Words by Perry Mack
This could also be the mantra for almost any wheeler. I drive a Jeep so I’ve compiled products for my Wrangler JKU from Rugged Ridge. With the exception of the soft top, similarly-styled aftermarket parts are available for virtually all 4x4’s, so you can personalize your rig and improve the performance and safety for wheeling on- and off-road.
The prices in USD are from the Rugged Ridge website while the CAD pricing are from Canadian retailers. There are some variations in CAD pricing so you may find them for less than what we have listed – shop around. In no particular order, here are our top seven.
Wheels with Rim Protectors
Wheel SKU 15301.20 - $530 CAD and Rim Protector SKU 15250.01 - $65 CAD
Choosing a larger tire often means switching to a different wheel as a taller tire is often wider. A more trail-oriented, off-roader would go to a 15” wheel, but we chose a 17” for trail, overland and daily driver use. The resulting extra sidewall (switching from the stock 18” rim) gives us a larger footprint when we air down (a wider tire also helps) for better traction and a softer ride.
We decided on a little bling to add form to function and ordered Rugged Ridge’s XHD 17 x 9” in chrome, but it’s also available in powder-coated satin black, satin black with a machined lip, and satin silver. It’s an aluminum wheel with a 4.53” backspacing, -12mm offset, and it’s a hub-centric design, which as the name suggests, centers the wheel over the hub providing enough clearance for brake rotors, steering components, and suspension.
Another reason for choosing the XHD wheel is the optional trim ring, which takes the abuse from the trail. When you’ve decided that the trim ring looks too battered, replace it, and your wheel looks brand new again. Although the rim protector gives the wheel a beadlock look, it is not. It’s important to note the trim ring cannot be used with the chrome wheel. If you’re into retro (as we are), the centre cap is designed to look like an old school manual locking hub.
Perry Mack
Clean and mean. The trail- and street-ready Rugged Ridge XHD wheels.
Go Topless
4-door JK Bowless Top
SKU 13750.38 -$520 CAD, $440 USD
I originally purchased my 2015 Wrangler JKU with the OEM soft top – a $1500 add-on. It was great for the dealer, but not so great for me. I prefer a bowless design like this, which lowers the profile of the roof, is lighter in weight, and in this case, has a fastback design. The roof can do without a bulky frame by using the roll bars for support. The rear window is not removable, but it does roll up and out of the way. The top is very affordable, well-made, well-designed and easy to install. We’ll feature the install in a future issue. It’s available for both 2- and 4 door JK’s from ’07-’18.
Rugged Ridge
The Bowless soft top is also available for 2-door Wranglers.
Stainless Steel Dual Exhaust
SKU 17606.75 - $910 CAD, $770 USD
We installed this stainless-steel dual-tip axle back exhaust for two reasons: 85 percent custom bling and 15 percent sound and horsepower. It’s a very simple bolt-on installation and all the parts are included. I would suggest you spray all the hangers and bolts with something like WD-40 the night before your install to loosen corrosion and dirt. The muffler mellowed the sound of the engine, which had a distinct rumble since we installed the Volant cold air intake. Now that we have decreased back pressure to accompany the increased air intake, there are a couple extra ponies under the hood. Don’t expect a blow-your-hair-back experience, but we did feel better acceleration on the street, attacking the on ramp and while in the passing lane.
I was originally concerned I might bang it up on a trail ride but my move to more overland adventures has taken some of the ‘extreme’ out of my off-road adventures. After roughly 5,000 km (3,106 mi) of road and trail, the pipes remain unscathed. Rugged Ridge says it’s a two-plus hour install but we were done in just over an hour.
Perry Mack
The Stainless Steel Axle Back dual pipe exhaust.
Windshield Mounted Light Bar Kit
SKU 11232.26 - $1040 CAD, $880 USD
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to mount a stadium light to your roof? Probably not, so I guess we’re alone on that one. However, after mounting this light bar to our roof we don’t wonder anymore. The stock factory headlights hit the recycle bin shortly after leaving the dealer lot, with a childish ‘ping’ as plastic hit plastic, and were replaced with LED’s. We are now able to see as much as legally possible on the road. ‘Please sir, could we have some more?’ Damn straight we can. The textured black tubular bar is a no-drill mount with included light bar mounts replacing the body work corners at the bases of the A-pillars.
Three 34 cm (13.5 in) 72-watt LED lights come with the kit (light covers included to keep you legal). Sold separately however, you’ll probably need the Off-Road Light Installation Harness Kit for three lights (RR SKU 15210.63), which includes a switch. Our install was a little different as we have the A-Pillar Switch pod with switches (RR SKU 17235.71). The challenge we found with the install is that there is no ‘kit’ install instructions as the lights are also sold separately. You get generalized install instructions for a light, but not how to install the three lights to the mount, and then how to wire them into your rig.
If you have no automotive electrical experience it is best if you find a buddy who does. Better yet, have it installed professionally. We will get our install feature and video out as soon as possible.
Regardless of your install choice, the results are nothing short of spectacular. Having three separate lights means you can keep the middle light tilted higher for more distance, while the other two are tilted slightly lower to light the road closer to your Jeep. Change it up as the light conditions, terrain and weather dictate.
The three images are all shot at the same exposure, which makes the LED headlights look darker than they actually are, so you can accurately see the illumination provided by the lightbar, and the difference it makes. At an exposure which accurately represents the LED headlights, the lightbar photo is so bright there is no detail in the image – it makes that much difference.
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Perry Mack
The LED lights on low beam.
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Perry Mack
Using the high beam LED’s
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Perry Mack
The full performance of the Rugged Ridge Light Bar.
Jeep JK Performance Vented Hood
SKU 17759.01 - $800 CAD, $600 USD
Part of ‘the Mantra’ is ‘heat bad, cooling good’. We all know reaching excessive temperatures can happen when crawling in the summer, but it can also happen while wheeling in the winter as deeper snow creates more friction, making your engine work harder.
This stamped steel hood fits perfectly and looks fantastic, all while venting out that nasty heat building up around the engine. It comes in a black primer, which you can then paint to match your Jeep, or another colour.
Perry Mack
The clean design of the Vented Performance Hood.
Spartan Grille with LED lights
SKU – 12034.35 $408 CAD, $300 USD
More light and a tough look, we love it. This injection molded grill is tough, arrives in a black matte finish that is easily paintable, and comes with an interchangeable steel mesh insert so you can change the look of your Jeep just by changing the mesh (so far we’ve seen a star, flag, skull, and shark teeth from Rugged Ridge). We chose the mesh insert that includes two 9 cm (3.5 in) round LED driving lights as we seem to have a light fetish and haven’t reached the point of ‘too much’ - yet.
Without the lights (SKU 12034.01 - $338 CAD, $220 USD), the grille is less money and the only tools you need are a flat head screwdriver and a utility knife. It’s very close to a ‘plug ‘n play’ install, especially if you’ve taken your grille off once or four times before installing LED headlamps, replacing turn signals, adding angry eyes, and windshield deflectors.
Rugged Ridge
The Spartan Grille with 9 cm LED driving lights.
Accessory Brake Light LED Ring
SKU – 11585.04 $93 CAD, $77 USD
Larger tires? Check. Hidden legally required third brake light? Darn, check. We like to be seen, especially in a convoy where sudden stops on the trail occur as often as tailgating at a football game. The large ring looks stellar and wakes up tailgaters on the road and trail. It fits wheel diameters from 15” to 20” for Jeep CJ / YJ / TJ and JK models having five lug bolt patterns with 4.5, 5 or 5.5" spacing. It’s a small price to pay to avoid getting rear-ended.
That’s it for our recitation of the Wheelers Mantra for safety, performance and personalization. It never hurts to add some extra bling to your rig. It just may capture the attention of other wheelers on the trails (for the better) and most of all you won’t break the bank while enhancing safety and convenience during your off-road adventures.
Rugged Ridge