If you’re going to be wheelin’ your JK, you’re going to want to replace the plastic rear bumper from the factory with a heavy duty alternative - preferably something with tow points. For this, we went with the Bestop Highrock 4x4 rear bumper. Bestop is best known for their soft tops for Jeeps, trucks, and SUV’s, but more recently, they’ve expanded their product line to include heavy duty bumpers for the serious off-roader. The Bestop Highrock 4x4 rear bumper nicely matches the lines of the Jeep Wrangler JK. It features an E-coat, powder coated finish, a no drill installation, a Class 2.5 receiver hitch, and offers clearance for a 33” spare tire. It is constructed with steel and engineered to maximize your vehicle’s departure angle.

The Highrock 4x4 bumper also features a unique roller that should allow the bumper to glide across rocky terrain, as opposed to getting hung up. Although we fully appreciate the intended purpose of this roller (and Bestop’s innovation), it reduces clearance under the rear bumper very slightly. We’d rather maximize our clearance by not having it there at all, so we opted to leave it uninstalled. As a result, it is not shown on any of the pictures on this page, but you can see it here.

The 37” tires we installed come uncomfortably close to the stock Rubicon rocker guards and a body seam that protrudes from the bottom of the rear fender wells. We recommend a little trimming in this area to improve clearance for 37” tires and larger. First we removed the plastic end cap from the rocker guard and cut approximately two inches off the rear-most end of the rail. We made sure it was a straight and clean cut, touched it up, and popped the end cap back in. Then we trimmed across the corner of each body seam, yielding a triangular piece of scrap metal. We touched up the cut, and you may choose to seal the cut with a weld. This is a very easy, and minimally invasive modification that will allow larger tire fitment, and unobstructed suspension cycling.

To stay consistent with our AEV theme, we mounted a set of silver 17” AEV Pintler aluminum alloy wheels. The AEV wheels are manufactured specifically for Jeep vehicles. They feature a durable powdercoat finish, a recessed valve stem, and a lifetime structural warranty. They are also available with beadlocks, and in two different finishes, silver and argent. We went with the silver, non-beadlock Pintler wheels for our Jeep, and we’ve already gotten some use out of ‘em! Like all things AEV, these wheels look fantastic.

For tires, we went with the time-tested BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM. These tires feature a computer-optimized tread design, and a three-ply sidewall. You’re not going to find a higher quality off-road tire - period. They’re great for rocks, good for mud, and well-suited for the daily commute. If you run your daily driver and looking for a capable off-road tire, then these are the best all-around tires you can get. If you’re rockin’ a trailer queen, and your rig spends as much time on its roof as it does on its tires, then you’ll probably want a more durable off-road tire from Interco or Pit Bull. When you air down your BFG Mud-Terrains, you’ll have a nice, big, sticky footprint and a tire that can take more punishment than most other tires in its class.

We wanted our new Rubokon to be able to go pretty much anywhere, and the long wheelbase of the Wrangler Unlimited demands a reasonably tall lift to maximize the vehicle’s break-over angle. We opted to install a 4.5” suspension system from BDS Suspension. BDS is known for offering high quality, good performing suspensions for Jeeps, trucks, and SUV’s at competitive prices. BDS products are also backed by the best warranty in the industry: “If you are the original purchaser of any BDS product and it breaks, we will give you a new part. Period.”

The BDS 4.5” suspension for the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited JK allows us to fit up to 37” tires without significant body modification. The complete kit includes a set of coil springs, bump stop extensions, front sway bar disconnects (which you may not need to install if your Jeep is a Rubicon model), rear sway bar links, a pitman arm, front and rear track bar relocation brackets, brake line relocation brackets, front and rear lower control arms and rear upper adjustable control arms. Installation takes rough one work day, and when complete, the vehicle will require a front end alignment. We did not install the optional flexible arms, and the suspension still articulates extremely well. Ride quality is slightly diminished from stock, but is still very good. Overall, we’re extremely pleased with the comfort, performance, and ease of install of the BDS suspension. The pictures say the rest!

When the new Jeep Wrangler JK was first released, we were hit by a wave of front bumpers from the aftermarket industry to replace the OE plastic unit. Although most of the offerings were heavy duty, many looked awkward or clunky on the revised Jeep Wrangler. Some manufacturers slapped bumpers together just to try to be the first to the market. Not AEV. AEV started designing their front bumper well before the JK hit the showroom floor, and even then, they didn’t release their bumper until it was ready. While most heavy duty bumpers somewhat resemble origami, AEV’s bumper flows and curves to perfectly match the lines of the Jeep JK. Not only does it look great, the AEV bumper is heavy duty, provides tow points, integrated fog lamps, light mounting tabs, and it accommodates a winch.

The AEV front bumper for the Jeep Wrangler JK is also available with an optional skid plate that really completes the package. The skid plate is formed with 1/8” stamped steel, and protects the sway bar, front impact crossmember, and the steering system. We installed one of these in addition to our AEV bumper, and it has already gotten some use! That’s the nice thing about products from AEV Conversions - they’re highly functional and guaranteed to look great.