17 JKU Rubicon Recon Build

[gobi_recon]

Moving from a built 09 JKU on Prorock 60"s and 40"s to a 17 JKU Rubicon Recon more geared towards overlanding.


I decided on the Recon since it has the upgraded Dana 44 front axle over the normal Rubicon which I wouldn't have to worry about the C's bending and doing alot of work to strengthen the housing like gussets and trusses. I found this Jeep in the Gobi color with all the options along with 4.10 gears so hopefully I dont have to regear in the future.

 

[Jeepney]

nice, i wish i have the real Dana 44 on my Hard Rock too, though i probably don't need it for the terrain i am driving. Great color choice too, the pinstripes will blend well :).

 

[dj_mccomas]

Nice man, color is great. Looking forward to your build.

 

[gobi_recon]

Wheel and tire package is a Nitto RidgeGrappler 37x12.50x17 mounted to a AEV Borah wheel in a beadlock configuration. The AEV Borah wheels are pretty nice because they can be mounted as a beadlock or a normal wheel & tire.

 

[gobi_recon]

Decided on running a 37" Nitto Ridgegrappler paired with the new AEV Borah wheel that can either be a beadlock or a normal wheel.

 

[gobi_recon]

Upgraded the tail lights to JW Speaker leds with the factory jeep tail light guards and went with the EVO Offroad hinge gate carrier for a low profile stockish look. The rear bumper is also a EVO Offroad pro rear bumper that provided solid tow points and a low key look to it.

 

[rvajeeper]

I love that look!


Sent from my iPad using OB Talk

 

[Jeff Graham]

What gears are you running with those 37's?

 

[gobi_recon]

What gears are you running with those 37's?

I was able to track down a recon that had 4.10 gears in it. It drives pretty good since the gearing is closed to what it should be with 37"s (gear chart shows 4.56"s)

 

[Jeff Graham]

Most will run 4.88 or 5.13 with 37's. It's your Jeep, so build it the way you want. I have considered 4.56 with 35's. 4.10 work great for 33's, marginal for anything larger. The weight is just so much more then stock, you need the higher RPM to move the monsters. With such hi gears, you may never be able to use Overdrive. Sorry if this sounds negative. Hard on transmission, bouncing back and forth through gears. I would suggest getting out of the Yellow. But with that said, the only one you need to make happy, is yourself.

 

[Jeff Graham]

Carry a strap, for the day the stock tire carrier breaks. So you can get the spare home.

 

[gobi_recon]

Carry a strap, for the day the stock tire carrier breaks. So you can get the spare home.

I'm no longer running the factory tire carrier and using the EVO Offroad Hinge tire carrier. The shop owner has been using the same thing one of their jeeps with a 40" tire and beadlock without issues so I think i'm good.

 

[Jeff Graham]

Your axles housings are true D44's, they will handle the 37's with no problems. You have the front end designed for the J-8 military JK. Really tuff housing. Best to ever go in a stock Jeep Wrangler.

 

[gobi_recon]

View attachment 29948 Most will run 4.88 or 5.13 with 37's. It's your Jeep, so build it the way you want. I have considered 4.56 with 35's. 4.10 work great for 33's, marginal for anything larger. The weight is just so much more then stock, you need the higher RPM to move the monsters. With such hi gears, you may never be able to use Overdrive. Sorry if this sounds negative. Hard on transmission, bouncing back and forth through gears. I would suggest getting out of the Yellow. But with that said, the only one you need to make happy, is yourself.

Never said I wasn't going to regear but given that the jeep has good driving habits for where I live, I believe I can live with it for a little while until I get the rest of the jeep built.
I have regeared plenty of jeeps in the past for 40"s, 37"s with the 3.8's so I know a the reasoning behind it.

 

[Jeff Graham]

I'm no longer running the factory tire carrier and using the EVO Offroad Hinge tire carrier. The shop owner has been using the same thing one of their jeeps with a 40" tire and beadlock without issues so I think i'm good.

Cool, sorry for my mistake. Great upgrade, it is really strong. EVO makes good stuff.

 

[Jeff Graham]

Never said I wasn't going to regear but given that the jeep has good driving habits for where I live, I believe I can live with it for a little while until I get the rest of the jeep built.
I have regeared plenty of jeeps in the past for 40"s, 37"s with the 3.8's so I know a the reasoning behind it.

OK, sorry if I sounded like I was preaching. I'm sure we have both seen people build their Jeep for looks, and not taken performance in to consideration. Since you have run 40's before, you know the challenges of running big tires.

I have a LJ with Pro Rock 60's with a Long Arm lift running 39 BFG. Love the Jeep for the Rocks. For my Overlanding JK Unlimited, I bounce between 35/33 depending on the trip/terrain.

 

[gobi_recon]

@Jeff Graham yea I sold my jk on dynatrac 60's and 40"s to far to travel to put that thing to use without a truck and trailer

 

[Jeff Graham]

Love the color of your Jeep by the way. Looks really nice.i

@Jeff Graham yea I sold my jk on dynatrac 60's and 40"s to far to travel to put that thing to use without a truck and trailer

If I ever need to upgrade axles, I'm going with Dynatrac. I put the Dynatrac ProGrip breaks on the JK. Even way overloaded, breaks better then stock empty.

 

[gobi_recon]

Front bumper is back from powder coating, flat black looked the best against the jeep grill and recon stickers.

EVO Pro Front bumper with a Warn VS-10s tucked away inside. I tried to find a bumper that was low weight and kinda low attention.

 

[GreggNY]

Nice build. What suspension setup are you running?