Bear, our 2016 JKUR

AggieOE

Trying to escape the city
As she sits today:
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Modifications List:

Suspension:

  • AEV 2.5" Lift with Geometry Correction Brackets
  • BFG KO2 285/75/17 (34") tires
  • SpiderTrax 1.5" Wheel Spacers
Exterior/Protection:
  • ARB Full Width Bull Bar Bumper
  • AEV Rear Bumper without water tanks
Recovery & Ancillaries:
  • Warn M8000 Winch
  • Hella 500 Driving Lights (the cheap ones)


Jeep's 'Major' Trips:
  • 2016: Moab, Canyonlands, Arches NP
  • 2018: Moab, Canyonlands, Arches NP (again)
  • 2022: Big Bend NP - Black Gap Road & River Road
  • 2022: Colorado - Ouray, Imogene Pass, Ophir Pass, Telluride, Animas Forks, Silverton, Durango, Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP, Chaco NM, Mesa Verde
  • 2023: Overland Expo West in Flagstaff


Back Story:
Well I've seen enough "build" threads to decide to start my own. Maybe "our" own should be the proper way of saying that as this is my wife's and my first "family" vehicle purchase.
First off, we don't have kids and aren't planning to anytime soon but it was time to grow up and get something a little more "family practical" for us and our two dogs. Plus, we wanted something that could go anywhere, do anything, and still be reliable and comfortable.
Now most people wouldn't consider a Wrangler comfortable but I come from a sports car background where the stiffer suspension, the better.
Our first purchase as a married couple was my '12 Boss 302 Mustang. Well it was fun and all until the AC went out on me 4,000 miles out of warranty, then the differential began having issues, next something in the front suspension started popping, and the transmission was never aligned perfectly as it would lock you out of a gear every so often. Basically, I was getting annoyed with my fun daily driver. Add 62,000 miles to the mix and I needed to get out of her while I could still profit a high mileage Boss 302.

Anyways, we purchased our new '16 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon on 6/30/16. I know the date because that was the only reason I purchased it then. It was the last day of the month, the quarter, and the half of the year. I called around and asked who needed to make a deal as I was not in a hurry. Long story short, we got a great deal on the new Jeep and on my trade-in and we left the dealer without 444-horsepower but with a real lockable 4x4 4-door convertible "practical" vehicle.

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She's your generic Rubicon with all the usual features but with optional 4.10s, Navigation, Alpine 9-speaker audio system, and Freedom top.

Since we've had her I've only added a Rugger Ridge hitch receiver with wiring harness and Wild Boar grab bars as well as a tow strap and shackles.

Below is her first real "Jeep" outing with the Houston Jeep People club at Hidden Falls off-road park outside Austin, TX.
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We aren't going to be into the whole rock-crawling crowd but wanted to learn how the vehicle works in it's basic stock form before adding anything to it.
Besides leaving there with a few brush scratches, she got her first scar (dented up the exhaust tip), and plenty of belly sliding evidence underneath.

It was a blast and we learned a whole lot about what she will and will not do.

Btw, a hammock strung up inside between roll bars makes for an awesome 1-person camping set-up.

Anywho, stay tuned for one of the slowest and probably most boring builds ever!
 

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SilicaRich

Wandering Inverted
I like how the stockers and close to stock Rubicons stuck together for the picture haha. Good to see a build thread from you Nathan. I will go ahead and pitch in about the tires; I think the BFG KO2s are your answer especially after seeing how Sean's tires performed at Hidden Falls. More than likely you are not going to enjoy a MT tire for daily driving and Goodyear really only makes one tire worth considering in 33" or bigger (MTR). Unless you plan to deal with mud on a regular basis, I would pass. Only other tire I'll recommend alongside the KO2 is the Cooper ST Maxx which has comparable performance but is normally cheaper.

Looks like you have a pretty good idea of what you want to do with the Jeep based on your list. Look forward to its progress!
 

Comanche Scott

Expedition Leader
Great platform to start with. :beer:
Another item to consider is the M.O.R.E. dead pedal. Especially if you like to move around in your seat during long trips.

Takes longer to read the instructions than it does to mount it up, and really makes driving comfortable.
I've spent as long as 18 hours (with a one hour lunch break) behind the wheel, and felt comfortable for the whole drive. Did a straight through 15 hour road trip once with stops only for gas.

For reference, I like a smooth comfortable upright ride, and move around a lot in the seat.
Hth,
 

AggieOE

Trying to escape the city
I know its not extremely exciting but over the weekend I removed the bumpers and painted the tow hooks red to match the shocks and to stand out more as they are a recovery point.

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Captain Texas

Adventurer
I've had my BFG KO2 for about 500 miles now and love them. I am really happy with on road performance and how quite they are on the road. And they handle really well in the rain. :ylsmoke: Couldn't recommend them more.
 

AggieOE

Trying to escape the city
Yeah I think eventually the KO2s will be my tire of choice moving forward but the MTs are actually still doing well. They really aren't that loud and have done pretty good in the rain so far.
 

Comanche Scott

Expedition Leader
Beautiful pictures! :beer:

isn't it amazing how good it is off road, with how well it performs on the road?
You've got a great Jeep. Very cool to see it in its natural habitat. :)
 

AggieOE

Trying to escape the city
Beautiful pictures! :beer:

isn't it amazing how good it is off road, with how well it performs on the road?
You've got a great Jeep. Very cool to see it in its natural habitat. :)

Thanks!

And 100%, my dad's had a couple old Jeeps (CJ7 & TJ) and every time he gets in ours he can't understand how quiet it is. With MTs for rubber and a box for shape, it's actually quiet and comfortable.
 

AggieOE

Trying to escape the city
After being caught up with work for much of the first part of the year, my wife and I were finally able to get away from Houston for a long weekend up in Palo Duro Canyon.
We've actually never "really" been camping together so it was more so of a test run that went very well, despite me forgetting my cast iron cookware.Err...

Our campsite was one of the developed ones in the Hackberry loop.
So all around us was very nice RVs and trailers with lots of Snowbirds.

Even though the hiking isn't the best in Palo Duro due to a lack of climatic final destinations, the biking was good and the sunsets and scenery were gorgeous. Sorry for the low quality phone pictures. I thought I'd take more with my SLR but actually only took a couple.

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Good trip though. With the dogs traveling part of the way to my parents, our Jeep was packed full! I really think a RTT on a trailer or a tear drop will be in the future. Less set-up, more so tear-down time sounds awesome!
 
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jpat30

Adventurer
Did you hike the lighthouse trail while out there? It's definitely my favorite hike in the park, though there are plenty of other cool places to explore too....
 

AggieOE

Trying to escape the city
Yeah the lighthouse trail was the best one we did! The others seemed better for kids. I wish we would have just woken up early and done all of the "difficult" trails but oh well.
 

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