[JoeCool]

Good evening everyone,

I just purchased a 2004 RME that has the Alcoa wheels on it. I'm not a huge fan of them and am considering selling them. Since it is a RME, would it lose value if it tried to sell it without the Alcoa wheels since that is one of the more obvious differences that make it a RME? I don't plan on selling the Jeep any time soon, I'm just curious.

The guy I purchased it from said that if I put 2" spacers on top of the springs, front and rear, I could then get wheel adapters to run the new JK style wheels, more specifically, Rubicon take offs with the 32" tires. Will this really fit without rubbing? Is it safe on the highway and off road in this configuration or would a suspension lift be better? I will most likely stay with the 32s unless there is a significant enough reason to go to 33s. The 32 take offs seem to be pretty plentiful and I don't intend to do rock crawling or any double black diamond type trails. I live in Florida and take it to Ocala and will hopefully ship it to AZ when I go on vacation, but again, nothing too crazy.

Thanks in advance!

Joe

 

[goinbroke89]

If you are worried about it losing value without the original wheels, just keep the wheels. You aren't gonna get a lot for them anyway. You just bought it and you are already talking about selling it? You sound like me. I'm pretty sure the 32s will fit with the coil spring spacers with no issues. I have heard that as long as you keep the adapters torqued down, you will not have any issues there either.

 

[MeatyPete]

I have the same wheels on my rubicon. I was under the impression that a forged aluminum wheel like this is premium and very strong and light. Does anyone have any feedback on that? (Sorry for hijacking)

 

[JoeCool]

GoingBroke: not planning on selling it, but I just think about stuff like that. If it's not going to lose value without them then I was thinking about possibly selling them for some Rubicon take offs from a JK. I don't do anything extreme, pretty much just Ocala for now and I'm sure the stuff that I may do if I ever ship it to AZ for vacation would be doable with the 32s as I have seen tons of rented Jeeps on the trails and they all had the same 32s. Coil spacers to get a little clearance and JK Rubi wheels and I'll be set.
...for now

MeatyPete: Good point about the weight. I'd have to figure out how much the stock 17" Rubi wheels weigh.

Thanks for the input!

 

[Garry125]

Are they silver ones I have black ones willing to trade not the same style as yours.

 

[JoeCool]

Thanks @Garry125, they are silver, but I think I'm going to hang on to them for a bit.

 

[3X4X4]

As soon as you modify a Jeep you have ruined the resale and authenticity. Especially if the parts used are anything less than top drawer. Most aftermarket parts are lesser quality than OEM, so just raising a Jeep up 4 inches with low quality suspension bits is not going to increase the Jeeps value, only detract from it. Modified, off roaded vehicles are not going to retain value. A clean, unmodified vehicle that has not been "wheeled" then yes removing the original wheels would affect its value to many potential buyers. Most modified Jeeps I have encountered may look cool but that are evil, foul beasts with vibrating drive lines and poor, even dangerous handling.

My point being, if you are going to lift and modify and cut on your Jeep, go ahead and put whatever wheels on it you like as the resale value will have already taken multiple torpedoes to the hull.

J

 

[JoeCool]

Thank you for the input 3X4X4 and I understand that major mods will affect the desirability. The most I'm going to do is 2 or 3 inch suspension lift and 32 or 33 inch tires, most likely Rubicon take offs from a JK. I've spoke to several people about using the wheel adapters to use the JK wheels and they said that they have not had any issues on road or off.

It's not a daily driver but when I go biking and off roading, I usually go to Ocala (up to 2hrs depending on traffic) so it has to retain its road manners with no odd vibrations because it wasn't lifted properly. The mods I do make will be done properly. Short cuts for me usually wind up being a faster track to taking the long way around.

How do you feel about the wheel adapters?

I'm pretty much over the "value" thing. It's my Jeep and I'm going to enjoy it the way I want to enjoy it. These things (Jeeps) in my area (Central Florida) still pull in top dollar, modified or not as long as they are rust free, which mine is.

Thanks again for the input and let me know what you think about the wheel adapters. If they are great for mall crawlers, that's great, but I will be taking mine off-road as well. Nothing too crazy though, standard trails and stuff in Florida.

 

[jjvw]

Is the RME more than just a trim package? I don't see it adding any more value than a Sahara would.

 

[JoeCool]

The RME package includes the dana 44 rear and Alcoa wheels, other than that, for the most part, it's silly stuff like two tone dash, black diamond plated "rock" protectors (lol), logos in the seat backs and a sticker.