2019 Jeep Wrangler
The 2019 Jeep Wrangler is the second year of JL production featuring the venerable 3.6L Pentastar V6 or a 2.0L turbo four-cylinder with electric motor (eTorque), giving a mild hybrid setup. The Rubicon continues to be the pearl of the JL Wrangler in terms of off-road performance, featuring the largest tires, best ground clearance and approach/departure angles. Rubicon or not, here are a few ways to improve your 2019 JL Wrangler.
Protect the Entry Sills
Despite good undercarriage protection using stamped steel skid plates, Jeep left one majorly trafficked area on the 2019 JL completely vulnerable - the door sills. Entry guards are a simple an elegant solution to this problem, adhering over the painted door sills and protecting them from getting scratched and scuffed as people enter and exit the Wrangler. Sold as a complete kit (2-door kits will have two guards and 4-door JL kits will have four), entry level door sill guard kits will feature pieces made of thermoplastic, a type of plastic that is both durable and resistant to chemicals. Thermoplastic guards typically featured a raised tread pattern to help provide grip underfoot. Aluminum entry guards are also available and usually have a smooth finish. Installation of either type of entry guard is super simple - they adhere into place using specialty automotive body tape.
Keep your Rocker Panels Intact
Another area that the 2019 JL Wrangler lacks adequate protection is at the rocker panels. For those JL owners that mainly keep to the streets, this isn't much of a problem. Trail going Wranglers, however, could benefit from the addition of rock sliders. As the name implies, rock sliders are intended to help your Wrangler slide over rocks without smashing and denting the factory rocker panels. These guards run the full length of the rocker panel and provide a high-strength tubular steel layer of defense against trail debris and hard obstacles. Slim line versions keep a low profile and stack right underneath the rocker panel pinch seam, whereas meatier versions will stick out the side and also give some added protection to the side rails. Some aftermarket rock sliders are even built with an integrated step bar, making a complete package to protect the rockers and help passengers get in and out of the Jeep.
Off-road Disconnect
Only the Rubicon edition 2019 JL Wrangler comes with a factory-equipped sway bar disconnect, which gives it a major edge when wheeling off-road. Non-Rubicon models can get this functionality through installing an aftermarket sway bar disconnect. A sway bar disconnect:
- Is easily disconnected by removing quick-disconnect pins
- Allows for increased body flex
- Improves tires contact
Quick disconnect sway bar kits come with adjustable sway bar end links that can work with 2019 Wranglers that are stock or have up to 6" of lift. When ready to hit the trails, owners simply need pull the pin, pull the sway bar link off the sway bar mount and then tuck the link up and away so it does not bind in the suspension. In terms of installation, it varies greatly by manufacturer. Some sway bar disconnect kits are straight bolt-on, whereas others necessitate some drilling and possibly even cutting. The main difference is where the storage bracket is secured. All kits come with a set of brackets that are used to secure the sway bar link on when it is disconnected. These brackets keep the link up and out of the way so the suspension can fully articulate without binding on the removed link.
