First of all, welcome. Come on out to some meetings, meet some of us, and get to know what the CJA is about.
Second....don't buy a lift and bigger tires yet. Which lift and tires will be right for you? Only YOU can decide that. We'll give you lots of input, and we can "help" you to spend your money facster than you can believe....but don't do that until you've asked enough questions and gained enough experience to make the decisions for yourself. This is ESPECIALLY true since you have a Rubicon. Your rig is already VERY capable, right from the factory. You will already meet the requirements for just about all of the open runs.
Spending the time to get to know people is important....because there are lots of "experts" on the internet. There are lots of people who think that Black Maxx tires are the best possible tires out there for all applications....because they bought Black Maxx tires and they can't be wrong. Meeting folks in person and watching them wheel will tell you which folks have an opinion worth listening to, and which folks are still figuring things out. The other benefoit to coming out with the group before you start mods is that you get to see first-hand what the results are of different mods. There's no point in installing 37 inch tires and a 4 inch long arm kit on your JK if it's going to make it so tall that your wife can't climb in....or it doesn't fit in your parking garage.
If you do have a burning need to spend money on your rig, here's the mods list that I'd start on:
Things to get un-stuck:-Good quality recovery strap (Modern has them at a great price)
-Good leather work gloves for pulling winch cable
-a small shovel
-an axe
Things to keep your rig rolling:-Basic tools to keep in the vehicle
-Basic spares (serpentine belt, fuses, lighbulbs)
-Basic fluids
-Duct tape
Things to keep the people in the Jeep happy:-First aid kit
-Something to keep all those other items from moving around if you happen to have the Jeep at an odd angle (like upside down)
Then take a look at mods that will probably be required regardless of what you want to do with the Jeep:-CB radio
-Upgraded front bumper
-Winch
-Evap canister skid
-Diff covers
-Upgraded rear bumper
The other advice that I'd offer is to do as much of this work yourself as you possibly can. If you're not 100% on how to do something, ask some of the folks that you met wheeling if they'd be willing to provide you with guidance. Generally, people are willing to suprvise you doing the work if you provide adult beverages and meals for the duration of time that they are at your place.
Topic: New boy new toy (Read 2981 times)