First Offroad Test | 2021 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon Build | 2" Mopar Bilstein Reservoir Lift | 35" KO2s

[@BobDeelan-u5n]

Nice! I also just bought a Gladiator Rubicon. Have fun! Maybe we'll see you all out on the trail

[@departureoutdoors]

Thank you and thanks for watching! Yeah definitely say hi if you see us out there on the trails. All the best and congrats on your Gladiator as well!! ✌️

[@DeanJohnson67]

Nice! my 37s fit in the spare spot if aired down to 25psi or so. look forward to future trail vids i it!

[@departureoutdoors]

Oh good to know, love how 37s make a Gladiator look, nice you can continue to make use out of the spare tire holder still. Thanks for watching and commenting! Appreciate it!!

[@TwoFeatherChannel]

excellent driving Lesile. those steep declines would be a perfect opportunity for you to use the M1 gear and adjust the self driving speed level that these Jeeps offer. they are amazing to feel the Jeep drive its self up inclines and declines at a slow crawl, without you having to use the gas pedal or brake pedal. all you do is steer.

[@departureoutdoors]

Thank you! We have used that in the past and it works really well. That would have been a good spot to test that feature in the gladiator. We will have to test it next time.

[@LisaDerIrizarry]

Awesome video! Very educational. Now I want one!

[@CornwallOutlaw]

Very Nice I have a 2021 Willys looking to do a similar build looking to install the Mopar 2" lift, and I like the way your tires look probably go with The 35" tires.

[@departureoutdoors]

Thank you and I like your youtube name pretty cool haha. I've really enjoyed this lift kits performance so far, it's been a bit since I put a video out with the Gladiator but I've been doing a lot of driving with it and yeah only positive things to say. 35s are definitely the sweet spot between not losing much fuel economy, and retaining good road manners while gaining a lot of offroad capacity. Also, yeah i do feel like 35" tires really do make the Gladiator standout more / look amazing. Thanks for commenting by the way, I'm sure if you go with this or a similar build you will really enjoy it! ✌️

[@SebastianB00]

Hey! I’m pulling the trigger on this kit too, do you like it so far while commuting? is there a significant difference between this Bilsteins and the stock FOX 2.0? Also, do you know if i can install it just with the kit parts? or should i buy at least a track bar as recommended with the last 2.5 FOX Mopar Lift kit? Thanks in advance!

[@departureoutdoors]

Hey, I love how it rides on the road, it's my daily driver. I will say it could be personal preference, but subjectively fox is going to be a softer ride compared to this new mopar lift but I'm a big fan of how this Bilstein setup feels, these shocks are great, it may not be as soft as the fox shocks but I feel like it does a great job of absorbing the bumps and many potholes that Colorado Springs has. But yeah in my opinion its a much smoother ride overall and feels quality. In terms of do you need a track bar, no I still don't have one and I honestly don't feel I need one, dealer who installed it also didn't think it was mandatory. Maybe in future I may upgrade but right now we're looking to spend money in other areas and again the ride is great, nothing seems off or in need of correction at the moment, so I'm not feeling a need to do so. But honestly if you can get front and rear track bars or front track bar and relocation kit in the rear / something like that, then I can only imagine it improve things further and it seems to be the recommendation from most. If it helps though I'd reco installing the lift kit and testing it a bit to see if you feel it's needed for your situation.

[@SebastianB00]

@@departureoutdoors Thank you so much for the response!! I just bought the lift kit just as soon as i read your feedback. Thanks again!

[@departureoutdoors]

Anytime, glad I could help. Hope you enjoy it!!

[@jeremywillson3497]

Just purchased the Mopar 2” lift with Fox shocks on sale for $1,500 . Couldn’t pass that deal up..

[@departureoutdoors]

I hear great things about the old fox shock 2in lift setup and honestly my past experience with fox always impressed me with just how smooth they ride. Great deal!

[@jeremywillson3497]

I’m looking forward to the instal and testing it out. Happy trails!

[@montechie]

Curious if you measured the actual diameter of the 35 KO2s? I got some 35x12.5 General ATx and they measure 34" at 38lbs off the truck. I think tire co. marketing folks failed at math. Was definitely good to do when I set the tazer for the larger tires. Great video! Love the truck! I've had my JTR a couple years and absolutely love it.

[@departureoutdoors]

Haha I knew i would be called out on that! Yeah I miss spoke when I said we had a true 35in tire and yes I don't think tire co marketing teams know math lol. What I was referring to when I said that was that my wife's tire is a 315/70R17 load range C and the tires we got for the Gladiator are the 35x12.50R17 load range E. Technically both are close in diameter with both being around 34.4 to 34.5 inches, but the 35x12.50 has a lot more sidewall or thickness being a 10ply vs the 6 ply. That's basically what I was trying to say lol. Thanks for watching and commenting though, I'm loving the Gladiator so far, it's such a cool platform! It feels like I've realized a childhood dream of mine being a Jeep / truck fantastic haha.

[@KevinBrown-r7d]

Load range E, you must plan on towing 10,000 lbs.

[@departureoutdoors]

Nope nothing that large, didn't get load range e for any particular reason outside its kind of standard for this size KO2 tire and also gives us more sidewall for if and when we do any rock crawling, just a little less likely we pop a tire.

[@jdetermann4674]

You guys still have the 4xe?, right?

[@departureoutdoors]

Absolutely, yeah we still have the Wrangler 4xe. We just traded in my wife's previous vehicle that gave us a lot of problems for this Red Gladiator, but yeah we are really enjoying the 4xe, it's not going away anytime soon.

[@EverythingOutdoorsAndJeeps]

How do you like the steering stabilizer? Do you notice a difference over the factory stabilizer?

[@departureoutdoors]

Hey, thanks for watching! We wanted to try it because we heard good things from many others especially for Jeeps that are lifted and have larger tires fitted. I drove the gladiator when it was stock from Kansas back to our home in Colorado and it definitely had the typical loose steering that you feel with Jeeps. I do have to say that after getting the steering damper installed along with the new lift and tires, the ride has been improved a lot. I do think that the steering damper is definitely a contributor to this and honestly we are definitely going to get one for our wrangler as well (my wife Leslie really wants it installed) as it really does seem like the steering is a lot tighter than it was with the normal stock steering damper. I don't want to over sell it though, as there is still some play when steering and I don't think you can ever get rid of all of that in a Jeep but I can certainly notice a difference after driving both before and after. I think it's a good upgrade for the cost. If you wanted to play it safe though I think you can get it from amazon and perhaps you could try it out like that and if you don't notice any improvements then you should easily be able to return it. All the best!! ✌️

[@LunaSea50]

@@departureoutdoors Get dual stabilizer set up. just about the same price. Nitto tires 35x11.50x17 will fit better on stock rims. i

[@departureoutdoors]

Honestly yeah I've been looking at the dual stabilizer from fox shocks and the one from Terriflex for my wife's Jeep, would love to get that for her if I could swing it! Thanks for the feedback!

[@chrisdakins2010]

Nice video. Truck looks great! If I was to buy a new gladiator and get that lift installed at the dealer is it covered just like the rest of the truck?

[@departureoutdoors]

Hey Chris, thanks! Yes that's one of the best parts about doing anything Mopar is that it's completely covered and they can't use the lift as an excuse to try and deny any warrenty service like I've heard others have to deal with in some cases with other aftermarket lift kits. Thanks for watching!

[@sylvain65]

How tall is the Gladiator overall now? Does it fit in a 7’ tall garage door?

[@departureoutdoors]

Thanks for commenting! So I'm measuring a height of around 6 ft 3 inches post the Mopar lift and 35 inch tires at around 37 psi each tire of a max around 80 psi I believe. I don't think having the tire near max will change too much though in terms of being able to fit in a 7 ft garage as I also have the same size garage and I'm able to park the gladiator inside it.

[@sylvain65]

@@departureoutdoors I was worried it wouldn’t fit in the garage 😄

[@departureoutdoors]

Haha I hear yeah, I was also worried about that initially!

[@ryancarpenter1678]

How is the new mopar lift since they switched to bilsteins it looks great, I’m torn between choosing mopar or teraflex 3.5 inch lift with falcons.

[@departureoutdoors]

Hey thanks for commenting! It really depends on how you plan on using your gladiator / what your after I'd say. The Mopar lift with the Bilstiens is awesome and I feel a welcome update over the old Fox shocks that they used to use. The ride is really nice, it's stiffer than fox shocks but not in a bad way, I have the an AEV lift kit on my wife's Wrangler and it also has Bilstein shocks and I'd say these ride better, although to be fair these are technically better bilstein shocks than the 5100s we have on our wrangler, but I also feel they are tuned differently. The nice thing with the Mopar lift is the warranty and the fact that if you have warranty already with mopar or a Jeep dealership then you don't have to sweat them trying to say that an issue may be due to after market parts installed and some issue not being covered. I also like how the lift is closer to 3 inches than the listed 2 inches, wasn't expecting that. In terms of choosing between the two, again it depends, if your planning on doing hardcore rock crawling and really getting the most offroad capability possible from the gladiator I'd say go with the teraflex lift as it's a rock solid setup and the adjustable shocks I'd imagine would be very nice both on and offroad and I'm not sure the Mopar lift could compare in that regard. For me though, I didn't want to spend too too much, but I did want to improve the ride, have a stiffer setup to support more weight on the vehicle (want a topper on the back and more), something that wont sacrifice / compromise the towing ability (want to get a travel trailer eventually) and didn't want to sacrifice too much of the mpg as I'd rather the gladiator have as much range as possible for our longer trips, but also wanted something that will be capable enough for most offroad trails. Since we have a Wrangler as well, I'm leaving the Wrangler as our main rock crawler since it's better at that stuff anyway, although that's not to say the gladiator can't do 90 percent of the same trails. I do feel like the Mopar lift is a good sweet spot to get more offroad capability but not sacrifice too much of the ride quality, on road behavior and utility of the truck. Hope this helps some, either way, sound like you'll end up with a killer build and very capable gladiator! ✌️

[@ryancarpenter1678]

@@departureoutdoors thanks for your insight. Def not a rock crawler, more I. To overlanding and camping and long travel, I think going with the mopar will be a solid option for me as well, plus keeping that factory warranty, did you opt to add an adjustable track bar, I just hear a few things the mopar lift of missing a few components to be complete, such as track bar and rear track bar bracket. Yes same I want to do a topper as well, it’ll give you more hauling room for your camp gear as in stacking high.

[@departureoutdoors]

Yeah I considered doing that, but ended up holding off. Wanted to see how it drives and performs before getting front and rear adjustable track bars. I also read that sort of thing about the Mopar lift, but I've read a fair amount of counter arguments as well. I know AEV which is who I went with for the Wrangler my wife drives is of the mindset that new trackbars aren't necessary for lifts of 2.5 to 3 inches, simply control arms pretty much. So that kind of swayed me. At the moment though I'm still of the mindset that I don't really need it, I feel like for a Jeep the Gladiator post mopar lift, tires and the aev steering damper drives great, haven't noticed any issues both on and offroad to this point. I may end up getting upgraded track bars in future but for now I dont feel like i need them. If something changes though I'll be sure to post a video on it, I know there isn't a lot of info surrounding the newer mopar lift.

[@ryancarpenter1678]

@@departureoutdoors right! Gladiators just drive great in General in the Jeep world! Awesome looking forward to the video! Yes we have a 4 door wrangler Sahara unlimited 21, yes I heard mix reviews as well no track bar needed at 1.5 to 3 inches but idk I’m still a little skeptical, but yes I agree most brand name lifts at 2.5 don’t come with track bars.

[@KevinBrown-r7d]

Why are you yelling spotting instructions on a smooth Forest Service Road?

[@departureoutdoors]

Just making sure she can hear me, it is not a crazy trail, we just went out to have some fun on a local trail with our new Gladiator. Nothing sinister here ✌️

[@thegarage4570]

Talk about overkill for that trail. You could do all that with a mid size suv

[@departureoutdoors]

Haha that is very true, it's just a local trail to us that we enjoy and our first trail since getting the Gladiator so really was just to make sure the 4x4 mechanism are working as expected and also see how it drives with the upgrades. Will plan more challenging trails to actually test the Gladiator in future when the weather gets better and we have some time. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@PreaFTW]

It was stated in the video many times. Not everyone wants to smash rocks, like me, I like off roading and having the capability if the need arises. I have the same lift, love it!

[@departureoutdoors]

Haha, yeah I thought I said it a few times. Yeah to be honest, I actually quite enjoy rock crawling from the little experience i do have doing it, although my wife isn't really a big rock crawling enjoyer, but we did just do Poison Spider and Fins and Things in Moab and we both had an amazing time doing that in our Wranlger during Easter Jeep Safari! The Gladiator isn't really intended on being a rock crawling rig for us, it's mainly to support the overlanding role that our wrangler doesn't quite fit well, although we do plan on taking it on some more serious trails to kind of find those limits on the Gladiator; I'm mainly just curious how it does vs our Wrangler which does so well, but yeah not intending on doing Holy Cross or anything like that. Great to hear you have the same lift and enjoy it, I've been loving it as well. All the best and thanks for commenting!!

[@doctorprepper8106]

Really annoying music

[@departureoutdoors]

Bad feedback is feedback, appreciate the comment. I'll try to do less music or perhaps tone it down some. I do this for fun and still new at it so I'm still working on coming up with a good balance of things. Thx.