Crashnburn80's Supercharged Gladiator Mojave Build

Nice, which system did you get? The 2020 Tacoma Signature edition looks like it is still on pre-order. The install instructions still haven't been published for the Gladiator Signature Edition system yet.

 

I got the 2020 signature edition system. It took a professional five hours to install it because some of the wirings were missing.

 

I'm a little torn on direction.

The Artec belly pan skid system is 15.55% off this month, about $326 off, so I'll pull the trigger shortly.
https://www.artecindustries.com/jtskidplate-al36

To install the system requires 1.5" front lift. The Mojave has 1" front lift.

My initial thought was to run 0.5" spacers front and rear with my 35s. While there are 0.5" JL spacers that fit the front JT, there are no compatible 0.5" spacers that fit the JT rear, since the JT rear is different than the JL. Daystar makes a 0.75" spacer front and rear for the JT, which seems like the closest option, then I'd have to figure out the bump stop extensions. Adding 1/2" lift to my TRD Baja setup worked great. However in reading more, it seems the Mojave Fox reservoir shocks are very sensitive to spacer lifts which brings the shocks out their bypass zone and causes poor ride. Waste of a very nice suspension system, but it isn't clear to me what lift level that becomes a factor. But any sole spring spacer will move it out of the factory position. I'd like to keep the front and rear lift the same to keep the shock tuning the same. The 35s look great now, I'm also concerned about the spacers adding too much fender gap with the 35s and having them look too small.

AEV has solved the geometry issue with a 2" Mojave specific spacer lift that also includes 2" shocks extensions, 2" bump stop extensions and 2" extended sway bar brackets so the suspension retains its factory orientation, just with 2" more lift. The kit allows 37" tires on the Rubicon and Mojave. There are many things I like about this approach. Keeping all the relative geometry between components the same, means performance will be identical to stock, which is highly desirable with the Mojave's great suspension. A 37" tire is 2" larger in radius than the stock 33" tires, meaning max compression will have very similar fender clearances to the stock 33s at max compression, since the max compression point is moved 2" down by the kit and the top of the tire is moved 2" up with 37s. This is a far more 'correct' method, but does require 37s to not look goofy on a Mojave.
https://www.aev-conversions.com/product/mojave-spacer-lift/

I've wanted to avoid 37s for daily driver performance reasons, though the release of BFGs new Raptor specific 68lb 37x12.5r17s in C-load make it more palatable, weighing only 5lbs more than the stock C-load 33s and the light weight 35s I'm running now. However I haven't been able to locate them for sale yet, I might have to check a Ford dealer. If going to 37s I'd regear from the current 4.10s to 4.56. While 4.88 is common, 4.56 would return the gearing to stock equivalent of 4.10s with 33s which will be lower geared than my 4.10s on 35s, and I'll have the 440hp supercharger so I'd prefer the slightly higher gearing for mpgs as power won't be an issue. If regearing I'd be really tempted to swap the front axle with a JT Rubicon OEM front axle assembly to get the front electronic locker. I also do not want to go with aftermarket wheels, which tend to stick out to far for my liking and are typically heavy compared to stock. From what I have found the upgraded 17" Mojave wheels weigh 23lbs, which is impressive and lighter than the 17" OEM wheel offerings from Toyota. I've seen reviews that 37x12.5r17s can fit on a Rubicon with a 2" lift with only minor rubbing on the swaybar on one side, which the user fixed by putting washers as spacers on the steering stop. With an adjustable trackbar to properly recenter the axle that may not be an issue. The Mojave wheels also have less offset, to push them out slightly further than other models, which will also reduce the likelihood of the issue. But no guarantees. A 37" tire can also be fit in the stock spare tire location, but not centered like stock, it is shifted off to the side slightly over one frame rail rather than in-between. Not perfect but seems to work. Alternatively it could also possibly be partially deflated to be centered and fit between the frame rails and then inflated as needed with OBA, once I have the OBA system installed.

Here is how the truck sits today on 35s.


The Gladiators look made for 37s, as 35s almost seem to small. I'm just reluctant to go that far for a daily driver that I want to build around being performant. Small spacers would likely be prudent to try first, combined with the skid system will provide 1.5" more ground clearance. But it almost seems inevitable that it will go larger, especially for the break-over angle on the longer wheel base, which I am sure I will cuss out on the first wheeling trip. Just trying to figure out the best balance for a daily driver.

Although looking more, it doesn't look like the 2021 Raptor will be released till later this summer, with pre-orders starting June 10th, and the tires likely not available till after release. So if I want to get some wheeling trips in this summer, it might force me to go with the spacers for now.

 

Go 37's

 

It's future proofing yourself

 

So after throwing my rig into your build thread, sorry...I came to the same conclusion you were getting at. Those Mopar wheels are behemoths. After conversing with Daria, I reached out to Vuth at SCS. They had a blem set of K5’s and I pulled the trigger. 25 lbs 3 oz per wheel which saved me at minimum 12 lbs per wheel, but I’m guessing more like 15 lbs. I’m down to about 103 lbs per corner. Not perfect, but much better. I kept the heavy 37” Ridge Grapplers because they’re brand new. Huge change in drivability. See 8th gear almost always now. Strong headwind is the only detriment to staying in 7th or 8th. Picked up anywhere from 2-3 mpg. Poke isn’t bad at all and the dish looks perfect on the JL. Food for thought.

 

Re-gear will need to happen eventually. For now, the drivability is night and day better. With your supercharger, I don’t think 37’s will be an issue at all. Even the current KO2 37 is the lightest I’ve found, with the Milestar coming in 2nd. 37’s look killer on a Mojave.

 

Love SCS wheels, those look great. Looks like their RS 10s are even lighter at 21lb 5oz, though I do like the K5 look better. Still more poke than I'm looking for though. 103lbs a corner, ouch. I find the 91lbs a corner with the OEM wheels and new BFGs hard to swallow. Thought the 37" D version of the KO2s specifies a 8.5" wide wheel minimum, and the Mojave wheels are 7.5". Hmm. Of course I just picked up a matching OEM 5th... Maybe I need to look into some RS 10s.

 

Yeah, 103 lbs is not ideal, but dropping 20 lbs a corner just switching wheels and lugs made a huge difference. From my reading, every 10 lbs of unsprung weight dropped is like taking 100 lbs of sprung/supported weight out of your vehicle. So if I dropped 20lbs per corner just making this change is like taking 800 lbs constant out of the Jeep. Plus I have 20 less pounds hanging off the back. Once I burn through these tires I’ll go to a lighter set to get me under that 100 lb.

And yeah, I love SCS too. Had F5’s on my Tacoma. Ordered from Vuth on a Wednesday afternoon and had them on my door step two days later. 5 wheels and lugs for under $1K before shipping. It looks and drives so much better now. I made a mistake off the bat going with the Mopar wheels, but I’m much happier now.

 

Those SCS wheels have a minimum -10 offset.
https://www.stealthcustomseries.com/products/rs10?variant=39470020788277

The Mojave wheels have a +37 offset, so that is a 47mm difference, which means pushing the tires out almost 2" plus the additional 1/2" width of the tire. That is a fair amount further than I'd desire, but those are so far the lightest 8.5" wheel I've seen. The RS 10s plus the new BFGs would get 37s down to under 90lbs a corner which would be impressive. Warn has some 17x8.5s that have 0 offset, but weigh more at 27lbs. Seems almost impossible to find light weight wheel options for Jeeps, especially with offsets that are positive.

Rubicon vs Mojave offsets (copied from a Gladiator forum)

 

Jerry at BAMF has the SCS wheel and 37’s on his Gladiator. The tire poke is pretty substantial. I know he plans on putting a lift on it at some point. His Gladiator is a Rubicon edition as well. He may be able to elaborate more. Maybe give him a shout at some point for his input?

 

The math is pretty clear how far they will stick out, so I don't think much more info is needed.

Even lighter, with more ideal offset is the Volk TE37 M-spec wheels. 17x8.5 +16 offset (an entire inch less than SCS) and only 18lbs. That would put the combined 37s at the same weight as the stock 33 setup. That would move the wheel offset out less than 1" from stock. Granted super pricey.
https://www.kamispeed.com/products/volk-racing-te37xt-m-spec-17-wheels?variant=30570313121836

 

Volks are great wheels, if the intent is to stick to pavement. The wheels are designed for sports cars and are easily damaged Offroad. I don’t understand the crowd that runs them in the Offroad community. I believe it stems from the “they cost a lot, therefore they are better”.

But, different strokes for different folks.

 

Agreed durability would be a concern with such ultra light wheels, though I haven't seen any reports of wheel failure due to off road damage and 37" tires would offer some good sidewall buffer.

The way I see it there are 4 options with their various leading qualities.

Stock Mojave wheels
17x7.5 w/ +37mm offset at 23lbs. ~7.5mm less offset than stock wheels at 44.5mm offset and 7.5" wide is under the 8.5" wheel width spec for KO2 37s. Even if mounting 37s to the stock wheels, these may rub near lock. Pros, this is likely the best strength to weight ratio wheel option. Cons, under spec in width and might rub due to insufficient offset.

AEV Pintler
This wheel is near perfect in every way, but weight. 17x8.5 w/ +25mm offset. Pushes the wheel out about 1/2". These wheels were developed by AEV specifically for the JL/JT. They are not a generic wheel like most. Specs call out 34lbs, but multiple online posts cite it actually being 25lbs. The 25mm offset pushes the wheel out the perfect amount for a 12.5" wide 37" tire without unnecessary poke, while also having the ideal 8.5" wheel width. If these did weigh 25lbs (only 2lbs over stock) it would be a reasonable compromise. If they weigh closer to the boat anchor spec of 34lbs, it is a non-starter.

Volk Racing TE37 M-spec
17x8.5 +16 offset, at a remarkable 18lbs. Less than 1" less offset vs stock while also being 5lbs lighter than stock. This would allow the setup using the new Raptor KO2 37s to weigh the same as the stock wheels on stock 33s. Ridiculously expensive and off-road durability would be a concern. Personal preference but they also only come in black/bronze/red. Not really a fan of any of those color options for the Sting Grey Gladiator, but if I had to chose I would go with bronze.

SCS RS10
17x8.5 -10 offset at 21lb 5oz. Great in every regard except the extreme offset pushing the wheels 2" further out than stock. Add a 1" wider tire, and that is 2.5" wider than stock, which is far more than I am looking for. While I really like these wheels, the extreme offset rules them out for me.

No clear winner.

 

In.
Current owner of a 2019 jlur along with my tacoma.

 

I was set on the OEM Rubicon JT rear bed sliders, but I like these from Rusty's way better. I might have to have them re-powder coated in flat though. I ran Rusty's arms on my TJ Rubicon.
https://www.rustysoffroad.com/jeep-...and-later-jt-gladiator-rear-rocker-armor.html




I also pulled the trigger on Artec's high clearance light weight aluminum skid system.




Annnd I've gone with AEV's 2" Mojave lift to commit to 37s.

 

Made it 1/3rd of the way through the SC install today. Worst part so far was dealing with the ECU flash firmware, which we struggled with for hours before realizing the Win10 laptop appeared to not be up for the task. I thought it was strange in watching the SC install video that the plugs were not replaced, well it turns out you do need to replace them per the printed instructions with NGK 6706 plugs, and the plugs are not included. Have those on order due in tomorrow to the local auto parts store. Thanks to @Kidwidataco for the had today.

 

Can you even call this a supercharged gladiator build if the install isn't finished yet?

 

Past tense may have been pre-mature for the title, but it was going to happen and then I’d just have change it.