Improve MPG
If you're looking for better fuel mileage from your gas-guzzling 4x4, then a Fitch Fuel Catalyst kit might be your answer. We've been using a Fitch unit on our guzzler '97 Ford F-350 CrewCab 4x4 for the last few years and are still benefitting from it. The gains in fuel mileage aren't phenomenal, but every bit helps. We gain about 1 to 2 mpg, depending on the driving situation and load. On a rig getting 10 mpg or less, that's good news.
Tail Light Upgrade
If you've damaged the stock taillights on your Jeep JK, Warrior Products offers a heavy-duty replacement. The company's JK steel taillights replace the factory units and bolt in place with minor modifications to the sheet metal. The steel taillights accept standard grommet-mounted tail lights and/or reverse lights. The light kits and load resistors are sold separately and are available from Warrior Products.
Wheel Spacers
If new wheels aren't in your budget to go with your new lift, you can use wheel spacers to create the necessary backspacing to use your stock wheels. Wheel spacers can also be designed as adapters if you want to adapt wheels with different bolt patterns to your rig, which is often the case after completing an axle swap or getting your buddy's free set of wheels after he upgraded. A variety of companies - including Spidertrax and Trail Sport 4x4 - manufactures wheel spacers and adapters. The spacers shown are from Spidertrax. They are manufactured from 6061T6 aluminum and go through a double-anodizing process that gives them a dark blue color and leaves them highly corrosion-resistant. Spidertrax wheel spacers are wheel and hub centric for a perfect fit and are made in the USA. Applications are available for Jeep, Toyota (both lug and hub centric), and Suzuki vehicles.
Battery Tender
A lot of us use your 4x4s intermittently as the seasons or work and family schedules allow. If you don't have the time or never remember to fire up the engine now and again, you risk having the battery lose its charge, which can be a big drag if you were set on hitting the trail that instant, and an even bigger drag if you've wasted the battery altogether. The SmartCharge digital battery tender from Keep It Clean Wiring Accessories is designed to offer a steady trickle charge to your vehicle's battery and effectively extend battery life. The SmartCharge plugs in to a standard 110-volt outlet and maintains your vehicle's battery without relying on your schedule or memory. Cost of new battery: $100 to $200 plus. Cost of SmartCharge battery tender: Less than $20.
Plastic Fenders
It seems that all the craze these days is to hang more heavy metal on your rig to protect it from rocks. Some manufacturers are moving to aluminum body panels to save weight but they still in effect make for a heavier rig, which eats more fuel and is harder on suspension components and shocks. If you are looking to put your rig on a diet you can look to Modern Classic Enterprises (MCE), which recently introduced its flat fenders that are made from UV-protected ABS plastic. The plastic flat fenders are designed to elastically flex and distort instead of transferring impact loads to the rest of the vehicle. They are also made in the USA and priced at a level that doesn't break the bank.
Coil Spring Retainers
With coil-spring suspension systems some trail driving situations can lead to a coil spring falling out of the spring bucket. Currie Enterprises offers a fix for Jeep JK owners with its rear coil spring retaining kit. The kit includes everything needed to clamp the top of the coil spring to the frame and the bottom of the spring to the axle housing.