Jeep Gladiator Rubicon 3 Inch Lift and 38-Inch-Tall Tires Trail Tested | Inside Line
A 3-inch suspension lift can greatly improve the ground clearance on the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon and make room for a sizeable tire upgrade. On this Inside Line, I'll test if combining a 3-inch BDS Suspension lift with a 38x13.50R17 Nitto Trail Grappler can make for the ultimate do-all setup.
BDS Suspension Lift: bds-suspension.com/products/3...
Nitto Trail Grapplers: www.nittotire.com/light-truck...
Method Wheels: www.methodracewheels.com/prod...
00:00 Intro
00:15 Why a 3-inch lift?
01:20 BDS Suspension Lift Install
03:40 38x13.50R17 Nitto Trail Grapplers
04:08 17x8.5 Method 701 Bead Grip Wheel
04:49 Quick Measurements
05:09 On road impressions
06:38 Off-road impressions (and rubbing)
09:53 Spare Tire
10:19 37 vs 38 vs 40
11:26 Axle Upgrades
13:53 Wrap up
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I really think you have some of the best Jeep content. Please keep it up. Your other videos convinced me to run a 2.5" lift on my JLU Rubicon with Icon Pro lockers on Nito 38"x12.5" tires. I added an Apex power steering valve kit to get factory like steering back. I added only an extra 1/4" to the lift kits rear bump stop so the rear tires don't rub. The front winch bumper also isn't stock so There's more room there too. Love my Nito 38s. With my light weight aluminum Icon Pro wheels, the wheel weight is less than a lot of 37s on heavier wheels.
Thanks for the note! Sounds like a great setup!
Always appreciate the way you keep it simple, but still functional & reliable, Ali! I would love to see ya mess around with some portals & hear your opinion on how some new ones do vs axle replacements. For trails, that extra clearance could make a huge difference. Keep up the good work & appreciate ya sharing!
I think 74 Weld is doing some really cool stuff. I actually know one of the engineers over there. I’m just not convinced that 20K for those is a better investment than doing a 1-ton swap. If they come down in price, I would definitely consider getting a set.
Great video Ali. Was debating going from 37” to 38”. You’ve definitely made it a more realistic option for me👍🏽. Thanks bro
Thanks!
Great video…your videos are very informative and I like your conservative approach to your builds. Nice Jeep!
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@@OdysseyOffroad 👀
@@OdysseyOffroad 🍆
I’ve seen quite a few of those ball joints delete kit and i drove rigs with them and would not run them on a good daily driver / wheeler. Some reason you loose your return to center with those when steering and they can and most of the time get loud as hell. That’s my oppinion coming from east coast Canada where we get 6 feet of snow and gallons of salt in the road in the winter, may be different elsewhere but my first hand experience was that. If i HAD to run some, i would get the ones from TMR that you have shown there. I got bumpers from TMR and the TMR 2.5Ton steering and everything TMR is absolutely amazing and the customer service is top notch. Tim and Mike sure know how to run a company. I run Dynatrac Balljoints on my JL and absolutely love them and would probably not run anything else. As always love the videos man 🤙🏻 Cheers.
Thanks for the note about the delete kit. I live in a coastal town and worry about corrosion and sand with those. I'll probably just end up going Dynatrac. I agree on TMR. Great stuff for sure.
Great video, I have a 22 JLRU 4xE, I was getting some Death wobble with the stock setup, installed the Teraflex 3.5 kit with falcons, death wobble intensified. Installed the steer smart steering reinforcement bracket, that helped a little bit when I switched the tie rod to the Yeti 1.75 aluminum, all my issues disappeared. Just wanted to drop that note since you said you had not done much with the steering components. This was the first video of yours that I’ve seen, looking forward to going through some others!!
Thanks for the note. I've done a lot of Gladiator and JL videos over the years on this channel. I hope you find them helpful as well.
Outstanding, highly detailed content, as usual. Thank you, for all your effort. 👍
Right on the money. That's what they need ! Good move with the fox shocks. Reduce wheel hop, etc. Looks like the recommended pressure after the tire size change is actually 25 psi. Should ride pretty good if you do that . Big tires !
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Great vid as usual. Just put on the AEV DualSport Suspension lift with the 3 in high capacity coils (full time AluCab Canopy and RTT, with most of my offroad gear and mountain biking gear and bike in the bed 24/7, so she’s a heavy girl). Have the AEV Savagre II wheels. And 35 in Falken Wildpeak AT3Ws (I liked the OEM 33s so much I stuck with them when I went to 35s- I need a tire that is good in snow and on slick rock and these, well rock, and also perform pretty well in mud for a non-mudder). These are the same 35s I’ve been running since prior to the lift. This is my daily and, while I get offroad a fair amount for a city-slicker (having a place in the mountains near an offroad park helps, as does being about 80% packed for a trip 24/7) she still sees a LOT of pavement. So I am really torn about moving up in tire size. Probably wouldn’t go to 38s, but great to see what your experience has been. Thinking maybe 37s though, but would def need a regear from the 4.10s, and probably would want to change out the geo of some of the other driveline components, and I’m just not sure it’s worth it for an extra inch of diff clearance. The diff is already at 11 inches and the rest of it is pretty high, I’ll have to take some actual measurements. I’ll probably wait until I wheel it a bit more come the better weather to make my decision. Keep the vids coming/ they’re great- be great to see a full length one of this rig on the trails. Speaking of which, this isn’t what you had at Windrock is it? Anyway, cheers. 🤙
If you go with a lighter 37, you may find the 4.10 gears will work OK for a while. Check out the Recon Grappler A/T. It's 10 pounds lighter than the Trail Grappler in a 37. That might be a good fit. Most of that footage was shot in Uwharrie National Forest.
I like the Uwharrie footage.
Gotta go with 5.13 gears for sure.
I appreciate the comparison Ali. I’m considering 37” or 38” nitros to replace my 37” KO2's. This helps for sure. 👍🏼
I had to replay the bumpstop vs. spring height part, but it sunk in... makes sense. I have a similar bump setup but run 37s, so might end up with a little more bumpstop if I switch to 38s. Towing with 37s is a bit of a chore already tho... good stuff Ali.
Good video 👍
I agree with everything you said, but I think that you missed a huge recommendation I always recommend axle trusses when going to a 37 or 38 the JK’s tended to bend and the JL gladiator front 44s are plain out breaking right on the fad I have done tons of these axle trusses typically from artec and have had a lot of success and many happy customers
I've been torn about the truss. I remember talking with Dynatrac years ago about sleeves and truss kits for the JK. Their research indicated that it was a much lower strength benefit that was I assumed. I've seen the FAD breaks as well. I might need to look back into them again.
Love the color. Looks very familiar…….
I really enjoyed your video you make a lot of good points and keep it informative and simple. I was wondering if you were to go up to 37 inch tires on a Gladiator Rubicon do you need to flash the computer to improve your shift points? Thanks very much!
Thanks and yes. I would recommend recalibrating your Jeep if you move up tire sizes.
Nice! This would be an ideal setup for me to. I'll most likely duplicate what you did. I do prefer the look of more room in the wheel-well. I suppose I could achieve that by removing the inner liners on the front and rear? Thanx for the video! Cheers from Denver Colorado.
You could easily spilt the flares which would give you an extra few inches for sure.
Ali, really liking those method wheels your running on the gladiator. Do you think that backspacing would be good for 37 x 12.5 on a JL? I like the idea of less backspacing closer to stock. Currently running the 37’s on stock wheels with the 2.5” AEV lift. Just thinking those methods with the minimal backspacing and 8.5” width would be the ticket to keep close to stock while eliminating the rubbing I get on the inside of the fender under load and flex.
Yes. I think they would work fine with the JL. I’m running 4.75 inches of backspacing with my KMC bead locks on my JL with 2.5 inches of lift. Works great.
I run 37x12.5 on 3.5" backspace KMC Grenade beadlocks, 17x9. At full tuck, they are inside the fenders and allow full steering at full tuck with zero rubbing. I don't recommend 3.5" backspace unless you spend more time offroad than on-road...scrub radius, ball joint wear, etc...yada yada. I have a '21 JT Rubi Diesel w/ 6" lift, EVO springs on metalcloak arms, trackbars, and tie rods. If you don't plan to run super hard trails, 4.75 is a JL/JK go-to backspace, it just works.
What offset is that?
I had the 2" BDS kit on my '21 Willys with the base shocks - it was a bit harsh riding (with stock mud terrains) - do the fox shocks help with the ride ? Really want a plush ride and good articulation. Why not a 38x12.50 ?
The shocks can make a big difference for sure. I'm not sure what the base shocks are, but I've had great luck with the Fox 2.0 and the 2.5 series shocks. I wanted a Trail Grappler and they don't offer that in a 12.50 for the 38. I could have gotten a Ridge Grappler in that size, but I wanted the mud terrain.
So your grey gladiator build on 37's got me excited and then you build one on 38's. I was leaning toward JKS, but now questioning using BDS. I built my kit online and there was 4 dollar difference. Pros and cons of each since you had both please? Awesome videos, i subscribed, keep them coming. Thank you!
The JKS kit is probably a little nicer component wise. Both ride very similar. I do like the liner rate front springs of the BDS kit and the fact that the track bar is adjustable on the vehicle. If the price is close, I’d probably go JKS.
I live 40mins from the Rubicon and all Jeeps out here run Metalcloack, if you are a local and run the hard trails, the Rubi, Fordyce, Slick Rock, then you run Metalcloack. BDS is great for 2500/3500 Rams and Ford F250/350s. BDS and to a lesser degree JKS are not a Jeep thing. We have big boulders and need big flex, if you have nicely groomed trails, either will be just fine. We run these trails, not once in a lifetime, but several times every year, so we know what works and what doesn't in our area, you might have completely different terrain where those work fantastic.
What brake line extensions did you use?
None. Still running the stock brake lines.
These shocks are they fox shelf, or are they tuned for the heavier gladiators?
From what I understand, these are valved per BDS spec. Fox owns BDS, so I don’t think it would be that big of a deal for them to create a custom valve package for their lifts.
Ok, I mean it says in description tuned for heavy rigs and bigger tires. What is your thought of the ride on and off-road. I’m pretty heavy being an overland setup.
I would get the 2.5s with DSC adjusters. If you have a heavy setup, you will want more low speed compression.
Portals I believe is the way to go now
I like the 74Weld kit, but I'm not sure for the type of wheeling I do with this Jeep it would be worth the investment.
what's the color on that rig? Like the brown.
The color is called Gator. It's like a brown/green mix.
I'm not going to get the car seat for my car because it's too big for e🎉🎉 We have been waiting to order this from our local store and will order it early this month as we have the first batch from this month in our collection as we have the most amazing gift from the owner who took the chance and other things that we love about this month as a family and friends of ours 😅🎉!!!!!!!. We will have to wait for you to come and share it with our family in our group as one we hope one of open to join the family for this 😅🎉!!!!!!......,.....,
Is that Uwharrie?
Yes. That's the place!
Good video, I just picked up a 23 Mojave. Ill keep it stock for a bit but when I do lift it, it will be a small 2 or 3" lift.
I swapped the track bar on our Mojave and was very surprised at how sloppy the factory frame side bushing was. The aftermarket bar eliminated our death wobble.
Nothing says home like uwharrie guard rails to me
Yep!
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