
Member III
In May of 2014 I purchased a 2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport S. At this time I wasn’t really familiar with Overlanding nor offroad vehicles. A buddy of mine had purchased a Toyota Tacoma a couple months before and to keep up I upgraded my Compass to a Wrangler. Prior to purchasing my Wrangler, I had never exactly turned a wrench on a vehicle. Little did I know how addicting this would become.
Fast forward a bit and I can happily say I am much more familiar with the term Overlanding and my Jeep as a vehicle. Over that time I have purchased and installed some parts to fit the vehicle to my style, and with that, here is my build. It has taken many twists and turns, but has turned out to be something I can truly enjoy.
View attachment 6916
- Teraflex 2.5" Coil Lift
- 1” and 0.5” Spacers front and rear, respectively
- Fox 2.0 Remote Reservoir Shocks (valved for my coils)
- Teraflex quick disconnects
In hindsight, I probably should have went with 3" or 3.5" out of the gate. At the time though, my research told me I had would have to fiddle around with a bunch of stuff I was unfamiliar with, and I was installing this kit myself. Lesson learnt, though. Buy once, cry once.
Anyhow, after adding a bumper and other weight I started to notice a bit of sag in the front. I used this an excuse to add some spacers and giving me a total of 3” lift.
View attachment 6917
- 37x12.5R17 BF Goodwrich KO2
- 17” AEV Salta wheels
I may as well be a tire tester… First I started with 33x12.5R15 Goodyear Duratracs and steel wheels, this was okay but really wasn’t satisfying me needs. So after a year on the Duratracs I stepped up to 35x12.5R15 BFG KM2’s on the same steel wheels. I ran those for a bit too, then made the decision to bite the bullet and jump into a set of the Salta’s. I wrapped those with Goodyear MTR/K’s in 35x12.5R17. Then most recently, I satisfied I put a set of the KO2’s on to satisfy my curiosity on the “best” tire. Great choice thus far.
View attachment 6912
Armor:
- AEV front bumper
- AEV rear tire carrier
- Poison Spyder Diff Cover
Stupid decisions were made here too. I originally upgraded to MCE Flat Fenders and an ARB Stubby bumper because It was the same price as an AEV bumper alone. Well, I wasn’t that happy with it and always loved the AEV Jeeps, so when I found a local dealer I went ahead and snatched up the front bumper.
View attachment 6914
- 7" KC Hi-Lites
The JK stocks lights are horrible, so an upgrade was in order. Currently I'm looking into some off road driving lights too.
Performance:
- Superchips Flashpaq w/ 87 Octane Tune
- K&N Air Filter
To compensate for the larger tires, without regearing I'm currently running a Superchips. When the front axle bites the dust an upgrade is in order.
Current & Future Plans:
So they say things can never be finished, and I plan on a matching on doing a couple of things.
- AEV Rear Bumper
- Fridge/Freezer
- SPOD
- Offroad Lights
- Winch
- Front control arms
- AEV Fuel Caddy
View attachment 24389
3" Teraflex lift w/ 37" KO2's and Salta Wheels, May 2017
Fast forward a bit and I can happily say I am much more familiar with the term Overlanding and my Jeep as a vehicle. Over that time I have purchased and installed some parts to fit the vehicle to my style, and with that, here is my build. It has taken many twists and turns, but has turned out to be something I can truly enjoy.
View attachment 6916
Stock, May 2014
Suspension:
- Teraflex 2.5" Coil Lift
- 1” and 0.5” Spacers front and rear, respectively
- Fox 2.0 Remote Reservoir Shocks (valved for my coils)
- Teraflex quick disconnects
In hindsight, I probably should have went with 3" or 3.5" out of the gate. At the time though, my research told me I had would have to fiddle around with a bunch of stuff I was unfamiliar with, and I was installing this kit myself. Lesson learnt, though. Buy once, cry once.
Anyhow, after adding a bumper and other weight I started to notice a bit of sag in the front. I used this an excuse to add some spacers and giving me a total of 3” lift.
View attachment 6917
35" KM2's w/ 2.5" Teraflex Lift, October 2015
Tires & Wheels:
- 37x12.5R17 BF Goodwrich KO2
- 17” AEV Salta wheels
I may as well be a tire tester… First I started with 33x12.5R15 Goodyear Duratracs and steel wheels, this was okay but really wasn’t satisfying me needs. So after a year on the Duratracs I stepped up to 35x12.5R15 BFG KM2’s on the same steel wheels. I ran those for a bit too, then made the decision to bite the bullet and jump into a set of the Salta’s. I wrapped those with Goodyear MTR/K’s in 35x12.5R17. Then most recently, I satisfied I put a set of the KO2’s on to satisfy my curiosity on the “best” tire. Great choice thus far.
View attachment 6912
Stock suspension w/ 33" Duratracs, July 2014
View attachment 6913
2.5" Teraflex lift w/ 35" MTR/K's and Salta Wheels, August 2016
Armor:
- AEV front bumper
- AEV rear tire carrier
- Poison Spyder Diff Cover
Stupid decisions were made here too. I originally upgraded to MCE Flat Fenders and an ARB Stubby bumper because It was the same price as an AEV bumper alone. Well, I wasn’t that happy with it and always loved the AEV Jeeps, so when I found a local dealer I went ahead and snatched up the front bumper.
View attachment 6914
2.5" Teraflex lift w/ MCE Fenders and 35" KM2's, October 2015
Lighting:
- 7" KC Hi-Lites
The JK stocks lights are horrible, so an upgrade was in order. Currently I'm looking into some off road driving lights too.
Performance:
- Superchips Flashpaq w/ 87 Octane Tune
- K&N Air Filter
To compensate for the larger tires, without regearing I'm currently running a Superchips. When the front axle bites the dust an upgrade is in order.
Current & Future Plans:
So they say things can never be finished, and I plan on a matching on doing a couple of things.
- AEV Rear Bumper
- Fridge/Freezer
- SPOD
- Offroad Lights
- Winch
- Front control arms
- AEV Fuel Caddy
View attachment 24389
3" Teraflex lift w/ 37" KO2's and Salta Wheels, May 2017
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