Hi everyone. I just purchased a 2012 Liberty Limited Jet. It’s only got 66k miles on it. It’s very clean, but I’m not a chrome trim and 20” wheel kind of guy. I almost purchased a Renegade trim with this really cool "sky slider" feature... and luckily did my research before I did.
I joined the JeepForum.com site and have been browsing the KK sub category but I am looking to get into forums more specific to what I am driving.
Off roading in the traditional sense is not a high priority for me. I do, however need to get about 30 miles in any possible weather with road conditions that may be experiencing flooding, broken asphalt, and two feet of snow with a bed of hail on the bottom. New England winters are rough and there are no snow days in my line of work. I guess I am more interested in building something with an Overlander's mentality. Planned mods are as follows:
1. All weather / all condition tires: based on feedback from many people I am going with BFGoodrich KO2’s. I ordered 17” wheels but nothing is finalized yet. Part of me thinks I should throw some 16” steelies on there but I am open to suggestions for a black or gunmetal colored alloy wheel.
2. Auxiliary lighting and LED bulbs: I have used PIAA lighting in the past and I ordered large LED lamps with long range beam patterns. I am doing research into replacing my low beam bulbs with white LEDs and the built in fog lights within the housing with yellow LEDs. Has anyone done this bulb conversion?
3. Body Protection: Tail light cages, brush guards or minimally a bull bar to mount the PIAA's to. There don't seem to be a lot of options for brush or bull guards from what I can tell. I also want to get flexible mud flaps. Undercarriage protection such as skid plates are not a high priority as I have no intention of rock crawling.
4. Crossbars and roof-top storage options: Thule crossbars and a Box are on the list at some point. I love the look of a basket but I don’t know that I want to deal with the wind noise and inability to cover what’s up there. I would have made an exception for a Gobi rack but it seems they don't make them for a Liberty.
5. Lift: somewhere down the line I would like to lift the Liberty either 1.5” or 2” for better water fording ability through paved, flooded roads.
6. Tow Package: I have a class 3 hitch being installed Thursday to tow the motorcycles around
7. Recovery Points: What is the best way to either access or install additional tow hooks or other access points for recovering both myself and if need be another vehicle?
8. Aesthetically speaking, I would like to wrap the chrome grill moulding and other trim in matte black and install the black out hood decal that the Renegade trim had on it.
Thanks in advance for the advice and input!
I joined the JeepForum.com site and have been browsing the KK sub category but I am looking to get into forums more specific to what I am driving.
Off roading in the traditional sense is not a high priority for me. I do, however need to get about 30 miles in any possible weather with road conditions that may be experiencing flooding, broken asphalt, and two feet of snow with a bed of hail on the bottom. New England winters are rough and there are no snow days in my line of work. I guess I am more interested in building something with an Overlander's mentality. Planned mods are as follows:
1. All weather / all condition tires: based on feedback from many people I am going with BFGoodrich KO2’s. I ordered 17” wheels but nothing is finalized yet. Part of me thinks I should throw some 16” steelies on there but I am open to suggestions for a black or gunmetal colored alloy wheel.
2. Auxiliary lighting and LED bulbs: I have used PIAA lighting in the past and I ordered large LED lamps with long range beam patterns. I am doing research into replacing my low beam bulbs with white LEDs and the built in fog lights within the housing with yellow LEDs. Has anyone done this bulb conversion?
3. Body Protection: Tail light cages, brush guards or minimally a bull bar to mount the PIAA's to. There don't seem to be a lot of options for brush or bull guards from what I can tell. I also want to get flexible mud flaps. Undercarriage protection such as skid plates are not a high priority as I have no intention of rock crawling.
4. Crossbars and roof-top storage options: Thule crossbars and a Box are on the list at some point. I love the look of a basket but I don’t know that I want to deal with the wind noise and inability to cover what’s up there. I would have made an exception for a Gobi rack but it seems they don't make them for a Liberty.
5. Lift: somewhere down the line I would like to lift the Liberty either 1.5” or 2” for better water fording ability through paved, flooded roads.
6. Tow Package: I have a class 3 hitch being installed Thursday to tow the motorcycles around
7. Recovery Points: What is the best way to either access or install additional tow hooks or other access points for recovering both myself and if need be another vehicle?
8. Aesthetically speaking, I would like to wrap the chrome grill moulding and other trim in matte black and install the black out hood decal that the Renegade trim had on it.
Thanks in advance for the advice and input!