Fox 2.5-inch Internal Bypass Remote Reservoir Shocks
This is the money item on the Mojave, and what really transforms it from a Wrangler truck to something you’d feel comfortable throwing around the desert. For overlanding, I’m a big fan of OE engineering. While it may not result in the same performance you could get from an aftermarket race shock, this isn’t a race car, and overlanding is about long-distance travel—not winning any races.
The ride quality is a fantastic compromise between street comfort and off-road agility. The Mojave feels light and agile, more so than its competition in my opinion. These shocks don’t drastically alter the character of the vehicle, but they inspire you to push just a little bit further. Overlanders will see the biggest advantages of these shocks on washboard corrugations and rocky trails, where the additional fluid volume will better resist fade and overheating. All with a warranty.
High Clearance Fender Flares
The ability to fit a larger tire without lifting the vehicle is worth its weight in gold, and that’s exactly what these factory high clearance fenders do. We’ve yet to talk to Jeep’s engineering team about tire sizes with the Mojave specifically, but we know when equipped on a Rubicon model, 35-inch tires fit without a lift, and 37-inch tires will work with a 2-3-inch lift with properly backspaced wheels.
Combined with the Fox suspension we just talked about, the Mojave is primed and ready for a 35-inch tire.
Trail Cam
With the larger hood on the Mojave, the front end loses a bit of visibility, and that’s where the trail camera comes in handy. The high-resolution infotainment display automatically turns on the trail cam when you shift into low range, and it will even show you the path of your vehicle, much like a rear-view camera would. It sounds like a gimmick, but it works, and it’s quite handy. It has definitely saved me from having to ask for a spotter in mild situations. I also loved using it in tight parking scenarios.
Mojave Steering Wheel
This is the nicest steering wheel I’ve seen in a while, and it happens to be in a Jeep Gladiator. Who woulda thought? The triangular shape of the wheel’s grip, when mixed with the additional padding at 10-and-2, makes this one a winner. We also dig the orange stitching and the choice of perforated leather. It looks like something out of an SRT vehicle.
Mopar Step Sliders
I have seen Jeep’s factory sliders take abuse time and time again. They hug the body, they’re relatively lightweight, and unlike most cheap aftermarket rock sliders, they won’t turn into a pile of powder-coated rust in a few years. The Mopar Step Sliders are a $XXX upgrade, but they’re something I’m going to eventually put on my personal Gladiator. I like that they stick out just a little bit farther than the standard Rubicon rock sliders, which allow you to use them as a tool on the trail without as much risk of body damage—I could see them being particularly useful to our East Coast readers, who need a little bit more protection against trees and muddy rocks than we do on the West Coast.
