[RuDawg7890]

Meet Bear! A 2016 JKU Black Bear Sport. These first set of pics are more of a starting point, but include the addition of the Sherpa Rack Kit from Rugged Ridge. It was down to the Sherpa kit or the Warrior Renegade rack. I decided on the Sherpa Rack due to the fact that it seemed easier to maneuver when messing with the Jeep's tops, and with the Sherpa, you can easily remove the rack while leaving the window bar in place to serve as a light bar.

 

[RuDawg7890]

Bushwhacker Flat Fender Flares

Over this past weekend, I installed flat flares. I don't think I needed them for the tires I was getting, but I like the look and openness, and they are future proof!
I did the first front one by myself, then recruited a friend to help with the final three!! I really dig how these turned out.

 

[RuDawg7890]

BFG KO2's in 34x10.5x17

Yesterday, Bear got new shoes!! I was settled on the KO2's, and wanted the biggest increase I could get with keeping the stock rims, and not have to worry about rim width issues. I heard all the warnings about them not being a true 34" tire, but they still measured 2" greater than the stock 245/75/17's, proven by before & after measurements, and I'm happy with that!
So far no rubbing issues. The fronts are very close to the sway & bumper parts at full turn. Rears clear fine even at full compression against the bump stop. I'm seriously considering wheel spacers for some more wiggle room and a bit wider stance. I'll be adding a ¾" coil spacer to front when I prepare for a new bumper & winch.

 

[RuDawg7890]

KO2's continued

A little backyard flexing to check clearances, and just for fun!!

 

[RuDawg7890]

Next Up

- Uniden CB Radio kit from Quadratec, sitting on the dining room table awaiting install
- 1.25" to 1.5" Wheel spacers...possibly, wheeling this Sunday may determine
- ¾" Coil Spacers in the front
- Warrior Products Mid-Width front bumper
- Warn VR10000-S winch + accessories
- Skid plats for oil pan, tranny & diff.
- Bestop Trektop NX Twill
- Bestop soft doors
- Some type of side mirrors for when doors are off
- Wet Okale or Bartact seat covers, haven't decided, leaning to Bartact
- Custom roof baskets to utilize the space on the Sherpa rack not taken up by my Thule cargo box (if a welding friend can/will make them for me)
- DIY paracord grab handles & rear seat belt stays (have all the parts, just need to take the time!)
- Lock boxes under front seats, possibly a Tuffy 275 trunk box

I think that will be enough.....for now!!

 

[BlueBabySound]

Good luck on the build :thumb:

 

[RuDawg7890]

Thank you!

 

[Sunny501]

hey nice Jeep, I just got my 2016 Willys Wheeler, I was gonna go with the same as yours...where are you located? I may need your help with a few things....

 

[RubiconGTR]

Nice ride time to take some pics off roading Lets see some good pics

 

[RuDawg7890]

Thank you! Here's Bear taking a break during lunch after about three hours of trails at Rausch Creek
Front tires rubbed the sway bar at full flex and turn, spacers are coming soon!

 

[Thecoats]

Nice looking Jeep. I like the look you are going for very much. Thanks for sharing with the rest of us and have fun off roading in the best of health in this beauty.

Thanks
-don

 

[RuDawg7890]

Nice looking Jeep. I like the look you are going for very much. Thanks for sharing with the rest of us and have fun off roading in the best of health in this beauty.

Thanks
-don

Thank you don!
More coming very soon!!

 

[___gm_]

very nice. I have the Canadian version of yours... also getting KO2s soon!

 

[Johnnyp26]

Nice build man! It's coming along great!

 

[RuDawg7890]

very nice. I have the Canadian version of yours... also getting KO2s soon!

Thank you, that's awesome! I love the KO2s. They have made such a difference on the trails. And they are much quieter on the road than I expected.

Nice build man! It's coming along great!

Thank you! I need do to some updates to this thread, there's been a little more, and hopefully even more after this weekend!

 

[Lava6609]

BFG 265/70R17 on 2016 Black Bear

RuDawg, looks awesome. I hit the magic age and finally bought a 2016 Black Bear three weeks ago. I'm also interested in replacing the stock Goodyear Wrangler 245/75/17s with the BFG KO2 265/70/17s. If I'm not mistaken, this is exactly what you did. I'm really new at this, so I'm leery about adding spacers at this point, but the stock tires look too small.
Did the change in tire size look significantly better for your Jeep? What did adding the spacers do for the look and drive? Any issues with the spacers?
Sorry about the long message, but I'm learning. Thanks for any response, it'll help me make a decision.

 

[RuDawg7890]

RuDawg, looks awesome. I hit the magic age and finally bought a 2016 Black Bear three weeks ago. I'm also interested in replacing the stock Goodyear Wrangler 245/75/17s with the BFG KO2 265/70/17s. If I'm not mistaken, this is exactly what you did. I'm really new at this, so I'm leery about adding spacers at this point, but the stock tires look too small.
Did the change in tire size look significantly better for your Jeep? What did adding the spacers do for the look and drive? Any issues with the spacers?
Sorry about the long message, but I'm learning. Thanks for any response, it'll help me make a decision.

Awesome, congrats!
I went with the 34x10.5.17 BFG KO2's (metric equivalent would be around 265/80/17). 265/70 isn't going to be much taller than 245/75. tiresize.com has a calculator you can play with to see the differences.
The 34's measured 2" taller thank stock when mounted and loaded. It did change the look significantly, the height for sure, the width, not much wider than stock. But the tread, man that tread!! No issues adding the spacers. I went with 1.5" black Spidertrax. It actually improved the feel in cornering. To me, adding spacers, as long as you buy good ones, is no different to the vehicle than getting new rims with less backspacing. Stick with Spidertrax, Synergy, US Alloy, etc.. and you'll be fine. The spacers to avoid are the ones that don't have studs, they just slide on between your hub & wheel...those are the no-no's!!(I have never seen them for sale on any of the reputable vendor's sites)

Hoping to have some time this evening to update this thread with my latest projects.

 

[Lava6609]

Thank you, RuDawg. That really helps.

 

[BoxerMobileJK]

Awesome looking Jeep! How was Rausch Creek? I am considering going there this summer, and making a day of it with my wife.

 

[RuDawg7890]

Thank you, RuDawg. That really helps.

You're welcome!

Awesome looking Jeep! How was Rausch Creek? I am considering going there this summer, and making a day of it with my wife.

Thank you! Rausch is awesome. I've been there 3 or 4 times now, and I have barely explored all of it. They have bare bones camping available if you want to spend the night or two, lots of people do that. Let me know when you go, might be able to meet you there!! It's only an hour from me:beerdrinking: