Necessary upgrades

[Walt]

Recently picked up a 2010 JK 4 door. Previous owner installed what I believe is a 2.5” superlift and it’s on 35” MTs. While it’s in the shop to have some known issues repaired, I’m also wanting to get some factory parts upgraded.
What are the most common failures on the JK that should be upgraded? It will see very light off-road use, but I don’t mind spending some extra on beefing up parts that are known to cause problems. I know trucks enough to know what all I’d upgrade from the start, but the only jeep I’ve ever known was an old CJ. Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[BLACKJKU]

A gas pedal throttle enhancer is a good upgrade, makes it feel like it has more power. I use the Pedal Commander, there are a few others out there that some Members have also.

 

[JerryD]

You don't say if you have the D30 axle up front. If you do, upgraded ball joints are good plan but with 33 inch tires may not be needed. Still, my opinion is that after market ball joints are the way to go.

Be sure to inspect the radiator for almost undetectable leaks at the plastic tanks. No real good upgrades here unless you're willing to spend a grand for for a radiator.

If it's an automatic, make sure it has a good transmission cooler.

The only other must have thing in my mind, would be to upgrade the horrible stock headlights. You'll get plenty of opinions on this one, and if you search the resources you'll see a pretty good article on upgrading headlights. And two of my previous JK's I went with Cibies housings & Osram bulbs... HUGE improvement. My current JK has JW speaker LEDs which are great.

After that it's really up to you and how many pockets.you want to empty.

One more thing, get a good OBD2 dongle and something like jScan for your phone. It will help so so much!

 

[MacGuyver]

Upper oil pan gasket on the 3.8 is probably leaking if it hasn't been replaced yet.

A dana 44 axle with those 35" tires is probably a decent idea, though if it is a rubicon, then you already have that.

I'm wondering what gearing you have. 3.8 engine with 35"s and sport or "X" gear ratio is probably pretty sluggish on power.

I second getting the JScan app. The developer has their recommended bluetooth dongle to use. Get that one. Allows you to make a ton of changes and read engine codes from your phone.

Welcome back to jeeps.

 

[Anybodyhome]

I also have a 2014 4-door Sahara. It is also lifted 2.5" with 35" MTs.
I do some trails, but nothing over a 5 as my JKU is a DD and I don't want to spend money to upgrade its off-road capabilities when it'll be rarely used in that fashion.
Not due to any failures, worn parts or anything but my own peace of mind, here's what I've done:
Transmission cooler, ball joints, shocks, headlights, foglights, OBD II and JScan.

This is the OBD II I use with JScan:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XGB4873/?tag=jkforum-20

Next major purchase: get rid of the MTs and put on a new set of ATs. You can only do so much to make your ride better with those MTs, and it only gets worse as the tires wear. Air 'em down to about 26-28 and it gets better, but I can't wait for the new tires.... but they're hard to get right now as well. Sure, it'll cost me $1600 for a set, but it'll be well worth it.

 

[JerryD]

Upper oil pan gasket on the 3.8 is probably leaking if it hasn't been replaced yet.

A dana 44 axle with those 35" tires is probably a decent idea, though if it is a rubicon, then you already have that.

I'm wondering what gearing you have. 3.8 engine with 35"s and sport or "X" gear ratio is probably pretty sluggish on power.

I second getting the JScan app. The developer has their recommended bluetooth dongle to use. Get that one. Allows you to make a ton of changes and read engine codes from your phone.

Welcome back to jeeps.

I glossed over the fact that you said you had 35's on it already. I agree regearing is likely in order with the 3.8. The 3.8 isn't a bad engine, it just seems like the gearing Jeep chose for the Wrangler and the 3.8 was just not right. If you got a manual, you may not notice it as much. The largest I had on my 08 2dr with a 3.8 were 285/70/R17s with 3.21 gears and an auto and it was really sluggish.

 

[Jino]

You don't say if you have the D30 axle up front. If you do, upgraded ball joints are good plan but with 33 inch tires may not be needed. Still, my opinion is that after market ball joints are the way to go.

Be sure to inspect the radiator for almost undetectable leaks at the plastic tanks. No real good upgrades here unless you're willing to spend a grand for for a radiator.

If it's an automatic, make sure it has a good transmission cooler.

The only other must have thing in my mind, would be to upgrade the horrible stock headlights. You'll get plenty of opinions on this one, and if you search the resources you'll see a pretty good article on upgrading headlights. And two of my previous JK's I went with Cibies housings & Osram bulbs... HUGE improvement. My current JK has JW speaker LEDs which are great.

After that it's really up to you and how many pockets.you want to empty.

One more thing, get a good OBD2 dongle and something like jScan for your phone. It will help so so much!

I had to Google transmission cooler. Do you have one?
I noticed it sit right in front of the radiator, does it affect that much?
Also, I have wires behind my grill for my led pods that sit on the bumper, wonder if there's any room to even install the transmission cooler.

 

[JerryD]

I had to Google transmission cooler. Do you have one?
I noticed it sit right in front of the radiator, does it affect that much?
Also, I have wires behind my grill for my led pods that sit on the bumper, wonder if there's any room to even install the transmission cooler.

Trans coolers are pretty thin. I installed a B&M cooler in my 08 when I got it. I think there is some sort of external cooler but it's really inefficient if I recall correctly. Most aftermarket coolers from B&M or Mishimoto will not negatively affect the normal cooling of the engine. The trans cooler is just to help prolong the life of the transmission.

 

[BLACKJKU]

You can buy transmission coolers with a fan mounted on them, then you can put the cooler anywhere out of the way.