My Hydro Blue Jeep Gladiator JT Build Thread

mac214

Member
Knocking down your checklist at a good rate, although I’m sure your adding to-dos to the other end just as quick.


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JTCO

Meme King
I've been skeptical of the JT but I'm following along and enjoying the build so far. That blue is pretty damn cool.

Thanks. It's fun for sure and we love the color. Because of the length, it's definitely way different than a Wrangler. Offroading would be tricky around here but on the road, we are more than happy with it. It's very comfortable. And the power train is awesome!
 

JTCO

Meme King
So I talked to Rugged Ridge this morning and was told that the cover only works if the trail rail system is present. And of course now it says that on their website :rolleyes2: I looked many times yesterday and it wasn't there.

Regardless, here's what I did to make it work. I had to cut out the plastic cut-outs on the bed rails, drill a hole in the Rugged Ridge bracket, and then use a bolt, washers, and nuts to secure it to one of the existing bed holes. See where red arrow is:

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^Behind the yellow circle is another threaded hole that is in the bed. I will likely fab something up at some point to give the bottom of the bracket some kind of extra support.

The trail rail system was 900 from the factory or 400 aftermarket. I guess I'm ok with drilling a hole in the bracket for free.
 

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JTCO

Meme King
Got some snow tools to match the new Jeep. You know the product is legit when the manufacturer puts a Sasquatch picture on the label.

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JTCO

Meme King
Some initial opinions since I've had this a couple weeks now. In comparison to a JK:

1)way smoother ride. City and highway.
2) way quieter inside even with soft top.
3)way more power and throttle response. We were doing 80 on the highway and I lightly throttled it to pass someone and I was doing 93 without even realizing it.
4) on a windy day, this thing seems to get blown around way more than the JK.
5) a lot more blind spots. Even with the backup camera, i find myself having to really look around more.
 

JTCO

Meme King
Took the soft top all the way off for the first time. Nice weather this weekend. Crazy easy and light weight. Standing in the bed, I carried it under one arm and could even jump down with it in my hands.

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Kinda looks cool with the top off but tonneau cover on.

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ddays v2

Member
Some initial opinions since I've had this a couple weeks now. In comparison to a JK:

4) on a windy day, this thing seems to get blown around way more than the JK.

I've been meaning to start a thread about this. I thought it was me but these fuckers get blown all over the place on the highway. I played with air pressures, checked all the bolts to make sure nothing was loose, thought about getting dual steering stabilizers, etc. Ok, maybe not the last one, but I thought with all of the aerodynamic tweaking they did on these they'd be more stable on the highway than the JL's, certainly not less. :thinking:
 

JTCO

Meme King
I've been meaning to start a thread about this. I thought it was me but these fuckers get blown all over the place on the highway. I played with air pressures, checked all the bolts to make sure nothing was loose, thought about getting dual steering stabilizers, etc. Ok, maybe not the last one, but I thought with all of the aerodynamic tweaking they did on these they'd be more stable on the highway than the JL's, certainly not less. :thinking:

Are you referring to your JL compared to the JK or did you drive a JT?

I'm saying between our JK and our JT, the JT moves around in the wind way more.
 

ddays v2

Member
Are you referring to your JL compared to the JK or did you drive a JT?

I'm saying between our JK and our JT, the JT moves around in the wind way more.

Yeah, I'm saying my JL moves around a lot more than my JK in windy conditions.
 

Sgt Beavis

New member
Yeah, I'm saying my JL moves around a lot more than my JK in windy conditions.

I’ve never owned a JK but that is the truth on the JL. I was driving back home from the Denver airport and was pushed all over the place. Even though the speed limit was 75, I felt like I was really pushing my luck at 65. On the other hand, when the heavy winds aren’t there, I feel fine driving it at 90 on the same road.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
I’ve never owned a JK but that is the truth on the JL. I was driving back home from the Denver airport and was pushed all over the place. Even though the speed limit was 75, I felt like I was really pushing my luck at 65. On the other hand, when the heavy winds aren’t there, I feel fine driving it at 90 on the same road.

How much air are you running in your tires? If it's more than 30, that's a big part of your problem. I do 80-85 all the time and in the wind and feel like my JL is very stable. :idontknow:
 

JTCO

Meme King
How much air are you running in your tires? If it's more than 30, that's a big part of your problem. I do 80-85 all the time and in the wind and feel like my JL is very stable. :idontknow:

What do you run in your JT? And what did you run when you had stock tires?
 

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