Source
r/JeepGladiator•
greygray

Getting ready to order a Mojave: What are the most important features to include in my order (and add aftermarket)?

Hey there,

This will be the first brand new car that I've ordered and the first off-road vehicle I'll own. I have some friends who are really into off-roading and I caught the bug on a recent trip out to Southern California.

I don't see myself rock crawling so I settled on the Mojave because I think the suspension system for the ride quality and the overall modifications for desert running seem like the best fit for my intended purposes.

Here are some of the features I am thinking of going for - please also suggest any offroad specific modifications, as I'm totally new to that!

  • Trailcam (TBH I don't know if this is necessary or not, but I figured an integrated cam is better than setting up a dash cam for daily drive purposes and for offroading purposes)
  • 8.4" display and audio package
  • LED lighting package
  • Active Safety
  • Trail Rail
  • ACC / FWD collision (not sure if this is important or not, but considering I'll be using the car for long road trips, I figure I may as well).
  • Cold Weather
  • Tow package
  • Hardtop headliner (not sure if this is important or not?)

Aftermarket enhancements:

  • JCR half rack
  • iKamper mini
  • Access roll-up tonneau cover

Things I'd like some advice on:

  • Steel bumpers?
  • Ceramic coating?
  • 33", 35" or 37" tires?
  • Recovery equipment (and how to decide on a bumper / winch combination)?
  • Air compressor?
  • Spare tire?
  • Snorkel?

Thanks!

Posted Sep 8, 2021, 6:09 PM UTC

711
DifficultyRecent725•

I love gladiators and off-roading. For this reason I did not get a rubicon or Mojave and hear me out. My intention was to run bigger tires and a lift for some more off-road performance. Now if I paid an extra 10-15k depending on some add ones and price off for a Mojave, I would then be ripping off the lift, the expensive 33inch tires, the external bypass shocks and even the sway bar disconnect. All that stuff wouldn’t have had enough travel or enough lift for what I needed and I only have 35’s right now. You should consider getting a sport with max tow so you have the better axles and gear ratios. Spend the several thousand dollars you’ll save on bigger tires, a bigger lift, some lockers if you need them and you could even install the 10inch after market screen available. By this point you’d probably still have saved more money if not be in at the same cost as a Mojave and it would already perform miles ahead.

Just my take, I install everything myself so I end up ahead cost wise. Might be worth just running the numbers on the cost of a lower model and then adding in the cost of every mod you would want on top, then comparing that to a Mojave. It just stinks when I pull up next to a Mojave someone spent 65k on and my 45k jeeps looking down on there’s. Not my intention to insult anyone, just want to save some other Jeepers some money if I can

4
DifficultyRecent725•

Just to note on a few of the other bits you’re asking: The headliner for the hardtop, not worth it, I had it with and without and don’t really notice a difference if anything do the cheap one on Amazon. I’d pick your own steel bumper that can hold a winch, saved me $950 dollars and I didn’t need to buy an additional bracket. I planning on getting some led headlights that look really sweet for about $300(lots of people selling on market place too). I’d run 35 inch tires, the 4.10 gears from Jeep can do a pretty good job running them and your spare will fit under your bed so you don’t have to sacrifice cargo. A snorkel is huge when you’re off-road, you won’t have to be scared of every puddle or mud hole on the trail from not knowing the depth. I’d skip the compressor unless you’ll air down a lot for rock crawling. Instead of a ceramic coating that take a few minutes and look into some of those clear bra films out there. Ceramic coating a lot of higher end cars myself as a detailer I’m not sure if it would be up to what I throw at my Jeep off-road.

2
Spacecoasttheghost•

Ya I have heard but haven't looked into it to much, that lifting a Mojave is a wast of money, because you waste the suspension. As for the Rubicon I don't know, but ya a sport with max might be the way in general for so many.

2
Gator1893•

Looks pretty solid, I'm not much for heated seats or AC in seats. But the rest looks pretty good. I wish I did get the fwd camera. There are plenty of bumpers on the market that cost less then the Mopar steel bumper. If you are desert running I would go any bigger than 35's. You want to try and get as light as possible.in the sand and 37's just weight too much, imo. I did not see spending the extra cash on hard top liners but some people swear by them. I still think they are a wast of money, imo. Air compressor is a must!!! I have a smittybilt which work awesome. However, I think you may enjoy the ARB more. A lot of people also ceramic coat their Jeeps since they spend so much on them. I just spendy money on rubbing compound. At the end of the day, only put stuff on your Jeep you are going to use, so know the intended use of your rig. I'm a firm believer in mods should be used to help your vehicle and you in case shit goes wrong. So make your mods purposeful.

3
LotusSloth•

I live in the northern reaches of New England and so snow is on my mind this time of year.

My must-have, “deal breaker” features were the LED package (which I would recommend to everyone except oncoming traffic), the 8.4” screen w/ upgraded audio, hard top, tow package (for the gear ratio) and the cold weather group.

I specifically avoided the safety/nanny features that I would find myself fighting against. I don’t want my vehicle to brake on its own or yell at me because of some bad sensor, but that’s just me.

I got one that had all my must-have features and the only things I wanted but didn’t get were the Aux switch panel and the trail rail system. I don’t regret my purchase at all.

3
poltergiest•

Realtruck has group pricing on the bak x4s cover, i would check him out. Forum sponsor too.

1
greygrayOP•

I'm assuming you're referring to this? With a half-rack bed rack on it, I didn't see a lot of options for tonneau covers.

1
poltergiest•

Yes that is the one.

Here is the group buy thread: https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/the-all-new-bak-revolver-x4s-information-and-group-buy.43855/

1
foles75•

Spray in bedliner and a secure toneu cover

1
demonbrew66•

Definitely recommend getting a headliner, I installed hotheaders on my Mojave, it was pretty easy and made a big difference.

I always recommend getting a pedal commander to anyone buying a gladiator, makes the truck come alive! If you end up getting a Mojave, they have the Off Road+ button which is like hitting a sport+ button on a sports car, but for the 2020 models it only works in 4H or 4L, and the pedal commander gives it the more aggressive driving feel for everyday use in 2wd.

Edit: forgot to mention, Mojave comes with 33s, IMO the only real reason to upsize, based on how you intend to use it, is for looks. Also comes with a full-size spare

1
ulaf823•

Mojave Gladiator has different hood so some of the standard light mounts, bars, etc may not fit so make sure any item is compatible with this trim. Also applies to bumper options unless you ditch or modify skid plate. There are options for a bumper that do work with Mojave just hit up the forums for best ones as I haven't gotten that far along with mine.

Trail cam is a nice option I use it all the time mostly when parking. If you plan on aftermarket bumper/ winch keep in mind not to order something that would block your trail cam though.

My Mojave did not come with spray in bed liner but I negotiated that with my purchase for dealer to install and it was a nice upgrade. I also found the trail rail system on Amazon and just tapped the screw holes and installed myself. Tonneau cover is great but it depends if you plan on putting a rack it would be in the way. I don't have any plans for upgrading to larger tires yet, the 33" Falken AT have handled the sand great on the beach once these wear out I might upgrade to 35's.

1