2018 Ram Rebel Overland Build

  • HTML tutorial

-Yeti-

Rank III
Launch Member

Enthusiast III

676
Nashville, TN, USA
First Name
John
Last Name
M
Member #

16032

Ham/GMRS Callsign
N4MAL
How do you like your tires? I'm trying to decide what treat to go with when I install the AEV lift.
Our use is pretty similar so I'm going to stand on the shoulders of giants for recommendations
 

DVC

Rank V
Launch Member

Enthusiast I

2,093
Hackettstown, NJ
First Name
Aaron
Last Name
R
Member #

16620

How do you like your tires? I'm trying to decide what treat to go with when I install the AEV lift.
Our use is pretty similar so I'm going to stand on the shoulders of giants for recommendations
Haha... The DuraTracs have been great. They have been good on the street, as well as on the beach; haven't really put them though the paces on any challenging trails yet though. I chose them for several reasons, including being relatively light weight for their size, and because they're 3-peak snow-rated. There are other good choices if snow performance isn't a priority, though... I really liked my Nitto Ridge Grapplers before before I sold them. They were very good in the street, and fantastic off-road.
 

-Yeti-

Rank III
Launch Member

Enthusiast III

676
Nashville, TN, USA
First Name
John
Last Name
M
Member #

16032

Ham/GMRS Callsign
N4MAL
How loud, though? if 80% of my miles are going to be spent in a bee hive, I'd rather use slicks off-road.
 

DVC

Rank V
Launch Member

Enthusiast I

2,093
Hackettstown, NJ
First Name
Aaron
Last Name
R
Member #

16620

How loud, though? if 80% of my miles are going to be spent in a bee hive, I'd rather use slicks off-road.
To be honest, I haven't really noticed anything objectionable. Maybe a little bit louder than the Toyos... It's only been about 5-6000 miles though.
 

DVC

Rank V
Launch Member

Enthusiast I

2,093
Hackettstown, NJ
First Name
Aaron
Last Name
R
Member #

16620

Hit a local trail today to test out a new tablet mount I installed...works great for running a mapping app while out on the trails (my Android tablet has built in GPS/GLONASS, so no need to tether it to a phone for a network connection). The 8.4" size is great; big enough to see map details, but not so big as to obscure the nav screen or block any field out view out the windshield.

 
Last edited:

DVC

Rank V
Launch Member

Enthusiast I

2,093
Hackettstown, NJ
First Name
Aaron
Last Name
R
Member #

16620

Finally got my Roof Top Tent. I went with an Overland Pros Anza 1400, as it seemed to strike the right balance for me between size/weight, design/features, and price. Very impressed with the quality so far...looking forward to the first overnight trip with it!

Here's a few pics of some very cold weather exploring just to test how the truck felt with the tent up there (I could hardly even tell it was up there).

20190120_163314.jpegIMG_20190120_231504_605.jpeg
 

Armchair Outdoorsman

Rank II
Launch Member

Enthusiast I

404
Ontario Canada
First Name
Iain
Last Name
Richardson
Member #

9055

Great truck! The underpinnings of my 17 ram outdoorsman are exactly the same aside from the air suspension. I have exactly the same Duratracs. And they are outstanding and ice and snow.

I love that Vice hidden winch mount. I was looking at modifying my OEM Chrome front bumper to work with their mount, but I decided to go with a bumper that would get me more tire clearance so I went with a prototype Expedition One Ultra bumper originally made only for the 2500 Rams.

Following for more inspiration!!!! Thanks for the detailed write up on each addition!!

IMG_8952.JPG
 

mjherron

Rank V
Member

Member III

2,779
Smithville, Missouri, USA
First Name
Mark
Last Name
Herron
Member #

8422

Here's the next exterior mod...

RetraxPro MX tonneau:
I researched tonneau covers for a long time before finally pulling the trigger. It was down to Retrax and Truck Covers USA, as both are compatible with Ramboxes; both are retractable (and therefore can be used with a bed rack); and both are strong enough to be rated to support 500# of evenly distributed static weight on top of them. But there were a few factors that tipped me in favor of the Retrax... it's not spring-loaded, so it's lockable in any position; it retains full functionality of the sliding tie down rail, where with TC USA you lose these entirely; and the Retrax tracks only stick out about 1.5" from the bed walls, vs over 3" per side with the TC USA (this was important to me since Rambox beds loose some width to begin with).

Installation was fairly easy, with the exception of wrestling the heavy canister into the bed. No adjustments were necessary to get everything square; it was dead-on on the first try. (I think this is probably due to the nature of the Rambox installation.) The cover was extremely tight in the tracks for the first couple of days, but had smoothed out considerably since then. The quality seems to be fantastic so far; the seals fit perfectly on the sides, allowing the Ramboxes to open and close easily, but still sealing out the elements.
DVC, it’s been almost a year with your Retrax. How has it held up? I’m looking to get this same model but with track system.
 

phlfly

Rank V
Launch Member

Influencer II

2,315
Leesburg, VA, USA
First Name
Vadim
Last Name
Zubkov
Member #

15533

Great truck. People has nostalgia about Land rover but this truck put any Defender in dust, but Ford Raptor is even more killer.
 

JCWages

Rank V
Launch Member

Pathfinder I

2,271
Grass Valley, CA, USA
First Name
Justin
Last Name
Wages
Member #

18693

How loud, though? if 80% of my miles are going to be spent in a bee hive, I'd rather use slicks off-road.
Duratracs are notorious for being loud after 20k miles or so and wet traction is poor. There are better tires now that best the Duratrac in wet, quietness, price and durability that match it in snow performance. The Ridge Grappler gets good reviews and I'll take my Wildpeak A/T3W over the Duratrac any day of the week. I ran Duratracs for 30k miles.
 
  • Like
Reactions: -Yeti-

South Texas Overland

Rank III
Launch Member

Contributor III

797
San Antonio, TX, USA
Member #

12965

The Rebel is already pretty capable off road, with a 5.7l Hemi V8, 3.92 rear and LSD, 33" tires, and a BW 44-45 locking center diff, so the primary focus in terms of capability for me is tires. I upgraded the stock Toyo Open Country A/T tires with a set of 305/70-17 Nitto Ridge Grapplers. These tires come out to be a little more than an inch larger in diameter than the Toyos, as well as about 3/4" wider. They're also something of a hybrid between A/T and M/T tires, so they're very capable off road, but also pretty well-mannered on the road. Along with these tires, I upgraded to a set of Fuel Anza wheels - 17x 8.5" with a -6mm offset. The end result is about 1/2" more tire clearance on the inside, and the tires sticking out 1-1/2"+ which fills the fenders very nicely, without sticking out past the tops of the fenders. Pretty much a perfect fit (although I did order a set of 1/4" spacers for the rear, as I think the rears could come out a bit more to better match the profile of the fronts).

So far, on the road, these tires have been great. Their road manners are very similar to the OE Toyos, which is to say very low noise and decent dry grip for this type of tire. They haven't seen rain or snow yet, but according to reviews, they have great wet traction for such an aggressive tread, and snow traction is excellent (much better than the OE Toyos). I'll be interested to see how good they do on the trails at AOAA at the end of the month!

Here's the truck as it currently sits....









And here it was stock:

Nice truck I just bought a 2019 Ram Rebel and looking to add a winch and lights. Any luck finding any good upgrades?
 

Fellow Jeeper

Rank V

Influencer II

1,787
Latrobe Pa
First Name
Lee
Last Name
Bobincheck
DVC, how much room did you have around brakes when you went to the 17 in wheel? I have the stock aluminum 20s on my sport and looking to down size.