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Decided to pull the trigger on most mods at once

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10K views 29 replies 14 participants last post by  taylor714 
#1 ·
I bought my '11 Limited 4x4 QT II about a month ago.

After some research I had a list. The list was way easier to generate than the one I did for my 98 XJ because by comparison there's only about 1/20th the amount of aftermarket options available for the WK2.

So this is what I bought today:


  • (5) MB TKO 17x8.5 wheels with the option smaller Chaos center caps
  • (5) Toyo Open Country AT II 265/70-17 tires (wheels and tires to be installed Saturday)
  • RRO 2.5" lift
  • RRO front winch bracket
  • RRO Combo Bumper kit
Last week I bought a Surco UB4560 Black Urban Roof Rack that should be here next week some time. So in the last week I've dropped $3500 on parts!


If anyone is curious, I stuck with a 265 tire so the spare would fit in the well without the floor riding high. Also, a 17" tire gives a bit more sidewall to smooth out the rough stuff, and the 17's are about $40 a tire cheaper than the equivalent OD 18" version. This is my DD, and I spend most of my time on pavement, and I want everything to be tucked away.

Later I want to add the Trailhawk matte black hood decal, and the Mopar rock sliders. I'll also get some skids as time goes by, and hopefully a Chief front protector set up.

To illustrate the difference on the wheel caps, the following pics show the difference. The first pic is the larger "standard" center caps, which stick out too far for my tastes and take away the depth of the wheel. The second pick is the smaller caps on the same wheel.






 
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#2 ·
Okay, so I got the wheels and tires on Saturday. For anyone wondering about the "what fits", here are some details.

This is a Limited WITHOUT the heavy duty brakes, which have larger calipers. Because of this, I could fit many 17 inch wheels instead of the stock 18"

These wheels are MB TKO 17x8.5 with +18 offset and the optional smaller center caps (one wheel cap was backordered). The factory 18x8 wheels were a 64 offset, so doing the math, you get a 46mm difference, or about 1.5 inches. Then add another 1/4" (half of the 1/2" overall width increase, and these wheels are stick out about 1.75" inches further than the stock wheels.

The tires are Toyo Open Country AT II's at 265/70-17 (31.5" OD). As you can see from the pics, they crowd the wheel wells a bit, especially in front. Once I install the 2.5" RRO lift it will help a lot. So far there has been no rubbing at all lock to lock on street driving.

It definitely gives it a wider, more aggressive stance. The tires ride smooth, and are certainly no louder than the Michelin street tires it had on it before.

I was disappointed to find that this wheel/tire combo will NOT fit in the factory spare tire storage area. It causes the floor to stick up about 3/4" which sets my OCD off. I have put my factory donut (big donut) back in there for now. There's a chance that 255 on an 8" wide wheel would have fit.

Again, the pics are PRE LIFT.







 
#3 ·
I like the look your going for,definitely a wider stance and already looks real cool without a lift,were it me,might just leave it as is if it's just street use,in any event,very cool set up and tasteful too,will be interested,along with most of the forum,when you post the finished look,especially with the roof rack too.You putting a LED light bar up top too?Have see them on,look pretty good too.All the best on your mods,it's looking very cool.
 
#4 ·
Thanks. Before buying the GC I had done some research, and found that the aftermarket options are pretty limited compared to other Jeeps. Given that, I created my list of mods I wanted to do, and then one night when researching how best to run wiring for roof rack lights, I stumbled on pics of BigCat's GC, and it was like we were reading each others minds. His is very similar to what I had planned for mine, and they are even the same color.

After weeks and being given the run-around, I finally got confirmation on Friday that my Surco rack has shipped, and should be here Wednesday. I'll probably put it on next weekend. I bought my lift, winch plate and bumper plate from Rocky Road Outfitters about 10 days ago, and haven't heard a peep form them. I'll probably call them on Monday to remind them the most important part of customer service is communication.

I have noticed that the heavier wheel/tire combo, along with a larger diameter has dropped my average MPG down about 1.5 MPG. Nothing I can't live with, and still better mileage than my 98 XJ.
 
#5 ·
I am guessing,as time goes on,more aftermarket products will become available, sure the products will never be as prolific as Wranglers and Unlimiteds,but few manufacturers take up the challenge straight away,RRO have some damn good products but are hit or miss supplying some products,(other posters noted RRO were real slow with winches and didn't keep customers informed/updated as much as they should),nevertheless they are a good company with some killer products.
Really don't want to mess with my '15 as I consider it perfect at this time,but my '11 I will soon start with some toys,I really like the look and stance the SRT8 rims give the JGC(few guys and girls on the forum have gone that route) but your set up has definitely given me pause for thought as the stance you have achieved thus far is more aggressive and makes way more of a statement as have many others on this forum.Dont know if you have seen the guys who did the hidden winch system looks GREAT,some have had issues some have not, a lot noted it looked kinda unfinished due to no trim either side of the bumper when done.Personally I thought the finished product looked awesome.If I remember right the issues arise for those that have the sensor mounted in the lower plastic grill,but again,the finish is awesome.I just have a hitch mounted winch I can switch between Jeeps.Although I wouldn't mind a front hidden winch like others,it's just beyond my expertise (actually just plain lazy!) to install and it's tough finding an installer in my area who can and is willing to undertake the job and stand behind their work.Anyway,carry on the cool work,and it IS cool what you are doing.
 
#8 ·
I got some news today. Looks like my Surco rack will be here Wednesday for sure. The Rocky Road Outfitters lift, winch plate, and combo bumper won't even ship till the end of next week at the earliest. I placed my order the night of the 10th.
I told the guy I spoke with that if that was their typical lead time, I was okay with that. But I also suggested that if someone pays you nearly $1300, it would probably be a good idea to inform them up front of the lead time, and also stay in touch every week or so with reminders and updates. Instead of hearing nothing at all, which makes people nervous. He said he understood my point.

I also wanted to make a product recommendation...
I've used Husky Liners in my XJ, and had some other custom fit brand I can't remember in my '02 TJ before I sold it. They both worked well at keeping the dirt off the carpet, but didn't exactly have the greatest fit. I've seen Weathertech in our company trucks, and they fit well and look nice, but are pricey. They also have big grooves and lugs in them, which is fine for me. But if you have a wife that wears high heels, she'll get her heels stuck in those big grooves all the time.

Last July I got my wife a set of 3D Maxpider Kagu rubber mats for her RAV4. She has RAVED about them, and I have to admit, they look really sharp, stay in place (unlike Husky Liners), are easy to clean, and have a really nice fit. I've been so impressed by them that I bought a set for the GC, and they have been great. Everyone that gets inside comments on them.
 
#9 ·
More updates.

It took some research, and about 4 hours of custom modifying the Surco cargo rack mounting hardware to work with the factory Mopar cross bars, but I now have a rack.

Actually, I bought clones of the Mopar cross bars for $99 on Amazon, which is considerably cheaper than any Rhino, Yakima, or Thule options.

I like the Surco Urban rack. It's all aluminum, including the corner pieces (never have to worry about it rusting and it's light enough I can lift it on and off myself if need be), has a pretty durable powder coat finish instead of just paint, and it has wide floor slats with good coverage that run front to rear. This F to R layout is important to me as I'm always at Home Depot buying lumber of sheet goods for my home remodeling projects, and the F/R slat layout makes it easy to slide things in and out of the rack without snagging or messing up the edges of the material being loaded/unloaded.

There are 14 aluminum t-nuts that are designed to slide into the standard cross bars that come with the Surco rack. I had to grind and notch each one of these so that they would slide into the Mopar cross bars. I had to use the Mopar cross bars because Surco does not have an adapter/mount kit that fits the WK2 with its flush rails. Again, half a day of work, but its on, it's straight , and it's tight. I'll fab up some kind of axe and shovel mounts later. Wind noise is nominal. I might try to fabricate and wind fairing for it later.

Also, with the help of my wife, I installed an OEM Trailhawk hood decal. not difficult, just time consuming and we had to be careful and thorough.

The RRO lift came in today. I'm still waiting on the front winch mount from them. I wait till I have it all here to install it.

Later, when I have time to properly fabricate a wiring harness with Weatherpak connectors, I'll wire up the LED light pods I have and get them mounted on the rack. I have one flood pod for each side, two flood pods for the rear, and two spot beam pods for the front. I also picked up some laser-etched switches that are LED backlit in green to match the rest of the interior accent lighting.

Here's a few picks of the progress. Not bad for only having owned it 6 weeks.






 
#12 ·
Yeah. I've decided I'm not overly concerned about it. I live in one of the most populated areas of the country, and it's on display in my daily commute for anyone that cares to snap a photo with their phone.

I'm not sure what harm anyone could do me. It's parked in the garage every night, I work in IT and have a high-tech security system and outdoor and indoor cameras, I'm a big burly son of a gun with forearms bigger than most guys biceps, I have a 150 pound Mastiff that guards the house, and I keep several loaded guns in the house. They should be scared of me, not the other way around.
 
#13 ·
Work and life have been crazy busy lately. I've been in the middle of remodeling our guest bathroom, my wife was diagnosed with a bulging disk in her neck, and our Mastiff broke off the end of a bone in his back leg and partially tore a tendon.

The last week or so has been relatively new-drama free, so I decided to tackle the RRO lift.

It's in! It took me 4 hours last night, and 5 1/2 hours today, but the lift kit is installed. The front was a royal PITA. It took all manner of ratchet straps, bungee cords, every dam socket I own, a trip to O'Reilly for more sockets, but it's in. I'm pretty sure I invented an entirely new language during the process. It's mostly curse words and grunting, but it would dub right over the dialog in "Quest for Fire" rather well.
It also required spring compressors, which I fortunately already had. I'm serious... Putting the lift on my XJ was nowhere near as frustrating as doing this one. The RRO instructions down-play the potential issues you'll run into. I was doing this by myself, and there's no way I would have been able to do the front drivers side using their instructions. Instead, I loosened everything and dropped the strut down, then fished the spacer up onto the top of the strut inside the strut tower. Then I carefully placed the washers on the bolts, and got the lock-nuts started with my fingers. After that it was a slow process of using a 3" long stubby 1/2" wrench to tighten those up. Then I raised the strut and spacer assembly back up and finger-started the nuts in the engine compartment.
The axle managed to get in a bind while I had that all out, and the process of trying to get the lower strut bolt back through the lower control arm took a full 45 minutes, a 3 pound sledge, spring compressors, a large pipe wrench to twist the strut housing to help align the bolt holes, a ratchet strap to help pull the bottom of the strut toward the inboard side of the lower control arm, and my pneumatic impact wrench.
The RRO instructions make absolutely no mention of tool or fastener sizes.
You'll need:

  • 21mm deep-well impact for the upper ball joint nut and the tie-rod nut
  • 18mm deep-well impact for the swaybar link nuts
  • a 24mm socket for the lower strut nut. The bolt that nut goes on has a 21mm head
  • 10mm socket for the ABS sensors
  • 1/2" wrench for the new spacer mounting nuts
  • a BFH
  • a wood chisel or a flat screwdriver with a very finely ground point to pry up on the ABS sensors. They fit very tightly to the spindle.
  • a large set of jack stands
  • a larger floor jack that has at least an 18"-22" lift capacity
  • a can of PB Blaster, a round wire wheel for a drill, and a small toothbrush-sized wire brush. Do yourself a HUGE favor and clean the threads of the upper ball joint, the tie rod, and the swaybar link, and soak the down with PB Blaster. Otherwise, they can be a real bear to loosen. When I reassembled, I cleaned all threads and coated with copper anti-seize, just so any future work would be easier.
  • a 1/2 drill bit to slightly enlarge the bolt holes in the two large mounting washers for the rear spacers. As shipped, the holes on mine were too small for the bolts to pass through.
  • 18,21, and 24,mm wrenches.
  • a 5/16 deep socket to hold the swaybar link threaded shaft still while you loosen the nut on it.
  • an assortment of other BS that most "car guys" would have laying around.
  • a couple of good ratchet straps.


You can see the before and after in the photo. Quite a bit more wheel well gap up front. 265/70-17 Toyo Open County ATII's if you're curious. It drives pretty much like it did before in my quick spin around the neighborhood. I'm taking it to Firestone (a mile away) for a Lifetime Alignment tomorrow morning, before I put any real miles on it

With this lift, these tires, and my Surco roof rack, I have about 2 1/2" of clearance getting in the garage with my 16x7 garage door.


 
#15 ·
Jeep looks mean...nice job!

I'm in your camp, doing most mods at once.
Just received my RRO 2.5" lift w/ control arms, Bilstien 5100's, went with BR Mozambique matte black 20x8.5 with a +30 offset and Grabber AT2's in 305x50x20. Airaid CAI and a Curt Rack!

Installs are this weekend....Hoping everything goes smooth! Pictures to follow :thumbsup:
 
#16 ·
Okay, I actually did this next phase a couple of weeks ago, but I'm just now getting around to posting about it. My wife and I have had a rather astonishing five people in our respective families die within the last 2 1/2 weeks, so we've been busy going to funerals.

So I tackled the RRO bumper kit. I got the "full tilt" version with the winch mounting plate, bumper plate, bull bar, and front push bars.

It was fairly straight-forward, and took me about 4.5 hours. I didn't want to mount the winch solenoid box behind the grill. For one, the Smittybilt instructions state multiple times in bold print that the box must be mounted HORIZONTALLY, and there was no way it would have fit there anyway. So I ditched the standard 1 foot cables that came with it, and used some high-quality 4ga welding wire and some copper crimp connectors to make my own cables. I routed them up to the space under the hood by the positive jump starting post. When I have more time (maybe this weekend) I'm going to mount the solenoid in that area and finish up the wiring.

I had to clock the motor 90 degrees clockwise so that the wire connectors would be on top, and not near the hot radiator. I also clocked the gearbox side a couple notches so that I could reach in with a little fabricated wrench to maneuver the clutch lever through one of the grill slots.

I had to drill out the 1" spacer bushings ever so slightly to get the bumper plate thru-bolts to go through them. Also, after screwing with the press washers supplied by RRO and getting frustrated with them, I just used a single wrap of electrical tape to hold the bolts until I could get them started in the threads of the winch plate.

For anyone that is curious, I can confirm that the Smittybilt 98281 XRC-8 Comp Series winch fits just fine. it's an older model with synthetic line that I bought in February of 2014. It has since been replaced by newer models, but those newer models may be dimensionally identical for all I know.

In the following pictures, I didn't yet have the winch fairlead mounted, as I had to track down some metric stainless nuts to go with the other hardware I had with the winch. I think getting the fairlead on was as much a PITA as anything else in the process, since I did it after the fact.

I love the look! It's been raining here (Texas flooding), but once I have time to get it cleaned up, I'll post some pics with the fairlead in place, as well as a 12 inch LED light bar I picked up for it.















 
#17 ·
I found this thread and got excited and wanted to do some of the same mods to my 2014 Grand Cherokee.

I am currently planning to get the MB TKO, but going with Cooper Discoverers so they can come mounted and balanced all from Discount Tire, ready for me to put on myself. They don't carry Toyos.

My question is if I put the these Wheel Details - Discount Tire Direct on my Jeep with 265/65/17s, can I leave them on there without a lift without an issue?

I saw your first post after you installed them said they were OK without the lift. Wondering if I can postpone/never do the lift. I am debating it now, but I want to replace the wheels and tires, for performance and appearance.

I appreciate it.
 
#21 ·
I found this thread and got excited and wanted to do some of the same mods to my 2014 Grand Cherokee.

I am currently planning to get the MB TKO, but going with Cooper Discoverers so they can come mounted and balanced all from Discount Tire, ready for me to put on myself. They don't carry Toyos.

My question is if I put the these Wheel Details - Discount Tire Direct on my Jeep with 265/65/17s, can I leave them on there without a lift without an issue?

I saw your first post after you installed them said they were OK without the lift. Wondering if I can postpone/never do the lift. I am debating it now, but I want to replace the wheels and tires, for performance and appearance.

I appreciate it.
The wheels you linked to are the same one I bought. I just requested the optional smaller center caps. They should fit, provided you do not have the heavy duty brakes.

Discount does sell Toyos, they just don't advertise them for some reason, but I ordered mine through them and they came in two days later. Again, mine are the Open Country ATII. Mine worked without a lift, but keep in mind, I did not take it off pavement during that time. While there was no rubbing for me, Texas roads and highways are pretty smooth, and some of the best in the nation. If you live in pothole territory, I'm not making any promises that the tires wont rub against the top underside of the front fender flares. There was only abou 1.5 inches of clearance prior to the lift. Now, I have about 3.4"-4". so I'm good. If you have doubts about rubbing and want to go without a lift, you might go with the 255/70-17 (31.1 inches), or the 265/65-17 (30.4 inches). The 265/70-17 I used are 31.5 inches.

I don't have any experience with the Cooper Discoverers, but here's a couple things to keep in mind...
The Toyos ride very smooth, track very straight, and are about as quiet an AT tire as I've ever used. They look more aggressive than many AT's, more like a mud terrain when viewing the sidewall. They are loads better in the wet than the BFG KO's I used to use on my other Jeeps. Further, Toyo has recently redesigned the compound used on these tires, for a reported 40% improvement in treadwear. It's rare to find a manufacturer that will give a treadlife warranty on an AT tire, but Toyo is giving theirs a 60K mile warranty.
You might compare that to the Discoverers and see how they stack up in comparison.
 
#19 ·
Your Jeep looks fantastic. Motivated me to go with the same wheels. Going to get some Coopers though so I can get it all mounted and balanced from Discount Tire Direct. They don't sell Toyos. My question is can I leave these wheels and tires on without rubbing if I don't lift it? Going to get 245/70/17 tires. Thanks.
 
#24 ·
My replacement winch solenoid came in finally. The Mopar rock rails also showed up last week, so I took advantage of the 3-day weekend to get some work done.

After I installed the new solenoid, the winch worked fine again, so I was able to spool up the synthetic winch line and install my Factor55 Flatlink on the end of it. The synth line came with a hardened steel hook already installed, and it took me about 15 minutes with an angle grinder to cut that off.

The rock rail installation was about 6 1/2 hours of work. Keep in mind I was in a 100+ degree garage, so I was pacing myslef a tad. The youtube video of the installation is a must-view, with lots of tips that you WILL want to take advantage of.

While you really don't lose any ground clearance with these rails, it LOOKS like you do when you are standing close to the Jeep. I just seems like I lost all the extra clearance from the lift. But, Since I'm always hauling something back from Home Depot in the roof rack, I need the rails so I would have steps on either side to get up their and lash things down properly. Also, I have to step way out now to clear the outer rail. The back of my calf always rubs the rail. In slacks with any dirt on the rail, that could be a hassle. Fortunately, I'm in jeans or cargo shorts almost always.

I had trouble getting all of the nuts installed along the top of the passenger rail. The front two just wouldn't catch no matter what I did. But it still easily supports my 240 pounds without any movement or creaks.
The flag bolts that came with my kit had no tabs to catch in the holes to keep them from spinning. I ended up drilling two holes in the frame rail a bit further apart than the width of the flag, and installed stainless steel screws in there to keep the flags from rotating while I tightened the flag bolt nuts.

The Jeep is almost complete. All I really have left to do is install and wire up the LED light pods that will go on the roof rack, and then buy and install some skid plates.







 
#25 ·
Looking really good! I've been thinking about the Mopar Rock Rails but with a gloss black powder coat to match the trim on my 75th Anniversary Edition. Do you still like having those rock rails? Do you really rub against them while getting in/out of the Jeep?
 
#27 ·
Yes, I like having the rails. I mainly wanted them so that I had a side step to help me get higher when I'm strapping stuff into the cargo basket. They were a PITA to install, but seem solid as a rock (pun intended).
As far as my calf hitting the rail. Yeah, it happens. But, I'm 5'10" and have a long torso and short legs. Someone with longer legs may not have that problem.
 
#26 ·
Hey
You Jeep looks great. I have a few questions I hope you can answer. I might have missed them already but thought I'd ask.
I've done a winch mount on a 15 Grand and will be doing another soon. My question to you is how do you access the control box or release lever? As of now I kept the middle grill slats out so I can reach in, but it really takes away from the look of the Jeep. Any pointers or ideas? Thanks.
 
#28 ·
On my Jeep, I have the grill with the black vertical fins in each of the seven slots. In my case, I clocked my clutch lever so that it was near the top. This allows me to take a 5/8" box-end wrench and slip it through the slats. Then I can turn the wrench flat and use the round end of the wrench as a lasso to grab the clutch lever and move it fore and aft. It sounds a bit hokey, but actually works very simply.

I always keep a compliment of wrenches and other tools in the spare tire well, so I always have the wrench handy. I'd like to rig up something a little more "final" at some point. As stupid as it sounds, I thought something along the lines of a lawnmower throttle cable might be adapted to actuate the clutch lever, even from inside the Jeep. I also thought some kind of servo or linear actuator might be able to be rigged up. But right now, it's just too freaking hot to be out there wrenching on it in 100+ degree weather. I'll revisit the finer points of this in October when the weather cools off here in Texas.
 
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