The militant legend is not about to go down without a fight. Jeep vehicles are more aggressive off-roading than ever. But, you can’t just step into the universal model sitting at the showroom in your local Jeep dealer and expect to conquer unlimited terrain in these base models. No, you need to upgrade and modify your Jeep for the particular purpose of off-roading and beating the hard terrain ahead of you. Thankfully, there are several serious mods which will put your Jeep over the top and let you take those Jeep trail rides without worries. And even though you won’t have to evade enemy combatants and hidden landmines, you will have plenty of obstacles and desolate environments where injury and death would be a certainty without a solid off-road-ready model.
7 Top Mods for Jeep Trail Rides
#1: A Winch
A winch is that hard-mounted cable spool that has the torque and power to pull your Jeep up out of a ditch and to rescue others stranded on the side of the road. It can also help you clear massive logs out of the way or build the perfect base camp. A winch is an essential part of Jeep security that protects your vehicle from getting stranded in remote areas where a tow truck can’t access it. Call on the power of the winch whenever you are in a pinch and you won’t be disappointed.
#2: Lift Kits
Although the Jeep Wrangler is already pretty high and has plenty of clearance for the ordinary off-road experience, adding a lift kit is paramount to any serious off-road excursion. No matter how durable your Jeep might be from body armor skid plates to a water-tight snorkel, you can always bottom out and find yourself stranded in situations where a winch might not even be enough. Installing a lift kit puts you on the high road and protects your undercarriage from being twisted into pieces on some crippling debris. And when it comes to lift kits, standard springs are okay. But, if you plan on doing a lot of high-speed off-roading, you might want to invest in a quality set of Jeep coil-overs.
In order to maximize space on your off-road experience, it is essential to have a secure locker where you can store all your possessions and not worry about them slipping out or becoming booty for thieves. The single-piece hinged locker made by Tuffy Products is the seamless installation that you need to eliminate rattles and shakes without having to install secure straps and plates to fill out the extra space in your boot. This model works in vehicles with or without subwoofers and promises to keep all your gear firmly held in the Jeep security locker.
If you want a tough and secure locker that doubles as a rear deck behind your backseats, then look no further than the Jeep Security Deck Enclosure manufactured by Tuffy Products. This security boot provides an astounding 20,000 cubic inches. This locker works in conjunction with your rear door and only opens when the door is open. It has a steel lid to protect your valuable and does not require any drilling to install.
#5: All-Terrain Tires
If you want to shake things up and climb those rugged hills and deep waterlogged valleys, you need to invest in the right kind of tires. Only quality all-terrain tires will give you the traction and durability that you need to climb over steep rocky faces without blowing out a tire. Gummy and grippy all-terrain tires will allow you to conquer any obstacle without feeling any negative feedback. Quality tires will allow you to glide along the Jeep trail rides like you are floating on clouds of air.
#6: Differential Lockers
A differential locker will lock up the differential to ensure that both wheels are receiving power even if one doesn’t have traction. The worst part of off-roading is getting hung up and stuck without any traction. This happens more often in muddy areas when you start sinking in and soon find yourself brainstorming a winch pull-plan to get out. Although limited-slip differentials (LSDs) can also work well in these situations, a differential locker with push-button lockup is sufficient to overcome most situations. A pneumatic differential locker that produces its own compressed air on demand is even cooler.
#7: Rock Sliders and Skid Plates
To get the full protection that heavy off-roading encounters, you should fit your Jeep Wrangler with some sleek and stylish rock sliders. Rock sliders are not only great for keeping those heavy rocks from messing up your sheet metal, but they also come in handy when you want to exit and enter the vehicle with ease.
Metal skid plates and body armor are additional upgrades that any serious off-roader should make to build a veritable tank full of endless fun and off-road excitement. In fact, you can opt for aluminum skid plates or steel to protect everything from your gas tank to your oil pan. You can now, for most models, buy full kits or component pieces separately to shore up the transmission, front-end, and/or gas tank.