This is my Jeep’s second evolution, so some of this equipment is new in 2025, and I will indicate that in the list. Everything else has about 12,000 miles of hard off-road travel on it and three times that, in road miles.
Engine: Stock 3.6L Pentastar
– JLT Oil Separator
People love them, people hate them. All I know is that I dump a pint or so of blow-by out of the cup, at every oil change.
– Injen Technology EVOLUTION Cold Air Intake
No, it did not give me any additional horsepower. I got it because I was getting dust inside the stock air box. The Injen is one piece, so there is no seam for dust to intrude. I also use an Injen Hydroshield over the filter – not for water, but for additional dust protection.
Custom Exhaust (new in 2025)
The new 4-link long arm front suspension requires a Magnaflow Y-pipe to replace the loop in the factory exhaust, for clearance. I damaged the rear pipe in Moab, so I just had them replace the entire exhaust with straight pipe through a Pypes M-80 Race Muffler, tucked underneath. It’s loud, but nicely so.
Suspension (new in 2025)
– Front: 4-link long arm, with Barnes lower control arms and crossmember, and Jeep West (Estacada, OR) upper control arms
– Rear: Jeep West geometry correction, shock & swaybar mounts
– 3 1/2″ Metalcloak Dual-Rate Springs
– 28″ Fox 2.0 Shocks
– Currie Antirock Swaybar
– RockJock Currectlync Steering
This was a major change from the previous 2 1/2″ lift that I put together with Old Man Emu (OME) springs, Rancho shocks, and various other bits and pieces. I ran that for several years and it performed very well, but I wanted more suspension travel, and I wanted to get away from having to stop and manually disconnect my front swaybar, for off-road travel. The stiffer Fox shocks and the Antirock swaybar make the Jeep corner much better on the highway.
Drivetrain
– Front Differential: Dana Ultimate 44 w/ 4.88:1 ring & pinion w/ Dana E-Locker (new in 2025)
– Front Driveshaft: Adams Driveshaft (new in 2025)
– Rear Differential: Stock Dana 44 w/ 4.88:1 ring & pinion w/ Dana E-Locker
– Rear Driveshaft: Stock
– Rear Differential Skidplate: Metalcloak (new in 2025)
– Front & Rear Brakes: Teraflex Big Brake Kit w/ Vented Rotors
I have run the 4.88:1 gears with 35″ tires for several years, but with Detroit Trutrac’s instead of the current E-Locker’s. I had no issues with the Trutrac’s, which performed great in all conditions. To support 37″ tires, though, I needed to step-up to a Dana 44 front axle instead of the stock Dana 30, and the Dana HD44 came with either an ARB or E-Locker. I went with E-Locker’s to save on cost. I have previously run ARB lockers on another vehicle, but this is my first time with the E-Lockers. I miss the Trutrac’s because now I have to press buttons to lock the differentials.
Exterior
– Top: Ursa Minor J30
– Winch: Smittybuilt X2O 10,000lbs on a Rock Hard 4×4 mount
– Sliders: JCR Offroad
– Tailgate Reinforcement / Tire Carrier: MORryde
– Rear Bumper: Body Armor JK-2961
Defunct – too bad, awesome bumper that provides a nice step for opening/closing the Ursa Minor.
– Wheels: AEV Salta (I recently cracked one of these)
– Tires: BFG 37×12.5R17 Mud-Terrain T/A KM3 (new in 2025)
– Fuel: Long Range America 17-gallon auxiliary tank
I ran 35″ BFG All-Terrain KO2 tires for several years and they performed great, but were a bit wanting in the rocks. This is my first time with mud-terrains (on this Jeep) and at least on the highway, these KM3’s are very quiet and handle well. The 37’s did not have a major impact on fuel mileage. I get consistent 18mpg on the highway and 16mpg around town. Off-road crawling is in the 14mpg range.
Interior
– Radio, Antenna: Midland MXT275 15W, Midland MXTA26 Antenna
– Tablet Mount: Series-Defender Outfitters, RAM X-Grip
– Phone/Action Camera Mount: 67 Designs
– Seat Covers, Floor Mats, Window Covers: WeatherTech
– Rear Seat-Delete Platform: Springtail Solutions (modified)
– Rear Cargo Platform, Fridge Slider: American Adventure Lab
– Tailgate Table: Mobile Platform Solutions
– Rollbar Saddlebags: aMAYSing Life
– Refrigerator/Freezer: ARB Classic 37qt, Bodega 9qt (the Bodega is new in 2025)
-Water: Dometic GO (2x) on American Adventure Lab mounts
-Chainsaw: EGO CS1803 18-inch (lots of use, has performed well)
– Power Supply: EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max w/ Alternator Charger
The Midland radio is excellent and others in the group comment on how clear I sound. It tucks underneath the steering column, behind a dashboard panel. The Bodega fridge/freezer, which I use as a freezer, is something new and I am looking forward to putting it through its paces. What can I say? I like frozen burritos.
I used to run a drawer system, but have since replaced it with two Front Runner cases to reduce weight and simplify my cargo management. My cooking is pretty simple, I carry an electric water kettle and a Hot Logic hot plate that cooks while I am driving. The cargo net (barely visible) is from Blue Ridge Overland Gear and is made to fit over the rear seat of a Jeep JLU, but fits perfectly over the rear of the JKU. The big bag on the right is the outdoor room for the ARB awning. Shovel is a Bully Tools 92712 which has proven to be very solid.