Jeep Grand Cherokee 2014-16 (WK2) Off Road Solutions
Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2014 1:57 pm
Have a WK2 or considering owning one of these stunning 4x4's but concerned about how far off the road you can go with it without damaging the car and draining your pocket with costly repairs? This thread is dedicated for you!
I love the WK2 for what it is and despite the advantages of the legendary Wranglers, I firmly believe with the right precautions we can go the distance, safely. In pursuit of honing the machine, first step was to identify it's weak points (strictly in off road terms). Jeep's design considerations for the WK2 is naturally inclined pro-road because most of its owners use their vehicles on road 90% of the time and also to distinguish n keep up the sale of Wranglers coming from the same stable. In real world terms although it is easy to make a purely road going car; it would be nearly impractical to build something that's purely off-road as we would not be able to make full use of it in our daily lives and the small market size will not make it feasible for the manufacturer. So let's forgive Jeep and concentrate on what can be done to make our WK2 truly capable of what it is supposed to do.
Common Challenges:
1. Lower front Bumpers resulting in reduced approach angle!
Jeep's solution: Prior to off-road driving, remove the front air dam to prevent damage. The front air dam is attached to the lower front fascia with seven quarter turn fasteners and can be removed by hand. The front license plate bracket must be removed first if equipped. Refer image '1 WK2 Front Air Dam removal'. Number 1 is the bumper and 2 is the air dam.
2. When we follow the above solution, it exposes a whole lot of vulnerable parts like lower portion of radiator, windshield washer bottle, ACC Camera (if equipped) and air compressor (Quadra-Lift® adjustable air suspension vehicles) that can be easily damaged with the slightest hit!
Solutions: While the obvious solution is to replace factory bumper with a custom designed metal one by a recognized make that protects and covers everything in the front; it is expensive and not advisable for several reasons including safety, aesthetics and issues with vehicle passing & registration.
Other options: Jeep Grand Cherokee Front Skid Plate - Pre-runner style by Rocky Road Outfitters. Refer image '2. WK2-front-pre-runner style skidplate'.
Installation of this kit requires removal of the front lower plastic fascia permanently and use of their front winch mount kit which puts the cost at nearly 500US$ without shipping and installation. As their website says, some will like its look and some may not like. Unfortunately this pre-runner skid plate lacks many necessary features like protection for the windshield washer bottle, air suspension controller, ACC Camera compatibility etc. This led my research on to other makes and some of them don't deserve mention due to their poor design or requirement to drill holes on vital parts for installation. Finally I came across a small but unique manufacturer in Australia that purely focuses on building elements for the WK2's that Jeep missed out in order to make them go where they belong. This much awaited Lower Front Guard is now in the UAE. Its is a MUST-HAVE protection for the Grand Cherokee if you plan to go off-road. In addition to complete protection; it allows you to put the air dam back on over the LFG, giving stock looks for your Grand Cherokee. See the product in action:
3. OEM Plastic Belly Pan/Sump Protection plate in the front underside that is designed to break on first hit! Refer images to see what it is, how it will look once you hit the trail and what it protects:
Why does Jeep make such flimsy parts on this car? Well, while some might argue these are made so to make money on replacements; I guess it is part of the design consideration for on-road performance as plastic makes it lighter and it's design covering the whole underside portion without vents improves aerodynamics and helps reduce road noise. Well, it does not serve our purpose here.
Solution: WK2 Sump Protection Plates by Chief Products Australia.
These come in Standard 3mm or Heavy Duty 5mm made from strong 350 Grade Steel and features a rolled front lip design that provides maximum protection while still allowing easy removal/attachment of the front air dam. It includes high tensile bolts, Nord-Lock washers and Chief Products innovative Bolt Head Protector washers. The 4 slots aid in cooling while also providing increased drainage for sand and mud from the top side of the plate. They are especially helpful when cleaning the underside of the vehicle after an off-road adventure. I have ordered 2 units; one for testing by Jeep Showroom and the other will be installed at Almost Garage next week. Will have first hand feedback once fitted.
Feedback on Chief Products WK2 Sump Protection Plate:
The plate arrived well packaged and complete with links to simple installation instructions and a shop rag! Installation at Almost Garage was smooth; removing OEM Plastic and fixing the 3mm black powder coated steel plate finished in under 20 minutes. With the vehicle lifted, it was easy to fix the plate without removing Air Dam and the back of the WK2 Sump Protection Plate bolted nicely on top of Mopar Front Skid Plate that was installed on first service. Below are the images of the product fitted on my vehicle and what impressed me is that these pictures were taken a few days after my desert adventure.
It just gives so much confidence to see that the plate not only did its job well but has maintained its aesthetics despite being thrashed in the sand and bush. This definitely is one 'must-have' armor for the WK2 as from experience; it certainly helped getting one step further into the outdoors with peace of mind in my 2014 Grand Cherokee..
More on essential Skid plates, Nudge Bars, Rock Rails and Lift Kits for the WK2 to follow..
I love the WK2 for what it is and despite the advantages of the legendary Wranglers, I firmly believe with the right precautions we can go the distance, safely. In pursuit of honing the machine, first step was to identify it's weak points (strictly in off road terms). Jeep's design considerations for the WK2 is naturally inclined pro-road because most of its owners use their vehicles on road 90% of the time and also to distinguish n keep up the sale of Wranglers coming from the same stable. In real world terms although it is easy to make a purely road going car; it would be nearly impractical to build something that's purely off-road as we would not be able to make full use of it in our daily lives and the small market size will not make it feasible for the manufacturer. So let's forgive Jeep and concentrate on what can be done to make our WK2 truly capable of what it is supposed to do.
Common Challenges:
1. Lower front Bumpers resulting in reduced approach angle!
Jeep's solution: Prior to off-road driving, remove the front air dam to prevent damage. The front air dam is attached to the lower front fascia with seven quarter turn fasteners and can be removed by hand. The front license plate bracket must be removed first if equipped. Refer image '1 WK2 Front Air Dam removal'. Number 1 is the bumper and 2 is the air dam.
2. When we follow the above solution, it exposes a whole lot of vulnerable parts like lower portion of radiator, windshield washer bottle, ACC Camera (if equipped) and air compressor (Quadra-Lift® adjustable air suspension vehicles) that can be easily damaged with the slightest hit!
Solutions: While the obvious solution is to replace factory bumper with a custom designed metal one by a recognized make that protects and covers everything in the front; it is expensive and not advisable for several reasons including safety, aesthetics and issues with vehicle passing & registration.
Other options: Jeep Grand Cherokee Front Skid Plate - Pre-runner style by Rocky Road Outfitters. Refer image '2. WK2-front-pre-runner style skidplate'.
Installation of this kit requires removal of the front lower plastic fascia permanently and use of their front winch mount kit which puts the cost at nearly 500US$ without shipping and installation. As their website says, some will like its look and some may not like. Unfortunately this pre-runner skid plate lacks many necessary features like protection for the windshield washer bottle, air suspension controller, ACC Camera compatibility etc. This led my research on to other makes and some of them don't deserve mention due to their poor design or requirement to drill holes on vital parts for installation. Finally I came across a small but unique manufacturer in Australia that purely focuses on building elements for the WK2's that Jeep missed out in order to make them go where they belong. This much awaited Lower Front Guard is now in the UAE. Its is a MUST-HAVE protection for the Grand Cherokee if you plan to go off-road. In addition to complete protection; it allows you to put the air dam back on over the LFG, giving stock looks for your Grand Cherokee. See the product in action:
3. OEM Plastic Belly Pan/Sump Protection plate in the front underside that is designed to break on first hit! Refer images to see what it is, how it will look once you hit the trail and what it protects:
Why does Jeep make such flimsy parts on this car? Well, while some might argue these are made so to make money on replacements; I guess it is part of the design consideration for on-road performance as plastic makes it lighter and it's design covering the whole underside portion without vents improves aerodynamics and helps reduce road noise. Well, it does not serve our purpose here.
Solution: WK2 Sump Protection Plates by Chief Products Australia.
These come in Standard 3mm or Heavy Duty 5mm made from strong 350 Grade Steel and features a rolled front lip design that provides maximum protection while still allowing easy removal/attachment of the front air dam. It includes high tensile bolts, Nord-Lock washers and Chief Products innovative Bolt Head Protector washers. The 4 slots aid in cooling while also providing increased drainage for sand and mud from the top side of the plate. They are especially helpful when cleaning the underside of the vehicle after an off-road adventure. I have ordered 2 units; one for testing by Jeep Showroom and the other will be installed at Almost Garage next week. Will have first hand feedback once fitted.
Feedback on Chief Products WK2 Sump Protection Plate:
The plate arrived well packaged and complete with links to simple installation instructions and a shop rag! Installation at Almost Garage was smooth; removing OEM Plastic and fixing the 3mm black powder coated steel plate finished in under 20 minutes. With the vehicle lifted, it was easy to fix the plate without removing Air Dam and the back of the WK2 Sump Protection Plate bolted nicely on top of Mopar Front Skid Plate that was installed on first service. Below are the images of the product fitted on my vehicle and what impressed me is that these pictures were taken a few days after my desert adventure.
It just gives so much confidence to see that the plate not only did its job well but has maintained its aesthetics despite being thrashed in the sand and bush. This definitely is one 'must-have' armor for the WK2 as from experience; it certainly helped getting one step further into the outdoors with peace of mind in my 2014 Grand Cherokee..
More on essential Skid plates, Nudge Bars, Rock Rails and Lift Kits for the WK2 to follow..