BIG NEWS EVERYONE!! For all those people who’ve been leary about installing a lift kit on their Jeep JK Wrangler or were told by their dealership that they could not exceed a 2″ of lift because anything more would void their warranty, have I got news for you. I just got out of an exclusive MOPAR press conference entitled ‘Trail’ Initiative and was informed that MOPAR itself will now be selling not just a lift kit for the very first time in its long history, but a 4.5″ long arm kit at that!! Yes, you heard me right, a LONG ARM KIT and to be more specific, it will be a repackaged version of the radical front and rear radius arm design Rubicon Express 4.5″ kit.
From what I learned in a long conversation that I had with Chrysler suspension manager of Jeep Performance/Dodge Off-Road and MOPAR Parts, Keith Montone, I learned that MOPAR had actually been working with Rubicon Express for almost two years now developing and endurance testing this lift kit. And, with blessings from Chrysler, I’ve been told that this kit will now have an official MOPAR part number and, if you can believe it, will be available for purchase right from your local dealership parts counter.
Now, in addition to this astounding announcement, I’ve also learned that MOPAR has plans to get more involved in the aftermarket performance off-road parts business and has plans to develop things like 4.1 transfer case upgrade kits, replacement gears, cold air intake systems and complete axle assemblies and all under the new branding of Jeep Off Road Technology or ORT for short. Need I say, this really is terra incognito for all of us but I for one am excited to see MOPAR getting more involved in helping our Jeeps to grow and look forward to seeing where all this will go.
To see photos from day 2 of our SEMA 2007 Pre-Show Coverage, simply click on the banner above or on the link below:
Well I can’t wait to see the pricing on this kit. 4.5 long arm this might just have to go onto my list of future mods.
Would like some more info on the Xtreme toys black fender flares. Are those made of metal? Anything you can find out would be wonderful. Thank you.
Great news about the mopar support for lifts (any dates when it starts). Please take pics of any new safari racks as well. The show must be a lot of fun to be around…thanks for keeping us informed.
Now the real problem figuring out which I would rather have 3in Full Traction or 4.5in long arm Mopar or heck maybe I will comprimise and go with the 3.5 in Rubi Express!
For you guys wondering about pricing and/or availability of the Mopar lift… it’s just a repackaged RE long-arm system. Which is already available. Difference is you’ll probably pay a lot more for the Mopar branded version. I guess the trade-off (appeal) may be no-haggle warranty-compatibility though.
I do think it’s flippin’ sweet that Mopar is going to be offering all this ‘aftermarket’ offroad gear though!!
I say good work for Mopar!!
Eddy please let us know if you see any new roof racks for the 2 door that do not require any drilling into the body. I would love to get my hands on a rack but I do not want to drill into the tub.
Bill, I just saw the new Kargo Master rack for the 2-door and it is sweet!! NO DRILLING REQUIRED and it is super beefy!!
Eddie
It wont be too long before Jeep comes out with the Jeep Wrangler ORT-8, a JK with 4.5″ lift, 35s, and a V8!
Hey Eddie,
Great job on the coverage. I’m here at SEMA as well and here I am checking here on Project JK for any additional info.
Well this whole Mopar performance product (The JK Long Arm kit) sure is stirring a lot of conversation. I talked to one of the Mopar guys today. He said that it is not just a re-packaged RE kit. He said there are some minor differences. But did not tell me exactly what those were.
Keep up the good work.
Steve