about any warranty issues.
Okay… one more thing. stock up on some decent recovery gear. (see Dougs post, you don't want to be that guy)
Basics: 30' recovery strap, and a few heavy duty shackles are a must.
If you have the money get a come along winch (little hand operated guy), hi lift, (I need one of those), a ratchet strap or two. Then find a place to put it.
I never have a problem wheeling with smaller rigs or ones with bald tires, as long as there are proper recovery points front and rear. The problem comes when your stuck to the doors and don't have a place to put the strap.
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3:21 pm
June 30, 2011
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Keith
| | Elgin | |
| Mall Crawler | posts 222 | |
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I actually dented the rockers a little last year at the Badlands. I will likely do the rocker protection first.
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2002 Mitsu Montero Sport
2005 Wrangler LJ
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4:19 pm
June 30, 2011
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tirespeed
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| Grocery Getter | posts 15 | |
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I guess I should have started with a question. When you say which is most important for the trails we do, you mean most important to protect body and paint? Or most important to go farther down every trail?
It looks like you've chosen, so it really doesn't matter anyway.
I'll ask first next time.
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7:23 pm
July 5, 2011
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SchlingBlade
| | Rockford, IL | |
| Mall Crawler | posts 321 | |
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The lift and lockers kicked booty at the Badlands this weekend. I only scraped the center crossmember in a couple spots. The stock 2004 Rubicon that was in our group didn't have as much luck, and smashed quite a bit from the oil pan all the way back to the exhaust by the rear bumper.
Lockers worked great, and I crawled everywhere I wanted to go with ease. Only time there was wheel spin was in the quarry to get up the wall on the back side because there was water running down the obstacle.
If you don't want to do a lift, get the skids. If you'd like to avoid hitting stuff at all, get 4" lift or better.
Another mod to do that's super easy and should be done on EVERY offroad vehicle: A good sized fire extinguisher or two. I had to jump out of my Jeep and flag down another Wrangler that had an unnoticed engine fire in progress. The group he was with had plenty of fire suppression, so the vehicle was saved.
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1994 Jeep Wrangler "Barbie edition", 4-cyl, 5-speed, NP231, D30 w/Spartan locker, D35 w/Spartan locker, Rough Country 4" lift, 31"x10.5" Cooper Discoverer STT tires.
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