The Jeep Wrangler is an extremely capable SUV right off the showroom floor. That said, there are some accessories that you can equip it with to further aid its off-road prowess and capabilities. Irrespective of whether you’re a casual off-roader or someone who spends the weekends tackling challenging trails and rock faces, these accessories will help your Jeep Wrangler traverse through the tricky stuff with ease.
Reasons To Get A Lift Kit
As its name suggests, a lift kit ‘lifts’ your vehicle’s body and frame further off the ground. Apart from the more imposing aesthetic, a lift kit will improve ground clearance. It also allows you to equip your Wrangler with larger wheels or tires since it increases the room between the wheel hub and the wheel well. Lastly, a lift kit also gives you the opportunity to equip your Jeep with better shocks and springs, offering better travel and adjustability.
Overall, a lifted Jeep will let you approach larger obstacles with ease since you have extra ground clearance and better stability. If your Jeep is going to be spending a considerable amount of time off-roading, there’s no reason you should look past a lift kit.
TeraFlex and Rough Country lift kits are a couple of the most popular options you can get for your vehicle. Lift kits are available for raising your Jeep by under two inches if you’re not looking for something too extreme. On the other hand, if you want to raise your ride as much as possible, you can get one that increases height by five inches or more.
Keep in mind the more you lift your vehicle, the more adversely it will affect its on-road performance. You’ll also need to modify other things like the pinion angle if you lift it to the extreme. Ultimately, what height you choose comes down to your budget and how much added off-road performance you require.
Pairing Your Lift Kit With Nerf Bars or Side Steps
If you decide to equip your Jeep Wrangler with a lift kit, you should consider nerf bars or side steps as your next investment. Both these parts make it notably easier to climb in or out of your vehicle. The critical difference between the two is their construction material and design.
Side steps are typically long, flat boards available in different lengths, sometimes running the length of your cabin. Some side steps can drop down as low as 10 inches from the vehicle’s cabin, providing a much more accessible stepping point into your Jeep. If you’re willing to spend the money, you can also get your hands on powered side steps that lower when you open your Wrangler’s door and retract when it’s closed.
On the other hand, nerf bars are usually made from steel tubing and have a step pad that you can use to enter or exit your Wrangler. They’re both similar in terms of functionality, and what you decide to equip your Jeep with will come down to personal preference and appearance.
A good set of nerf bars or side steps can also provide some level of protection when you’re off-road, but they’re certainly not a replacement for purpose-built off-road bumpers or rock sliders.
Upgrading Your Tires
Your tires are the only point of contact with the surface you’re driving on and are the one aspect of owning a vehicle that you should never compromise on. Most 2023 Jeep Wrangler models come with 17-inch wheels from the factory, but you can choose from several aftermarket sizes ranging from 15 inches to 22 inches if you want to change wheel size.
You’ll find that the stock 17-inch wheels offer the most tire options. When picking replacement tires for your Jeep, it’s crucial to make a decision based on what terrain your SUV will be spending most of its time on. For instance, hardcore off-road knobby tires will provide excellent grip on rocky terrain and through mud but will severely affect on-road performance and fuel efficiency. Additionally, they will be rather noisy on paved surfaces and wear out much sooner.
Similarly, more road-biased tires will provide underwhelming performance when the going gets tough.
There are several Jeep Wrangler off-road tires you can choose from, so take your time to research and find the set that’s right for you. Some notable brands include AMP Tires, Goodyear, and Toyo Tires.
Buy Genuine Aftermarket Parts for Your Jeep Wrangler
As mentioned above, the Jeep Wrangler is a tremendously capable machine from the dealership floor. However, there are several accessories that you can add to your SUV to significantly improve how it performs.
Morris 4x4 Center stocks everything you could possibly need for your Jeep, from engine and fuel system parts to interior and recovery components. Filter available parts and accessories by year, make, and model to see all the parts in stock for your SUV.
