Jeep Wrangler · JL / JLU

The Ultimate Off-Road Build

This Jeep Wrangler build is outfitted for off-roading, with gear to clear bigger obstacles, protect the underbody, help you get unstuck, and ensure you're able to communicate with others, even when in the most remote locations.

Every pick sourced from real owner reviews and input (JLWranglerForums, WAYALIFE). Prices and specs verified.

Before you build

What owners wish they'd known.

Smart is the essentials at a lower cost.

1

Tires & Suspension

Tires

All terrain tire, 265/70R17 standard load. 14/32 tread, three peak snow rated, with a 65,000 mile tread warranty.

65K mi warrantyTrue
$936set of 4
Wheels

ICON Alloys Rebound wheel in 17 by 8.5.

$1,212set of 4
Suspension

3.5 inch lift for a 2018 to 2023 four-door Wrangler JL on stock-rate coils. New springs and N3 shocks, control arm drop brackets, sway bar links, bump stop spacers and a rear track bar bracket. Clears a 35 inch tire. 115.8 lbs.

116 lbs
$800

Note: For most builds a complete lift kit is the whole job, a 2-3 inch lift with new shocks and springs. Go past 3 inches on a Tacoma or 4Runner and you'll want upper control arms and an alignment; rear sag from towing is a separate fix with air helper springs.

Air Compressor

Glovebox sized inflator for topping off tires and airing back up after a trail. It clamps onto the battery, and comes with a pressure gauge, an LED work light and a brass twist-on chuck.

5 lbs25 min. @ 30 PSI duty1.97 CFM
$104
Tire Deflators

Preset automatic tire deflators, a four pack adjustable from 6 to 30 psi.

$65
2

Armor & Protection

Rock Sliders

Step slider for a 2018 and up Wrangler JL in steel plate and tubing, finished in textured black powder coat. Built to work as a step as much as a rocker guard, and it bolts on with no cutting or drilling.

$530
Skid Plates

Front differential skid for a 2018 to 2023 Wrangler JL in 1/4 inch plate steel, bolt-on, with the diff drain plug still reachable. The M220 rear skid is sold separately.

$90
Front Bumper

Front bumper for a 2018 and up Wrangler JL. 3/16 inch cold rolled steel with a 1 3/4 inch .120 wall overrider and UHMW slip strips. Winch ready up to 12,000 lb. The factory LED or sport fog lights remount on the included adapters.

$800
3

Recovery & Safety

4

Lighting

Trail Lights

Flood pods for lighting the ground close in, a pair with a beam about 51 degrees wide and 51 tall. 30 watts and 2.14 amps at 14 volts each, reaching 250 feet at 1 lux by Rigid's figures. 3 by 3.2 inches per light. Limited lifetime warranty.

2 lbs30WFlood
$280
5

Additional Gear

Sway Bar Disconnect

Lets a 2018 and newer Wrangler JL or Gladiator drop the front sway bar on the trail and hook it back up for the road. JKS Quicker Disconnects, part JKS2033, sized for 2.5 to 6 inches of lift, with retention brackets to hold the links out of the way when disconnected. 6.7 lbs.

7 lbs
$177
Steering Stabilizer

The fixed-damping version for a 2018 and newer Wrangler JL or Gladiator. Fox 2.0 Performance Series TS, a gas-charged through-shaft stabilizer that replaces the stock unit on the front axle bracket, part 985-02-127. 6.5 lbs.

7 lbs
$376
GMRS Radio

Handheld GMRS radio for talking between rigs, 5 W out. Ships with a 15.5 inch antenna, a 2,500 mAh USB-C battery and 10 NOAA weather channels. Sold alone or with a spare battery for $44.99.

$30
Fire Extinguisher

Aerosol fire extinguisher about the size of a road flare, for a vehicle fire you catch early. It discharges for 50 seconds, which Element says is more than five times a 5 lb bottle. There are no moving parts and no compressed gas, so there is nothing to service and no gauge to check, and it leaves no residue. Element rates it for all major fire classes but not for a wood campfire. 10.75 inches long and 1.2 inches across, with a mounting clip in the box. Half a pound.

1 lbs
$90
First Aid

First aid kit for one or two people on trips of up to four days. The compartments are labelled by injury, so you are not reading packets while someone bleeds. Inside are fabric and butterfly bandages, a 5 by 9 inch trauma pad, conforming gauze, 4 inch EMT shears, splinter and tick forceps, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, aspirin, an antihistamine, an anti diarrheal and a wilderness first aid manual.

$57

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