First mods

[reeferman]

Post up hear what the first mods some one should do to a rig for the trail.

1. Rear axle traction device, ( locker, LSD)
2. Tires
3. winch

[naturalbornmudder]

rear locker, in my opinion, is the number 1 best investment that someone can do to a rig. After that I would look at tires, winch and then very importantly, a cage and safety equipment

[wayne_l]

i think nate nailed it . cant add to it .

[DNA]

This thread is pretty important information to me as I'm just starting out. My question is this:

On the trail ride I went on, I didn't have any issues with traction. I just didn't push to go anywhere hard core. That was even with crappy tires and less than 50% tread. I did have problems with bottoming out and getting caught on ruts. I had to take a different line on a good portion of the trail because the established ruts were too deep. Why would a locker be the first choice over ground clearance?

I definitely saw where the lockers had a huge advantage over non lockers. Ged did a pretty good job of showing that on the saddle. I have plans to get lockers eventually but my thought was to protect my undercarriage before I get in to serious climbing.

[naturalbornmudder]

Not sure which trail you went on. In my experience, maintaining traction is your #1 ally in keeping forward momentum on a trail. Large mud tires with heavy traction patterns don't do much good when they are not touching the ground. When a tire is up in the air and there is no locking device in the differential, there is nothing for the axle to do but transfer power to the tire in the air, hence you are not moving forward.
While ground clearance is important, in my opinion it is a balance of gettign the axle diffs higher in the air some which can only be done by larger tires or trimming the diffs. The next part of the balance is the lift where you can gain some belly clearance but more importantly that lift allows you to fit larger tires under the fender wells. Larger tires equal larger traction patch on terra firma. It also allows for a higher centerline on approaches to shelfs, ruts, and walls.
While putting a suspension lift on can get you better ground clearance, my opinion is that with a TJ, someone is better off goign with a moderate suspension lift and then getting rid of the stock T case skid plate and goign with what's called a belly-up. The stock skid plate is poorly designed, hangs down too low(u can net 2 or 3 " of ground clearance by going flat) and is shaped so that it is a shovel to scrape up snow and gravel.

In my experience, the best way to effectively lift and build a TJ Wrangler to optomize for everything is 2 to 3" of good suspension lift, 1" body lift, belly-up T case skid, flat fender the front , 1" trim the rear fenders, move up the fender flares out back, and roll with 33's or 35's, locked up front and out back, winched, and caged.

[Justaguy]

Ok. That sounds good for a TJ, but what about my ride? My thought is a SOA with a traction bar to keep the rear springs from pretzeling. With that I should be able to clear 35's easy, maybe even go as large as 38's without trimming.

You are absolutely right about keeping traction. Lockers are definitely the way to go.

[Justaguy]

Have you ever tried to track down a locker for an fj40? You almost have to fabricate it yourself. Know a good machinist?

[AKMark]

Yup, his name is Lincoln, get it? :D He made my locker and it works great and has held up in the rear of the SAV.

[naturalbornmudder]

Have you ever tried to track down a locker for an fj40? You almost have to fabricate it yourself. Know a good machinist?


in fact I do know a good machinist. A damn good one. He's just without tools and machines, and has been for the past 13 years;)

[rpiereck]

Armor should come in #4.

[boostlesstj]

me personally i would go:

Lift
Tires
Lockers

those are the higher dollar ones that will cost some change depending on type, brand, and whether you get them new or used. I'm not even gonna mention shipping because i might start crying

[Disco69]

There's going to be a plethora of opinions on this. Personally, I think that the lockers are the single most important thing in making a capable rig. Look at the Rubicons, they are stock but have lockers in both axles, ironic eh? Lock atleast the rear, trust me I'm dealing with this now, and you will be well ahead of the game. Secondly, lift and tires. It will gain the ground clearance that you need to tackle obstacles, ruts, rocks, etc. I think a winch is up there because lockers can get you into a pickle at times and you will definitely need a way out. That just my .02.

[The_Ronster]

Locker
Armour
winch
Lift
Tires

#1 and #2 could switch based on how much you wheel

Dan, Fairbanks Creek is pretty tame which is why a locker really wasnt needed and due to it being dry your tires did just fine. Throw winter into the mix with lots of show and ice or mid summer which is generally wet and your current setup would leave you kinda high and dry on most trails. If it were me I would look at locking either axle but go delectable if you are going with just the front. Due to them being cheaper I would lock the rear first with a full time locker if money is a factor.

Lockers get you down the trail, armour keeps you on the trail instead of on the sideline. Lift and tires are nice especially when you get into the harder trails like 55 mile or where water and mud become a concern otherwise you could wheel just about anything in the interior with minimal problems, just dont go alone...

[akhillbille]

well I could answer this in many ways. To me it depends on the terrain. But for a more all purpose wheeler I would say:

Tires
winch
locker
lift

tires are one of the first mods one should make. If you are running hwy tires a locker and other mods aren't really going to do a whole lot for you. Just by getting better tires suited for offroad performance can make a bigger difference than one might think.

Now I'm still up in the air about which should come first the locker or winch. A locker is wonderful for reasons already stated. But like also said beofre that locker can get you back into places then get you stuck real bad. That's where a winch comes in to play. To me a winch is more important to have than a locker not only for your rig but the other rigs on the trail with you.

Lift next for obvious reasons. It gets you up in the air and the ride quality can improve drastically. Nate talked about how a TJ can do wonderfull with less lift and bigger tires, well only to a certain point. And it's not the same for all rigs. Places with bigger obstacles will not be easy if not impassable if you aren't quite tall enough. also deep mud can be a pain when you start sinking to your frame rails.

Next would be bumpers and armor type stuff such as rock sliders and skid plates. but not quite as important.

Now like I said it can greatly depend on the terrain and type of wheeling you do. Take for instance if it was strictly rocks I'd be more apt to go with a locker and lift before the winch for sure and maybe armor too.

[The Bronze]

1. Battery hold-down and e-brake. Let's live to wheel another day. Might as well throw the fire extinguisher in this section as well. Along with the correct survival gear.

2. Recovery point The suzuki isn't big enough to rip off your bumper, but other rigs are. Cheap and easy.

3. Tires and lift. Larger tires gain ground clearance, approach and departure angles; the tread gives you traction. Increased width can give you better floatation. The lift is only #3 as well because sometimes you need it to fit the new tires. Of course, there is always the sawzall. Then there is Nate's flex comment. You do have to keep your tires on the ground, but the zuki runs around without flex and keeps on going (except in the pond).

3. Rear Locker. Get a pair of tires spinning. It keeps the rig good and muddy, plus keeps you moving on the mud, rocks and snow.

4. Winch. Spend your money up to this point on getting your rig ready and rely on your trailmates to help you out. Now to be able to winch you and others out. At this point you can lead many trails. Be ready to bring em all home!

5. Front Locker. Want to keep going where the other guys turn around and go home? Step up to a locker. Remember that the good selectable ones are the only way to go in Alaska. Worth every penny. Yes, I'm driving a lock-rite in the zuki, when I shift, I change lanes...:rolleyes: A selectable is in my future for next winter.

6. Other things besides a cage. Hand throttle, gearing (t-case or diffs) to both improve your ability to turn the tires and save the clutch (or clutch packs) Upgraded Torque Converter to get your engine rpm up closer to where you are making power. Things like that.

7. Cage or Exo. At some point there are some places that will put you over (and over again), but they are few and far between. As long as you have a hardtop or the factory bar(s) they will do for the slow lay-overs that most likely are going to occur. Of course, nothing says bad-editeditedit wheeler like a full cage (and a set of swampers). Hmm......


There are many things to disagree with on my list. The Cage should be number one for someone that doesn't want to do a 55mph Richardson Highway rollover or things like that. Hmmmm.....Cage. Of course, I already have the rest (except power) :o

[DNA]

I certainly don't want to choose sides and I'm taking this all in and processing the arguments but in my mind, my build pretty much mirrored Kelly's list. Again, thats just me and my newness to this all. Plus.... Lift and tires LOOK so much cooler than a locker. :)

[Disco69]

I really like this thread!

[The_Ronster]

What about dual steering stabalizers?

[naturalbornmudder]

The is no right or wrong answer. In fact every one of these responses is right in their point of view. In the end it just depends on what you are willign to wait for and what you think you need now. If you get a lift and tires first you'll wish you had a locker and a winch, and vice versa. Thats just the way it goes.
J (ust)
E(mpty)
E(every)
P(ocket)

[boostlesstj]

3. Rear Locker. Get a pair of tires spinning. It keeps the rig good and muddy, plus keeps you moving on the mud, rocks and snow.

Kelly you need to get your mind right! that's not what a locker is for, this is what you get when you wanna look good
http://www.frozenaxles.com/gallery/data/2/SprayOnMud.jpg

and a X2 on that front locker

[Disco69]

What about dual steering stabalizers?

There is already a thread dedicated to those.....:p

[akhillbille]

I think nate said it best when he said there is no real right or wrong answer to this.

[reeferman]

Correct and that is what makes our hobby fun!

[boostlesstj]

whoa! we're not supposed to be having fun out there on the trails