Gorilla Wheel Locks

Okay, I admit - it's hard to get excited about lug nuts.  But if you've never given yours a second thought, I'm here to suggest that maybe you ought to.

Besides a lift kit, what's the most expensive thing you put on your Jeep?  For most people, it's the wheels and tires!  They can easily cost well over $1,500, and if you're simply reusing the original lug nuts, those wheels and tires can be stolen in under 10 minutes.

Most wheel lock kits come with a single locking lug nut.  You can buy wheel lock lug nuts direct from Mopar, or the typical Jeep lug nut kit includes 4 wheel locks, one for each wheel.  These are easily defeated with a wheel lock removal tool, however, and don't include a lock for your spare wheel.

Gorilla Automotive makes a full wheel lock kit listed for Jeeps that includes locking lug nuts for all 5 lugs, but the problem is that it only includes 20 lug nuts; it leaves your spare tire as vulnerable to theft as ever.  The trick is to order a set for 6-lug wheels instead of for 5-lug wheels: this gives you 24 locking lug nuts so you have 3 left over for use on your spare wheel, with one extra for if you ever lose or strip the threads on one.  Single wheel lock lug nuts deter casual thieves, but a complete set of locking lug nuts installed on every single lug substantially increases the time and effort required to steal your wheels & tires, so only the most determined thief would even consider targeting your Jeep.

Gorilla Automotive part number 71684N pictured above is what I ordered, and I found yet again that Amazon.com had the best price.  It includes five 1/2-inch locking lug nuts for each wheel, plus three more for the spare tire, one extra lug nut, and the wheel lock key (special socket).  Not pictured (because I don't need anyone stealing my wheels & tires) is a sticker with the lock's part number so you can order a replacement if you ever lose the lock.  The sticker should be placed inside the glovebox or under the hood, and the wheel lock key should be kept with the Jeep at all times for when you need to install your spare tire.

The new lug nuts are the same "acorn" style as the originals, but they are slightly longer and stick out a tiny bit more than the originals.  The original Jeep lug nuts use a 19mm socket while the new wheel lock key is 13/16" or 21mm.  This means that your Jeep's tire iron will not fit your new wheel lock key.  You should already have a 13/16" or 21mm socket in your tool kit that you carry in your Jeep at all times (right???) but if you don't then it's a good idea to get a Gorilla Telescoping Lug Wrench Set that includes two sockets with all four of the popular lug nut sizes - you never know when you'll need to help a fellow 4wheeler on the trail or a damsel in distress on the side of the road, so having this powerful and compact lug wrench stored with your jack in the back of your Jeep is wise.

Product Reivew: Rugged Ridge XHD Hood Catches

Rugged Ridge's black aluminum XHD Hood Catches

There's no such thing as a perfect vehicle.  The Jeep Wrangler JK is about as close as you'll ever find, but even it has its shortcomings.  For instance, its suspension is too low.  It doesn't come from the factory with 35-inch-tall tires.  And its rubber hood catches allow the hood to flutter in a strong headwind.

Most serious Jeep owners install a suspension lift kit and bigger tires, but not enough of them upgrade their hood latches.  When new, the original rubber hood latches work fine, but as the rubber dries out and they lose their elasticity with age, they can allow hood flutter when traveling at a high rate of speed.  Even at normal highway speeds, a strong headwind or an oncoming truck can blast enough wind through the Jeep's radiator to pressurize the underhood engine compartment and force the hood to lift.

The original plastic and rubber hood catches

It may be disconcerting to watch the hood bounce up and down with every big gust of headwind, but the hood isn't going to fly open all of a sudden; not only would both rubber hood catches need to break, but the central metal hood latch would also have to fail.  But even so, I wanted to upgrade my Jeep's hood catches to solve this annoyance.

There are a few aftermarket upgrades available for the JK, TJ, and earlier Jeeps.  The most popular is the Daystar Hood Wranglers.  These are a pair of polyurethane replacement straps for the original rubber straps.  They don't stretch as much as the rubber ones do, and the polyurethane is reported to better withstand weather and ultraviolet breakdown over the years.  They're very easy to install and at only $25 a set, it would be silly to replace your worn out old rubber ones with a set of fresh rubber ones from your local Jeep dealership.

Daystar Hood Wranglers

The downside to Daystar's Hood Wranglers is that they still utilize the OEM plastic latch, mount, and buckle pieces.  Since plastic breaks down and becomes brittle in the sun, and also succumbs to general fatigue, I wanted to find a better option.  After lots of research, I chose the Rugged Ridge XHD Hood Catches which dwarf the OEM hood catches, are proven to be a huge upgrade in strength and durability, and are surprisingly affordable.

Every part of these extra-heavy-duty hood catches is metal.  Rather than simply utilizing a flexible material for the strap, these hood catches have a fully adjustable turnbuckle with jam nuts to allow simple adjustment and prevent them from coming loose.  The billet aluminum hardware is powdercoated black, but they are also available in silver, which not only doesn't match anything on the Jeep but are also more expensive.

OEM Jeep hood catches next to Rugged Ridge's XHD upgrade

Everything you need is included in the box:

Clear instructions and quality packaging

Installation is very easy - remove the original hood catches and install the XHD Hood Catches in their place:

Re-use the rubber hood bumper on the new base bracket

The bottom bracket has one supplied nut, countersunk bolt, and washer.  It utilizes two alignment pins, just like the original bracket.  Getting a 1/4-inch ratchet with a 1/2-inch deep socket behind the fender is the trickiest part of the entire installation.

Easily accessible nuts for the hood latch

The hood-mounted upper bracket is easily removed and replaced since the two 10mm nuts are readily accessible on the underside of the hood.  New bolts, washers, and nuts are supplied in the Rugged Ridge kit.

After loosening the jam nuts, rotating the buckle to adjust its length and tension, and retightening the jam nuts, the new Rugged Ridge XHD Hood Catches secure the hood down with a solid, reassuring clunk.  There is no way the billet aluminum and stainless steel hardware will stretch or crack like the original rubber and plastic parts do, and hood flutter is a thing of the past.  The oversize and attractively-styled XHD Hood Catches give the Jeep a subtle yet powerful visual upgrade that won't look weathered and worn out after a few years in the sun.

Rugged Ridge has a lot of dealers so you shouldn't have any trouble sourcing this kit, but pricing varies considerably.  The kit retails for $130.99 but the best price I found is on Amazon.com where you can also read numerous glowing reviews from other Jeep owners.  I paid around $78.00 and I consider it money well spent.

Inside the Jeep Wrangler Assembly Plant

Jeep's Toledo South Assembly Plant is a busy place, cranking out Jeep Wrangler JKs as fast as possible.  So many, in fact, that they recently celebrated the One Millionth JK Wrangler.  This short video gives a look inside the modern Ohio assembly facility at the seamless blend of high-tech robotics and good old-fashioned American labor: