2009 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara

rdndirt · #1 (**permalink**) 07-26-2009, 09:19 PM

So I just bought my first jeep and want to take her out. What should be my first consideration before hitting the trails? Should I buy bigger tires (currently running on 255/70/18)? Lift Kit? Bumper/Winch?

SteelHeadz · #2 (**permalink**) 07-26-2009, 09:39 PM

Depends on the "Trails" your going to go to. The JK is quite capable of four wheeling with stock tires and suspension. Rockcrawling however may be another story. You might want to consider a lift and a more agressive tire. Winch is a plus just in case you get yourself in a rough spot and you need to pull yourself out. A larger tire is beneficial for the ground clearance between the axle and the ground and the undercarriage to the ground. One thing i would recommend on an ESP and ABS equipped Jeep with a larger tire than stock, is to get it calibrated , otherwise, the ABS and ESP will prematurely engage as you make some slow turns.

poppatello · #3 (**permalink**) 07-26-2009, 10:52 PM

most Jeeps run fine stock, unless you want to do some deep water crossing or heavy rock crawling which in that case, trade your jeep in on a hummer.

rdndirt · #4 (**permalink**) 07-26-2009, 11:35 PM

My initial interest will be the easy to moderate trails, just to ease into it and not drop too much cash into it. What’s your thoughts on lift/wheel/tire size and calibration modules?

TJ_Jeep · #5 (**permalink**) 07-26-2009, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poppatello

most Jeeps run fine stock, unless you want to do some deep water crossing or heavy rock crawling which in that case, trade your jeep in on a hummer.

No no no thats like.... i don't even no whats that like but its just wrong

mud4feet · #6 (**permalink**) 07-27-2009, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poppatello

most Jeeps run fine stock, unless you want to do some deep water crossing or heavy rock crawling which in that case, trade your jeep in on a hummer.

Evidently, you haven't spent any time in our "videos" section........I believe there are a couple there that show the Hummer's "capabilities (?)" compared to those of our Jeeps. Me - I'll keep my Wrangler.

SteelHeadz · #7 (**permalink**) 07-27-2009, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mud4feet

Evidently, you haven't spent any time in our "videos" section........I believe there are a couple there that show the Hummer's "capabilities (?)" compared to those of our Jeeps. Me - I'll keep my Wrangler.

Amen Brudda!!!!

jfrabat · #8 (**permalink**) 07-27-2009, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mud4feet

Evidently, you haven't spent any time in our "videos" section........I believe there are a couple there that show the Hummer's "capabilities (?)" compared to those of our Jeeps. Me - I'll keep my Wrangler.

X3!!! In mud, which is my type of terrain, hummers sink like a rock, and tend t get hung on their bellies, especially the H1 and H2. If I had to choose, I'd go for the H3, but I still prefer my older wrangler! In fact, I'd rather have a Toyota FJ or BJ before the Hummer, even though those are about 30 years older!

Oh, and by the way, we do LOTS of watercrossings in Panama and Costa Rica... Here are some links to those (a couple of them are Toys, but you get the idea):

YouTube - Under Water Jeep Veraguas-Panama!!!

YouTube - Deep river crossing, Toyota Land...

YouTube - 4X4

Felipe

HiHood · #9 (**permalink**) 07-27-2009, 02:44 PM

Personally, I don't know much about water crossings or mud bogs ('cept in monsoon season) but if you ever plan on desert trails like Mohave desert has, Better stick with the Wrangler. Those Hummers are good for the "Trails to the mall" but outside that, stick with the JEEP, they wrote the book on 4 Wheel Drive long before most towns ever got malls.

Saddle Tramp · #10 (**permalink**) 07-28-2009, 12:23 AM

The most important thing to know is your limitations. If you are not comfortable don't do it! You will save a lot of money not having to replace bent parts (or worse). Also, airing down your tires will help with traction but you need to know how or where you are going to air them back up before you hit the pavement.

GTAMike · #11 (**permalink**) 07-29-2009, 09:37 PM

H1 equals real hummer, H2 Equals GM Truck, H3 equals Chevy Colorado. I will stick with the Jeep any time. I work on the Hummers (H2 & H3) all the time don't like them too much.

Itchee96 · #12 (**permalink**) 07-30-2009, 06:42 AM

Nevermind. I dont have the pic here at work.

jfrabat · #13 (**permalink**) 07-30-2009, 08:17 AM

Now, steering the subject back to the original question (and ignoring the Hummer vs Jeep for the purpose of this answer), there are 3 main things you want to worry about when offroading:

1. Ground Clearance/Center of Gravity
2. Traction
3. Recovery

A stock Jeep is very capable off the prodcution line, but that does not mean you cannot improve it. If I were to start again with a stock Jeep, the first thing I would ad would be recovery points front and back; small investment, but results in piece of mind that if you get yourself into a bind, you will be able to be taken out by another dirver. A winch is very nice to have, but a high lift can also be used to get yourself out of a bind with the same end result (albeit in a MUCH longer time!).

Ground clearance starts to get expensive the higher you want to get, and typically (there ARE exceptions, but not that many) higher ground clearance also results in a higher centerof gravity, which means it is easier to roll over (especially in off-camber situations). Ussually, you are OK up to 35" and dont have to worry too much about your CG being too high, and it is said that most trails can be run with 33" tires.

To clear 33" tires, typically you need a least 3" of lift (preferably 4"), but as you go to 4" lift, other things need to be modified, such as brake lines (need to be extended), Slip Yoke (you will most likely need a SYE kit and a new Drive Shaft as a result, but you can probably gt away with a TC drop - of course this will sacrifice ground clearance), and probably a modification of your rear axle (to correct the pinion angle).

As for traction, the first thing you will probably want is to look at new tires (I am talking about the thread pattern here, not the size); which tires will depend on what terrain you intend to navigate. Mud tires are ussually good also on the rocks, but tend to be noisier on the street, tend to dig in sand, and are not so good handling ice. AT tires are a good compromise between street ad mud/rock, and tend to do very well in sand and ice, but heavy mud will clog them up, and the carcas tends to be not as strong as the MT, which means they are more susceptible to tearing the sidewalls.

Then you go into the differentials; Jeeps come with open diffs, which means if you loose traction in one of the 2 tires, then the entire axle lost traction. Automatic lockers are a way to correct this, but they dont typically have good road manners (they can cause your Jeep even to change lanes in the highway if you are not careful, but you CAN get used to them and adjust your driving so that this is minimized to just a few clicks coming from the axle while you drive). Selectable lockers are (in my opinion) the best option, as they give you the option of Open Diffs for the road (which makes them invisible on the street) and a spool (which means the power is always sent to both tires in the same proportion, so offroad it will not matter if you have a tire up in the air, the other always has power as well applied to it). There are also Limited Slips out there, but these are more of a compromise (let's call it a lower cost, less efficient version of the automatic locker if you will). The problem when you ad a locker is that, especially if you have big tires, you will most likely need to upgrade your axles, as they are not designed to take the additional load (especially the rear if you have a D35; I am not sure which axle the 2009 JK Sahara comes with). I know the rubicon comes with electrical lokers, which are fine, but as far as I remember, the Sahara does not come with this option. Still, open diffs are not as bad as some make them sound, and if you have recovery points, even if you get stuck, you can be pulled out, so I would start with that, and see what else you need from there on...

And remember, how you build your Jeep will depend on what kind of terrain you plan to drive on. or example, rock crawlers have super low TC ratios to drive VERY slowly but with loads of torque; mud drivers need a little more wheel speed to clean the tires, so the super low TC are not as attractive as more HP. But the people running in sand will want even MORE HP and paddle like tires, while keeping the CG low; and the people running expeditions will ussually run smaller tires (around 31's typically) because it reduced the chances for breaking parts. So choose your type of terrain, and build for that type of terrain.

I hope this helps, and I hope you enjoy your Jeep!

Felipe

GTAMike · #14 (**permalink**) 07-30-2009, 09:13 PM

Great info man! thanks!

Mike

Utah_jeepster · #15 (**permalink**) 07-31-2009, 09:11 AM

Great info jfrabat, but along with mods, you need to learn the first rule of off-roading, never go alone till your secure with your driving skills and rig.
Find some jeeping friends or join a local club.
Most clubs have a monthly trail run you can go on, and begin to learn how to handle your new jeep. You can see and learn about what other parts your friends and club members are running. This will give you a good idea what you want to do with your jeep.

jfrabat · #16 (**permalink**) 07-31-2009, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Utah_jeepster

Great info jfrabat, but along with mods, you need to learn the first rule of off-roading, never go alone till your secure with your driving skills and rig.
Find some jeeping friends or join a local club.
Most clubs have a monthly trail run you can go on, and begin to learn how to handle your new jeep. You can see and learn about what other parts your friends and club members are running. This will give you a good idea what you want to do with your jeep.

X2; plus, a local Jeep club will know the name of good mechaics. And regarding wheeling alone, I dont recommend it even AFTER you know how to wheel; parts fail and Jeeps get stuck - it's just a fact of life. And you dont want to spend the night in the boonies because there was no one to pull you out of a bind (or give you a ride home while you found the parts to fix your Jeep; dont ask why I mention this one!).

jps4jeep · #17 (**permalink**) 07-31-2009, 10:04 AM

First thing that should be considered

1. Protection. those JK's do have a number of vunerable locations, I would do rockers first, then rear corners, then underbelly.
If not equip with tow points, get them
Then I would just buy a Budget boost and run some 35's or 36's on stock rims.
Then a rear locker for the rear 44.

and away you go.

odogg · #18 (**permalink**) 10-07-2009, 01:58 AM

I have no idea what you guys are talking about. All I know is that my jeep does what I want it to do and that is get me on and off the beach with ease. I think my next jeep will be a rubi in 2 or 3 years. Right now I have a stock 09 sahara and its very capable with the few moderate trails that I've tackled.