About my Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392

My Current Jeep is a 2022 Wrangler Rubicon 392. I bought it used with 35,000 miles on it in stock condition (with the exception of powered running boards the previous owner had installed). The previous owner took great care of the Jeep, at least cosmetically. There isn’t a scratch on it, and I’m not talking just the paint, I crawled underneath and thoroughly inspected the frame and underside of the body. It is immaculate. Same for the interior, perfect. I’m not sure how you put 35,000 miles on anything with zero wear and tear. I’ve already put more blemishes on the inside in two months than the previous owner did in 2 years.

The day I brought it home

Here is a list of changes I’ve already made;

Here is a list of changes I’d like to make;

  • Clayton 3.5″ Overland+ Lift
  • Adam’s Custom Driveshafts
  • Different R&P gears to get back to stock performance
  • Different rock panel protection
  • A winch (probably Badlands 12,000

KMC KM235 Grenade Crawl

I’m a big fan of KMC wheels and these KM235 Grenade Crawl wheels have a spoke design I love. I’ve owned a few sets of beadlock wheels over the years and the KMC’s have been trouble free and a good value. I was let down to see these are made in China, I didn’t expect that for some reason. I guess the price point should have been a clue. However, they are gorgeous.

These wheels also have TWO VALVE STEMS HOLES! My previous KMC’s only had one per wheel. The advantage of two valve stems is that while airing up you can connect an air feed to one valve stem while using the other to measuring the pressure simultaneously. 

Clayton 3.5" Overland+ Suspension

OK, this is going to sound shallow and I know it; I was hesitant to buy this companies product because of their name. “Clayton” sounds super Hillbilly to me, there I said it. However, I was able to overcome my prejudices and make the purchase because this kit looks to check all the boxes. 

Box 1) Their product has rubber vulcanized joint ends all around. I had the pioneering version of these with the Metalcloak lift on my old Jeep and they were great. No noise, no maintenance, great ride and flex. Also, no issue with road salt that we use so prolifically here in Wisconsin. My Metalcloak life went 90,000+ miles trouble free. I don’t think a metal joint (like the Johnny Joints in Clayton’s Premium series suspension) would hold up as well.

Box 2) Overbuildt. The control arms are crazy strong, especially the lowers. I think reliability is the #1 factor to consider for critical components like this. If it’s not going to hold up who cares how good it flexes.

Box 3) They improves on what already exists. Metalcloak pioneered this type of joint, and Clayton gives them credit for it. Clayton has just improved on it.

Box 4) They didn’t go off the right-wing deep-end like Matson from Metalcloak has. I get it, everything is political now-a-days, but going long on Columbus Day is a sign of a problem. Metalcloak sent out a long email going on and on about how some people are coming down on Columbus. Sure, credit for making the trip but it wasn’t all sunshine and roses from the natives point of view. For me, no issue is black and white, every issue contains some good and some bad. No need to re-write history, just include the good with the bad. I think we can celebrate Columbus’ accomplishments while being mindful of his mistakes. Life is complicated, let’s all be adults and understand that.

Mickey Thompson Baja Legend MTZ

This is my second set of 37X13.5R17LT Baja Legend MTZ’s and they are great. I’ve gone thru several sets of tires over the years and these hit a sweet spot for me. They have good traction in all conditions (snow, sand, rock, rain), they have good road manors, they aren’t super loud, they look great, and finally they last a long time. I’ve never had a puncture with one either. This is the first time I’ve bought the same tire twice, these are just about perfect.

Teraflex Spartan Alpha HD Tire Carrier

I had the Rugged Ridge version of this on my 2016 JK and it worked great the entire time I owned it, however they don’t make one compatible with the Rubicon 392. I’m not sure what the difference is with the tailgate between the Rucison 392 and the other Jeeps but something is up. I had to pony up the big bucks for the Teraflex product which is as nice as used expect. An added bonus is the available accessories for it, like a HiLift mount and an antenna mount. I will probably get both of these before I head out on my next Jeep adventure in 2025.