Starting your off-roading journey often means making a few tweaks to your truck’s setup before you even hit the trail for the first time. While many of today’s top pickups are built to be able to handle rough service roads and maintained trails, you never know when you’re going to find a real challenge, so a few enhancements are always a good idea.
Enhanced Performance
Unlike driving on the road, enhancing your off-road performance usually doesn’t mean adding a lot of engine power. The goal is typically less about top speed and acceleration, more about making sure you have the control and the clearance to be able to tackle anything. That being said, there are definitely engine upgrades out there to increase your power output, especially if you are looking for more torque. Before getting into those, it’s a good idea to make sure you can put it to use.
New wheels and tires are usually the first step to better off-road performance. A good set of all terrain tires can make the difference between needing to pull yourself out of a muddy patch and being able to run through it. For deeper mud, you can even find specialized tires that are built for competitive mud runners. The biggest question is what size you want, because upgrading to a large off-road tire means adding ground clearance and potentially making other upgrades to allow the fitment.
It’s worth considering a performance brake set that’s designed for off-roading as well, because the additional precision when stopping and the ruggedized build go a long way toward helping you maintain control around tight turns and steep downhill trips.
Upgrade Your Ground Clearance
The other major change that most off-roaders invest in right away is a lift kit for better ground clearance. Not only does a lift kit allow you to upgrade to larger tires that deliver better performance in mud, sand, or gravel, it also provides a bunch of other benefits. The extension gives you ground clearance that allows you to roll over obstacles for one thing, and that is enough to inspire most people to learn how to lift a truck.
Suspension upgrades that provide ground clearance also improve your ability to see further when you’re dealing with uneven terrain, so it’s easier to dodge obstacles, too. The longer arms and upgraded shocks and coils also provide upgraded stability, so you get a smoother ride when things get rough.
Customize Your Journey
Once you have the right lift and tires to go with it, you’ve covered the basics for a safe and fun trip, but there are always more upgrades you could make. Improved sway bars and links can provide more stability around corners, and there are a lot of lifestyle upgrades to make overnight camping easier or to support activities in the wilderness like mountain biking or kayaking.
The next step is to figure out which parts for Jeep Wrangler models like yours will support the most important outdoor sports you’re interested in, so you can off-road your way to a destination for adventure as often as you make off-roading the adventure itself. Check out your options today.