AEV Gladiator Rubicon

[Flyin6]

What the heck? I leave for a few days and the super duper Tesla is gone?

Oh, nice Jeep boss.

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I’m with ya.
This has escalated quickly…
Nice truck…and t-car gone, did you turn a profit?
Not that it really matters…
Look like huge tires for a poor little 44 to handle.

A word of caution.
I have to keep my spare under my truck.
The gravel eats the wiring instantly.
Now if you’re not running a lot of gravel may not matter.
Also if the wiring isn’t there not an issue either.

Good one Sam, didn't consider that. I do run gravel some but only on the access roads into the back country areas. I stopped looking to run over pruis and KIA cars, so no concern about them damaging anything under there.

I decided to just break even. So I added my costs then subtracted out my tax savings then literally set trade-in at that number. They haggled a little but agreed to my number. Isn't that crazy? Some poor guy is going to pay full price for a used Tesla plus my tax bill plus the profit wanted by the dealer!

So, yea, I'm with you on that 44. Thing is, Jeep now puts 35's on a factory-lifted jeep with those Rubicon D44's. And AEV is like the biggest off road commercial modifier of these vehicles, and they are the ones opting for a 37" tire.

I ran a front D44 in my supercharged Tundra and only broke the rear axle, TWICE!

I had D44s in something else and back around 2000 when I was hot into the SFA/SAS thing, D44s were all the rage. Finally, there's a west coast Canadian guy I watch constantly, Shawn who has a YouTube Channel called "The Story till now." He literally drives some adventure in the Canadian Rockies every single weekend. In fact last night I saw him say he had so far (when that vid was recorded), been out over 150 consecutive weekends. His jaunts are off the shelf. He beats his Gladiator, well, now the second one like a redheaded stepchild...And every single week. It runs 37's on Rubicon D44's.

I don't have the courage that man does, along with his buddies up there. They all bang around in similar vehicles, and you don't hear or see many failures.

For now, I'm going with it to see if I can gain confidence in the setup.

And not to forecast, but I was thinking I could fab up a fuel tank to take the place of that spare tire if I moved it to the bumper...

[EL TATE]

yeah, it's upshifting, but possibly not into 7 and 8. try manually shifting on the highway and see if the RPM answers the questions. the automatics are pretty nice since the TCM recalibrates for the tire size which is why they did the 8 spd in the 1st place.

I think I was a couple hours ahead of ya, Tate.

Had a post-op Dr appointment to drive to today. I set the cruise to 65. It was climbing the hills all the way up into the low 3,000 rpm range, but on level ground, I could see it shift a couple more times and finally settle in just under 2,000 @ 65 indicated. The mileage is holding pretty strong now showing 18.7 for the first 1/4 tank since the last 87 octane fill-up.

good deal that'll increase as you drive it and break it in too.

[Bigdave_185]

Shawn always says you can run big tires as long as you are aware of the weak link. Axles!!!

Hemi v8 swap!!!


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[stlaser]

Shawn always says you can run big tires as long as you are aware of the weak link. Axles!!!

Hemi v8 swap!!!


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Technically it’s more of a right foot issue to an extent

[Flyin6]

Shawn always says you can run big tires as long as you are aware of the weak link. Axles!!!

Hemi v8 swap!!!


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Technically it’s more of a right foot issue to an extent

From what I have learned/experienced, keeping the D44 alive is about keeping off the skinny pedal. The danger comes when you lift a tire which then gets to spinning, then is suddenly slammed back down. The resulting sudden stoppage breaks the axle.
I learned to drive doing BTM so it's sort of habitual not to throttle hard in the rocks. I usually only throttle hard in the mud to clean the thread.

Dave: Hemi...NO! (Now stop it!) ;-)

Maybe a supercharger after the warranty...Maybe

And I am just liking this thing more and more every day. This suspension is so well sorted. Our last JK, the thing I called the GJ (Girly Jeep) Was a hunk of driving junk compared to this AEV JT. It would roll all over and jerk and wallow around like a beached beluga whale. This JT is firm in the corners and feels very much in control. It has done nothing strange to make me frightened it is going to start shaking or skidding or rolling on its side. The old JK was bracket lifted (Bad idea) with stock springs and Ruby shocks. To be fair to the generation, I lifted it all wrong (Went cheap) so I never experienced a well-sorted suspension. Now that I am driving this JT, I feel like I want to drive something like this for the rest of my days.

[Flyin6]

The next fuel mileage check is complete.
This time the mileage calculator in the vehicle showed 17.7
But
The calculator told the truth. For these most recent 150 miles, the math showed I got just 16.2MPG.
Seems as though the jeep is settling in around in the mid sixteens.
I now have 800 miles on the truck

Last night I played with those off-road lights. One word: WOW
With those, All I really need is some more hemispherical illum and I'm golden

[Flyin6]

I checked on the price of the bed liner. Line-X wants $579 to do their basic lining to just the bed.
Over $600 with tax!
Is it just me thinking this is too expensive or have prices gone up that much?
At that price, I may just scuff it off and spray it myself
Opinions?

[KensAuto]

Line-x.

Won't regret it if they do it right. If they do it wrong, they'll do it again.

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[Sammconn]

Line-x.

Won't regret it if they do it right. If they do it wrong, they'll do it again.

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This. Buy once cry once.

You’re not twenty something anymore and getting the prep perfect is key.
They screw up they make it right.
You’ll be a few hundo in to buy the kits and solvents.
Then your time…

[Flyin6]

...OK-OK
I'll make the appointment
Gunna hurt!

[Bigdave_185]

Buy a $60k jeep and is soured over one of the cheapest upgrades you’ll do on the thing.

That’s the same logic as tire rotation cost on a dually their boss man. 

Speaker system upgrade?
Lighting maybe not with the factory deals.
Tires?
Roof rack?
Rear bumper?
Hood jack mount?

Yep I say go get the bed lined and smile at a job well completed in a painless manner as nothing else on the jeep will be that cheap
 
In the wisdom of Charles.  Stoke the check

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[JR]

 

LOL OMG!!

[Flyin6]

Buy a $60k jeep and is soured over one of the cheapest upgrades you’ll do on the thing.

That’s the same logic as tire rotation cost on a dually their boss man. 

Speaker system upgrade?
Lighting maybe not with the factory deals.
Tires?
Roof rack?
Rear bumper?
Hood jack mount?

Yep I say go get the bed lined and smile at a job well completed in a painless manner as nothing else on the jeep will be that cheap
 
In the wisdom of Charles.  Stoke the check

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I wish that was a 60K jeep!

Yea, good to get opinions. I called to set up an appointment but they are now booked. I'll get Line-X to do the job

Mods, well I said I would wait until after I went wheeling with it

And yesterday I did. Really just planned to drive on good trails in the Daniel Boone National Forest, 2-hours south of where I live. I picked up my brother-in-law for a guide, so he and my sister, and my wife loaded up, and off we went. We mostly did easy trails but went way further than I was expecting. I'll post the trip over in the Adventure section. I think some of you may be surprised by what that jeep-truck TJ thing can do totally stock. I sit here amazed. It is very capable right out of the box!

[Flyin6]

Well, while I'm waiting for the smoke to clear for the fast-approaching Thanksgiving season so I can get in the queue to have the bed sprayed, I identified the first deficiency/shortcoming after wheeling it this past weekend. Kat cannot easily get up into and out of the thing with its mild lift and 37" tires. That and I came really close to sliding into a tree a couple of times, I decided to slap on a better set of rock sliders.

Now looking at these on the Jeep platform, I can see a tom of products that use the existing Rubicon pinch weld and body bolt holes, and I see the kind I am used to that weld or bolt up to the vehicle frame. I think I would be perfectly fine just building on the stock Rubicon thinking and not attaching to the frame.

I looked at a dozen or more sliders and settled on the JT units which I purchased in mild steel. They have a secondary bar standing several inches proud of the body that will serve as a good stopper against hard things that try to bend up the pretty blue doors and fenders. After coating, I'll add some anti-slip tape to the top surfaces so it can serve also as a step. That will solve both issues I hope.

Shipping was free and JT is currently offering a 15% discount. I paid $652, including tax.

[Bob Smith]

If those things get to you soon enough have them sprayed when you do the bed liner.

[JR]

And the fluid change begins.

You know, looking at milage and lighting putting gobs of big round lights up top will kill what aero you have. A light bar may be a better choice, way easier to wire and you keep some aero. Same going with my Tahoe, don't go real high, clean aero and watch the foot. With the 6sp, 70mph is 1750 rpm.

[Flyin6]

And the fluid change begins.

You know, looking at milage and lighting putting gobs of big round lights up top will kill what aero you have. A light bar may be a better choice, way easier to wire and you keep some aero. Same going with my Tahoe, don't go real high, clean aero and watch the foot. With the 6sp, 70mph is 1750 rpm.

Well Shawn thinks I need a light bar, but the lights I have been working great for now. I haven't wheeled it at night at all, so I only have my country road night driving experience. I could see zero light deficiency using the factory LED lighting and the AEV 7000 series driving lights.

[Bigdave_185]

Don forget the rock light for the wheel wells,


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[Flyin6]

Don forget the rock light for the wheel wells,


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Don, forget
or
Don't forget??
Because I certainly want a "Scene illumination setup light that when switched on, illuminates all around the vehicle and in close for obstacle identification purposes.

[KensAuto]

If those things get to you soon enough have them sprayed when you do the bed liner.

Good idea!
They did mine for free when I went back for a warranty redo. Color matched.

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[stlaser]

I’ll just leave this right here……

https://www.instagram.com/reel/ClARa8TpfwD/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

[Bigdave_185]

Don’t for get to get some of the KC rock lights!!


Shawn the link didn’t work for me


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[Flyin6]

Don’t for get to get some of the KC rock lights!!


Shawn the link didn’t work for me


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JC rocklights: Check
Link works on my laptop. Shows a JT with tracks in the snow. Pretty cool looking

[Flyin6]

As I search around and look at other builds, I see a fair number of trucks with aftermarket metal fender liners up front. Can anyone elaborate about why they would be necessary?

Next fuel mileage check just completed: 17.0 MPG normal driving 60% highway 30% in town 10% rural roads @ 50 mph.

[Sammconn]

My guess flinging rock and sticks.

I’ve had more than a few sticks come visit my body on the quad in swamps.
Go straight through the plastic.
The metal plate up front stops them.

My non truck opinion.

[EL TATE]

My guess flinging rock and sticks.

I’ve had more than a few sticks come visit my body on the quad in swamps.
Go straight through the plastic.
The metal plate up front stops them.

My non truck opinion.

This. big lug M/T tires can launch big rocks etc.

[Flyin6]

Makes sense...

But you'd think Jeep would know this and have done a lot of research keeping these off-road oriented vehicles out of the warranty claim department!

[oklawall]

I may have missed it but did someone buy the suburban?

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[Bigdave_185]

Didn’t ever hear if the camp trailer sold either?


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[Flyin6]

Neither sold for my asking price. Had a gentleman who recently wanted to trade his 2010 Power wagon for the burb, but I called that off.

At the moment, I have taken the insurance off the burb and will soon take it to the farm for semi-permanent storage. I suppose it will be a wash. Who knows, a future barn find for some fortunate soul?

As for the camper. I am thinking about giving it a pull with the JT. I watched a vid this morning where someone pulled a 30-foot camper with a JT from the east out to Moab and back. With a 7K towing rating, everything I am reading says the JT can tow up to around 5,000 with relative ease but going north of that really taxes it. I think I am going to give it a test pull and see how it does.

[Flyin6]

...And I am getting W-A-Y ahead of myself, but from what I am reading, a Ripp supercharger setup would make towing anything with my JT an easy thing. From what I am reading, pulling near 7,000 lbs in hilly country can be done but at high RPM and around 5 mpg. Bolting on a Ripp supercharger makes the load tolerable and the JT can then get around 8-9 mpg. So, I'm thinking that supercharger is moving up on the list of things I will really want to do.

My list so far is:
Grab handle for ease of entry
Rock Slider (From my first deep hole/rocky trail experience
Some sort of scene illumination for crawling at night
App that permits me to display terrain map on the stock U-Connect screen
Winch
Bed liner
More fuel (larger or additional fuel tank)
Front leveling to get rid of the stock rake
Possibly another inch of lift. It currently has the AEV 2.5" and I think the 4" is about right
Bead lock wheels
Rear bumper (not impressed with the stocker)
Rear tire carrier on the bumper
Supercharger

[JR]

Keep the burb listed, it will go sooner or later. Getting a fair price will be the issue.

Or, do a givaway raffle with it and donate the $$ to good cause. Great tax write off.

[Flyin6]

Keep the burb listed, it will go sooner or later. Getting a fair price will be the issue.

Or, do a givaway raffle with it and donate the $$ to good cause. Great tax write off.

Yea, good thinking on keeping it listed. I have not aggressively marketed this truck at all. I have only used Marketplace and its boost option. I recently removed the insurance coverage from it, so it will go into storage and no longer be legal for use. I had thought to keep it in reserve as an emergency go-to vehicle should the family have a need, but thinking about it, with it getting 9 mpg, it would really be a hinderance on the young families who now constitute the bulk of my family.
Now I am wondering out loud what a Raffle might look like. I haven't considered it, but I could raffle it off and use the money for our Christmas fund and other needs looking into the future, like that not-so-pleasant $750 renewal fee for this site I pay some years...

[Flyin6]

I think I found the bead lock (Real) wheels I want to use. These are Borat wheels from AEV. Everything is correct for my truck. Probably a well-after-Christmas addition, but I believe these will be my choice.
The reason is I do not trust airing down in standard wheels. It only takes one wrong bump, and that will be in the middle of nowhere, to get me marooned. So right up there with the winch, these wheels will be a requirement.

Oh and as I am planning out next year and perhaps beyond, I feel I will need a supercharger. My idea revolves around towing either a small flat trailer with our Honda Talon on it or actually pulling the off-road camper I built. Either will be fairly light for a real truck but in my view challenging for this JT. I contacted Ripp superchargers, a group that has more dyno time on this motor than anyone else and feels the centrifugal blower is right for this application. They have retailed over 7,000 kits already. But there is a problem. It seems in August of 2021, Jeep changed the computer in the newer model, and that computer is not supported at the present time. The Tipp sales manager told me they use Diablo Sport tuners to upload their tunes and the big problem is that Diablo currently does not have support for this vehicle. For that reason, no supercharger will work for lack of tuning. I subsequently contacted Diablo asking for support. My guess is prospective sales will drive development, so this is something in the future somewhere.

[Bigdave_185]

Just going to leave this here

https://www.methodracewheels.com/products/108-gloss-titanium


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[Flyin6]

Darn!!!!!!!!

I really like those!

So, Dave, yesterday I spent the day with one of my best friends ever. You already know my boy lives down in St. George, right? Well, my friend Mike (look for the article I am writing about him in the Adventure section) just bought property outside St George in Washington, I believe.

Small world!

[Bob Smith]

Darn!!!!!!!!

I really like those!

So, Dave, yesterday I spent the day with one of my best friends ever. You already know my boy lives down in St. George, right? Well, my friend Mike (look for the article I am writing about him in the Adventure section) just bought property outside St George in Washington, I believe.

Small world!

Well, St. George is quite a ways out of Washington. But then who is counting miles. I thought your oldest son lived around Yakima Wa.

[Flyin6]

Darn!!!!!!!!

I really like those!

So, Dave, yesterday I spent the day with one of my best friends ever. You already know my boy lives down in St. George, right? Well, my friend Mike (look for the article I am writing about him in the Adventure section) just bought property outside St George in Washington, I believe.

Small world!

Well, St. George is quite a ways out of Washington. But then who is counting miles. I thought your oldest son lived around Yakima Wa.

Not that far. I'd say inside 10 miles...

He has several houses. His mini ranch is near Seattle, his fishing cabin is on the eastern side of the state, then there's the new place in UT. He owns all of them at this time.

[Bob Smith]

And I stand corrected.

[Flyin6]

And I stand corrected.

No worries!
The important thing to note is that you are STANDING!

So on these Bead lock wheels, I am wondering how long I might get away with running non bead locks?
I have been watching a ton of videos of folks running the KAT and other trails in the Daniel Boone. There are two thoughts or broad areas of interest/appeal.
First, there are the off-road folks who build buggies and put 2.5-ton axles under side by sides and just way overbuild things that could crawl across the ocean floor unassisted and are used to rescue climbers from Mt Everest.

Next, there is the Overlanding crowd. These folks just want to get places and will bypass difficult spots if necessary but are still equipped to handle most obstacles. Based on what I have been seeing so far with my JT, that truck is super capable right out of the box, all aired up. I have noted that most of the overlanders I am seeing do not run Beadlock wheels but do air down to the upper-mid 20s.
I certainly have to consider the cost of five wheels that retail from the mid $ 500s to the low $ 700s, EACH. That's significant and I have to ask if they aren't a purchase, I might be able to do later on. Say, after the winch, after the rocker rail protection, and possibly the rear bumper with tire carrier. Also, looking at what I want to carry, I can see that a bed rack is starting to loom as a higher priority.

I can't help but notice that Jeep stuff is expensive. That rear bumper is going to come in between $2,500 and $3,000. The winch is around a grand to $2300. A rack would cost from a grand upward to $2,500, and If I decide on overnighting, a hard-shell rooftop tent is another $2500.
I'm already past $10K and haven't even thought about wheels.

So what do the experts out there say about the need the REAL need for bead locks?

[cj7ox]

So, I spent a lot of time doing the south-east version of rockcrawling (rocks, with a bit of mud LOL) in my CJ. I run 36x13.50 swampers on 15x10" steely rims, no beadlocks. With those rims and tires, I usually air down to 7-10 PSI and have yet to bust  a bead. They have stiff sidewalls, though. You can hardly tell they are that low by looking at them. I'd think you'd be okay down to 15 PSI.

[Flyin6]

So, I spent a lot of time doing the south-east version of rockcrawling (rocks, with a bit of mud LOL) in my CJ. I run 36x13.50 swampers on 15x10" steely rims, no beadlocks. With those rims and tires, I usually air down to 7-10 PSI and have yet to bust  a bead. They have stiff sidewalls, though. You can hardly tell they are that low by looking at them. I'd think you'd be okay down to 15 PSI.

OK, noted
I haven't aired down yet. Running 29 and they are getting me into and out of some pretty ridiculous stuff

[EL TATE]

Since we bought ICON some months ago, I have these in stock in satin black, bronze, and titanium finishes. 50 state DOT legal beadlock tech. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOhDB_J8yK8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMI0QiRdr2o

[JR]

Those are pretty cool Tate. Looks to be about 1/2 the price of regular beadlocks.

[Flyin6]

Since we bought ICON some months ago, I have these in stock in satin black, bronze, and titanium finishes. 50 state DOT legal beadlock tech. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOhDB_J8yK8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMI0QiRdr2o

OK, Tate, those are very interesting. Listening to the YouTube informational videos, I noted the engineer saying conventional beadlock wheels will fatigue the bolts, and that those bolts need periodic replacement. These wheels seem to solve that problem. I could see a set of 17 X 9 in the correct offset on my JT. Would you have five of them in the titanium color? Perhaps a PM would be most appropriate...

[Flyin6]

Oh, and I seem to have found that off-road trail APP I was looking for. It actually came with the purchase of my jeep, at least a 6-month trial did. I downloaded it today and opened it to find a lot of the KAT and Daniel Boone trail system appears in the database

That system is OnX Offroad

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSMZ29dPkkEo4fkTUuqpz_oF8DGFGtRnK

[JR]

Wheels are interesting as I said, but changing one on the trail requires a machine unlike real beadlocks. Sounds like a balance really.

[Nate]

Oh, and I seem to have found that off-road trail APP I was looking for. It actually came with the purchase of my jeep, at least a 6-month trial did. I downloaded it today and opened it to find a lot of the KAT and Daniel Boone trail system appears in the database

That system is OnX Offroad

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSMZ29dPkkEo4fkTUuqpz_oF8DGFGtRnK

That app also has a hunting version which shows you all public info like who owns it, the boundry lines, etc.

[Bigdave_185]

Iv ran lots of trails in Moab, on 20psi and lots of side load on the trails.  No bead locks, just good ol tire placement control.

I’ll bet you could get by for a long time with out a real need.  A can of starter fluid might set a bead for $7 bucks vs the expense of wheels

But but but beadlocks looks fetching awesome!!!


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[Flyin6]

Oh, and I seem to have found that off-road trail APP I was looking for. It actually came with the purchase of my jeep, at least a 6-month trial did. I downloaded it today and opened it to find a lot of the KAT and Daniel Boone trail system appears in the database

That system is OnX Offroad

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSMZ29dPkkEo4fkTUuqpz_oF8DGFGtRnK

That app also has a hunting version which shows you all public info like who owns it, the boundry lines, etc.

That's included in the premium app. Also, lists who owns the land, whether you're on public or private land, and is kept pretty current.