New to JEEP Family and have a couple questions.....

[Player]

1054083

Hello everyone,

Well, I just bought my first Jeep (01 Wrangler, 2.5L, Auto) and was thinking about mods. But, after reading messages at this boards, decided to hold off on anything that will void my warranty (It has 15,000 miles).

So, my question is this: What should I do in the meantime? It's a daily driver that will be doing some light to moderate offroading. My future goal (after warranty expires) is to put 31's and a 2.5" lift on it.

Should I go ahead and get bumpers and a winch in anticipation of the future mods? What about lockers? Does this affect warranty? Which ones for my model? Gearing?

I'm a true newbie when it comes to offroading and jeeps and any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I'm trying to read all the information I can, but am starting to feel a bit overwhelmed.

Thanks for the help!
Joe
aka: Player[addsig]

 

[N2HUN10]

1054084

You may want to start with an air intake system, it will help you boost power and mileage[addsig]

 

[Tug-n-pull]

1054086

Howdy Cousin Player, Welcome to the family. 02 TJ that sounds nice, I would just run off the factory coverage befor I did any thing to the running gears, or under carriage. Use this next 15,000 to get all the bugs out and add the interior upgrades and any cosmedic stuff to make it what you want it to be. Bumpers and a winch I would not think will void anything. Get that CB in there and what ever else you want to add. If you are anything like me 15,000 will be gone by the first of next week. Good luck Tug[addsig]

 

[jprtroy]

1054095

Couple things, First off welcome to the Jeep family. Second, are you married? if not, You just got ! Your jeep, will get all your money, argue with ya all the time, she'll never say "no", and you'll never be done whit her!
Find a 4x4 club in your area, find out when they hold club meetings and attend a few, speak with some of the members, attend a few "club runs" club members will be glad to help you understand your vehicle, and can help you in deciding who to blow I, I mean spend your cash on her.
Before long, you'll be comfortable pointing her at some obstacle you thought you'd never be able to walk up and over let alone drive over! Lockers are definatly a plus, but until your comfortable with how she handles off-road, lockers may get you into trouble.
The time for upgrading the running gear (lockers & gears etc...) will come!
Definatly, install a beefy bumper and winch first thing! A winch is a big confidence builder! But, they have their limitations. When you do install a winch, PLEASE, read up on the proper use of one. Ask questions, practice in an empty parking lot. A winch cable can KILL! If used properly and safely, you'll find yourself hitting trails with confidence, knowing that you'll be able to free yourself from most situtations.
Also, It's a real good practice to wheel with a another vehicle. (This is where a 4x4 club comes in handy)
Along with the winch, your gonna need a tree saver strap, and a clevis or shackle (same thing, different names) A snatch block would be nice to have also, as it'll allow for off-angle pulls. Minimun, get the strap, and some good heavy duty leather gloves ( for workin with the winch cable)
It's a whole new world for you, have fun in it. be happy. Be safe!
Let us know when you finally start dumping coin on her huh?





[addsig]

 

[drewfuss27]

1054103

Welcome to the insanity of jeep ownership! Jeeps are fun to build-up, but always seem to want to evolve to the "next step". The best advice I can give you is build your jeep once. This is a tough act to follow, as any jeep owner knows, but what I mean by it is you'll save yourself a lot of money if you shell out the extra couple bucks from the 'git-go. For example when you decide to lift your jeep, don't go too cheap or too small; figure out how much lift you'll need to run tires bigger than what you currently have in mind, this way you won't have to undo what you've done because you suddenly need more lift. A lot of people put on 2 1/2" lifts and end up either changing it out to a 4" lift or more within 2 years. Same goes for lockers, a lot of folks jump right in with both feet and upgrade thier axles with lockers and then end up changing out the axles anyway. The best way to learn about what works and what does'nt is to talk to jeep owners that have been down that road before. A good starting point for you to consider your "plan" is that a 2.5l engine is good for rock crawling but not mud bogging. The biggest tire size I'd suggest is a 35"x12.50 lightweight mud tire (like a Goodyear or a BFG). and you'll need lower gears to run highway speeds with that setup (or just deal without having 5th gear). 31" tires run well with a 2.5l, but 31" tires ALWAYS end up getting upgraded to 33"s within a year or so. Finally, the biggest question is what will your budget allow? Good Luck! :-D [addsig]

 

[Player]

1054106

Thanks for the suggestions! In my excitement, I completely forgot about looking for a club. I know they have at least one here (Upper Michigan).

This board is perfect for the newbie (me)

Thanks again!
Joe
[addsig]

 

[PASmokeater]

1054118

Hey Joe, Rob here, I have a stock 99 TJ and use it to the extreme. The only time it's fails me is when a little thing called "driver error" occured.
I would hold off on the modifications to the actual Jeep until you've gone off roading a couple of times. Spend the $$ on neccessary items that you need for off roading.
Things like a rear tow point (if you don't allready have one), tow straps (no metal chains),a C.B. radio, shackles, possibly a high lift jack, a first aid kit, and a fire extingusher(sp?) are neccesities.
The radio, tow straps and rear tow point should be installed before your first outing. The other things should come shortly after you decide that this is what you want to do (and if your like anyone else on this board, you'll be hooked lol)

Welcome to the world of Jeeping, and if we can be of any help, let us know !!!!

One last thing, don't under estimate the abilities of your stock TJ. Once you learn what her and your limits are, I think you'll be pleasently surprised......I was !!!!!!!



Rob [addsig]

 

[Jeeper84]

1054121

alright, Troy, let's keep it clean.....

"club members will be glad to help you understand your vehicle, and can help you in deciding who to blow..."

-Mike :-D [addsig]

 

[Quinners]

1054134

Player,

Where are you located in the UP??!! I'm originally from Escanaba and graduated from Michigan State prior to the move to Texas....it's good to hear from a fellow Yooper!!

Take Care,
Patti[addsig]

 

[Craig]

1054136

I was in the same boat as you are in a few years ago when I bought my 96' F150 brand new. If I added a suspension lift and larger tires, it would have voided my drivetrain warranty. I found a cheap way around it till my warranty ran out. I just added a 3 inch body lift and 33" tires till my warranty ran out, then took out the body lift and did the suspension. A 3 inch body lift on a truck doesn't look all that bad but I don't like the way it looks on a jeep...too much of a gap between the body and frame. But if you don't mind living with it for a few years till your warranty is up you could get your 31 inch tires under the jeep. Be sure to keep your stock tires so when you have a warranty problem, you just throw them on before you take it in. Body lifts can be expensive if you can't do it yourself, but if you think you can do it, they're not that hard to do. Remember to check to see if it'll void any warranties with jeep...Ford had no problem with it.
If you don't want to go with this, I'd probably invest my money into off road lights, bumpers, racks ect.

edited by: Craig, Feb 07, 2003 - 05:20 PM[addsig]

 

[Player]

1054169

Good stuff!

Hey Quinners, I'm in Marquette....tons of snow right now and COLD!

Later,
Joe
[addsig]

 

[Quinners]

1054192

Good deal! I was just in Marquette last month for a brief period of time...I used to ski Marquette Mountain ALL the time in high school! Ahhhhh, memories!! ;-) I spoke with my Mom last night and she said it was -11 in Escanaba...lovely....well, take care of yourself. I'll have to let you know when we go up north in the fall...maybe we can all go play! Patti[addsig]

 

[jhiggins]

1054472

start with all your accessories and move your way up to bumpers winches....so forth and so on by then your warnnty will be gane and on to the bigger things in life...... :-O [addsig]